CRE Consulting Services
Commercial real estate consulting for complex portfolio decisions. Portfolio optimization, 1031 exchange strategy, site selection, lease-vs-buy modeling, feasibility studies, and asset repositioning — senior CRE advisory across New Jersey and Houston, TX.
Flat-fee. No commission strings. Coldwell Banker Commercial Realty · TX #842584 · NJ #0894102
Senior CRE Portfolio Optimization Consultants
Not every commercial real estate question requires a transaction. Sometimes you need objective analysis, portfolio-level strategy, and senior CRE consulting guidance to make informed decisions about your property holdings — without a broker pushing for a deal.
Our commercial real estate consulting practice draws on decades of cross-industry business experience — tech, aerospace, oil & gas, military contracting, and retail — combined with deep CRE expertise across New Jersey and the Houston metro. We understand not just the real estate, but how it fits into your broader business and investment objectives.
Whether you're evaluating a major acquisition, planning a 1031 exchange, repositioning an underperforming asset, or building a long-term commercial real estate portfolio strategy, we provide the underwriting and advisory horsepower to help you decide with confidence.
What CRE Consulting Services Actually Cover
"CRE consulting" means different things to different brokerages. Many treat it as a soft pre-engagement step — a chance to win a listing. Ours is a stand-alone practice with its own deliverables, billing, and accountability. You pay for advice, not for a future commission.
A typical CRE consulting engagement falls into one of six disciplines — portfolio optimization, 1031 strategy, site selection, feasibility studies, lease-vs-buy modeling, and asset repositioning. Most engagements blend two or three. The work product is always written: a memo, a model, or a slide deck that your CPA, lender, partners, or trustees can actually use.
We draw on industry sources like NAIOP research, Urban Land Institute reports, and CCIM-member market data, plus first-party inputs from our brokerage practice (real comps, current rents, real concessions). Most consulting shops only have the public data; we have both.
CRE Consulting Disciplines We Practice
Portfolio Optimization
Asset-by-asset review of your CRE holdings — performance benchmarking, NOI normalization, hold-vs-sell scoring, refinance timing, and a written plan that ranks each property by risk-adjusted return. Built for owners with 3-30 properties who feel the portfolio is leaking money but can't pinpoint where.
1031 Exchange Strategy
Pre-exchange planning, replacement-property search (DSTs, NNN retail, industrial, multifamily), QI coordination, 45/180-day clock management, and boot mitigation. Most 1031s fail because the strategy is set after the sale closes — we set it before.
Site Selection & Market Entry
For tenants and owner-users entering a new submarket: workforce mapping, drive-time isochrones, comp-set rent surveys, zoning compatibility, and incentive screening (TIRZ, opportunity zones, foreign trade zones). Houston metro and NJ industrial corridors only.
Feasibility & Highest-and-Best-Use Studies
For developers and owners deciding whether to build, redevelop, or sell: demand absorption, achievable rents, hard/soft cost benchmarks, capital stack scenarios, residual land value. Output is a written feasibility memo your lender or partners can underwrite.
Lease vs. Buy Financial Modeling
Discounted cash-flow models comparing every alternative — lease, lease-with-option, sale-leaseback, build-to-suit, fee-simple purchase — across a 5-15 year hold. Sensitivity tested for rent growth, exit cap, and refinance assumptions.
Asset Repositioning Strategy
For underperforming buildings: tenant-mix audit, lease restructuring options, capital-improvement ROI, branding/positioning shifts, and a sequencing plan. Where appropriate, we coordinate the implementation through our brokerage practice or partner GCs.
Who Hires Us for CRE Consulting
We work with four overlapping client types. If you don't see yourself here, call us — we'll tell you honestly whether we're the right fit.
Property Owners (3-30 Buildings)
You manage your own portfolio but have outgrown the spreadsheet. You need objective senior-level analysis without giving up control.
Family Offices & High-Net-Worth Investors
Real estate is one slice of a bigger allocation. You need a CRE consultant who speaks the same financial language as your wealth manager.
Owner-Users & Corporate Real Estate
You're a business that happens to own or lease space. Real estate decisions affect operations, taxes, and balance sheet — we model all three.
Attorneys, CPAs & Trustees
You need third-party CRE expertise on behalf of a client — estate planning, partnership dissolution, divorce, bankruptcy, court-ordered sale.
Consulting vs. Brokerage — When to Choose Which
Hire a CRE Consultant When…
- The question is "should I" — not "how do I".
- You need objective analysis, not transaction execution.
- The decision affects multiple properties or multiple years.
- Your CPA, lender, or partners need a written memo.
- You want to pay for advice — flat-fee, not commission-tied.
Hire a CRE Broker When…
- You've decided to buy, sell, lease, or list a property.
- The question is "at what price, what terms, and from whom".
- You want representation through the transaction itself.
- A commission-based model fits the situation.
We do both — see seller representation, buyer representation, landlord representation, and tenant representation.
Engagement Options
One-Time Consultation
Focused 90-minute working session on a specific decision. Written summary follows within 5 business days.
- Single session
- Specific topic focus
- Actionable written recommendations
- Flat fee
Project-Based Engagement
Comprehensive support for a defined project — typical scope is 30-90 days end to end.
- Defined deliverables
- Research + financial modeling
- Written report + presentation
- Milestone billing
Ongoing Retainer
Monthly retainer for clients who need a CRE advisor as part of their regular cadence.
- Scheduled monthly check-ins
- Active market monitoring
- On-call availability
- Discounted hourly rate
What to Expect from a Consulting Engagement
Discovery call (free)
30 minutes. We confirm the question, scope, and whether we're the right fit. If we're not, we'll tell you who is.
Scoping memo + fixed-fee proposal
Within 3 business days you get a one-page scope memo and a flat fee. No hourly creep.
Research, modeling, fieldwork
The actual work. Length depends on scope — most engagements run 2-8 weeks. We share progress weekly.
Written deliverable + walk-through
Memo, model, or deck — your choice. Plus a 60-minute walk-through with you (and your CPA/lender/partners if helpful).
Implementation handoff
Optional. If the recommendation is "list it" or "buy that one", we can roll into a brokerage engagement — or refer you out to a third party.
CRE Consulting in NJ & Houston
We consult on properties anywhere in our two home markets, with sub-market depth in:
New Jersey
- · New Jersey CRE overview
- · Central NJ industrial corridor (I-287, I-78, Tpke Exit 8A)
- · Newark / Elizabeth port-adjacent industrial
- · Bergen + Hudson office & mixed-use
Frequently Asked Questions
Have a Complex CRE Decision to Make?
Start with a free 30-minute discovery call. Whether you hire us or not, you'll leave with a clearer view of the next move.