Investment Sales Experts Sean Patrick and KB Yabuku Produce Impressive Results for Clients
As high-producing brokers for Ackerman Retail who team up to develop prospects and complete investment sales transactions, Sean Patrick and KB Yabuku share quite a bit in common.
They both have extensive commercial real estate expertise ranging from net-lease sales, project development and asset management to site selection and property leasing.
Traveling is a hobby both enjoy – recent visits for Sean include Athens and Santorini in Greece, while one of KB’s favorite trips was to Barcelona and Ibiza, Spain.
They also both have similar approaches to their work. When KB lists some of the traits that he considers crucial for success as broker – “tenacious, analytical, sociable, driven” – Sean agrees with him.
Oh, and then there’s the way they describe themselves.
“Two of the best bald brokers in the business,” says KB.
“Two of the best AND good-looking bald brokers, I might add,” says Sean, laughing.
So, with these similarities, it’s not surprising that they make an effective Investment Sales team for Ackerman Retail. Sean and KB advise investors on dispositions and acquisitions, with both single-tenant and multi-tenant retail properties and portfolios representing key areas of focus.
Roots in ATL
KB and Sean share another thing in common – Atlanta roots. Sean is an Atlanta native born at Piedmont Hospital, and KB grew up in College Park after his family moved to metro Atlanta when he was three years old.
When he was an undergraduate student at Georgia State University, KB said professor David Haddow was a big reason he became interested in real estate.
“I took David’s Real Estate Market Analysis course as an elective and I was hooked. That semester, I switched my major from marketing to real estate, picked up an internship with Cushman and Wakefield and never looked back,” says KB. He credits Haddow and Ron Whitley (former Chief Diversity Officer at Cushman & Wakefield) for setting him on the path of a successful career in commercial real estate.
Sean, who received a Civil Engineering degree from Auburn University, started his real estate career working in the development side of the business, first at the civil engineering firm Post Buckley Schuh & Jernigan in Florida and then as a project manager focusing on power center civil engineering design at Wolverton & Associates. Next, at Bullock Mannelly Partners, he established himself in development and brokerage, focusing on sales of residential, retail and multifamily land. He did so after meeting two successful brokers who would eventually move over to Ackerman & Co. with him – John Speros and Larry Wood.
“They were closing big deals and I thought, ‘I want to do what they do,’” Sean said. Around the Great Recession of 2008, Sean completed his CCIM certification and now focuses on private client retail investment sales with KB.
KB brings an equally wide range of experience. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Real Estate from Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson College of Business and an MBA in Finance from the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business.
KB gained experience in office leasing as a tenant rep at the Staubach Company and Jones Lang LaSalle. He then became a commercial real estate underwriter at BB&T and later focused on investment sales with a specialty in net-lease retail and industrial properties at the Stan Johnson Company. He also spent two years in commercial real estate development, managing retail and industrial build-to-suit and redevelopment projects at Hart Lyman Companies.
“KB and I are able to combine our strategies and experience to gain new clients. Our experiences and backgrounds complement each other’s,” said Sean.
Between the two of them, Sean and KB have over 42 years of experience.
Thinking Outside The Box
Sean and KB are committed to providing solutions that help buyers and sellers maximize the value of their investments. While they’re proud of their deal-making track records, they view themselves as much more than transaction brokers. With their wide-ranging commercial real estate expertise, they’re able to provide additional services to help clients achieve their long-term business goals.
“We’re not just like every other broker. Our approach is all about thinking outside the box and adding real value for our clients,” said KB.
Added Sean, “Our approach to serving our clients is tied to the Ackerman approach to commercial real estate. A lot of us are investors and own real estate, so we understand what it’s like to be in the client’s shoes and how to bring extra expertise and services to the table to meet their needs.”
Customizing services to match the objectives of their clients is a big part of what they do.
“We try to serve as the back office for our clients. For instance, if our clients need help raising capital or with site selection or other assistance, we can do that ourselves or utilize Ackerman’s full-services platform and the expertise of our Ackerman Retail colleagues,” said KB.
One of their recent deals is representative of the value they bring to their clients.
In marketing and selling the Childtime Learning Center of Kennesaw on behalf of the owner, they attracted six offers and succeeded in selling the property at 100 percent of the listing price at a cap rate of 8.75 percent. This was definitely a great result for a value-add property with a short-term lease.
Sean and KB are also currently in the process of creating strategic business plans for several clients interested in selling portfolio assets across the Southeast.
“We’ve been successful completing deals despite the challenging environment during the pandemic and we expect transactions to pick up steam now that the retail sector is slowly improving,” Sean said. “The Southeast has diversified its economy. This is a great place to do what we do and add value.”
Are you a buyer or seller seeking expertise to maximize your investments? Contact Sean at spatrick@ackermanco.net or KB at kyabuku@ackermanco.net