Today we’d like to introduce you to Aamil Sarfani.
Hi Aamil, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in San Antonio and have had my Commercial Real Estate license since 2013. I attended Emory University and graduated from the Goizueta Business School in 2015 with a BBA. After graduation, I moved to Austin, where I lived for 4 years, met my wife, and really started my commercial real estate journey. Many people in my community that moved here from India in the late 1980s, including my parents, started retail-based businesses including restaurants, entertainment venues, cell phone stores, gas stations, etc. I saw firsthand the hardships and the success stories of these types of businesses and I know what these owners and managers have to go through to make these businesses work. The effort and sacrifice that it requires is what inspires me to want to work with the people running these operations through my real estate brokerage company. Having been involved in these businesses myself and seeing many others do so gave me the passion of wanting to work with other entrepreneurs in their pursuit of growing their businesses. Every operation is different, and my experience growing up is why I care so deeply that I find the right space for my clients. I understand the importance of finding the right fit for each client.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
Like anything good, there are many challenges along the way. In 2019, I was fortunate enough to land a position at a firm in San Antonio that was affiliated with Cushman and Wakefield. I created relationships with larger national credit clients already integrated into the Cushman pipeline. Within a few months of being there, I was able to land some major clients like Humana and Spectrum, who were looking to expand in San Antonio, which was a major part of my success early on. Within a year of being there, the firm’s owners decided to close down the firm, forcing me to find a new brokerage to join. Fortunately, I was well on my way to being eligible for my broker’s license, which requires a substantial deal volume plus 4 years of experience so that I could start my firm shortly after. Although it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, at the time, it was a major shakeup for me only a year after joining that firm. Each project I have been a part of has presented its challenges, but each has led me to learn new skills that I carry with me every day.
We’ve been impressed with Sarfani Commercial Advisors, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a commercial real estate brokerage and construction company. I have been involved with many different aspects of the industry, including tenant representation work for fortune 500 companies like Humana and Spectrum, the brokering and redevelopment of 140,000 SF office/retail renovation projects, and managing the ground-up development of over 50,000 SF of retail space. We were not only involved in developing those projects but also managed the leasing of the space. In 2021 I decided to start my brokerage firm. My focus was to take my experience, which includes brokerage, construction, and project management and offer my clients a more holistic approach to commercial real estate. There are a lot of pieces that business owners and developers need to put together, from finding space, designing it, and permitting through the city to constructing that space. We specialize in putting those pieces together so our clients have one point of contact, walking them through each step. We can do this because we own our brokerage and construction business and have strong relationships with architects and engineers. I am most proud of our ability for creative problem-solving. During the pandemic, we bought two office buildings that been entirely neglected by previous ownership. One of which had been vacant for 10 years. We saw these as opportunities and were able to redevelop these assets into real value adds for the communities they are a part of. We redid all the common areas, bathrooms, elevators, and HVAC systems and have built coworking spaces to take advantage of the demand for flexible space. For this reason, we also specialize in helping businesses find office space that fits their needs in a post-pandemic world where flexible space and hybrid work models are imperative for offering employees options for their workspace.
What was you like growing up?
Growing up, I was involved in student government, debate, and community service, and I played Basketball and Tennis. I worked hard and spent a lot of time with my family. We liked to play board games together, and I am a huge San Antonio Spurs fan, so we also spent a lot of time watching the Spurs.
Contact Info:
- Website: sarfanicommercialadvisors.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarfanicommercialadvisors/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sarfani.Commercial.Advisors/about/?ref=page_internal
