Phyllis Browning Company

Commercial Managing Director

San Antonio Board of REALTORS®

Immediate Past Chairman

Chairman of the Board

Chair Elect

Secretary / Treasurer

Member at Large

Member on the Board of Directors which is the governing body of SABOR, responsible for the ultimate direction of and decision-making for the Association. As the largest trade association in South Texas, and in the top 20 REALTOR® associations in the country, it is a significant commitment to lead this organization.

SABOR Directors are a fiduciary of the association. That means they have a special legal responsibility in connection with the administration, investment, and care of SABOR and its assets. This requires Directors to make careful, good-faith decisions in the best interest of SABOR and its members. Their decisions must be made independently and free of any undue influence from any person or organization, including any other association, MLS or brokerage. They are charged with acting on behalf of the members by determining appropriate actions that best serve the whole membership, while the staff executes the daily management of the Board-directed policies.

Director

Trinity University

Adjunct Faculty

The CCIM Institute

CCIM Faculty

Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM)

Instructor for Finance 402 - Budgeting, Cash Flow, and Reporting for Investment Real Estate for both Commercial and Residential properties.

Instructor

Crossed Sabers Commercial Real Estate

Crossed Sabers Commercial Real Estate is a boutique firm that specializes in commercial real estate brokerage, property management, investment analysis and consulting.  

We will also work with agents that are looking to enter commercial real estate to mentoring and guiding those to be successful while having support from mentors with years and billions of dollars worth of transactions.  

Crossed Sabers Commercial Real Estate is a Veteran Owned and Operated Business and is a Registered Disabled Business Enterprise (DIBE), Emerging Small Business Enterprise (ESBE), Small Business Enterprise (SBE), and Veteran Business Enterprise (VBE) in the State of Texas.

Principal Broker

KW Commercial City View - SA

Directly grew the division from 17 members to 50 members in less than 1.5 years.  Oversaw compliance, and training, along with day-to-day operations of the brokerage.  Took part in strategic planning at the local level as well as was training and consultant for the national organization.

Director of Commercial Real Estate Education

Port San Antonio

I was responsible for the Leasing activities at the redevelopment of the former Kelly AFB.  During this time, we were able to lease a spec, 90,000 sqft technology building within a year of construction and to completely lease an 180,000 sqft spec office building during COVID before the completion of the shell construction.  

I was able to secure tenant such at The Boeing Company, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, CACI International, the US Air Force, US Army Corps, GDC Technics, Indo MIM, XPO, Amentum, Forward Air, Atlantic Aviation, GoAeroMX, Plus One Robotics along with many other valuable companies.

Leasing Manager

NPLG, Ltd.

I bring a different approach to leasing and sales.  Being that I am a Property Manager by trade, I look at investment purchases with the mind set of an actual hold cost of the asset rather than closing a deal.  For leasing, I see things naturally from the owner's perspective allowing a different insight to my clients allowing for a better over all deal.  When representing owner's I have a track record for reducing expenses, solid investment plans and a network of individuals looking to move on profitable deals.

Associate

Welltower™ Inc.

I have helped transition millions of dollars worth of Medical Office Buildings into and out of Welltower's portfolio while focusing on integrating the property's operations into Welltower's operational plan.   I focus on ensuring that services and vendors to the properties are not interrupted, financials are complete and accurate and supporting the local real estate management teams. Typical transaction types are property acquisitions, development conversions, and disposition. 

My additional responsibilities in this role are to be a floating Real Estate Manager, in which I assist and fill in for a vacant position or tasked with special projects that our local real estate management team may not be able to complete or focus fully on due to their normal ongoing operations.     

In this role, I have had the opportunity to work in multiple markets throughout the United States,   dive deeper into the financials of real estate transactions and operations as well dig deeper into legal issues surrounding a property acquisition or disposition than in previous roles.

Real Estate Manager, Transition

I managing up to ~540,000 sqft of Class A Medical Office Buildings over multiple markets along the I-35 corridor. (San Antonio to Temple, Texas) routinely while being understaffed.  Despite being understaffed, our tenant service request on-time completion rate improved as well did my portfolio's Kingsley Tenant Satisfaction score to the highest that my portfolio had ever received.  

My team of 3 directly managed employees and multiple contract building engineers, day-porters, janitorial crews, security and other specialized vendors were responsible for Variance Reporting, Annual Budgeting, Accruals, Quarterly Reforecasting & other financial forecasting.  As well as managing maintenance and tenant service request needs, coordinating and managing the daily operations during a large common area renovation project which included 7 stories of scaffolding being set up in the operational lobby of a 136,000 SqFt Medical Office Building.

