Last year, Midwest Real Estate News inducted more than 70 members in its newest Midwest Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame class. Throughout this year, we’ll be running the profiles of these talented CRE pros online. Today, we focus on the career of Seth Barnett, senior vice president of investments with the Southfield, Michigan, office of Marcus & Millichap.
Years in the business: 13
Top producer: Seth Barnett is one of the top-ranked brokers with the Affordable Housing Advisors specialty group at Marcus & Millichap. How successful has he been? Barnett joined Affordable Housing Advisors in 2006. Since then, he has been responsible for the sale of more than 45,000 government-subsidized apartment units in 35 states.
These deals have been worth more than $2.25 billion.
Variety: Barnett’s success has led to a deep and varied client list. His clients include developers of Section 8 properties and institutional clients responsible for large portfolios. In total, the Affordable Housing Advisors team has listed and sold more than 185,000 government-subsidized housing units throughout the United States.
“I enjoy the fast pace of the business as well as having the opportunity to help our clients make the right decisions,” Barnett said. “There is a ton of information coming at our clients quickly, and our team helps educate them on how the details effect their assets.”
A leader: What makes Barnett’s productivity even more impressive is that he does it while assuming a leadership role at Affordable Housing Advisors. Barnett has helped guide this division’s strategic direction and is active with planning its strategic growth. These responsibilities have not slowed Barnett’s production, though. 2018 again ranked as a top year for this CRE veteran.
Mentors matter: Barnett credits much of his success to a pair of mentors, and previous inductees in the Midwest Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame, Andy Daitch and Paul Davis.
“I honestly don’t know that I would have been successful without their experience and guidance,” Barnett said.
First guy in the office: “In an effort to be successful, I started my career being the first guy in the office and the last guy out, even on weekends,” Barnett said. “When you work that way from the beginning, it becomes habit and shows clients that you are both busy and accessible.”
These days, Barnett works alongside younger professionals who don’t have the same out-of-work responsibilities that he has. These younger pros can get in before him or leave after him. But, Barnett says, you will still find him and his team in the office on Saturday or Sunday mornings.
Giving back: Outside of work, Barnett and his family have dedicated themselves to help the fight against congenital heart disease. Barnett is an active supporter of both the Adult Congenital Heart Association and the Children’s Heart Foundation.
Out-of-work hours: “When I’m not at work, I enjoy spending time with my family. I wake up every morning before they leave and sometimes come home after they are sleeping, as many of us do,” Barnett said. “Unfortunately, that means most of our time spent together is on weekends. Focusing on them during that time reminds me why I do what I do and invigorates me for the week ahead.”