Marlin Properties

What Marlin Properties does

Marlin Properties is a privately held commercial real estate brokerage firm founded in 1992 and headquartered at 165 N North Shore Dr, Lake Orion, Michigan. The company provides traditional brokerage services to tenants, landlords, buyers, and sellers across Michigan, with a stated service reach extending to the broader Midwest. Its core offering is retail-focused: site selection for retailers and restaurant chains, property disposition for owners of excess retail real estate, and listing representation for sale and lease transactions. Active inventory spans 13 Michigan submarkets, with listings concentrated around signalized intersections, freeway interchanges, and anchored retail corridors.

The company's product surface is a mix of human advisory services and a self-serve digital layer. Listings are published on the company website and syndicated through CREXI, the third-party CRE marketplace whose branding powers the firm's sale and lease search experience. The firm also runs a "List With Us" acquisition funnel targeting property owners. Technology is otherwise minimal: the website is a standard CMS site (Duda-hosted), with no proprietary platform, mobile app, API, or AI features disclosed in the source material.

Revenue is generated entirely on a transaction-fee basis through brokerage commissions negotiated per deal; no pricing schedule, commission rate, or financial performance figures are publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, relying on direct outreach to enterprise clients (national retail and QSR chains, REITs, developers) and inbound inquiries via phone (248-340-8900), email, and web contact forms. With a headcount of 1–10 and no institutional investment, ownership is private and founder/owner-led.

Name

Marlin Properties

Legal name

Marlin Properties

Website

https://marlinproperties.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Marlin Properties is a privately held, Michigan-based commercial real estate brokerage founded in 1992 that specializes in retail site selection, property disposition, and sale/lease representation for retailers, restaurant chains, developers, landlords, and investors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lake Orion

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Brokerage Commissions: Traditional commercial real estate brokerage commissions on sale and lease transactions. The company represents tenants, landlords, buyers, and sellers in commercial real estate transactions throughout Michigan.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Marlin Properties is a commercial real estate brokerage assisting tenants, landlords, buyers, and sellers with retail and land real estate transactions throughout Michigan. The firm specializes in retail site selection and disposition of excess commercial properties, handling both buying/selling and leasing assignments. It earns revenue through brokerage commissions on sale and lease transactions for retail, restaurant, and developer clients.

Product overview

Marlin Properties is a commercial real estate brokerage company that offers a unified suite of services centered on retail site selection and property disposition throughout Michigan. The core offering includes commercial real estate brokerage services for tenants, landlords, buyers, and sellers, supported by a portfolio of commercial property listings (retail and land) available for sale or lease. Additional services include property listing assistance through the 'List With Us' program. The company works with major retail chains and developers on site assignment projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Real Estate Brokerage Services Full-service commercial real estate brokerage assisting tenants, landlords, buyers, and sellers with their commercial real estate needs in Michigan.
• Retail Site Selection Specialized service for identifying and selecting optimal retail locations, representing properties throughout Michigan and the Midwest.
• Property Disposition Services Assistance with the effective disposal of excess commercial properties, including marketing and negotiating services.
• List With Us Service enabling property owners to list their commercial retail properties with Marlin Properties for sale or lease.

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• CBRE Group:
• Colliers International: Global CRE services and investment firm with substantial retail brokerage and occupier services. Comparable to Marlin for national retail tenant representation, but with broader geographic coverage and capital markets depth.
• Marcus & Millichap: Large national commercial real estate investment brokerage with deep retail and net-lease focus. Comparable to Marlin as both broker commercial retail and NNN investment properties for institutional and private clients, though Marcus & Millichap operates at a national scale versus Marlin's Michigan focus.
• Cushman & Wakefield: Global CRE services firm with significant retail and investment sales brokerage. Comparable to Marlin in retail tenant rep and NNN dispositions, but with global capital markets and occupier services capabilities.
• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): Global real estate services firm with a major retail brokerage and tenant rep practice. Comparable to Marlin for large national retail clients (e.g., Kroger, CVS) seeking multi-market site selection, though at vastly larger scale.

Regional players

• Friedman Real Estate: Michigan-headquartered full-service CRE firm providing brokerage, property management, and construction services. Comparable to Marlin as a regional Michigan broker serving retail, office, and investment clients in overlapping submarkets.
• Farbman Group / Veritas (Michigan): Michigan-based full-service commercial real estate firm providing brokerage and management services. Direct Michigan competitor to Marlin with overlapping retail, office, and industrial brokerage clients.
• Signature Associates: Michigan-based full-service commercial real estate firm offering brokerage, property management, and advisory. Direct Michigan competitor to Marlin with similar retail, office, and industrial brokerage services across the same geographic market.

Direct peers

• SVN (Sperry Van Ness / Commercial Real Estate Advisors): National CRE franchise brokerage specializing in retail, multifamily, and investment sales. Comparable to Marlin as a similarly structured commercial brokerage with retail and NNN expertise, though with a national franchise footprint.
• NAI Global (NAI Farbman in Michigan): Global CRE brokerage network with a Michigan affiliate (NAI Farbman) providing tenant rep, landlord rep, and investment sales. Directly comparable brokerage model serving the same Michigan retail and commercial client base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marlin-properties-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Marlin Properties