Esperanza Villarreal-Gunn Senior Commercial Leasing Agent, CCIM Dallas, 75201, United States [email protected] · (214) 555-0146
12 September 2026
Mr. Tobenna Okafor Managing Principal, Landlord Services Stonebridge Realty Group Dallas, United States
Application for Senior Leasing Agent, Stonebridge Realty Group
Dear Mr. Okafor,
I am applying for the Senior Leasing Agent post on the Stonebridge Realty Group landlord team. I am a Texas real estate broker, license #TX-0765412, and I have spent the last five years on landlord representation for a 418,000 square foot portfolio of Class B office and flex assets in Richardson and Las Colinas, where I closed 28 transactions for 312,000 square feet in the last eighteen months.
Three of those deals describe the range. A 42,600 square foot full-floor office lease at ten years on a full service gross basis, with $62 per square foot of tenant improvement allowance and nine months of free rent, which landed at 94 percent of asking. A 61,000 square foot flex and light industrial lease at eight years triple net, $9.75 per square foot starting with 3.5 percent annual escalations, at 96 percent of asking. And a 29,800 square foot renewal at five years modified gross with only two months of free rent and $18 per square foot of refresh allowance, at 97 percent of asking. Across the whole portfolio I held effective rent at 93 percent of asking, moved leased occupancy from 78 percent to 91 percent, and extended weighted average lease term from 3.4 to 5.9 years. Letter of intent to executed lease averaged 46 days, down from 71 when I took the assignment.
Your Commerce Plaza assets are the reason I am writing. Two of the three have material 2028 expirations inside a submarket with new supply delivering next year, and that is the problem I spent the last two years on: early renewal conversations, term extension in exchange for measured capital, and holding effective rent while the face rate moves. I would start there rather than on the vacant space.
I hold the CCIM designation through the CCIM Institute, my broker license is active through November 2027, and my Legal Update hours are current. I can meet at your convenience. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely, Esperanza Villarreal-Gunn, CCIM
Summary
A commercial leasing agent cover letter names three deals with their square footage, term and rent structure, says what effective rent you held against asking, and then names the listings you want to work. This guide gives you a full adaptable letter, the openings that beat relationship language, and the license line that has to be unambiguous.
Leasing Agent cover letter examples by experience level
A commercial leasing agent cover letter is a one-page letter that names three of your deals with their terms, says what economics you held on them, and names the buildings in their portfolio you want to lease.
It is a narrow letter and that is the point. A managing principal reading applications has a stack of files that all say the same things: strong relationships, a proven track record, deep market knowledge. None of them can be checked against a rent roll, and the rent roll is what they are holding.
Guide to a leasing agent cover letter
This guide and the corresponding leasing agent cover letter example will cover:
- How to structure the letter, and why three deals beat a paragraph of relationship language
- What to say about rent structure, concessions and effective rent
- How to name their listings without pretending to know their business
How to write a leasing agent cover letter
| Paragraph | Its job | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | The role, your license, your side of the table, your assignment in square feet | 2 to 3 sentences |
| Deals | Three transactions with square feet, term, structure and economics | 4 to 6 sentences |
| Fit | Their portfolio or submarket, named, and what you would take first | 3 to 4 sentences |
| Close | Designation, license status, availability | 2 sentences |
Three deals with terms beat any sentence about relationships
Every letter in the folder claims relationships, and nobody can check one. What a principal can check in a minute on CoStar is a deal. So name three, each with four facts: square footage, term, rent structure, and one economics number. "A 42,600 square foot Class B office lease at ten years on a full service gross basis, $62 per square foot of TI and nine months free, landing at 94 percent of asking" proves more than a page of relationship language.
Pick for range, not size. One large office deal, one industrial or flex deal and one small retail or renewal deal tell a reader you can work their whole rent roll.
A leasing agent cover letter example you can adapt
Dear Mr. Okafor,
I am applying for the Senior Leasing Agent post on the Stonebridge Realty Group landlord team. I am a Texas real estate broker, license #TX-0765412, and I have spent the last five years on landlord representation for a 418,000 square foot portfolio of Class B office and flex assets in Richardson and Las Colinas, where I closed 28 transactions for 312,000 square feet in the last eighteen months.
Three of those deals describe the range. A 42,600 square foot full-floor office lease at ten years on a full service gross basis, with $62 per square foot of tenant improvement allowance and nine months of free rent, which landed at 94 percent of asking. A 61,000 square foot flex and light industrial lease at eight years triple net, $9.75 per square foot starting with 3.5 percent annual escalations, at 96 percent of asking. And a 29,800 square foot renewal at five years modified gross with only two months of free rent and $18 per square foot of refresh allowance, at 97 percent of asking. Across the whole portfolio I held effective rent at 93 percent of asking, moved leased occupancy from 78 percent to 91 percent, and extended weighted average lease term from 3.4 to 5.9 years. Letter of intent to executed lease averaged 46 days, down from 71 when I took the assignment.
Your Commerce Plaza assets are the reason I am writing. Two of the three have material 2028 expirations inside a submarket with new supply delivering next year, and that is the problem I spent the last two years on: early renewal conversations, term extension in exchange for measured capital, and holding effective rent while the face rate moves. I would start there rather than on the vacant space.
