In other major U.S. markets, commercial real estate is a business. In Dallas, it’s a profession—and a passion. In the early 1980s, things really began to take off. Gleaming new office towers were transforming the Dallas skyline, tenant representation was emerging as a specialty, and throngs of young salesmen—and a few women—were leaving corporate America to give real estate a try.
And who could blame them? Business was booming. There was a lot of money to be made. But that didn’t mean it was easy.
Back then, it was all about the hustle. If you wanted to learn about a submarket, you drove it. If you wanted to find out about the occupancy of a certain building, you went inside and “verticaled” it—walked the floors, knocked on doors, and took notes.
