The Real Estate Grapevine

The cold, wet weather has come to a halt and the frosty nights of North Georgia have turned warm and dry. What was once a dormant shoot suddenly begins to sprout, and the vintner prepares for the next phase of the growing cycle, pruning and thinning the vines.

The process of growing grapes is tedious and strategic, taking months of time, effort, and patience to get the outcome of perfectly fermented Chardonnay or Cabernet. Much like making real estate decisions, the process takes an advisor with years of expertise, offering guidance throughout every phase of the corporate growing season. Below are three ways an experienced advisor, like a sommelier, can help you find the perfect match. Equally, an ill-advised real estate decision could leave you and your business with a sour and costly aftertaste.

1. Growth is the goal
During the spring, the vintners are in the field tending the vines and watching them grow. In real estate, this is a lot like the job of an advisor. A dedicated real estate advisor takes care of their clients, following up with them to see how their growing year is going and if their space is meeting the needs and growth of the business. Whether your business is growing, shrinking, renewing, or relocating, a Cresa advisor is always on your side and wants the best for your business.

2. You need guidance
Like a vineyard, businesses change all throughout the year. Say you’re a start-up company within a pool of competition. Over time, your goal is to grow, expand, hire the right talent, and maybe even add onto your services. However, in order to be successful, your company needs direction. They need a real estate “vintner” to fulfill the company’s goals and help them bud into their fullest potential, the fine wine.

3. It takes time
For a vineyard or a company to be fruitful, you must be patient. At a vineyard, you can’t harvest grapes to make wine until the vineyard is at least three years old. Companies are long-term investments, a process that takes years of continued learning and education to perfect.

In harvesting wine and real estate, every year is a different season. In real estate, you might have better results moving your business in the spring than the winter. With wine, a vine’s growth could be greatly affected because of frost. One year you may have too much rain, and another year it may be too hot. When it’s all said and done, you take what grapes you can use and create a fine, vintage wine.

You need a real estate advisor who takes care of you, much like a vintner takes care of a vineyard. You need someone consulting you, contacting you, and creating relationships with you in every season. With the help of an advisor, your company can produce the best results, regardless of the growing season.

Nance Donaldson has over 25 years of experience in all facets of Commercial Real Estate. She represents occupiers from a wide range of industries, specializing in both office and industrial lease negotiations. She is a Level 3 Sommelier from Atlanta and enjoys blending wine with real estate as she "toasts" her clients at the closing table.