Answer extracted from the The Crexi Commercial Real Estate Podcast — listen to the full episode below.
How did a young broker transition from a corporate salary job to building a retail leasing business in Texas?
Tuva Patoli left her corporate salary job at age 22 to pursue commercial real estate, drawn to the commission-based model where growth is directly tied to personal effort. Starting with zero properties and zero tenant relationships, she built her practice through consistent canvassing of both tenants and landlords, eventually representing 36 shopping centers and closing 95 leases in a single year.
The leap: From salary to commission at 22
Patoli's transition wasn't gradual—it was decisive. After graduating college and spending just one year in a corporate salary role, she made the jump to commercial real estate. The financial shock was real: she earned zero dollars for eight months as an independent contractor before generating her first commissions. But this vulnerability was also the point. She wasn't drawn to stability; she was drawn to the direct correlation between effort and income.
As she explains in the episode, the commission model appealed to her precisely because it removed the ceiling imposed by a salary. In a corporate environment, raises came incrementally and decisions were made by others. In brokerage, every deal, every relationship, every hour of work could directly increase her earnings. At 22, that asymmetry of opportunity felt like freedom.
Building from zero: Canvassing as foundation
Patoli didn't inherit a book of business. She inherited nothing except the willingness to knock on doors. Her early strategy was straightforward: consistent tenant and landlord canvassing—the unglamorous, repetitive work of understanding needs, building relationships, and proving reliability across the Texas market. This wasn't a social media strategy or a digital-first play; it was ground-level relationship building.
Over time, this methodical approach yielded concrete assets. Today, after 4.5 years in the industry, she represents 36 shopping centers and leads a small team that closed 95 leases in their third full year, a testament to the scalability of her original approach. What began as zero relationships became a portfolio anchored by deep, repeat client trust.
"I always like to put on my landlord hat so I sometimes I don't act like I'm just a broker and I act like I'm a landlord and I own this property."
Tuva Patoli — Senior Retail Specialist, Huntington Properties. After leaving a corporate salary role at 22, Patoli built a retail leasing practice across the Texas market by focusing on both landlord and tenant representation. Her approach emphasizes understanding property value from an ownership perspective, bridging the gap between leasing operations and investment returns. Today, she represents 36 shopping centers and leads her team with a dual focus on leasing fundamentals and investment sales execution.
This mindset—thinking like an owner, not just a transactional broker—became foundational to her growth. Rather than simply matching tenants to spaces, she understood how tenant mix, lease structure, and timing directly affected the long-term value of her landlord clients' assets. That perspective, discussed at length in this episode, is what differentiated her from brokers who treat each lease as a standalone transaction.
Markets and momentum: Houston, Dallas, and scaling
Patoli's early work was concentrated in Houston, where one of her signature deals—a 3,000-square-foot restaurant lease—became a proof point for her emerging expertise. As her reputation grew, her geographic reach expanded across the Texas market, particularly into the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She now splits her practice 75% landlord representation and 25% tenant work, a ratio that reflects both the market dynamics of her regions and her deliberate positioning as a landlord-focused specialist.
Her journey also reveals a structural truth about commercial real estate: there is no shortcut from zero to 36 shopping centers without years of disciplined, unglamorous relationship-building. Yet for those willing to absorb the financial vulnerability of commission-only income early in their career, the upside compounds faster than a salary track ever would.
See also
How do underperforming office properties in Chicago find viability through adaptive reuse?
Many Class B and C office properties in Chicago were built in excellent locations—major transit corridors, great school districts, or industrial-zoned areas—making them candidates for adaptive reuse projects that unlock new value.
What is the current condition of different office market segments in Chicago?
Class A office in Chicago is performing relatively well with landlords leasing space regularly, though not as robustly as pre-COVID; the real challenge lies in the lower-tier segments where demand has shifted.
How does a broker's client selection process change as their track record and reputation grow?
As a broker becomes more successful, they evolve from accepting nearly every potential client to receiving multiple inquiries daily and having the ability to select only the most aligned opportunities.