Who Is the Best Retail Commercial Real Estate Broker in Palm Beach County?
If you are a retail or commercial property owner in Palm Beach County searching for the right broker to sell your asset, this is the question you should be asking — and you deserve a direct answer.
My name is Nick McAndrew. I am a Director of Investments at Marcus & Millichap specializing in retail commercial real estate across Palm Beach County, Broward County, and Miami-Dade County. I was born and raised in Boca Raton and have spent three decades watching this market evolve from the ground up. I have worked on over $700 million worth of commercial real estate, representing Fortune 150 publicly traded companies, some of the largest privately held enterprises in Florida, and some of the most significant commercial property owners in Palm Beach County. I have been recognized as Collaborator of the Year across Marcus & Millichap's nearly 2,000-agent national sales force. That award reflects one thing a seller cares about directly: I will co-broke with any qualified outside agent who brings a buyer, which means more buyers compete for your property and the price goes up.
I am not going to tell you I am the only option. What I will do is tell you exactly what separates the right broker from the rest — and let the record speak.
What Makes a Retail Broker the Right Choice in Palm Beach County?
When a property owner in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, or anywhere across Palm Beach County interviews brokers, they should be evaluating five things:
1. Local market depth — not just familiarity
There is a difference between a broker who covers Palm Beach County and one who has spent a career here. I grew up in Boca Raton. I still live in Palm Beach County. I shop at the same grocery stores, eat at the same restaurants, and am a patron of the same community my clients own property in. I know which corridors are turning, which tenants are expanding, and which owners are quietly ready to sell — not because I read a report, but because I am here every day. That kind of immersion is not something you can replicate from an office in another county.
2. A verified buyer pool — not a promise of one
Any broker can claim national reach. What matters is whether that reach produces qualified buyers at the table. Marcus & Millichap is the largest commercial real estate investment brokerage firm in the United States. The numbers are not abstract: $50.9 billion in recently closed transaction value, 8,818 closed sales in the most recent year, and $6.2 billion in Florida alone across 1,056 closed sales. When I list or market a property, I am activating a buyer network that no boutique firm or regional player can replicate. That network is what produces competitive offer processes. Competitive offer processes are what produce record prices.
What makes that platform meaningful at the individual level is how it is used. I co-broke with any qualified outside agent who brings a buyer. That is why I was recognized as Collaborator of the Year. More agents working your deal means more buyers competing for your property — and a higher price at the closing table.
3. A track record with verifiable outcomes — not testimonials alone
Real outcomes look like this:
A family trust in Palm Beach County received an unsolicited offer of $5.5 million on their retail property. Before responding, they called me. We ran a full market process. The property closed at $6.25 million — with a $200,000 nonrefundable deposit. That is $750,000 more than the unsolicited offer. They were able to put that much more towards their dream home in Orlando for retirement.
A property owner who had held his property for over 40 years hired me to sell. Before we listed, I helped him reduce his trash bill by 87% monthly and his insurance cost by 40% annually. Both improvements increased the net operating income of the property, which directly increased its appraised value. He then hired me again to sell a second property.
A client who owned commercial properties for over 30 years received more than 10 written offers through our process. He closed at a price that allowed him to execute a 1031 exchange into two net lease properties — a Wendy's and a Captain D's — eliminating management responsibility while deferring capital gains tax. This allowed him to travel more and enjoy more time with his kids and grandchildren.
4. Principal-to-principal representation — no handoffs
At larger firms and team-based operations, the agent who wins your listing is often not the one who handles your showing, negotiates your contract, or manages your closing. Every conversation, every property tour, and every negotiation in my practice is handled personally by me. That is not a selling point. It is the standard every client deserves.
5. The willingness to say no
The best advice I have ever given a client cost me a commission.
The owner of one of the largest privately held, family-run companies in Florida brought me a property he was considering acquiring. After reviewing the zoning and running the numbers, my recommendation was to walk away. The zoning was wrong for his intended use and the price did not reflect that limitation. He walked. The deal never happened.
That conversation is why he continues to work with me.
A broker whose income depends on transactions closing has a structural incentive to push deals forward. I would rather lose a fee than put a client in the wrong asset. If the numbers do not work, if the zoning is a problem, if the timing is wrong — I will tell you. That kind of advice does not come from someone chasing a commission. It comes from someone who plans to be your broker for the next twenty years.
