U.S. General Services Administration
The Day in the Life of a GSA Disposal Realty Specialist
Think about a career that can take someone from what readers commonly know about real estate and transport them into the realm where the public benefit, such as providing homes for the unsheltered or even land use for wildlife conservation, is more important than dollars. Or imagine a position where you could have a hand in disposing of federal real estate in the most economic, efficient and effective manner and ultimately provide cost savings to the federal government. These are just a few of the responsibilities disposal realty specialists working in the GSA Pacific Rim Region are charged with.
A day spent as a disposal realty specialist could involve determining if unneeded property is transferred to another federal agency, conveyed to State and local government, is eligible for a nonprofit institution’s use or should be sold via competitive online auction. These specialists work closely with landholding agencies to learn more about their facilities but also interact with individuals and organizations who are interested in obtaining property. They coordinate with historic preservation specialists to determine if the property requires special protections and are savvy in developing marketing plans to attract potential buyers and move the property through to sale. Here in Region 9, it could also mean travel to Alaska or any of the other seven states (Wasington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii) covered by our disposal team’s area of operation.
“There are so many compelling things revolving around what I do, the dynamic flow of my days are exciting,” said Chelsey Battaglia, R9 Realty Specialist. “The ability to see what is possible for land use under current legislation and how a property has the potential to impact a community is inspiring to me.”
Disposal realty specialists may find themselves responsible for properties as high value as those found in silicon valley like the Menlo Park campus near San Francisco or the Auburn Federal Complex in Washington state which sold for $80 million. While at another end of the spectrum they may be executing an agreement to repurpose a property like the Shutter Creek Correctional facility in Oregon into a Wildlife Conservation initiative supported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
“The steps to property disposal include screening the property for Federal use, reviewing if the property will support the McKinney Act for Homeless assistance or can be used for public purposes that benefit the community as a whole,” said Battaglia. “If it isn’t suited for either of those three options it will move to public sale where an auction or sealed bid sale is held.”
Realty Specialists perform a critical role in reducing the federal footprint and finding new purposes for federal facilities and land that is no longer needed for Government use. If you want to help shape the federal building portfolio and are looking for a future opportunity, watch for job postings on USAjobs.gov.