Meet Dan Bernier | Commercial Real Estate Broker & Founder of Brokerfied Inc.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dan Bernier and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dan, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?

I have worked in the commercial real estate (CRE) brokerage business for more than a decade. As my career progressed, the projects I worked on got bigger and my clients got larger. I realized that this was true not only for me, but for the entire CRE industry – the best, most experienced brokers work on the largest deals they can find. This makes it incredibly hard for small “mom and pop” landlords to get help with their CRE needs. And since this has historically been a commission-based business, projects that don’t generate enough commission can often get neglected. Compounding this problem – small or complex transactions usually command a higher percentage commission in order to attract an agent. My experience revealed something important – there is a significantly sized portion of the CRE market that is severely underserved by brokers. I decided to create a set of tools for landlords to sell and lease their commercial real estate themselves – alleviating the common concerns about high costs and commissions for these types of properties. We named it Brokerfied. By subscribing to Brokerfied, landlords gain access to proprietary tools, tutorials, and a robust communications center that keeps all their listing communications in one place. Brokerfied gives landlords the autonomy to sell, lease, and market their properties directly to customers, without the hassle of finding a broker.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
In my time as a real estate broker in Los Angeles, I have represented clients from all walks of life – from trendy restaurants and neighborhood barbershops to big landlords and ritzy hotels. A few years ago, went back to school and earned a Master’s Degree in Real Estate Development from USC. I studied affordable housing (among other topics) and I worked for a couple of developers doing acquisitions right out of graduate school. And the last few years, as the housing crisis has worsened, I shifted my focus to primarily represent non-profit affordable housing developers. I made a personal commitment to help build housing in our community and I am proud to say that, to date, I have assisted in the development of over 1,000 units of affordable housing throughout Southern California to house more than 1,200 of our neighbors.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love Atwater Village- there’s a great yoga studio that has been my home-away-from home for more than 12 years (with a miserable 2-year pandemic interruption). Proof Bakery has great coffee and a different vegan sandwich everyday for lunch. Proof was started by an amazing baker, Na Young Ma, and she turned it into an employee-owned company which is an amazing accomplishment. Dune across the street has a nice little patio and great hummus and falafel. The Vegan Noodles and Pho at Viet next door are delicious. There are so many great mom and pop spots throughout Atwater Village along with a lovely farmers market on Sundays.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I read Rebecca Solnit’s “A Field Guide to Getting Lost” a few years ago and I often find myself recalling her ideas. One of her profound points is that “being lost” is a relatively modern concept. Before reliable maps and well-worn paths we didn’t consider ourselves lost if we didn’t know exactly where we were at any given moment. The most important question wasn’t “where are we” but “are we headed toward our destination”. I try to remember this when I feel “lost” and I try to remember my destination. For Brokerfied, I remind myself to remain focused, creative, and innovative. And that my destination is to build an accessible, essential service to folks who are underserved by the status quo.

Website: www.brokerfied.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/brokerfied

Twitter: www.twitter.com/brokerfied

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7reMekd1kavKAb7pt99SIg

Image Credits
Photo by Jonah Light