Last month Tyler Hardy joined Next Realty, a Skokie-based real estate investment firm, as the company’s Director of Acquisitions. In this role, Hardy will concentrate on anticipating and responding to market forces across all investment property types and optimizing returns for investors. RE Journals caught up with Hardy to find out more about what got him started in real estate, his career and new position.
On his new role…
The decision to join Next was rather easy. For the latter half of my career I have been focused on acquisitions and dispositions, with a feeling that I would one day move to the ownership side, once I found the right opportunity. When I heard that Next was going to focus on Industrial, it seemed like a no brainer to take the meeting. After I met with the team at Next and realized that I would be working with such a phenomenal group, I decided that this was the right opportunity for me. The role will focus on expanding my career relationships and forging newer and stronger ones that will allow Next to acquire properties at a great value to our fund and those investors in the fund.
On starting out in his career and learning along the way…
A family friend helped to turn me on to the industry and even helped me to start interning with brokerage firms while I was in college. Over my career I have worked with some amazing men and women and I owe a lot of my working and professional style to the fact that I was able to take a thing or two away from our working relationships. I’ve learned on the brokerage side of the industry, you must be able to adapt to the situation at hand and be able to recognize when and if what you are focused on is the most productive use of your time. Sales also teaches you that process is important and crucial to success, so having a plan in place will always help you to understand what is working and what isn’t.
On challenges in the industry…
Real estate, like the world, is constantly changing. Technology and the way it is shaping our society have caused many industries, not just real estate, to have to adapt. Because things are changing now, it is harder to estimate what the real estate market will look like five to 10 to 20 years down the road, so as an owner, being able to adapt to the changes in our society and how companies perform business transactions, will help you to be more successful.
On his life outside of work…
When I am not at the office or working, I enjoy spending time with my wife Gina, my daughter Quinn and our two dogs Lulu and Gigi. We live in the city and enjoy the many amenities such as the amazing restaurants and a multitude of parks, including two dog parks in our neighborhood. The downtown Chicago experience allows us to live and raise our child in a diverse place that provides a constantly changing daily experience.
Questions and answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.