How brokerage is typically structured
Tenant brokers are usually paid a commission tied to the transaction, often funded through the landlord. Good brokers bring market access and deal experience. The structure, however, centers the engagement on completing a lease.
What an advisor adds
A commercial real estate advisor works for the tenant on a defined scope — strategy, site selection, lease review, budgeting, and project oversight. The focus is the whole decision: whether to move, what to build, what it will cost, and how it will be delivered.
When advisory makes the most sense
Advisory is most valuable when the decision is complex: multi-site portfolios, restaurants and retail with heavy build-outs, technology environments, or growing companies without an in-house real estate team.
Many tenants use both — a broker for market access and an advisor embedded with the leadership team to own strategy, cost, and delivery.
Questions to ask any adviser
How are you paid? What happens after the lease is signed? Who on your team will actually do the work? Will you model total occupancy cost, including build-out and operating expenses? The answers reveal whose interests the engagement is built around.