Justin Schnurr focuses on providing Tenant Advisory services for companies and organizations throughout the greater Washington, D.C., suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia region. His value to a company searching for complex real estate solutions include understanding the specific objectives of the requirement, leveraging his knowledge of product availabilities and presenting numerous economically-sensible options to the end-user. Schnurr’s activities are supported by the resources and technology of a full-service real estate team. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting from Saint Leo University.

Q. Describe your entry into the commercial real estate industry.

A. After earning my degree in accounting and my experience working in the accounting sector, I quickly realized my outgoing personality did not match well with this profession for the long-term. Spending the majority of my time behind a desk was just not appealing to me, so I sought a position where I could be out of the office more interacting in a fast-paced environment directly with clients.

Q. What prompted you to gravitate towards tenant advisory services in the commercial real estate industry?

A. Quite simply, it offered the greatest opportunity for growth and advancement. As compared to representing landlords, I believe my area is exceedingly more challenging, especially for someone that entered the field with no experience and no business relationships. It has now been two years and my hard work is paying off. It didn’t take me long to figure out that it is all about delivering results.

Q. But things didn’t start off so well, correct?

A. Right, especially since I work on a 100% commission basis. While I was given tremendous direction and still have amazing mentors at EDGE, it was difficult to establish relationships with real estate decision makers, particularly because they operated at such a high level with many years of experience. I came into the industry completely green, so why would they place their trust in me? There is also a great deal of competition and we are all chasing the same people with many, at least at the outset, with significantly more experience than me. Every day, I came to the office to hunt. That remains my mindset.

Q. Describe your typical day.

A. Waking up at 5 am and working out sets the tone for a busy and productive day. Upon arrival at the office at approximately 7:30 am, I warm up with a few emails and then immediately proceed to burning up the phone lines with calls to prospects. On average, I would contact more than 50 companies on a daily basis. This would all be backed up by research I was performing to increase my success rate. There is a lot of rejection in the industry and that took some getting used to, but I am determined.

Q. What was the turning point in your career?

A. Maintaining a strong work ethic and positive approach to everything I do and not giving up on anything I was chasing. Early on, it was critical for me to establish credibility and rapport with real estate executives and I accomplished this with a “never-say-die” attitude and philosophy to out-work my competitors. Countless prospective clients have attributed their agreement to meeting from my persistence and unwillingness to give up which, of course, solidified my approach. I always refer to a saying, kept on the background of my iPhone to maintain my formula. It reads: “Nobody cares – work harder.” Now, with greater confidence and the success of great clients, my focus is growing to the next level.

EDGE Commercial Real Estate is a commercial real estate firm providing a full complement of advisory, leasing, investment sales and management services to clients with real estate holdings throughout the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia marketplace. Founded in 2007, the company currently leases and manages more than 8.5 million square feet of commercial office, flex/office, industrial/warehouse, retail and mixed-use space. EDGE operates offices in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Pittsburgh, PA. Visit www.edgecre.com