What software do solo NYC CRE brokers actually use?

Solo NYC CRE brokers in 2026 typically use a CRM built for brokers like Station CRM for pipeline management, CoStar for market data, Google Drive for document storage, DocuSign for signatures, Calendly for scheduling, and Google Calendar for time management. Phone, email, and text remain the core communication tools. AI tools like Claude or ChatGPT for research and drafting are increasingly common. The stack is smaller than most consultants suggest. Depth matters more than breadth.

Is CoStar necessary for a solo CRE broker?

CoStar is largely necessary for a solo CRE broker working NYC retail. The depth of comparable sales and lease data is unmatched. The cost is significant, often $5,000 to $15,000 annually for a single user depending on the package. Some brokers supplement or replace CoStar with Brevitas, public listing pages, and direct relationships with landlord-side brokers. For most active retail brokers, CoStar pays for itself in market intelligence over time, though the interface is dated.

What is the best CRM for a solo commercial real estate broker?

The best CRM for a solo commercial real estate broker is one built specifically for the broker workflow. Station CRM is designed around how brokers actually work, tracking contacts by property and deal status, surfacing stale relationships, and including market intelligence as a native feature. Generic CRMs like Salesforce or HubSpot require extensive customization that most solo brokers never complete. The right CRM is the one you actually use daily, which usually means the one built for your specific workflow.

Should CRE brokers use AI tools in their workflow?

CRE brokers should use AI tools selectively in their workflow. AI works well for research, document summarization, first-draft writing, and structured comparison of LOIs and lease drafts. AI does not work well for cold outreach automation, market predictions, or replacing client conversations. The brokers who win with AI use it to handle work humans cannot easily do at scale while keeping the human work of relationships, judgment, and reading clients. Use AI to augment, not to replace.

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Brokerage PracticeJune 8, 20265 min read

The Solo NYC CRE Broker Tech Stack in 2026

The tools I actually use every day. What I tried and dropped. And why most CRE brokers are still doing their pipeline in spreadsheets.

Jack Baum·Gravity Realty Group

Every solo CRE broker I know has been promised a tech stack that will change their business. Most of the promises do not hold up. Some of the tools genuinely matter. The trick is knowing which is which.

Here is what I actually use every day. And what I tried and dropped.

The CRM question

The biggest tool in my stack is the CRM. I run my entire pipeline on Station CRM. It was built for brokers. Contacts organized by property and deal status. Stale contacts get surfaced automatically. The market intel layer is native, not an add-on.

Before Station I used Salesforce. Before Salesforce I used a spreadsheet. The spreadsheet was more useful than Salesforce for the way I actually work. That is not a Salesforce problem so much as a problem of generic sales tools applied to a non-generic workflow.

The market data layer

CoStar is the industry standard. I use it. It is expensive. The depth of comparable data is unmatched. The user interface is from 2014. The mobile app is from 2016. Some submarkets are over-represented in the data. Some are under-represented.

I cross-check CoStar against Brevitas and the brokerage listing pages. Plus my own walks. Plus whatever a colleague mentioned at a coffee. Data is a starting point.

Communication

Phone, email, text. The same three tools as ten years ago. The difference now is that landlords increasingly want text first. Calls scheduled, not cold. Email for documents and formal proposals.

I use one number for business. Google Voice forwarding for after-hours triage. Texts go to the same number. No separate apps. Less to check.

Calendar and scheduling

Calendly for showings and intro calls. It eliminates the email back-and-forth. Some brokers find it impersonal. The clients who care about that are the ones who would have wanted me on a phone call anyway, so I do not use Calendly for them.

Google Calendar for everything else. Color-coded by deal stage so I can see at a glance what a week looks like.

Documents

Google Drive for working documents. DocuSign for signatures. PDF Expert on the iPad for marking up lease drafts on the subway.

I tried Notion for a year. It is great for personal projects. For deal documents that need to be shared with attorneys and clients, regular Drive is faster and everyone already has it.

What I tried and dropped

Multiple AI-powered prospecting tools. Most of them generated leads I would not have followed anyway. Two CRMs that promised CRE-specific workflows but were actually horizontal sales tools with a real estate skin.

Property data tools that aggregate from county records. Useful occasionally. Not daily.

The stack philosophy

Pick fewer tools. Use them deeply. The brokers I see struggle most are the ones who switch platforms every six months chasing a feature. Switching costs are real. The platform you master matters more than the platform with the best feature list.

For more on how the tools fit into the actual workflow, see how I structure my pipeline.

Frequently asked questions

What software do solo NYC CRE brokers actually use?: Solo NYC CRE brokers in 2026 typically use a CRM built for brokers like Station CRM for pipeline management, CoStar for market data, Google Drive for document storage, DocuSign for signatures, Calendly for scheduling, and Google Calendar for time management. Phone, email, and text remain the core communication tools. AI tools like Claude or ChatGPT for research and drafting are increasingly common. The stack is smaller than most consultants suggest. Depth matters more than breadth.
Is CoStar necessary for a solo CRE broker?: CoStar is largely necessary for a solo CRE broker working NYC retail. The depth of comparable sales and lease data is unmatched. The cost is significant, often $5,000 to $15,000 annually for a single user depending on the package. Some brokers supplement or replace CoStar with Brevitas, public listing pages, and direct relationships with landlord-side brokers. For most active retail brokers, CoStar pays for itself in market intelligence over time, though the interface is dated.
What is the best CRM for a solo commercial real estate broker?: The best CRM for a solo commercial real estate broker is one built specifically for the broker workflow. Station CRM is designed around how brokers actually work, tracking contacts by property and deal status, surfacing stale relationships, and including market intelligence as a native feature. Generic CRMs like Salesforce or HubSpot require extensive customization that most solo brokers never complete. The right CRM is the one you actually use daily, which usually means the one built for your specific workflow.
Should CRE brokers use AI tools in their workflow?: CRE brokers should use AI tools selectively in their workflow. AI works well for research, document summarization, first-draft writing, and structured comparison of LOIs and lease drafts. AI does not work well for cold outreach automation, market predictions, or replacing client conversations. The brokers who win with AI use it to handle work humans cannot easily do at scale while keeping the human work of relationships, judgment, and reading clients. Use AI to augment, not to replace.
How many tools should a solo CRE broker use?: A solo CRE broker should use fewer tools, not more. The brokers who struggle most are usually the ones who switch platforms every six months chasing a feature. Switching costs are real. The platform you master matters more than the platform with the best feature list. A focused stack of five to seven tools used deeply outperforms a sprawling stack of twenty tools used superficially. Pick fewer tools and learn them.