As part of our series, CRE Future Leaders, we caught up with Tyler Hague, vice president, multifamily investment sales at Colliers International. Hague specializes in the acquisition and disposition of multifamily investment properties throughout Chicago and other Midwest markets. He has sold more than $125 million in multifamily real estate over the past year.
Tell us about your background. Where did you grow up, where did you go to school?
I grew up in Northfield in the northern suburbs of Chicago and I went to Glenbrook South High School where I played football and lacrosse. And then I went to the University of Missouri for journalism and quickly realized six weeks in that I wanted to go into business and not journalism, so I switched majors.
When you were young, what did you aspire to be?
My parents thought I was going to be an attorney, but I always wanted to be an architect, which is probably why I continue to have such passion for real estate. Although I’m a broker, I continue to be fascinated by architecture and urban development and to this day I consider myself a very accomplished couch architect.
How did you get your start in the industry?
I was an intern at Colliers the summer before I graduated from college and found real estate to be a fascinating industry that matched all of my skill sets and my personality, so I was fortunate enough to get hired into Colliers’ property management group a couple weeks into my first semester of my senior year. I worked as a property manager for Colliers for four and a half years and then I found my way into multifamily investment sales in 2012. I guess I’m an anomaly because I’ve been there my entire career.
Did you have a mentor who helped you get on your feet, or is there someone you turn to now for support?
I have a couple of mentors in the real estate industry, but I always seem to turn to my dad for the best career and general life advice. He and I are very similar and he is one of my closest friends and allies so I can always depend on him and he’s always given me sound advice that’s both practical and logical. He’s had a long career in banking and finance so he has a wealth of business experience.
What does a day in the life of Tyler Hague look like?
My days have changed quite a bit over the last six months because we just had our first child who is five months old, which has been a bit of an adjustment. As a broker, no day seems to be the same. I usually start out the day by waking up pretty early, taking care of emails and smaller day-to-day tasks and then I drop our daughter off at daycare and then either have client breakfasts, meetings or end up heading into the office to work on deal execution or business development. If I’m lucky and I can find the time, I try to get a quick workout in. I’m a swimmer so I try swim a half mile or mile if possible. I end the day with a little family time and end up working pretty late because I’m a night owl.
What do you like most about your job?
I love that every day is completely different and my days are pretty unpredictable. As a broker, I get to interact and build relationships with a diverse group of real estate professionals. And I really enjoy the hunt and excitement of getting a new listing and closing big real estate deals.
Looking to the future, what do you hope to achieve/work on that you haven’t already?
Right now our core business is selling income-producing, $10- to $40-million, middle market apartment properties in Chicago and the Midwest. I really got into investment sales to sell larger, institutional properties and high-rise apartment product in the city, so I hope to grow our team reputation and market share over the next couple years to grow into that institutional business and become one of the top multifamily teams in the city.
How do you spend your time away from the office?
My wife would tell you I have a rather aggressive social calendar. I spend a lot of time with friends and family and also end up doing a lot of entertainment with clients. I love to golf in the summer, but my real passion is snow skiing so I try to get out to Colorado as much as I possibly can.
What is your favorite place that you have traveled to? Where do you hope to go next?
A couple years ago when my parents turned 60, they took my entire family on a safari to south Africa, Botswana and Namibia. And it was by far the most incredible life experience I’ve ever had. The people, the culture, the animals, everything was phenomenal. For almost two weeks we had to completely disconnect from the world with no Wi-Fi or phone service and exclusively focus on family and nature. Unplugging was one of the best things I’ve ever done because it doesn’t happen very often. Looking forward, I’ve always wanted to go to Australia.
Who would you like to see answer these questions?
Probably Tom Briney or Kyle Verhasselt from Origin Investments. They are some of our closer clients but they’re great guys and they are pretty fascinating.