Want to break into commercial real estate but don’t know how to get your first client?

Getting licensed is one thing. Finding people who will actually trust you with a deal is another. And when you’re starting out, it can feel like you need experience to get clients—but need clients to get experience.

In this episode, Aviva Sonenreich and Alberto Salcedo talk about what it really takes to get started in commercial real estate. Aviva shares how she found her first clients by knocking on doors at an office building scheduled for demolition, why her dad initially wouldn’t hire her, and how those early deals eventually led her to buy his company and start her own brokerage.

The conversation goes beyond Aviva’s career story. They discuss how social media can generate commercial real estate business, what investors should understand about triple-net leases, and why buying the property your business operates from can be a long-term wealth-building strategy.

Key Topics Discussed

• How Aviva landed her first CRE clients: Finding business owners who needed to relocate and offering tenant representation services before she had a position at a brokerage.
• Breaking into commercial real estate: Why persistence matters and how to recognize prospects who are ready to move forward.
• Using social media to generate deals: How Aviva started posting CRE content in 2020 and turned online connections into transactions.
• Commercial vs. residential investing: How triple-net leases allocate property expenses and why investors need to understand the terms of each lease.
• Ways to finance commercial property: A discussion of SBA loans, raising capital from investors, and seller financing.
• Buying the building your business occupies: How owner-occupied real estate can become a long-term asset and potentially provide rental income in retirement.
• What makes a commercial location work: Why a promising business concept still needs the right space, realistic startup costs, and a workable lease.

About the Guest

Alberto Salcedo is the Co-Founder of Limitless Vacation Rentals and a Realtor with RE/MAX Leaders, with experience spanning residential real estate, investment, development, and short-term rental management. Through his businesses, Alberto helps buyers, sellers, and investors navigate real estate transactions while identifying opportunities to build and grow their portfolios. He brings an entrepreneurial perspective to commercial real estate, exploring how investors and business owners can evaluate opportunities, secure financing, and use real estate to support long-term business growth.

About the Host

Aviva Sonenreich is the Managing Broker and Owner of the Warehouse Hotline, a Denver commercial real estate brokerage specializing exclusively in industrial properties. She leads the firm’s brokerage operations, negotiates industrial sales and leasing transactions, advises clients on acquisition and disposition strategies, and oversees the company’s marketing and business development efforts. Through Commercial Real Estate Secrets, she interviews leading investors, brokers, developers, and industry experts to provide actionable insights on commercial real estate investing, brokerage, leasing, development, and market trends.

Looking for Your First Commercial Space or Your Next Location?

Finding a property is only part of the process. You also need to understand whether the space works for your business, what the lease will cost, and which terms are negotiable.

The Warehouse Hotline helps businesses find and negotiate industrial space, whether they’re opening a new location, relocating, or expanding.