Questions to Ask Before Choosing Your Commercial Real Estate Advisor

 Choosing a commercial real estate broker/advisor to serve as your tenant representative can be a challenge. Asking the right questions can help determine whether or not a broker is a good fit for you. Here are six good ones and some guidance on what to look for. 1. Does your firm focus exclusively on tenant representation or do you also represent landlords? If the answer is “we represent both” then there is an inherent conflict of interest. To insure that your best interest aligns with that of your advisor, choose a firm that focuses exclusively on representing tenants. This eliminates any…
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The 3 Most Commonly Used Leases in Commercial Real Estate

There are 3 basic types of leases used in Commercial real estate. They are all complex documents but can be understood when you have some background about the terminology associated with each of them. The three types of leases are: 1. Gross Lease  With a gross lease, also known as a full service lease, the rental rate includes all of the operating expenses for a property, such as the utilities, maintenance, property taxes and property insurance. If these expenses increase over the term of the lease, the landlord typically passes through the incremental cost to the tenant as “additional rent”. Many…
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Should I Stay or Should I Go?

  As the life cycles of businesses mature and grow over time it becomes necessary to re-evaluate your office space when your lease is coming up for renewal. Square footage requirements factor as just one component of the decision process to remain where you are or look for new space. A comprehensive evaluation also includes the following issues in today’s modern business atmosphere and serve as a guide to stay or go. 1. Are You Using Your Square Footage Efficiently? Take a hard look at where your business is now and where it’s likely to be in 5-10 years. Do…
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These Lease Terms Provide Options

After a lengthy search, you've finally found the perfect new office space. It's so great that, in fact, you're not sure if you should lease or purchase the building. To put you in control, negotiate in your lease options to buy the building if you decide you want it. You can also stop someone else from purchasing it as well. These options, listed below, give you a measure of control and let you avoid the costs and responsibilities of ownership if you are not yet ready to take them on. Option to Buy This negotiated structure gives you the most…
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