How data center commissions created a gold rush for commercial real estate brokers

Dennis Wilkin was planting soybeans last spring on his 270-acre farm in Saline Township, Michigan, when two men pulled up in a pickup truck.

They climbed out and handed him a proposal to buy his land, along with a questionnaire that dug into everything from how long he’d been farming to his personal background. Wilkin still isn’t entirely sure whether the visitors worked for Related Digital, the data center arm of Jeff Blau’s Related Companies, or a commercial real estate brokerage. It didn’t really matter.

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RSK: Too many factors here to summarize but if you want to be a niche broker, this the hottest one around. Just remember, there are plenty of NIMBYS out there.