Whenever you are considering new office locations, your tenant representative is going to be providing you with a tremendous amount of information on various building options. Most of the obvious selection criteria such as economics, location, quality of the building, ownership and proposed space, as well as the various amenities of the building will be comprehensively evaluated. Your advisor should have a good knowledge base about the nuances of a particular building.
However, here are 8 simple things you should do on your own before making a decision among your final building candidates; after all, you are the one who is going to be spending a significant amount of your time there, typically for the next 5-10 years.
1- Scan the Tenant Directory. Make sure you know who your neighbors will be and that they are compatible.
2- Speak to a few of the existing tenants to get their opinion of the building and management.
3- Inspect the building common areas and restrooms for cleanliness and maintenance issues.
4- If there is food service on site, have lunch there and sample the food.
5- Park your vehicle in the tenant parking area instead of the more convenient visitor parking section.
6- Visit the building at peak traffic times either in the morning or at the end of the work day.
7- Ride the elevators a peak traffic times, at lunch or the end of the work day.
8- Make a cell phone call from the building.
Your advisor will make you aware of any glaring suspected issue with a particular building or location. However, any perceived inconvenience, such as the speed of the elevators or degree of traffic congestion for example, can be subjective in the eye of the beholder.
howardcommercial is a commercial real estate advisory firm focused exclusively on representing tenants, owner-occupiers and investors. Please feel free to contact us at 314.821.0085 or doug@howardcommercial.net to discuss your real estate requirements.
