Joe Palms

Brief Profile

Commercial real estate is our business. Building relationships is our priority.

Full Profile

I specialize in the leasing and selling of office and retail throughout Washtenaw County. Understanding client goals is my first priority - listening and self-educating. Establishing expectations and a plan is my second priority - client education through information sharing, as to market conditions, negotiation, and documentation. Fiduciary responsibilities come second-nature to me, I treat each client’s goals as my own. I am proficient in lease-language interpretation, lease accounting, and document organization. I have built dozens of user-friendly recording and processing systems for financial data, simplifying and clarifying information for property owners, tenants and vendors. I am experienced in assessing the details of regulatory and legal compliance to aid owners and prospective tenants in making informed decisions. Joe joined Swisher and acquired his real estate license in 1995, earned his Associate Broker license in 2017, and his CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member) designation in 2018. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Michigan and soldiered in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. With his accounting, physical plant, organization and relationship abilities, he found a niche in property management and spent a decade building the operations side of a real estate management enterprise. Serving as a property manager, Joe strives to keep building issues off the list of concerns for owners and occupants. He is proactive in identifying improvements that will enhance a property’s value. He is responsive to tenant service needs, elicits quality work by seeing contractors eye-to-eye, and is proficient in financial reporting and lease administration. Joe is a problem-solver. Being a middle child in a big family he is a dedicated mediator, and in conflicts cuts through peripheral concerns to focus on a path to the best possible solution. Since 2010, Joe has also served clients in leasing and sales. He applies his broker skills to remove obstacles so landlords and tenants or buyers and sellers can come to agreement. He enjoys the challenge of assisting clientele that have a diversity of goals, backgrounds, and types of properties and businesses, providing them a broker with a breadth of experiences and understanding.