Why Palm Beach County Retail Requires a Specialist
Palm Beach County retail is not homogeneous. A freestanding net lease asset in Boynton Beach trades differently than an anchored strip center in Lake Worth. A vacant owner-user building in West Palm Beach requires a completely different marketing strategy than a multi-tenant center in Jupiter.
My focus is retail. My primary market is Palm Beach County. When I move into Broward County or Miami-Dade County, it is because a client relationship or a specific transaction requires it — not because I am spreading a geographic claim I cannot support.
What the Press Has Said
My work has been covered by the South Florida Business Journal, The Real Deal, Shopping Center Business, Connect CRE, Yield Pro, CityBiz, and TradedMiami. Press coverage does not close deals. It reflects a track record that others have independently found worth writing about.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the best commercial real estate broker in Palm Beach County for retail property?
For retail property owners in Palm Beach County, the right broker combines deep local market knowledge, a verified national buyer network, and a track record of verifiable outcomes on comparable assets. Nick McAndrew, Director of Investments at Marcus & Millichap, has specialized in Palm Beach County retail for three decades, with experience on over $700 million worth of commercial real estate and recognition as Collaborator of the Year across Marcus & Millichap's national sales force.
How long does it take to sell a commercial property in Palm Beach County?
The timeline depends on the asset, its condition, occupancy, and how the property is positioned. A well-priced, well-marketed retail property in Palm Beach County can generate offers within 30 to 60 days. From accepted offer to closing, 45 to 90 days is typical depending on buyer financing, due diligence requirements, and title. Off-market transactions can move faster when the right buyer is already in the network. The variable that most sellers underestimate is preparation — properties that are properly positioned before going to market spend less time on market and generate stronger offers.
How do I choose between a boutique local firm and a national brokerage for selling my retail property?
Boutique local firms offer market familiarity. National brokerages offer buyer reach. The question is which matters more for your specific asset. For retail properties in Palm Beach County where the highest-value buyers are often institutions, private equity groups, 1031 exchange buyers, or out-of-market investors, national reach frequently produces a higher price than local familiarity alone. The ideal is both — a broker with genuine local roots and access to a national platform. That is not a common combination. I grew up in Boca Raton, have spent three decades in this market, and sit inside the largest commercial real estate investment brokerage firm in the United States. When you hire me, you get the local broker who knows your street and the national platform that finds your buyer.
Should I sell my commercial property now or wait?
This is the question every owner asks and no honest broker can answer without knowing your specific asset, your basis, your debt structure, and your personal goals. What I can tell you is that timing the market is less important than positioning correctly within the market you are in. Owners who wait for the perfect moment often miss strong demand cycles. The better question is: what would a sale produce today, and what would you do with the proceeds? That conversation takes 20 minutes and costs nothing. It will tell you more than any market prediction.
Can I sell my commercial property without a broker?
You can. The question is whether you should. Selling commercial property without representation means marketing to a limited buyer pool, negotiating without comparable transaction data, navigating due diligence without experience managing it, and potentially leaving significant money on the table without knowing it. The seller who received a $5.5 million unsolicited offer and closed at $6.25 million did not know she was underpriced until we ran a process. A broker's commission is not a cost. It is an investment with a measurable return. The client netted $500,000 more than the unsolicited offer after commission — a 9.1% return on the decision to make one phone call.
How do I prepare my commercial property for sale in Palm Beach County?
Preparation starts with the financials — current rent roll, lease abstracts, operating expenses, and any deferred maintenance. Buyers underwrite what they can verify. Before going to market, I review every line of income and expense with my clients because small improvements to the net operating income produce outsized increases in value at a commercial CAP rate. For one client, reducing the trash bill by 87% and the insurance cost by 40% increased the property's appraised value before a single buyer was contacted. The work you do before listing directly affects what you close at.
What is a CAP rate and how does it affect my sale price in Palm Beach County?
