An Overview of OfficeSpace.com’s New Maps Feature

We just launched a completely updated map and search interface that makes it even easier to find your perfect space.  Search by zip code, intersection, neighborhood and more.  Your search results are sortable, and you can view photos and space details without ever leaving the page.

These changes make OfficeSpace.com the most powerful tool available for searching commercial office space:

The new interactive map makes it faster and easier for a tenant to find the space they need.  The building list updates in real time as users zoom in and out of a specific block or area of the map. A user will be able to preview a building by clicking once on the listing or the dot.  This will highlight the listing and dot and a preview of the space will appear on the right column.  The arrows in the building list enable users to sort their search by address, price, spaces in the building and square footage.

While OfficeSpace.com is in 2 metro markets, Portland and Denver, the free-form box offers equal consideration to its suburbs and other cities with OfficeSpace.com listings including Albuquerque, Los Angeles and San Diego.  Users are able to type any city or neighborhood into the box to find all building listings for the area.

We hope the new changes will make your search for space easier and please contact us by phone or email us at feedback@officespace.com with any questions or feedback.

Has Pinterest Helped Your Business Grow?

Pinterest is one of the fastest growing social media websites on the Internet. The mere act of talking about Pinterest is trendy. Penning an article about how to use Pinterest to grow your business-well, that’s even cooler.  This is not one of those articles.

At OfficeSpace.com, we’ve been reading these articles promising success stories of Pinterest and we, too, have been pinning diligently. We developed a strategy and pinned our favorite offices, office supplies, furniture and photos of spaces featured on our own website.  We have 175 pins, 18 boards and 16 followers.  These just all seem to be numbers without meaning at this point and we keep having this discussion- so what?

There’s talk about what the social media phenomenon is worth if they sell. Forbes thought $7.7 billion last April, but one major question remains: how does pinning actually turn into business?  We read about the large affiliate fees that Pinterest earns but not sure how that translates into revenue for us.

Sure Pinterest seems like great fun for crafts and food, but what about branding? I always see tips but haven’t heard many success stories.

To other CRE-industry folks out there, we’re curious: are you using Pinterest? Do you find that it has made a difference in your personal branding or grown your business?

We’d love to hear your stories!

Olympic Athletes are to Coaches as Tenants are to Brokers

For the past week and a half, I’ve been curled up on my couch like an Olympics addict.  I’ve even been watching the biographies NBC puts together for American athletes. These segments show the athletes training, past victories, their families and a final huge factor: their coaches. There’s no denying that the coaches are one of the most important people and an ever-present part of the most important meet of their careers.

I brought this thought with me to work and to the debate of whether or not a tenant needs a tenant rep broker in a transaction. Athletes don’t make their way up to the podium all by themselves now, do they? Much like coaches, tenant rep brokers provide the experience and guidance and negotiate on the tenant’s behalf.

Athletes look for coaches with experience:

Athletes don’t always make it to multiple Olympics, but coaches are often a familiar face. American track and field star Allyson Felix won her long-awaited gold medal yesterday under the coaching of Bob Kersee. If his name sounds familiar, it’s because he also coached legend Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Coincidence? I think not.

That’s not to say there are no newcomer coaches, but no one’s going at it alone.  A tenant rep broker provides the experience and expertise in the commercial real estate industry that a business owner is just less likely to have.  They know how to “coach” their tenants to the best spaces because they’ve done it before.

Coaches fight for bad calls for their athletes:

These Olympics seemed to be the Games of the inquiries. When fencer German Britta Heidemann pounced a decisive hit against South Korean Shin A. Lam’s during a clock malfunction, Heidermann was declared the winner and Lam’s coach immediately filed an appeal. Unfortunately for Lam, she lost her appeal.

Over at the O2 arena, gymnasts Alexandra Raisman (U.S.) and Kohei Uchimura (Japan) found themselves/their teams in 4th place. Immediately, their coaches filed appeals complaining that they did not get enough credit in their technical scores. Both gymnasts subsequently won the appeal and made it to the podium, but one noticeable thing is that the athlete keeps their distance.  Their job is to perform.  Their coaches’ is to fight for them.

When tenants hire a tenant rep broker, they are hiring someone to be on their side.  The listing broker is looking out for his or her client, so why not have someone look out for you? The tenant rep broker will negotiate the price, terms of the lease and other contractual items.  They’ll fight the battles so tenants don’t have to get their hands dirty. The tenant can focus on what they do best: running their business.

Coaches provide guidance and analyze the competition:

During women’s diving semifinals, coach Vince Panzano was seen giving American Katie Bell coaching and a pep talk.  After gymnast Jordyn Wieber’s (U.S.) low beam score in team preliminaries, she was seen talking to her coach across the arena boundary.  NBC speculated he was talking to her about what she needed to do to qualify for the all-around competition above her teammates.

It’s the coach’s job to guide the athletes, tell them what needs to be done and to analyze the competition- brokers are no different.  Tenant rep brokers hear things in the “biz.” They often have an idea of which spaces are currently highly sought after, which neighborhoods are best and how various property owners may work.

At the end of the day, the tenant rep broker works for the tenant.  The space the tenant chooses is up to them. No one became the best in the world without a coach and a tenant rep broker will help the tenant find their best space and deal too.

