Commercial realty in an ‘Ultra’ way

Rachel Kroeger

Staff

December 23, 2024

EAU CLAIRE – A woman with a passion for real estate and relationships recently celebrated the grand opening of the first office for her new brokerage – Ultra Commercial Realty (4330 Golf Terrace, Suite #200).

Amber Cernohous – founder, owner and broker of Ultra Commercial Realty – said real estate wasn’t her initial career goal, as she studied at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire to become a physical therapist.

“I worked in the hospital for four years, (then) I actually ended up at Scheels All Sports as an assistant store leader there,” she said. “I was quickly promoted there into an assistant store leader role. I think I was our youngest assistant store leader. I loved what I did, but I just knew there was something else out there. I’m always motivated to want to do more, and a salary position was not meant for me.”

Following her role at Scheels, Cernohous said she worked in sales for a local news station until she was recruited by a commercial real estate broker.

“I kind of went in blindly,” she said. “I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I didn’t really know anything about it, to be honest with you, and I grew very quickly.”

After working a total of six years at three different brokerages, Cernohous said it became obvious to her that now was the time to step out on her own.

“I gained a ton of experience,” she said. “I saw a greater opportunity to… go out on my own and give all of my clients the customer service and the experience that I know they deserve, and really create my own reputation.”

Putting the ‘real’ in relationships

Cernohous said aside from having the necessary knowledge to broker a real estate transaction, the most important aspect of the real estate industry is relationship building.

“Relationships are very, very important to me,” she said. “I say, ‘I don’t sell real estate, I build relationships.’ And I think that truly is the foundation of the success that I’ve created.”

Knowing that the people she’s earned trust from would follow her as she pursued Ultra Commercial Realty, Cernohous said, is a direct example of how important relationships are in the real estate business – especially on the commercial side.

“The thing that makes (you) successful in our industry is you build trusting relationships,” she said. “Trusting relationships and you have a wide network of resources… like trusted lenders and attorneys and title companies and appraisers and inspectors.”

Unlike residential real estate, with the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), Cernohous said there is no central listing location for commercial properties – so who you know is often more important than what.

“I think a lot more rides on my shoulders to make deals happen, versus putting (a listing) out on the MLS and just letting hundreds of other agents bring buyers to it,” she said.

Cernohous said every single house listed for sale has to go on the MLS, and while there are several large listing locations for commercial real estate, agents are not required to submit their listings to them, and agents will oftentimes keep their listings private until they find the right buyer.

“That’s where the relationships come in,” she said. “You have to have strong relationships with other brokers so you can call them and they’ll share that information with you. But then you also have to have strong relationships with investors so they trust that you’ll keep them updated on a listing that does come up that suits them, because there’s no automatic listing site – like in residential real estate – where it just shows up in their email that a property has matched what they’re looking for.”

Another example of how important relationship building is, Cernohous said, lies in her own staff.

Though she currently employs no additional agents, Cernohous said her office manager is actually a woman she met working at another brokerage years ago.

“We worked together at my first brokerage five years ago, and so when I went out on my own, she was (the) first call I made,” she said. “I brought her with me.”

Commercial challenges

Cernohous said each new commercial listing presents its own unique set of challenges.

“Whether you’re trying to figure out a pro forma or cash flow it just forces me to continue to learn,” she said. “There’s no comfortability that ever happens in this role.”

In order to become a licensed broker, Cernohous said agents aren’t required to undergo any additional education or testing – “you just have to have sold so many properties in order to qualify to get your broker’s license.”

Upon receiving her broker’s license, Cernohous said the next thing she had to think about was the name of her brokerage.

The word “ultra,” she said, felt like a good fit, as it describes both herself and her business.

“When people meet me, I think I could be described as just being ‘extra’ and always going the extra mile, and I think ultra was just like an all-encompassing word,” she said. “The name itself very, very much describes who I am and how I do business.”

How she does business, Cernohous said, is indicative of her values as well – emphasizing trust, ethics and, of course, relationships.

“I’ve always been in sales, I’ve always had a huge kind of passion for helping people in a very ethical and honest way,” she said. “I knew branching out on my own would only help (me) grow myself. I knew that the relationships that I’ve built – people would follow me.”

With the ribbon cutting behind her and the Ultra team, Cernohous said she’s excited to continue growing her brokerage.

“Now, I cannot see myself doing anything else,” she said. “It was so fun to branch out and create my own company.”

For more information, visit ultracommercialrealty.com or find it on Facebook.