GlobeSt.com: Do these markets each have unique characteristics, or are there common themes among them?

Rinkov: We view Seattle as kind of a standard. If you take a look at the dynamic and the strong fundamentals there, that's a great example of what we're looking for in a market. They have diversity of product type, incredible energy as far as demand from tenants and buyers is concerned and capital flowing into the market. We're looking for those types of dynamics, with strong construction demand and activity and a stronger economic base in a larger metropolitan area.

GlobeSt.com: Looking into 2017, are you operating on a specific timetable for rolling out the platform in some of these larger markets?

Rinkov: The timetable is likely an accelerated one, even though we're extremely pleased with the expansion activity and the successes we've achieved in the offices we've opened over the past two or three years. Where we've increased our resources in our service platform—our ability to service clients and service agents across the country and grow that count. We're hoping that the next 24 to 30 months is the timeframe in which we achieve success in those 12 to 15 markets, in the US and in Canada.

In terms of desire to accelerate expansion, we have brought on Joe Vargas, who's a former president of the West for Cushman & Wakefield. He played a sizable role in helping us identify our Seattle leaders from his prior relationships at Cushman & Wakefield. Joe continues to work on our behalf on expansion across the country. We think it's very important to have a high-profile talent with a long history who's out there sourcing opportunities and identifying partners for us.

GlobeSt.com: For next year, where do you see the most compelling growth opportunities for Lee & Associates and for your clients?

Rinkov: At Lee & Associates, our very strong focus will be on the Northeast and the Midwest for continued expansion. We also think those are great places for where our clients are executing opportunities and where we're able to execute opportunities for them. Places where we don't have locations currently—Boston, Washington, DC, Charlotte, Miami—but we do have tremendous client activity are some of the target cities. They're large MSAs that speak to everything we like from the standpoint of demand, capital and strong brokerage talent.

From the standpoint of where we see opportunities generally for our clients, we have a very long history in the industrial market. I think that will continue to be the least sexy of the product types but probably the most stable. There's a lot of growth there, and we don't think we run the risk of overdevelopment, as we've seen in other cycles. The current pace of development has been very responsible. We continue to see great opportunities in multifamily; mixed-use in urban areas is a great opportunity for client investment. Retail in general, along with office, is in somewhat of a state of transition, but some of that inefficiency, along with the transitory nature of those markets, creates opportunity for our investor clients.