A seasoned commercial real estate broker is staking his claim in the Tri-Cities area.
Nathan Jones, 37, is launching a commercial real estate brokerage called Dominion Commercial with an office at 2112 W. Hundred Road in Chester.
“Things are picking up. I thought this was a good time to ride that wave as things are starting to turn around,” Jones said.
He said that Fort Lee and development of the Crosspointe Center in Prince George County are major drivers in the area.
“The economy has been slow, but Fort Lee has kept things steady,” Jones said. “There are also a lot of contractors coming in to help support Rolls-Royce.”
Jones most recently worked for two years as a broker for Rebkee Realty, and prior to that he worked as a broker for the Richmond office of CB Richard Ellis.
Jones got his start in the industry after graduating from George Mason University with a degree in sociology. His first job was working for a homebuilder, which he said wasn’t his cup of tea. He then worked for Specter Properties, a commercial real estate firm in Petersburg. He credits Mark Specter with teaching him the ins and outs of the trade.
“All I did was follow him around for a year,” he said.
Jones, who grew up in nearby Dinwiddie County, said he launched Dominion Commercial to focus on the area that includes Petersburg, Colonial Heights, Hopewell and the neighboring counties — an area that he said is underserved.
“It’s part of the whole Richmond area, but people look at it as a separate area, which is good for me,” Jones said.
Jones is listing 40 properties right off the bat. He said that people in the area can be a bit particular about whom they do business with and that personal relationships matter a great deal.
“There were times when being attached to a larger company, like CB Richard Ellis, was a good thing. But some people around here didn’t know anything about them, and they would ask, ‘Who is Richard?’” Jones said. “They want that local person right here, which got me thinking I just need my own little company.”
Jones’s office is in a renovated house, which he bought four years ago as an investment. For now, Dominion Commercial is a one-man show, but hopes to add three to five brokers over the next two years who will set up in other underserved markets throughout the state.
Being in a smaller area, Jones has to be all things to all people.
“There is not enough of one product for me to specialize in one industry,” Jones said.
That means Jones handles everything himself: retail, office, industrial, multi-family, investment sales and property management.
Jones said he is excited to be running his own company, and to face the challenges that come with it.
“Once it’s your own company, you have a little more fire to get up and going,” he said.
A seasoned commercial real estate broker is staking his claim in the Tri-Cities area.
Nathan Jones, 37, is launching a commercial real estate brokerage called Dominion Commercial with an office at 2112 W. Hundred Road in Chester.
“Things are picking up. I thought this was a good time to ride that wave as things are starting to turn around,” Jones said.
He said that Fort Lee and development of the Crosspointe Center in Prince George County are major drivers in the area.
“The economy has been slow, but Fort Lee has kept things steady,” Jones said. “There are also a lot of contractors coming in to help support Rolls-Royce.”
Jones most recently worked for two years as a broker for Rebkee Realty, and prior to that he worked as a broker for the Richmond office of CB Richard Ellis.
Jones got his start in the industry after graduating from George Mason University with a degree in sociology. His first job was working for a homebuilder, which he said wasn’t his cup of tea. He then worked for Specter Properties, a commercial real estate firm in Petersburg. He credits Mark Specter with teaching him the ins and outs of the trade.
“All I did was follow him around for a year,” he said.
Jones, who grew up in nearby Dinwiddie County, said he launched Dominion Commercial to focus on the area that includes Petersburg, Colonial Heights, Hopewell and the neighboring counties — an area that he said is underserved.
“It’s part of the whole Richmond area, but people look at it as a separate area, which is good for me,” Jones said.
Jones is listing 40 properties right off the bat. He said that people in the area can be a bit particular about whom they do business with and that personal relationships matter a great deal.
“There were times when being attached to a larger company, like CB Richard Ellis, was a good thing. But some people around here didn’t know anything about them, and they would ask, ‘Who is Richard?’” Jones said. “They want that local person right here, which got me thinking I just need my own little company.”
Jones’s office is in a renovated house, which he bought four years ago as an investment. For now, Dominion Commercial is a one-man show, but hopes to add three to five brokers over the next two years who will set up in other underserved markets throughout the state.
Being in a smaller area, Jones has to be all things to all people.
“There is not enough of one product for me to specialize in one industry,” Jones said.
That means Jones handles everything himself: retail, office, industrial, multi-family, investment sales and property management.
Jones said he is excited to be running his own company, and to face the challenges that come with it.
“Once it’s your own company, you have a little more fire to get up and going,” he said.