Real Estate Manager

Commercial Managing Director at Phyllis Browning Company | National CRE Educator | Army Veteran & Advocate | Property Operations Whisper | Maximizing Returns for Investors through Operations | Love to help New Agents

Commercial real estate isn’t rocket science. It’s harder.

At least that’s what it feels like when people are throwing around acronyms like IRR, NNN, and CAM as if they’re common sense. They’re not. That’s where I come in.

I help investors stop buying bad deals, business owners stop picking locations based on gut feelings, and new agents stop drowning in spreadsheets they don’t understand. My background? Army leadership + a few billion dollars in commercial transactions + a borderline unhealthy love for operations.

I teach, consult, troubleshoot, and occasionally nerd out about parking ratios. If you want to learn CRE without the ego or the fluff — I’m your guy. Reach out and let’s fix the thing that’s costing you money.

Increasing Property Value Without Major Capital Investment—Is It Possible?

Years ago, an owner asked me how to increase property value without any major upgrades. The building was in top shape, but there was still untapped potential. Instead of focusing on the obvious, we shifted our attention to the operations. Here’s what we did:

1.     Vendor Bidding: Why stick with the same vendors for years without rebidding? Familiarity is great, but costs can creep up. We started annual rebidding, leading to substantial savings.

2.     Peak Performance: Bringing in external experts to evaluate systems like HVAC allowed us to optimize processes. The savings? More than enough to justify the expense.

3.     Tenant Success: A thriving tenant is a paying tenant. We didn’t just collect rent—we helped our tenants succeed. Whether it was marketing support or operational flexibility, we focused on their success, leading to a 100% renewal rate.

By honing in on operations, we reduced expenses by 12% and ensured our tenants renewed their leases. But I know there’s more out there. 

What other strategies have you used to add value to a property without breaking the bank? Let’s hear your thoughts.

‏‏‎ ‎Will Curtis, CCIM, CPM

Property Operations Whisperer | Commercial Real Estate Managing Director | National CRE Instructor & Speaker| Veteran Advocate | $1B+ Transactions

Is self-managing your property really worth the liver damage that comes with it?

Honestly… sometimes, yeah. 

Don’t get me wrong, property management is no joke. It comes with 2 a.m. toilet calls, accounting headaches, and more than a few "you won't believe what the tenant did this time" stories. But there are a few situations where it might actually make sense to self-manage:

1. Small property, small income.

If you’ve got a property that barely cash flows, paying a professional manager might wipe out what little profit you have left. We charge a minimum monthly fee, and I’ll be honest, sometimes it doesn’t make sense on paper. If you’ve got the time and stomach for it, self-managing a smaller asset can work.

2. You’re a control freak (and you know it).

Some owners want to approve everything, even changing a burnt-out light bulb. If that’s you, and you’re deeply involved anyway, managing the asset yourself might actually feel better than constantly bumping heads with a PM.

3. You’ve got enough scale.

At a certain point, if you own enough properties, it might be cheaper to build your own internal team. You cut out management fees and have full control, but now you manage the managers. Not everyone's dream, but if your portfolio justifies it, it’s worth considering.

That said, most investors still benefit from not being the one taking tenant calls at midnight. Your time has value.

 Curious where the line is for your portfolio? Let’s talk.

San Antonio’s Multifamily Market: A Turning Point

The multifamily boom is officially slowing. Developers are pumping the brakes as economic uncertainty builds, driven by:

- Rising insurance costs
- High interest rates
- Cooling rent growth

Even in core Sunbelt markets like San Antonio, we’re seeing cracks in absorption and pricing. Lenders are tightening, equity is getting selective, and investors are being forced to delay projects or rework performance.

Multifamily isn’t dead, but the days of easy money and fast lease-up are behind us. Today, success comes down to precision, patience, and delivering the right product for the market.

If you’re navigating San Antonio’s commercial real estate landscape, let’s make sure your bottom line is protected. 

👉 Follow for insights, DM me, and let’s put eyes on your next deal.

San Antonio often gets labeled as “boring,” but recent data suggests otherwise.

A study from Living Tree ranked San Antonio #11 among U.S. boomtowns, highlighting impressive growth between 2020 and 2023:

 ✅ Nearly 4% population growth
 ✅ 13% of that growth came from new residents moving from outside Texas (and even internationally)
 ✅ 6% increase in workforce participation
 ✅ 12% increase in median wages

We’re not the only Texas city on the list, Austin took the #1 spot, and Dallas came in at #20. Clearly, Texas is on the move.

