SmartVibes
Summer 2025
CLIENT SPOTLIGHT
Levin Johnston Outperforms in a Challenging Market
In a year when most CRE brokers closed fewer than 10 deals due to strict lender underwriting and an uncertain investment climate, our Client Levin Johnston of Marcus & Millichap increased its transaction number to 80 in 2024 (up from 50 in 2023). The team is anticipating another 50% increase to approximately 120 deals by the end of 2025.
Part of Marcus & Millichap’s Palo Alto, California office, Levin Johnston is a leading investment advisory group that drives growth and sustains wealth for its clients through strategic commercial real estate investment. The team is expert in investment sales and acquisitions, value-driven asset management, 1031 exchanges, and ongoing advisory services. Levin Johnston’s leadership team, headed by Executive Managing Directors Adam Levin and Robert Johnston, has 50 years of experience in the real estate industry and has successfully closed investment real estate transactions valued over $8 billion to date, resulting in stable risk-adjusted returns for investors throughout the U.S.
“We credit our alignment with Marcus & Millichap for much of this success,” says Levin. “The firm’s robust resources help us complete transactions in a way that exceeds our clients’ expectations and will support us in continuing this momentum.”
The team recently represented the seller and procured the buyer in the sale of a portfolio comprising three Silicon Valley multifamily properties totaling 33 units. The assets, located in Menlo Park, Santa Clara, and Sunnyvale, California, sold for more than $13.4 million. The transaction was part of a 1031 exchange Levin Johnston helped facilitate for its client, who traded into fully remodeled, stabilized assets with high returns in California’s Redwood City and the East Bay for approximately $20 million.
“Investors are moving off the sidelines, eager to deploy their dry powder into apartment communities with strong fundamentals in great locations,” says Johnston.
In addition to extensive multifamily experience, Levin Johnston has a specialty in self-storage and has completed significant retail deals.
FROM THE SMART BLOG
The Cool Factor: Why Cold Storage is Heating Up in Industrial CRE
Cold storage is no longer a niche asset class—it’s fast becoming a core focus in industrial real estate, driven by shifts in grocery delivery, pharmaceutical logistics, and global supply chains. Colliers reports that speculative cold storage development is rebounding, and institutional capital is pouring in as demand outpaces modern supply. For CRE investors, owners, and developers, this presents a rare convergence of timing, demand, and long-term growth potential.
PRESS ACHIEVED
Our Clients in the News
Curated links to publicity we have recently achieved for our Clients, providing key insights into the commercial real estate and financial services industries:
A LOOK INSIDE TEAM SMART
Behind the Scenes at Avanath’s Annual Leadership Conference
One of Team Smart’s favorite services is planning and attending their events. Our world-class team is experienced and adept at researching and executing all aspects of event planning for conferences and meetings, groundbreakings, grand openings and so much more – making the process as seamless as possible for our Clients.
Here, our Executive Account Manager Elisabeth Manville, Senior Social Media Manager Alyse Kiekenapp, Senior Account & Events Manager Arleeny Escarcega and President and CEO Jenn Quader take a moment to smile for the camera during our Client Avanath Capital Management’s recent Annual Leadership Conference, a multi-day event we helped plan.
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