affordable office space Overland Park

9 Ways to Save On Energy Expenses in Your Office Rental Space in Kansas City: Carpool

Saving energy could also mean personal savings for your employees when it comes to transportation. Helping them out with this could both make your business greener and increase employee satisfaction. Here is some information on carpooling as a way to go green at the office:

Tip #2: Carpool

Transportation is one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gases, and high gas prices can make the commute personally expensive to employees. Some employees might appreciate employers’ effort to make commuting or carpooling easy and a way to save money in the long run.
Try to come up with fun incentives to encourage people to use public transportation or carpool. Employees who use public transportation, walk, or bike could get financial help with transit passes, coupons to local businesses, small prizes, or even bonus vacation days. You could create designated prime parking spots for carpools to encourage people to share rides, or subsidize the cost of parking passes if you do not have dedicated parking.
Keep your employees informed of carpool and public transportation options by keeping a folder in a break room or on your intranet with lists of bike trails, carpool groups, and public transportation schedules. Consider starting a RideShare Program (http://www.marc.org/rideshare/) to make finding carpooling options easy for employees.

Not only will carpooling or public transportation use help your business’s green efforts, it could also increase your employees’ job satisfaction by saving them some money.

If your business is considering an office space lease in Overland Park, give us a call at 913- 685-4100 to find out about our affordable office space in Overland Park!

Information to Include in a Counter Offer for Office Space in Kansas: Part II

A counter offer is a chance to make a sales pitch to a landlord, both asking them to select you as a tenant over other interested parties and to concede to your terms. Here are a few more tips on what to include in a successful counter offer letters:

The Nature of Your Business. Tell the landlord what you do, and be concise and to the point. Landlords need this information in case the nature of your business requires special considerations. For instance, they need to know if you use hazardous materials, store extremely valuable items, or have walk-in patients as a healthcare facility, in case of property use restrictions. Be honest, because what you do as a tenant can affect the property value and insurance rates of a landlord.

Contact Information. This includes a phone number where you can be reached and an email address. Let them know if you can only be reached on specific days or during certain hours.

Your Counter Offer. Most importantly, you will want to include your proposed terms, and be as clear and thorough as possible.

Check back to later posts to find out more about what to include specifically in your proposed counter offer terms, but remember it is equally important to include all of these other details to best represent your business to a landlord and to facilitate the negotiation process as smoothly as possible.

If you are looking for commercial space for lease in Kansas City, give us a call at 913-685-4100 to learn more about our affordable office space in Kansas City!

Beginning Negotiations for an Office Rental Space in Kansas City

Getting ready to start the negotiation process? Here is some information about what the initial negotiations typically involve:

Sometimes when you first reach out to a landlord about your interest in a space, they will give you a form listing the lease’s asking terms. The form might include either a response section or attached paperwork for you to fill out counter offer information. Other landlords might simply give you a copy of the listing papers—often in the form of a flyer or ad—with their asking terms.
When you submit your counter offer, it might be in your best interest to include a letter or some other written communication. This allows you to sell yourself as a tenant, inform the landlord about your business, and make a more personal connection. This is an especially good tactic if you are dealing with a hot property with several interested parties.
Remember that negotiation often goes back and forth, so plan to be patient. Leasing agents make some decisions on their own, but will sometimes need to consult the landlord, which takes time.
If is okay to follow up if you have not heard back on your offer in one to two business days, but avoid seeming too anxious or desperate. Bear in mind that listing agents want to move property quickly, so they typically do not need much reminding.

Know what to expect as you begin negotiations to ensure that this process goes as smoothly as possible!

If you need help finding affordable office space in Overland Park, give a DDI commercial real estate broker in Overland Park a call at 913-685-4100 to start talking about available spaces!

10 Things To Do Before Signing a Small Office Lease in Kansas City: Part II

Before you sign your final lease, make sure you take the time to go over a few things that could save your business money and hassle in the long run:

5.   Think about asking for a CAM Stop lease. A CAM Stop lease means you will only pay for increases in CAM and property taxes after you base year (initial lease year). Even though the landlord might increase your base rent, this provision will eliminate some of the “mystery fees” from your rent. You could also ask for a cap on the CAM so that it will only increase by a certain percent that you have already negotiated.
6.   Read the CAM definition. This is one of the most confusing parts of the lease, and you will want to make sure you aren’t paying for things that are not your responsibility. Things to look out for include things related to the landlords marketing efforts, legal fees for negotiating other leases, administration fees over 3%, benefits for the landlord’s employees, and any build-out expenses for other spaces.
7.   Understand your capital expenditures responsibilities. “Capital Expenditures” in a commercial lease usually includes expenditures for major repairs/replacements (roof, foundation, HVAC, etc.). The standard for capital expenditures varies from state to state, but you will want to do your best not to have to bear the full burden of these costs. Perhaps talk to your landlord about limiting your obligation to regular maintenance or general repairs only up to a certain annual amount.

