As a result of the great many aspects of leasing coupled with the great amount of time necessary to manage them, and the large financial commitment, there is an absolute need for process and detail management; that is the premise of this website. Your ability to successfully manage the leasing process will hinge upon the team you select to handle the details, and the posture you take in leading your team and negotiations with landlords.There are many fine, professional real estate brokerage firms with experience in office leasing and particularly tenant representation.
The commercial real estate business has witnessed a metamorphosis toward serving the tenant. While ordinarily agents have brokered office leases acting as either an owner's agent or a dual agent, it has become more common for each office tenant to be represented by their own agent. Most States have these tenant rep or buyer's agey laws. During the glory days of the tenant's market when two years free rent was in vogue, the agent was more of a glorified delivery person, simply poring over which pic-nic basket to take. However, as the market may turn more to the favor of the Landlord, tenants find out fast that every foot of ground in the negotiations is difficult.
Likewise, tenants are fast coming to the conclusion that it is not just the rental amount that needs managing, but the whole process. From the first thought about your impending lease expiration to the delivery of the last desk in the new office, the whole multi-faceted process requires a unified management team. No longer can a tenant simply depend on an agent to "find" office space, have Fred figure out what kind of needs there are, have your brother-in-law look at the lease and have Matilda call the moving companies. It is the whole process which needs managing and which requires a paradigm shift on behalf of the tenant to recognize the need for a new management program to deal with the new problems. It is a "Tenant-Controlling" paradigm. Advocacy for the tenant is the beginning point for what is required by all business; to manage the office leasing element no differently than any other great liability. In a manner of speaking, the office space should be looked at as a partner in your Goals and Plans, a tool to help. Look at this from a long range planning point of view. Allow your facility to be an asset or partner to that plan, not just office space. And although office space is real estate per se, real estate only plays a role in the total picture - don't think otherwise.
