How We Work
We work as advisors, not brokers
A clear engagement model. Defined scope, scoped fees, and a few things we deliberately don't do.
AG&T works on a fee-plus-success basis. That structure is used by institutional capital advisors across the market, from larger firms like Eastdil Secured and JLL Capital Markets to boutique advisors like Ackman-Ziff Real Estate Group, Hodges Ward Elliott, and HVS Capital. AG&T is the Caribbean specialist in this institutional model.
We don’t broker on contingency. We work on defined engagements with defined deliverables. This protects both sides. It ensures the work product reflects the project’s actual needs, and it lets us decline engagements that aren’t a fit.
Our transaction range is $5 million to $100 million in both debt and equity. Engagements focus on Caribbean and Latin American real estate. We work with sponsors, institutional capital allocators, family offices, and selectively as a principal alongside the capital we raise.
What you get in an engagement
Every engagement begins with a defined scope, a named deliverable, and a clear fee structure. Most engagements proceed in phases. You commit to the current phase only, with the option to continue.
PHASE 1: DIAGNOSTIC
A scoped advisory review of your transaction or asset. The deliverable is a strategic memo or feasibility study with a recommended path forward.
Scope: Independent diagnostic of capital structure, market dynamics, and execution path.
Duration: 4 to 8 weeks.
Fee: $25,000 to $75,000 fixed.
PHASE 2: STRUCTURING AND ENGAGEMENT
If Phase 1 produces value and the project moves forward, we structure the offering and lead capital outreach. The deliverable is an institutional-grade offering memorandum, financial model, and engagement with named capital sources.
Scope: Offering memorandum, financial model, managed capital outreach.
Duration: 3 to 5 months.
Fee: Retainer plus success fee on closing.
PHASE 3: TRANSACTION SUPPORT
If we proceed to closing, we manage the process through completion, including diligence, structuring negotiation, and closing coordination.
Scope: Process management through closing.
Duration: 6 to 18 months.
Fee: Continuing retainer plus success fee.
Principal positions
For developments aligned with our thesis, AG&T selectively participates as a principal alongside the capital we raise. This is a feature of our practice, not an alternative to advisory work.
Principal participation accomplishes two things. It aligns AG&T’s economics with project outcomes over the full life of the development, not only at closing. And in select cases, it lets us roll over advisory fees into equity, deferring compensation in exchange for participation in upside.
We participate selectively. Most engagements remain purely advisory.
What we don't do
A short list of things outside our practice. We turn down engagements that fall into these categories because focus is what makes the work work.
We don’t broker on pure contingency. Advisory engagements require defined scope and fees.
We don’t shop deals to capital sources without a defined engagement. Capital introductions follow from advisory work, not the reverse.
We don’t take engagements outside our Caribbean and Latin American expertise. We are specialists, and we stay specialists.
We don’t advise on transactions outside our $5 million to $100 million range. Smaller transactions don’t justify the institutional model. Larger transactions are better served by firms scaled to that bracket.
A typical engagement
How a new client engages with AG&T, from first conversation to closing.
1. Initial conversation. Approximately 45 minutes, no charge. We discuss the transaction and whether AG&T is the right fit.
2. Scope of work proposal. Within five business days of the initial conversation, we send a written proposal with defined scope, deliverable, duration, and fee.
3. Engagement letter signed. Once scope is agreed, we execute an engagement letter and begin Phase 1.
4. Phase 1 work product delivered. On schedule, we deliver the diagnostic memo, SWOT Analysis, or feasibility study.
5. Decision point. The client decides whether to continue to Phase 2. There is no obligation to proceed.
6. Phase 2 and 3 proceed as scoped. Subsequent phases run under separate engagement letters with fees tied to defined milestones.
We’ve structured it this way deliberately. You see the scope, you see the deliverable, you see the fee. No ambiguity, no surprises. That’s how good engagements work.
Engagement questions
Can you work on contingency or commission only?
Generally no. Late-stage capital placement on pre-engaged mandates is the exception. Standard structure is retainer plus success.What size transactions do you advise on?
$5 million to $100 million in both debt and equity. We are the institutional advisor for Caribbean middle-market transactions.How long does a typical engagement run?
Phase 1 diagnostic engagements run 4 to 8 weeks. Multi-phase engagements through closing typically run 6 to 18 months. Caribbean capital placements often take 18 to 36 months from mandate to closing.Do you take equity in projects?
Selectively, where the structure aligns AG&T with sponsors and capital partners over the full project. This is part of our practice, not a workaround.Can we engage you for just one phase?
Yes. Most clients begin with Phase 1 as a diagnostic and only continue if Phase 1 produces value. There is no obligation to continue beyond the current phase.Who within AG&T runs the engagement?
Engagements are led personally by Adam Greenfader, the principal of AG&T. There are no associates running the work, no committee filtering access. This is the model deliberately. It is also the reason engagements are scoped, fees are fixed, and capacity is finite.
Have a Caribbean transaction we should discuss
Initial conversations are confidential and no charge. Phase 1 engagements typically begin within ten business days of an initial conversation.