OFFICE CASE STUDIES
Client success stories
How TradeMark Added $6M to One Building's Value
X2
VALUE DOUBLED
100%
APPRECIATION
Asset type: Commercial Building
Location: Raleigh, NC
Services: Property Management & Leasing
Brokers: Amy Carroll & Billie Redmond
Situation
​
Strategy
Results
Challenge
The owner had done everything he thought was right. He researched the market, found a great location, and put his family's entire savings into a commercial building in Raleigh. It was supposed to be the investment that created generational wealth for his family. Then his tenant breached the lease and walked away, leaving behind a water leak that was destroying the property every day.
With no income and an investment losing value every day, this wasn't just a vacancy problem. It was a financial emergency. The stakes were too high for a standard property manager. The situation demanded a team that could stop the damage immediately and build a strategy back to profitability. That's when he called TradeMark.
Amy Carroll and Billie Redmond looked at the situation and saw two problems that had to be solved at the same time. First, they needed to stop the physical deterioration of the property. Second, they wanted to reposition the asset to attract the highest-quality tenant possible. They were not going to let the asset just stabilize; they wanted the owner to get a high return on his investment.
Located and sealed every source of water intrusion to solve the problem completely
Took immediate control of the physical crisis within 24 hours to stop deterioration
Restored the property to quality condition to attract a desirable tenant
Priced the asset to maximize value, not just fill the vacancy quickly
Negotiated a long-term lease for maximum stability and asset appreciation
Here’s what Amy, Billie, and the property management team executed:
Maintained consistent outreach to qualified tenant prospects
The owner didn't just save his property. He doubled its value.
By working with TradeMark, the owner walked away with:
​
Increased property value from $5.9 to $11.8 M (100% appreciation)
​
10+ year lease secured with an A+ credit tenant
From 77% to 100% Occupancy in 16 Months and $1.5M in Added Value
ADDED VALUE
1.5M
100%
OCCUPANCY
Asset type: Commercial Building
Location: Raleigh, NC
Services: Property Management & Leasing
Team: Jim Harris, Tracy Wiggins, & Michelle Boyst
Situation
​
Strategy
Challenge
The owner wasn't satisfied with 77% occupancy for his office building in Raleigh. He wanted his building performing at its full potential, and he needed a leasing and property management team to make that happen. That's when he called TradeMark.
The building did not receive the attention to detail it deserved. The water was leaking through gaps in the building's exterior that should have been sealed years ago. Below the surface, an old irrigation pipe the owner did not know about was quietly flooding the ground. The parking lot lights were not properly wired which caused a single failure to take out the whole system. Prospects touring the property saw standing water in the parking lot. Tenants inside weren't happy about the leaks, and the risk of losing renewals was high.
The TradeMark team recognized that improving the building’s condition was only part of the solution. Creating an environment that encouraged tenant renewals and fostered a sense of community was equally important.
Promoted the property on social media, creating more attention and driving tenant interest
Engaged a waterproofing company to seal the expansion joints and stop all water intrusion
Coordinated with the City of Raleigh to cap the abandoned irrigation pipe and resolve the underground leak permanently
Hired an electrician who replaced the temporary daisy-chained parking lot lighting with permanent hard-piped electrical
Brought in a production company to film a commercial in the building with popular actors
Here is what Jim, Tracy, and Michelle executed:
Painted common areas, cleaned floors, refreshed landscaping, and updated signage with tenant logos to modernize the property
Within 16 months, the building reached 100% occupancy. The first new lease closed within three months of TradeMark taking over. A second followed three months later. Three renewals were secured as existing tenants responded to the improvements.
Launched a property newsletter covering local activity and neighborhood news to keep tenants informed and connected
Ran a high-impact CoStar marketing campaign and redirected qualified leads from TradeMark's broader portfolio directly to this building
Results
Here is what the TradeMark team accomplished:
Occupancy that went from 77% to 100% in 16 months
Increased asset value from $11 million to $12.5 million, adding $1.5 million to the owner's portfolio
The owner walked away with a fully stabilized asset, stronger cash flow, and a property that now grabs attention in the market
Contact Jim
919 - 649 - 6114
Contact Tracy
919 - 573 - 8117
Contact Michelle
919 - 369 - 7562
How TradeMark Sold a 60% Vacant Office Building in 90 Days
3M+
SALE CLOSED
90
DAYS TO CONTRACT
Asset type: Commercial Building
Location: Durham, NC
Service: Investment Sales
Broker: Fred Dickens, CCIM
Situation
​
Strategy
Challenge
Most brokers would have looked at a 60% vacant office building and seen a problem. Fred Dickens looked at it and saw an opportunity. A three-story office building in Southeast Durham came to market after a law firm vacated the entire second floor, taking a significant portion of the income. The vacancy scared off traditional buyers and institutional investors. However, Fred recognized that the right entrepreneurial investor would see exactly what others were missing; below-market rents and available suites.
Fred worked closely with the owner to build a strategy around the property's actual strengths rather than competing on its weaknesses.
Priced the asset at a strategic discount to stand out against fully stabilized competing properties
Repositioned the narrative from vacant building to value-add opportunity
Targeted entrepreneurial investors with the capability to execute a leasing strategy
Targeted local investors with lease-up and property management capability
Found buyers who saw below market rents and empty suites as upside, not risk
A building with 60% vacancy rate is challenging to sell in a competitive submarket where buyers expect stable, fully leased assets. Traditional buyers wanted investments with stable income already in place. Passive investors were not interested in a building that required work. Fred needed to find a completely different kind of buyer, someone who could see past the current vacancy and recognize the value underneath it.
Here’s what Fred executed:
Results
Here is what the owner walked away with:
Property under contract in 90 days and closed successfully
Maximized sale value of $3,269,536 despite a 60% vacancy rate
How TradeMark Turned a Scattered Portfolio Into $5M for a University
5M+
SALE CLOSED
18+
YEARS PARTNERED
Asset types: Office & Land
Locations: Raleigh, High Point, Rocky Mount, Greenville, Fayetteville, Goldsboro, NC
Service: Investment Sales
Broker: Wallace Green, CCIM
Situation
​
Strategy
Challenge
Since 2008, a university has trusted TradeMark with its real estate portfolio. Over time, the institution had received donations of properties across North Carolina that no longer supported their mission and had slowly become a liability. To sell these assets, they called a broker they had trusted for 18 years, Wallace Green.
Wallace did not look for one buyer. He built a different strategy for every single property.
Created a hyperlocal strategy, starting with approaching neighboring property owners
Engaged city and town economic development offices in each market
Leveraged local networks of nonprofits, counties, and municipalities
Targeted local churches who are consistently in the market for facilities
Ran auctions and negotiated sale processes depending on the asset
The portfolio came with no income, no obvious buyers, and no clear path forward. Properties ranged from farmland and vacant lots to former classrooms and a post office, each in a different market with its own restrictions and its own buyer profile.
Here’s what Wallace executed:
Results
Here is what the university walked away with:
$5M recovered from a portfolio that wasn’t generating income
Every single property sold across eight different markets
Built a separate pricing strategy for every property so that each one stood on its own and sold for what it was worth
Sought active local developers to explore potential uses and related values
Assisted with securing professional appraisals of each property to help the client understand the revenue potential and related cycle time
Eliminated ongoing maintenance costs tied to unproductive assets
Every asset repositioned to meet residential and commercial needs in their local communities
A broker they can trust, already engaged for their next real estate project
