At Berkadia, we redefine commercial real estate (CRE) by offering long-term investments through our mortgage bankers and investment sales advisors. Our producers are industry experts with diverse backgrounds and exceptional market knowledge. When you choose Berkadia, you’re choosing a long-term relationship that goes further than the transaction; you are being backed by the best.
Today, we’re shining the spotlight on Senior Director Lindsey deButts, a mortgage banker in the DC Metro office and a member of Berkadia Hotels & Hospitality. She is responsible for providing financing solutions to commercial real estate developers and owners throughout the United States.
Lindsey deButts has been with Berkadia for over eight years and has always been on the debt side of commercial real estate. Before her senior year at Princeton University, she stumbled upon an internship that led to her first job in CRE as an underwriter.
“For me, joining the underwriting team was the perfect way to start my career, with one year of understanding the credit mindset and getting exposed to all the crazy real estate acronyms that we have.”
Lindsey’s time as an underwriter made her realize that she wanted to be at the front end of the business and more client facing. She transitioned to the conventional capital markets team for two years before ultimately joining Berkadia in 2015 and then joining the Hotels & Hospitality platform in 2018.
At the time of Lindsey’s transition, the DC Metro office was primarily focused on HUD. Now, the DC Metro office has expanded and includes teams across multiple disciplines and specialty platforms. Lindsey witnessed Berkadia’s growth and knew she wanted to be part of the story.
Lindsey enjoys the balance of the analytical and interpersonal sides that mortgage banking offers. Absorbing the client’s future plans and immediate needs while sharing market knowledge and advice makes her job challenging and exciting. Lindsey notes that her job is never boring, as she is constantly learning every day.
“Each deal is almost like its own little puzzle or problem that needs to be solved, and so I’ve found over the last 12 years of my career that I’ve really enjoyed leaning into being an advisor and solving that puzzle with my clients,” said deButts.
As for the hospitality side, Lindsey is excited to see the hotel space regain interest from both buyers and lenders as the asset class continues to recover post-covid. Although the hotel industry suffered during the pandemic, there is now a pent-up demand for travel. People worldwide are eager to travel, whether for “revenge travel” or business purposes, and the hotels’ asset class is rebounding.
“Berkadia Hotels & Hospitality takes a unique team approach which helps set us apart. While made up of both debt and sales advisors, the group operates pretty flat, from pipeline discussions to client pitches, and we’re fully coordinated as a team, allowing us to be a one-stop solution for our clients. Sometimes, what starts as a financing deal ends up being a sale or vice versa, and that’s okay. The level of teamwork within the growing group resonates with our clients and keeps them coming back,” said deButts.
The approach Lindsey and her colleagues take is backed by how Berkadia operates, a holistic team approach. It wouldn’t be possible without the support from top to bottom from Berkadia. When you come to Berkadia, you’re hiring the whole Berkadia network and all of the resources that it has to offer. There is open communication across all different teams and offices, which allows the client to feel like they’re being served by all of Berkadia and not just one individual or group.
Another aspect that Lindsey loves about Berkadia is the investment in building relationships across the company. Whether that be on the Director level, having someone that serves as a mentor, or investing in the associates and analysts. Berkadia recognizes that they want to have the best generation, every generation, and that means fostering growth at every stage in someone’s career. It is about investing in every single employee at Berkadia.