While perception may paint San Antonio as quiet, the numbers tell a story of steady growth and opportunity.

What do you think, does this ranking reflect the San Antonio you know?

Struggling with a tough landlord? Here’s my story and some tips for commercial tenants!

Over the years, I've worked with countless tenants facing challenging landlords. 

One tenant thought venting to the building engineer would help their case. Instead, it backfired, weakening their position. Here's what I’ve learned from these experiences:

1. Understand the Power Dynamics: Your lease likely favors the landlord. They have the upper hand, and their attorney knows all the traps. Even with a thorough review, leases generally lean towards benefiting the landlord.

2. Hire a Specialist Attorney: Find a lawyer who specializes in tenant/landlord disputes for commercial real estate. I’ve seen family law attorney's fail against a property manager who know the lease inside out.

3. Stay Silent: Don’t vent your frustrations to the building staff or neighboring tenants. One tenant who shared their woes ended up with a neighbor asking for their space once they got evicted, even routing for the eviction.

4. Maintain Professionalism: Keep interactions professional, even if the situation gets heated. I had a tenant who turned personal and aggressive, losing any goodwill from the staff who might have offered grace. Professionalism can open doors for leniency and support.

5. Focus on Business: Despite landlord issues, keep your business running smoothly. You might have limitations, but don’t let disputes ruin your operations. If you continue in your current space or have to move, keeping your customers happy is paramount.

What challenges have you faced with landlords, and how did you overcome them? Share your stories!

Real estate’s version of “pineapple on pizza”: Should you upgrade a vacant space before you have a tenant, or wait? 

Camp “Nope” says: Don’t waste the money! The next tenant will just hate it, tear it out, and then glare at you like it’s your fault.

Camp “Do it!” says: Fix it up! It’ll lease faster, look shiny, and maybe, just maybe, you won’t spend 6 months explaining your “vision.”

Personally, I can see both sides. But I’m dying to know:

Are you Team Upgrade or Team Wait-it-out? Let the battle begin in the comments.

Big shout out to out and thanks to Jason Glast with Phyllis Browning Company and Iva Vorpahl with Historic Pearl guest speaking to my students at Trinity University.  We covered residential and multifamily real estate and they added a ton of value to the course.

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Who’s Really in the Right? A Property Management Dilemma I’ll Never Forget!

Years ago, while managing a medical office building, I stumbled into a standoff that still has me scratching my head.

Picture this:

On one floor, an allergist’s office. Right next door, a mental health professional’s office. As I walked by, I heard chaos erupt.

One woman, red-faced, panicked, was shouting: “Your dog is going to kill me!”

The other, clutching a small service dog, fired back: “You’re going to give me a panic attack!”

Here’s the twist:
- The first woman had just left the allergist and was severely allergic to dogs.
- The second woman had a service animal prescribed for her mental health.

Both had every right to be there. Neither could just “leave.” And I, as the property manager, was caught in the middle.

So tell me, who’s right? The woman who needs the dog, or the woman whose allergy puts her at risk?

Looking back, I wonder: was this an unavoidable clash, or should the building have been set up differently to prevent it?

👉 What would you have done if you were me?

Taking over a new property as an owner or property manager can be one of the most nerve-wracking days of your career. You never really know what you’re walking into.

Are the tenants going to be chill?

Do they already hate you because of the last manager?

Or my personal favorite, they’re super nice upfront but ready to throw you under the bus the first chance they get.

In one of my previous roles, this was a regular occurrence. And let me tell you, I learned a lot along the way. Here are my top tips to make those transitions smoother:

1️⃣ Listen First

 Two ears, one mouth, use them accordingly. Listening to tenants will tell you what they love, what drives them crazy, and who’s quietly sharpening a metaphorical knife.

2️⃣ Learn from the Previous Manager

If you can, grab a drink with the last manager or owner. A $100 bar tab can save you months of frustration and help you understand the property’s history better than any file ever could.

3️⃣ Be Forgiving

Sometimes people just don’t get along. I once took over a property where tenants hated the last manager and were ready to hate me too. Giving them space to vent and offering a clean slate went a long way. You’re not the last person, don’t take it personally.

4️⃣ Set Clear Expectations


It’s tempting to start off overly accommodating, but setting boundaries early defines how you’ll run the property and how tenants should work with you. You’re setting the tone for the entire relationship.

Have you ever taken over a property or client relationship midstream? What helped you make it a smooth transition?

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