‘Know your numbers or no second chance’: Transitioning from residential to commercial real estate

Despite the challenges of shifting gears and starting from scratch, it wasn’t Williams’ first time; even before working in residential real estate, the agent’s career spanned sports, media and government.

It was during the COVID-19 pandemic that Williams made his first career switch, selling luxury properties in South Australia.

“Most agents start smaller and build up. I entered at the top end of the beaches market from day one,” Williams said.

“I began selling prestige property across Adelaide’s metro coastline and key inner suburbs, going straight into the luxury end of the market.”

“I was then approached in 2024 to run the property division for a boutique financial advisory firm, representing clients as a buyer’s advocate and sales agent across residential and commercial.”

After three years in residential sales, Williams said he decided to pivot to commercial real estate as it allowed him to leverage his prior experience.

“Commercial aligned with my broader background across elite sport, government, media and technology, where I was structuring and pitching multi-million dollar partnerships and solutions,” he said.

“Commercial real estate sits closer to that, capital alignment, revenue growth, strategic partnerships and complex negotiations, all built on trusted relationships.”

An industry comparison

While different factors drive both sectors, Williams said that the core fundamentals of residential real estate, speed, momentum and building relationships, remained.

He said that to succeed in the commercial space, he had leveraged the key skills he had learnt during his time in residential, such as process control and negotiating under pressure.

“Those skills still underpin every deal; what I had to learn was the technical side,” Williams said.

In addition to the common real estate skills, he said that commercial agents needed to develop an understanding of concepts such as income underwriting, lease structures and yield positioning.

Williams said that while the two sides of real estate were similar, the main differences lay in the market environment and the pace of transactions.

“Residential is short cycle and emotion driven, while commercial is longer cycle and more analytical.”

“Residential teaches you to act quickly, follow up relentlessly and keep deals moving.”

“In commercial, you need to be sharper, it’s about yield, risk, income durability and exit, but it still comes back to understanding the people behind the capital.”

Finding your feet

For agents considering switching to commercial real estate, William said the key to becoming successful in the market was to establish credibility early by understanding its technical side.

To accelerate the process, he said agents should seek mentorship, work closely with more experienced colleagues, including valuers and analysts, and stay close to live deals.

“[Working with others] gave me a deep, practical understanding of the office, retail, and development markets across the country, shaped by working directly with capital and transactions,” Williams said.

“You are dealing with experienced capital, fund managers, developers, private and institutional groups, and they expect accuracy and conviction.”

“You either know your numbers, ot you don’t get a second chance.”

Additionally, Williams said that for agents beginning in the industry, building a network early on should be a top priority.

“Remember, it’s a people business first.”

“The job isn’t just selling property, it’s developing and maintaining strong relationships and advising capital on behalf of people,” Williams concluded.