Commercial Real Estate Pro's 5 'Must Have' RPR Tools

One might think that 27 years in the industry would make anyone an expert on virtually anything real estate related. Yet, for Carlos Fuentes (CCIM, CIPS, TRC), the learning never stops, especially in commercial real estate.

"I have to learn everything there is to know about a client's operation if I'm going to find the right location," he said. "Then I use stats, maps and reports to ensure the location is viable for that type of business. That's where RPR never lets me down."

Asked which of RPR's tools and features he finds most helpful, Carlos replied, "All of them! RPR is an incredibly efficient and accurate resource that provides everything I need to know about a commercial or residential property. And I know it's more accurate than any other resource available in today's market."

Here, in his own words, Carlos describes his favorite five RPR tools:

1. Best Business Report

What he likes:
"I use the Best Business Report all the time. The Esri data goes much deeper than what you'd expect. It breaks populations into segments like household income, male/female, married/single/divorced, etc., but the extra sections—like how and where consumers in the area spend their money—is invaluable. And the report itself is really impressive. My clients love the graphs that show which business types are over- and under-represented."

How he uses it:
"It's one of my most powerful influencers. If I have a client that wants to open an ice cream shop, I can run the Best Business Report and show him there's an abundance of similar shops in the area. But I won't leave it at that. I might advise my client to open a Dunkin Donuts, or a bakery that serves cakes as well as yogurt smoothies or frozen yogurt—something that gives him a competitive edge. On the other hand, I can also use the report to lead clients into areas where there isn't such tough competition."

Carlos' Tip for RPR Reports
"RPR's commercial reports are lengthy, as they should be. I like that I can customize them to reflect my brand, add notes, etc. But a lot of people don't realize that RPR intentionally leaves off the page numbers so that we can further customize the report by pulling out pages that aren't helpful to particular circumstances. Every single report can be tailored to that client's needs and interests, including adding our own pages."