In profile: CBRE's director of office leasing Adelaide, Andrew Bahr

Agent: Andrew Bahr

Position: Director of office leasing

Company: CBRE

Office Location: Adelaide

How long have you been in the industry?

Since 1996    

What’s happening in the area you specialise in?

I specialise in office leasing, fair to say the market is somewhat cautious at the moment, demand is conservative and it is taking a long time to convert transactions.  We have had to become more proactive and strategic in how we negotiate.

Describe the most interesting property you have sold?

Currently leasing 80 Grenfell Street, Adelaide’s newest office tower with construction due to be completed in November this year.  The quality of the offering, with large floor plates, stunning design and market leading environmental initiatives is creating a real talking point with perspective tenants.  The quality of tenant we are engaging with is excellent and their key issues are really the cornerstone to the building features.    

What are the ingredients to being successful in your job?

Hard work.  All too easy in a small market to sit back and “wait for the next brief”.  Critical to take a proactive approach, be involved in the market from the brokerage end up and talk to people face to face.  In a service based industry like real estate, you can learn more over a 20 minute coffee meeting than you’ll ever get out of emails and phone calls.    

What aspects of your role do you enjoy the most?

The thrill of the deal.  Most rewarding projects are the ones you work on from the ground up, from strategising, submitting, marketing, negotiating and signing the deal. After some 15 plus years I still enjoy meeting new people every day and being in a position to secure a positive outcome for them.    

Where would you invest a spare $750,000?

Set my family up in the family home for the next 20 years and a residential investment property.    

Which football team do you support?

Adelaide Crows    

What’s your favourite app or techno gadget?

Pandora music app.  Nothing like setting a music theme on the weekend and listening to what the app comes up with while you read the weekend papers over a coffee.    

How do you use social media?

Professionally – LinkedIn, socially – Facebook, a great way to keep in contact with overseas/interstate friends.