It is important to look out for these and other issues before you sign your office space lease in Overland Park.

Give us a call at 913-685-4100 to start talking about leasing an affordable office space in Overland Park!

10 Money Saving Ideas for Small Business Looking for Commercial Realty in Kansas City Part I

Is your small business wanting to move to a bigger or better location, but unable to afford to do so yet? Here are some creative ideas for how to save money in order to be able to make moves that will lead to a better future for your growing business:

Go paperless. You can decrease printing and storage costs, as well as improve overall efficiency, by going paperless in your office. You can save your business both time and money by scanning documents, which allows you to send and share information much more easily.
Lease office equipment. You can avoid the big upfront costs you would have to pay if you bought office equipment by leasing instead. Leasing equipment would also save your business money on upgrades, repairs, and equipment maintenance, since often equipment leases cover these expenses.
Use a 0% credit card balance transfer. You might consider transferring your debt balance from one card to a 0% APR card in order to pay off your debt while saving money on interest charges.
Collect cash in advance. When you extend credit to customers, think about asking for a percentage of cash up front with all purchases. Doing this could help your company improve cash flow, downsize risk, and save money on having to collect.
Ask for discounts. Your suppliers may be able to offer quantity discounts of up to 50% or more depending on your terms. You might be able to meet these terms and qualify for lower prices. Talk to your suppliers about these discounts and what you can do to earn them. Your business might be able to get benefits such as a major discount for paying early or a loan without interest in the form of a vendor credit.

Little tips like these could save your business money and get you one step closer to moving into your ideal office rental space in Overland Park!

To find out more about affordable office space in Overland Park, give us a call at 913-685-4100!

Loan Agreements for Office Space in Overland Park KS

Once a lender decides to offer a loan to a business for commercial rental property, they will present the business owner with a commitment letter, or loan agreement, with the terms included. The loan agreement will usually include the following components:

The length of the loan
Interest rates (either variable or fixed)
Purpose of the loan (construction on a property, renting of a new property, refinancing)
Closing conditions
Affirmative and negative agreements regarding what the borrower does and does not agree to do
Owner occupancy requirements
Warranties and representation.

Once the borrower and lender have finished negotiating the terms of the agreement and mutually agree, the deal is closed, and the closing process for commercial real estate is usually more involved than for a residential mortgage, owing to different factors that might have to be considered in the process (everything from subleasing to zoning ordinances). This process could take up to two or three months, in some cases.

When negotiating a loan agreement to fund your office space rent in Kansas City, the key is to find a lender that will best meet the needs of your business and allow it to grow. Knowing the ins and outs of how to find and negotiate a loan can help put your business on track for growth.

If you want to find out more about affordable office space in Overland Park, give us a call at 913-685-4100!

Southcreek Overland Park Office Space from 589-1,065 Square Feet

Are you a small or start-up business looking for affordable office space in Overland Park? If so, Southcreek Office Park has several different options for you ranging from 589-1065 sq. ft. in size! Here are a few options you might want to learn more about:

589 sq. ft. in Southcreek Building I. This space offers on-site property management and is move-in ready. It is available at the affordable rate of $17.50 per square foot with bumps. The space includes a reception area, a storage area, and an office.
638 sq. ft. in Southcreek Building X. This suite offers easy access to lake walking trails as well as on-site property management. It is nothing but open office space, so you can design your office space to suit your own needs!
835 sq. ft. in Southcreek Building V. This small suite is divided into three rooms, has on-site property management, and easy access to major highways.
1,065 sq. ft. in Southcreek Building V. This suite has on-site property management and is divided into two offices, a reception area, and a conference room.

If you are a small business looking for a community with a lot of amenities and services to help your business, one of these spaces in our Overland Park location might be perfect for you! Remember that our realtors will work with you to design your Kansas City office space to best fit your business. Give us a call to find out more about these and more available spaces: 913-885-4100.