2017 Women in Real Estate Spotlight - Caitlin Burke

Years in real estate: 5 

What real estate associations or organizations are you a member of: NH CIBOR, Catapult Seacoast and enrolled in a CCIM Course/Membership track

How have you navigated obstacles to achieve success in your career: I struggled with knowing if commercial real estate was the right industry for me in my first few years out of college. I was envious of my peer’s jobs at “cool,” young startups. I was also intimidated by the male dominated culture and the unknowns that come with building a network and working in a commission-based role. My curiosities led me to leave CBRE for two years where I experienced firsthand what it was like to work at a young startup in Boston. During that time I found myself missing brokerage and the ever changing, fast paced and dynamic world of commercial real estate. There is nothing like commercial real estate; building relationships, tangibly adding value, and the ability to change your community’s landscape. I quickly found my way back to commercial brokerage and was lucky enough to re-join CBRE. 

How do you play your strengths to your advantage in your career:  In any sales role, relationships are the most important. Connecting with others – on a personal and professional level, is something that comes naturally to me and I thoroughly enjoy. My favorite part of my job is meeting new people every day, and seeing their businesses or investments grow alongside my career. 

What trends are you seeing so far this year: One trend I am noticing especially on the Seacoast, is the expansion of smaller, local, niche restaurant users – hybrid market/café concepts, farm to table meets fast food, specialty cuisine, etc. These concepts are looking for 1,500-3,000 s/f of space in walkable, dense residential areas. One of the side effects of this trend is that big box restaurants and retail chains that go vacant are being re-tenanted with local/regional retailers instead of another national chain, and/or repurposed with multiple smaller tenants, as fitness centers, medical clinics, etc.

What do you do for fun: I love to stay active - walking the beach, yoga & spin classes. My husband I love to ski – our favorite mountain is Sugarloaf, but we hop all over New England. I also love to cook!