SMARTDRAW IN REAL ESTATE:

Create Professional-Quality Marketing Materials

64 year-old Michael Pecherer practiced law for 32 years in the capacity of both a lawyer and a judge. Now he's a full-time commercial real estate broker for Remax Allied Brokers. There are over 100,000 Remax agents in the country, but only a small percentage sell commercial real estate like Michael.

Michael readily admits that to sell at his level, there needs to be "a certain sophistication with regard to marketing brochures."

Over time, Michael has discovered when he is selling empty office space it helps to have a sample floor plan in place. This helps give potential buyers some idea of how the property might be utilized, and it often helps close the deal more quickly.

"It's advantageous for me to rent the space as it exists," said Michael. "That way, the landlord doesn't have to pay for tenant improvements, and the buyer won't have to spend big bucks going to a space planner or architect."

Michael first discovered SmartDraw via a Google search when he had to devise a sample floor plan for a 2,700 square foot property on the market. Even though he had no prior graphic design training, he found SmartDraw easy and intuitive. Michael continued, "I've tried to use graphic software before but it was way over my head. I found SmartDraw to be very user friendly for a guy who doesn't have CAD or other technical software expertise. I downloaded the trial, found the appropriate SmartTemplate™, and immediately got to work - creating a nice floor plan that ultimately helped close the deal."

Now, Michael uses SmartDraw so support most of his commercial real estate opportunities, including a 10,000 square foot property that he recently represented.

"The gross commission on a property like that is $90,000. Our take will be $45,000. I can't even get into the place if I can't show a floor plan of how I plan to market the property. The cost of SmartDraw is trivial in the bigger picture." Michael continued, "SmartDraw's real benefit is the empowerment it gives someone like me who doesn't use CAD or Photoshop, to compete with those kinds of people."

SmartDraw also serves a marketing function - for both Michael and his properties.

"Half the battle in commercial real estate is creating a sense of trust. SmartDraw gives me the ability to create professional-quality marketing material that sets me apart from my competition. Oftentimes, a potential client will want to see if their desired floor plan will "work" in a particular property. With SmartDraw, I can create the desired floor quickly and easily, where other brokers cannot.