Examining the True Costs of Working with a Commercial Real Estate Broker

Post updated on  October 4th, 2018

Finding an affordable commercial real estate lease that will suit both your company’s needs and its budget is certainly a difficult process, but one that’s always made easier with a qualified ally at your side – and that’s where commercial real estate brokers come into play.

Operating on a commission basis, the terms of their payout aren’t always clear at the outset. However, especially if you’re seeking smaller office spaces, it can be difficult to find and retain a trustworthy and reliable broker. To better understand how commercial real estate brokers operate (and how they get paid), read on:

How Commercial Real Estate Brokers Get Paid

Brokers usually get paid a percentage of your total lease value. What that percentage is varies from region to region and depending on individual markets, but it’s typically between 3 to 5%. However, brokers typically have to share a percentage of their commission with their brokerage companies. This percentage can also vary, but let’s use a 60/40-commission split as an example with 60% going to the individual broker.

To get to a signed lease, there’s a major amount of time, energy, and effort that goes into the process. There are calls or in-person meetings, searching for available spaces that meet your requirements, calls to set up property tours, the actual property tours, and lease negotiations. All of the steps above are the same for a company looking for 10,000 square feet of space or 500 square feet of space. In addition, most companies looking for smaller spaces are unsure of what their space needs will be in the next year or two so they are only looking for shorter term deals whereas companies needing larger spaces tend to look for longer lease terms. Here’s what the math looks like in both scenarios:

500 square foot space x $30/square foot per year = $15,000 in annual rent

Lease term is 1 year: 1 year lease value $15,000 total rent (for ease of calculations, I’m assuming no rent escalation)

Brokerage company’s commission 5% = $750

Broker’s commission 60% of brokerage company’s commission = 60% x $750 = $450

VS.

10,000 square foot space x $30/square foot per year = $300,000 in annual rent

Lease term is 3 years: 3 x $300,000 = $900,000 in total rent

Brokerage company’s commission 5% = $45,000

Broker’s commission 60% of brokerage company’s commission = 60% x $45,000 = $27,000

Why Securing a Commercial Real Estate Broker May Not Be Easy

Every deal is unique, but the numbers don’t always make sense for brokers with smaller spaces. This doesn’t even take into account the number of times brokers work on a deal where they’ve put in their time and the deal goes dead for reasons outside of their control. Spending the same amount of time for $27,000 versus $450 is rarely an attractive option in any profession, so finding someone qualified and experienced to handle your office search may not be an easy prospect. In the meantime, shared office spaces, co-working services, and executive suites could be a viable alternative while you seek a first time (and more permanent) office space.

Landlords and property owners budget about a 4-6% commission for the listing agent, which is split between the listing agent and the tenant representation broker once the lease is complete. However, while many commission splits are 50/50, there are lease agreements that dictate a split as wide as 90/10 in favor of the leasing agent. This is more common in competitive markets where prospective tenants are many and available space is scarce, therefore making things even more difficult for companies struggling to find office space.

It doesn’t hurt to ask a prospective broker how much they’ll be earning on the transaction. While they won’t have much say (it’s up to the landlords to determine commission splits), it’s good to know what level of service to expect. The higher the commission split, the more motivated they’ll be to get the deal done on your behalf.

How Much Will I Have to Pay to Work with a Commercial Real Estate Broker?

Most brokers will tell you their services are free, as landlords and property owners budget a commission percentage for each lease agreement. And due to this, it’s very rare that a business owner could negotiate a lower lease rate by dealing directly with the landlord – the entirety of the commission would simply go to the listing agent. While a successful business owner may need to expand to larger space every 3-5 years, a commercial real estate broker handles real estate transactions like this every month, lending more know-how and market experience to the transaction to the benefit of their client.

If you can land a broker, their work on your behalf is an invaluable asset, as it allows your company the flexibility to focus on your business and take a look at prospective properties as they become available, sending you listing information, setting appointments, and accompanying you on tours. And because they’ll be involved with the transaction throughout the terms of the lease, they’ll be able to negotiate any changes or even a lease buyout should you run out of space completely.

In markets where tenants are at a premium and landlords are rushing to get their spaces filled, a tenant broker’s commission split may be higher, meaning landlords may try and find ways to make up for that gap in other areas of the lease. While you likely won’t end up paying higher rent due to other options in the marketplace, there’s a greater chance that you won’t see tenant improvements to your liking – but your tenant rep is there to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Should I Just Find Office Space Myself?

It makes sense that a listing broker working on behalf of the landlord would agree on lower lease terms by working directly with a prospective tenant, as they’d secure the entirety of the commission as a result. While this could work in smaller office spaces or in short team and subleases, listing agents work for the landlords, so bringing in below-market deals may upset their clients. Expect average market level deals using this avenue; after all, no one likes upsetting their boss.

No matter the size of your business or the limitations of your budget, working with a commercial real estate broker can be a genuine ace-in-the-hole for business owners seeking their first location or in need of an expansion. While the process isn’t always straightforward, you should be better equipped to discuss your options with whichever tenant rep broker you consider bringing on board to assist you in your search.

John is the VP of Sales at OfficeSpace.com where he leads broker relations and sales. Prior to being VP of Sales, he was the Regional  Director for the company. John has over 25 years of experience working in the commercial real estate industry. Before OfficeSpace.com, John was a commercial real estate broker for the Norman Company in Seattle, WA.