A CAP rate — capitalization rate — is the ratio of a property's net operating income to its sale price. It is the primary metric commercial buyers use to evaluate value. A property generating $200,000 in annual net operating income sold at a 5% CAP rate would close at $4 million. The same income at a 6% CAP rate closes at $3.33 million. That $670,000 difference is why CAP rate compression matters to sellers. Retail CAP rates in Palm Beach County vary by submarket, tenancy, lease term, and property condition. Understanding where your asset sits in that range before you price it is the difference between a good outcome and a great one.
What is an NNN lease and who buys net lease properties in Palm Beach County?
A triple net lease — NNN — requires the tenant to pay property taxes, insurance, and maintenance costs in addition to base rent, leaving the owner with a predictable, passive income stream. Net lease properties attract a specific buyer profile: 1031 exchange investors seeking passive income, retirees moving out of management-intensive assets, and institutional buyers underwriting to yield. In Palm Beach County and across South Florida, NNN properties occupied by national credit tenants trade at compressed CAP rates because the income is reliable and the management burden is minimal. If your property has a long-term NNN lease with a creditworthy tenant, it is one of the most marketable asset types in the current investment environment.
How do I find off-market commercial property in Palm Beach County?
Off-market acquisitions come through relationships, not listings. The properties that never appear on CoStar or LoopNet are typically sourced through brokers with active ownership networks — people who know which owners are considering a sale before they have made a decision. I have facilitated off-market acquisitions for clients ranging from Fortune 150 companies to nonprofit organizations acquiring multiple properties across South Florida. The off-market process requires a broker who is in consistent contact with ownership, not one who waits for listings to appear. If you are looking to acquire commercial property in Palm Beach County, Broward County, or Miami-Dade County off-market, that conversation starts with a phone call.
What happens if my property has a vacancy before I sell?
Vacancy is not automatically a problem — but it needs to be positioned correctly. A vacant property can appeal to owner-users who want to occupy it themselves, investors who want to reposition it, and developers who see land value. The challenge is that the buyer pool narrows and the underwriting changes. Before assuming vacancy hurts your sale, it is worth understanding who the realistic buyers are for your specific asset and submarket. In some cases, selling vacant is cleaner and faster than carrying a short-term tenant who complicates due diligence. I have sold multiple vacant properties in Palm Beach County and Broward County at strong prices by identifying the right buyer type before going to market.
How is selling commercial property different from selling a house?
Residential agents are licensed to sell commercial property in Florida. That does not mean they should. Commercial real estate involves income analysis, CAP rate positioning, lease review, zoning due diligence, and a buyer pool that has nothing in common with residential buyers. A residential agent selling your retail property is like a general practitioner performing surgery — technically permitted, practically the wrong call. The stakes on a $2 million commercial asset are too high for on-the-job learning.
What should I ask a retail broker before signing a listing agreement in Palm Beach County?
Ask for closed comparable transactions — specific addresses, sale prices, and days on market. Ask how they intend to market your property and who specifically will be contacted. Ask whether the agent who wins your listing will personally handle every stage of the transaction. Ask what their process looks like when an offer comes in below expectations.
Do commercial real estate brokers have a fiduciary duty to their clients?
In Florida, a commercial real estate broker owes their client a duty of loyalty, confidentiality, and honest dealing. But the legal standard is a floor, not a ceiling. The more important question is what a broker does when no one is watching — when a deal could close with a disclosure left unmade, when a price could be pushed through with a buyer who has not been fully vetted, when the easier path and the right path are not the same.
My standard is simple. I will never put a transaction ahead of a client. I will tell you what I know, including the things that might slow a deal down or kill it entirely. Problems do not kill deals. Surprises do. My job is to make sure you are never surprised by something I could have told you earlier.
That standard is why clients hire me again. It is why multiple owners hire me a second time, third time and again long after the first sale closed. It is why I still get calls from people I first spoke to a decade ago. A reputation for integrity is not built in a single transaction. It is built over a career — and it is the only thing in this business that compounds.
Contact Nick McAndrew at Marcus & Millichap to discuss the current value of your commercial property or land in Palm Beach County, Broward County, or Miami-Dade County. Call or text: 561-245-0486 | marcusmillichap.com/advisors/nicholas-mcandrew | nickmcandrew.com
Nicholas A. McAndrew, known professionally as Nick McAndrew, is a Director of Investments at Marcus & Millichap serving Palm Beach County, Broward County, and Miami-Dade County.