Working with Dewey · deweyluong.realtor

Why Work With a CCIM?

CCIM stands for Certified Commercial Investment Member. It is the commercial real estate industry's graduate-level designation, awarded by the CCIM Institute. It is not a course you buy or a title a brokerage hands out. It is earned, and most brokers never earn it.

What it takes to earn the pin

• More than 160 hours of coursework across four core disciplines: financial analysis (CI 101), market analysis (CI 102), user decision analysis (CI 103), and investment analysis (CI 104), plus ethics and negotiation training.
• A portfolio of real deal experience. Candidates must document qualifying transactions for review. For brokers, that means paths like three or more qualifying deals totaling $30 million or more, ten totaling $10 million or more, or twenty qualifying activities.
• A full-day comprehensive exam covering the full curriculum, taken only after the coursework and portfolio are approved.

Only about 6% of commercial real estate practitioners hold the designation. There are more than 13,000 CCIM designees worldwide.

What that means for your deal

The numbers get run, not guessed. A CCIM is trained to underwrite income: net operating income, cap rate, cash flow after debt service, internal rate of return, and lease economics. When a seller quotes a cap rate, a CCIM checks what the seller left out.

Decisions get structured. Lease versus buy, hold versus sell, refinance versus exchange. The CCIM curriculum is built around comparing your options with the math on the table, not around a sales pitch.

Negotiation is a discipline. Interest-based negotiation is part of the designation training. Terms, timing, and leverage get handled deliberately.

The network is part of the service. CCIM designees work deals with each other across markets. When a property or a buyer is not in my backyard, I can reach a trained counterpart who is.

Why it matters in Metro Atlanta and Gwinnett

Commercial deals fail on bad underwriting more often than on bad locations. A building with the wrong tenant mix, a lease that rolls at the wrong time, or income that only exists on paper will cost you for years. My job is to catch that before you sign, price it honestly if it is still worth doing, and negotiate from the numbers.

I earned the CCIM designation in 2024. I practice with SERHANT. Georgia across Metro Atlanta and Gwinnett, in English and Vietnamese, representing owners, investors, and businesses buying, selling, and leasing commercial property.

Looking at a building, or thinking about selling one? Reply with the address and I will tell you what I see.

Túy “Dewey” Luong, CCIM | SERHANT. Georgia | 678-707-2498 | dewey.luong@serhant.com | deweyluong.realtor

More on my brokerage practice: Dewey Luong at SERHANT. Atlanta

A CCIM practicing in Atlanta

Atlanta has thousands of licensed brokers and a small number of CCIM designees. Dewey Luong earned the designation in 2024 and applies it daily in this market: shopping centers and retail in Gwinnett, QSR and land across Metro Atlanta, and investment analysis for owners deciding whether to hold, sell, or exchange. His verified profile is in the CCIM Institute directory, and his local practice is detailed on the CCIM in Atlanta page.

Frequently asked questions

Is a CCIM the same as a real estate license?

No. A license is the state minimum to practice. The CCIM is a voluntary professional designation earned on top of it, through the CCIM Institute, after advanced coursework, a reviewed portfolio of deal experience, and a comprehensive exam.

Does working with a CCIM cost more?

Not by itself. Compensation is negotiated per assignment like any brokerage work. What changes is the analysis behind the advice.

Do CCIMs only handle big deals?

No. The training applies to any income-producing property: a small retail building, a warehouse, an office condo, or a shopping center. The math scales down as well as up.

Is there a CCIM broker in Atlanta I can work with?

Yes. Tuy "Dewey" Luong, CCIM (designation earned 2024) practices with SERHANT. Georgia across Metro Atlanta and Gwinnett from his Duluth office. See the CCIM in Atlanta page for his practice areas and how to verify the designation.

Can a CCIM help me sell, not just buy?

Yes. Pricing a property for sale is the same underwriting run in reverse: verified income, honest expenses, and a defensible cap rate. That is how you hold your price in negotiation.