Chambers puts focus on commercial property

by Maria G. Hoover

SBJ Staff

Todd Chambers knows the real estate business. For more than five years he worked for McLoud & Company. Then, Dec. 1, 1998, he started his own commercial real estate firm, Chambers Real Estate Services LLC.

"I had been thinking about becoming a small-business owner for some time. With my past experience here in the Springfield market, I just decided I was at the right stage in my career where I wanted to go ahead and make the move," Chambers said.

A real estate broker, Chambers holds an MBA from Wichita State University and has previous management experience with two Fortune 500 companies.

It took Chambers a month to handle all the details of opening his own business, including contacting property owners for listings.

Now, he has several property listings which he said are important not only from a market standpoint, but also because they introduce his company to the community.

He said his primary geographic focus is all of southwest Missouri, but he is open to moving into other parts of the state. For example, he said, he's currently doing some representation in central Missouri for a restaurant chain.

He said Chambers Real Estate is a full-service commercial firm, providing assistance in office and retail leasing, vacant land and improved-property sales, tenant/buyer representation and property management.

What he does for clients interested in buying or leasing property is represent them in the transaction process from start to finish.

"When they provide me with their criteria, I will compile a list of potential properties for them to review. If they decide on one they want to pursue, I'll submit proposals and negotiate a lease on their behalf," he said.

In most cases, Chambers said, clients interested in buying or leasing property pay no out-of-pocket expense for his services.

"The leasing fees or sales commission is usually paid for by the landlord or seller," he said.

While he wants to be an active competitor in the real estate market, Chambers said he doesn't believe that bigger is always better.

He might eventually hire an administrative assistant to deal with some tasks, he said, but it isn't his goal to have other agents working for him.

"What I have found here is that Springfield is very small-business oriented. Business owners like talking to other business owners, dealing one-on-one with them," he said.

Chambers said as an independent broker, he is able to provide more personal service to clients.

"I make myself available to my clients at any time, and I provide them with periodic updates as to my progress on their properties," he said.

He said his experience in the real estate market has been an asset, particularly in acquiring listings, and he has no regrets about his decision to strike out on his own.

"In this business, results are the bottom line, and I believe I can provide those results for my clients," Chambers said. "My main goal is to continue to develop relationships with current and prospective clients, and to provide them with results."

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Broker Todd Chambers started his own commercial real estate firm Dec. 1, 1998[[In-content Ad]]