I hold the CCIM designation through the CCIM Institute, my broker license is active through November 2027, and my Legal Update hours are current. I can meet at your convenience. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely, Esperanza Villarreal-Gunn, CCIM
Openings that work
| Instead of | Use |
|---|---|
| I have built strong relationships throughout the brokerage community | I closed 28 transactions for 312,000 square feet in the last eighteen months on a 418,000 square foot landlord portfolio |
| I am writing to express my interest in your leasing position | I am applying for the Senior Leasing Agent post on your landlord team; I am a Texas broker, license #TX-0765412 |
| I have a proven track record in commercial real estate | I held effective rent at 93 percent of asking while moving the portfolio from 78 percent to 91 percent leased |
What counts as a result in a soft leasing market
Face rent is the first thing to fall in a weak submarket, so build the letter on numbers that do not move with it.
| Kind of evidence | What it looks like in a sentence |
|---|---|
| Effective rent discipline | Held effective rent at 93 percent of asking across 28 transactions |
| Retention | Renewed 71 percent of expiring tenants, nine renewals in eighteen months |
A flat occupation rewards documented volume, not tenure
Real estate brokers and sales agents held 530,600 jobs in 2025, with projected growth of 2 percent through 2035 and about 40,400 openings each year, nearly all of them replacements rather than new positions. Brokers had a median annual wage of $73,220 as of May 2025 against $52,830 for sales agents, and the highest 10 percent of brokers earned more than $143,300 (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025-35 projections and May 2025 wage data).
In a flat occupation with replacement-driven hiring, a principal is not selecting on years. They are selecting on whether they can see what you closed, which is the whole argument for spending the middle paragraph on three deals with their terms attached rather than on a description of your approach.
Naming their portfolio without pretending
The third paragraph gets letters read twice, and it is where applicants overreach.
Do the research that is genuinely public: their listings on CoStar, LoopNet or Crexi, the availability on their own site and how long it has sat there, the submarket's delivery pipeline, and published expirations. Then name one specific thing and say what you would do about it. What you must not do is assert facts about their rent roll or their tenants' plans. A principal knows exactly how much of that is public, and a confident wrong claim costs you the interview an honest observation would have won.
Name three deals with square feet, term, structure and one economics figure. Put your license type, number and status on the page. Say which side of the table you work. Give effective rent against asking. Name one real thing about their portfolio or submarket.
Do not claim relationships as your qualification. Do not quote rent without its structure. Do not report face rent and omit the concessions. Do not describe a supported deal as one you led. Do not assert anything about their rent roll that is not public.
Length, format and sending it
One page, four paragraphs, 300 to 425 words. It runs slightly longer than most because the deal paragraph carries numbers, and that is the right trade. PDF named for yourself and the role: esperanza-villarreal-gunn-leasing-agent-cover-letter.pdf.
Address the named principal or leasing director, since brokerage and ownership teams are listed publicly. Keep the deals identical to the ones on your deal sheet: our leasing agent resume example uses the same transactions and figures, which is what makes the pair credible.
Key takeaways
- Name three deals, chosen for range, with square feet and term on each.
- Give the rent structure beside the rent, every time.
- Report the concessions you negotiated, not just the face rate.
- Give effective rent against asking; it is the number a principal trusts.
- Add cycle time from letter of intent to executed lease.
- Name one real, public thing about their portfolio, and put your license type, number and status on the page.
Write your leasing agent cover letter in 10 minutes.
Leasing agent cover letter questions, answered
How long should a leasing agent cover letter be?
One page, four paragraphs, 300 to 425 words. The deal paragraph carries figures, and a principal will read numbers where they would skip adjectives.
What do I write as an associate with no deals of my own?
Write the work accurately: availability maintained in CoStar and VTS with the square footage, leases abstracted, tour books and market surveys produced, and the transactions you supported with the count and total square footage. Say "supported" rather than "closed". An associate who can describe 34 supported transactions totaling 410,000 square feet and 186 leases abstracted is describing a real contribution.
Do I need to mention my real estate license in the letter?
Yes, with the number and status. Leasing property for another party for compensation is licensed activity in most states: Texas requires 180 classroom hours of qualifying education across six 30-hour courses, a PearsonVUE examination and sponsorship by an active broker before an inactive license becomes active (Texas Real Estate Commission, become a sales agent, checked 12 September 2026). One clause settles the question.
Should I mention the CCIM designation if I am still in the coursework?
Yes, as candidacy, naming the courses you have completed. The CCIM Institute requires four designation courses, an ethics course, negotiation training and electives, a portfolio of qualifying activities, transactions, projects or work products, and a full-day Comprehensive Exam (CCIM Institute, pursue the CCIM designation, checked 12 September 2026). Saying where you are in that reads as intent.
How do I write to an ownership group rather than a brokerage?
Shift from volume to asset outcomes. An ownership group cares less about how many deals you closed than about what happened to the asset: leased occupancy, weighted average lease term, retention, and the capital you spent getting there. Lead with the portfolio movement and put the deals second.