REoptimizer^® Blog

If you have a lease coming due, it might already be too late to have the perfect amount of time to decide what to do. Believe it or not, the due diligence process for renewing a lease or finding a new space can easily take 18 months. That might seem like a lot of time, but it's not as long as you think.

Whether your company owns or leases its real estate, it's there. And if you are like most businesses, your real estate portfolio represents a meaningful chunk of your total operating expense budget.  Are you sure that you are getting the maximum return on your investment? Most businesses can't answer yes to this simple question, and that's what optimizing your commercial real estate portfolio fixes.

If you've signed an office lease, you know that your rent isn't really your rent. In some buildings, you pay operating costs on top of your rent. You're probably aware of the load factor that makes you pay for your office space and for what the landlord considers your "fair" share of the common areas of the building. And you might also have to pay for parking. But there could be even more hidden costs lurking in your office lease.  Work with your tenant representative to see if you could be on the hook for any of these five additional expenses.

The environment that your employees work in every day has a huge impact on productivity and morale. Additionally, the size and location of the office that you lease has a big impact on your budget. Because your office is so important to many aspects of your business, it's vital that you choose wisely when it comes time to sign a lease. Following these tips will help you to avoid leasing a space that just isn't right for your needs:

Commercial leases are lengthy, complex documents, but you can't afford to simply skim them. Thoroughly reading your lease and having confusing clauses clarified is essential to ensuring that you get a fair deal. Here are some important clauses to look for:

Commercial leases are one of the most important decisions that you'll have to make for your company. After all, the outcome of the leasing process determines where your employees will conduct daily business and how much financial burden is added to your balance sheet. Following these tips will help to ensure that you make the best possible decisions regarding your new lease.

Corporate sustainability is becoming increasingly important for companies. Not only do green initiatives benefit the planet, but they also improve public perception of businesses and has been shown to positively impact recruitment, retention and job satisfaction rates. While it may seem that as a tenant, you have only minimal control over the sustainability of your office space, that's simply not the case. Following these five tips can go a long way toward establishing a greener office and shrinking your company's eco footprint.

Touring prospective offices is one of the most important steps during the commercial leasing process, as it gives you a chance to really see the spaces that you are considering. With so much to think about during your tour, it's far too easy to overlook key details. Using this checklist will help to ensure that you consider all of the important elements as you tour.