Prescott IOS vs Avison Young (Boston): Choosing an Industrial Broker in Greater Boston
Goals for This Article
In this Prescott IOS vs. series, we are doing our best to give an actual, realistic, accurate comparison of Prescott IOS and other commercial real estate brokerage firms.
Each comparison we write has the following aims:
- Honoring: We seek to write in a way that honors our competitors in each area of comparison.
- Generous: We aim to be generous in sharing compliments about our competition, even recommending a competitor whenever we believe their products and services are a better fit for the client than Prescott IOS’s products and services.
- Accurate: Each competitor should agree with every fact and description stated in our analysis, though they may disagree with some conclusions. That is for the reader to decide.
If your property is zoned for Industrial Outdoor Storage (IOS), Prescott IOS is built specifically for that assignment. Avison Young is a relatively new entrant as a national brand to the Boston brokerage market, having opened its Boston office in 2010, but it has built agrowing practice in flex industrial and R&D properties in suburban Boston through business development-minded brokerage practices. If you need a broker for that kind of assignment and you don’t need IOS as part of it, Avison Young is a strong and well-established choice. This page lays out where the two firms overlap, where each one is genuinely the better fit, and how to decide.
Overview of Avison Young
Avison Young is a global commercial real estate services firm that has grown quickly since it was founded in 1996, expanding into one of the larger real estate services firms in the world through a combination of new office openings and acquisitions. Its Boston office opened in 2010, making it one of the newer entrants in a market where some competitors have operated for decades. Despite that shorter local history, the office has built a growing industrial practice, particularly in flex industrial and R&D product in suburban Boston.
Where Prescott IOS and Avison Young Overlap
Both Prescott IOS and Avison Young will occasionally work on IOS related assignments, but the overlap is limited. Avison Young takes on IOS projects on occasion, and when they do, it is almost always on the ownership representation side of the table rather than tenant or buyer representation. The firm’s industrial brokers in Boston have generally built their careers around flex industrial product rather than heavy industrial or IOS specifically, so their practice has tended toward industrial generalism rather than IOS specialization. Prescott IOS, by contrast, has an exclusive focus on the IOS asset class and represents qualified IOS users no matter where they are in New England.
When Avison Young Is the Better Choice
Avison Young is a strong choice for flex industrial assignments in suburban Boston, particularly higher end, investment grade properties. Even without the decades of brand recognition some competitors have built in the market, the office has assembled a team of hungry, business development minded brokers who have built a real book of business in this space.
Suburban Flex Industrial Landlord Representation
Avison Young is at its best listing flex light industrial property in suburban Boston. The experience of the office’s senior leadership shows most clearly in higher end industrial buildings, which is where the team’s track record and relationships run deepest.
A Growing, Business Development Driven Practice
As a newer entrant to the Boston market, Avison Young has built its industrial practice through active business development rather than long standing brand recognition. That approach has produced a growing pipeline of flex industrial and R&D assignments in suburban Boston, even in a market where some competitors have a decades long head start.
When Prescott IOS is the Better Choice
IOS Landlord Representation
Prescott IOS will be a better fit than Avison Young when listing an IOS property because of Prescott IOS’s dedicated IOS focus compared with AY’s approach that does not prioritize IOS. Avison Young’s industrial brokers have built their careers around flex industrial product, and their practice has tended toward industrial generalism rather than IOS specificity. Prescott IOS, on the other hand, is built entirely around the IOS asset class, so landlords get a team whose full attention is on finding the right IOS tenant or buyer rather than one specialty among several.
IOS Seller Representation
Prescott IOS is the stronger platform to sell an IOS property because of who ends up on the other side of the table. Avison Young’s investment sales practice lists traditional industrial and other commercial property for sale, which means their typical buyer pool is generally shopping for a traditional industrial or income producing property, not the private equity groups and family offices that pay the most for IOS real estate. Prescott IOS tracks the most active family office, private equity, and private individual IOS-focused buyers directly, which matters tremendously when the goal is getting full value for an IOS property.
IOS Tenant Representation
Prescott IOS focuses on IOS tenant representation because most IOS tenants need properties that are found off market, and that requires an active, on-going search process built specifically for that process. Off market property searches do not appear to be a focus for Avison Young’s Boston office, whose tenant representation practice is centered on flex industrial rather than IOS. A flex industrial search will not turn up the kind of off market IOS opportunities that an IOS tenant actually needs.
What We See When We Compete Against Them
We have not directly competed against Avison Young for IOS business. Their industrial team’s focus on flex industrial product means our paths have not crossed much on ownership representation, tenant representation, or investment sales for IOS assignments specifically.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Avison Young handle IOS (Industrial Outdoor Storage) deals?
On occasion, yes, typically on the ownership representation side rather than tenant or buyer representation. It is not a dedicated focus for their Boston office, whose industrial team has built its practice around flex industrial product.
Should I hire a specialist or a generalist for my IOS property?
If your property’s value is driven by its yard, laydown, or outdoor storage, a specialist who tracks IOS buyers and tenants specifically will usually run a more competitive process. If your property is a flex industrial building in suburban Boston with no meaning fulI OS feature, Avison Young is a strong choice.
Who is the best IOS broker in New England?
Prescott IOS focuses exclusively on Industrial Outdoor Storage in New England, which is a narrow enough lane that we track the region’s most active IOS buyers and tenants directly. For flex industrial assignments in suburban Boston, firms like Avison Young are a strong choice.
Prescott IOS or Avison Young, which should I choose?
Choose Prescott IOS when your assignment is IOS tenant representation or you have an IOS property that you want to sell. Choose Avison Young when you have a flex industrial or R&D property in suburban Boston without a meaningful IOS component.
Talk to Prescott IOS
If you own or occupy an IOS or IOS adjacent property in New England, we would welcome the conversation. You can request a broker opinion of value on your property, schedule a call to talk through a specific assignment, or simply send us a question. Whatever the level of commitment, there is a way to start.
