commercial real estate Overland Park

How to Find and Design an Office Space for Lease in Overland Park, KS, With Your Employees in Mind

Relocating to a new office space for lease in Overland Park, KS, can be a big commitment for employees, so as you are looking for and designing an office space, you want to do as much as you can to get their buy-in. Here are a few tips for keeping your employees in mind during this process, as suggested in the articles “Finding an Office Space Both You and Your Employees Love” and “6 Inexpensive Ways to Help Employees Escape the Cubicle Crush”:

#1 Ask for employees’ help with research on commercial property for lease in Overland Park, KS.

The best way to start the transition to a new office space strong is by showing employees that you value their opinions. You can do this by seeking their help with researching the new space. Put out some questionnaires to find out or about their preferences. Do they prefer to work standing or sitting? Do they like collaborative spaces or individual spaces? What time of day are they most productive? What locations would be ideal for them? Gathering and analyzing this data can help you determine what kind office space you’re looking for.

#2 Involve them in design and decoration of the office space for rent in Kansas City.

Once you have found a space, build excitement by involving them in the process of designing and decorating the space. One idea is to give each employee a $100 gift card to IKEA to buy office furniture. This might not buy a lot of furniture, but it will send the message that you trust your employees and want them to have some control over their new space.

Take this a step further by encouraging your staff to customize their own desk spaces. Many people view their desk as their “home away from home” or the place they are most comfortable in at the office, so make it a priority to help your employees create that sense of home in their new space. Some successful companies, like Google, even give employees a small allowance for desk decoration.

You can also work together to personalize the new office and sneak in some team-building time by picking a blank wall for everyone to collaborate on decorating. Get some paint and other supplies and make a fun day of it.

#3 Designate spaces for collaboration and individual work.

As you are setting up your office space, also think about ways you can improve the long-term comfort and productivity of your employees. People have different styles of working, so many companies are shifting towards diversifying spaces to accommodate those different styles, and you can use the feedback you got from your employees while researching new spaces to help you decide on the best setup.

One area you should have is a deliberate space for sharing and collaborating. This could be a large conference room, or even a cluster of tables in the middle of an open space. It is also nice to have spaces for “accidental” collaboration, where employees can bump into each other and strike up conversations that could lead to creative teamwork. Some examples of this are communal kitchens or break areas with some comfortable seating.

People also need space for individual work, so try to designate some private spaces, even if you can’t give everyone their own office. Think about setting aside a few offices in your new space to be places where a team member can go to work on a specific project for a few hours or few days, or just to escape to a quiet part of the office.

#4 Consider the cubicles.

Again, you might not be able to upgrade to private offices for everybody, but a fresh start in a new space is a good way to reset your cubicle culture. One of the biggest complaints of employees working in cubicles is noise, so you could start implementing a few strategies to make this a little better in your new space:

have employees silence ringers
encourage them to keep phone conversations quiet and minimal
buy a white noise machine for “background noise”
allow the use of noise-canceling headphones

You can also give employees some freedom to escape cubicles by giving them flex time or allowing them to work from other places, such as a nearby coffee shop or library – proximity to these kinds of places could be criteria to include as you are looking for a new office space.

#5 Give them move in time.

When the time comes to move, give your employees a day just to get settled – assemble furniture, unpack, figure out computers, etc. This will help make the transition less stressful and more enjoyable for employees, and they will come in for their first day of real work in the new space feeling fresher and more comfortable.

#6 Open the door for communication.

From asking about employees’ preferences before finding a space to getting their help with decorating, keep the door open for questions and communication throughout the process. One thing you could do is to put up a whiteboard or chalk board and write a question on it each day for employees to answer. Asking good questions will elicit responses that will help you understand your team better and help everyone find common ground and build relationships during a new chapter of your business’s life.

Good people are the cornerstone of a good business, so it’s essential to not lose sight of your employees’ preferences and concerns as you move to a new space.

If your business is interested in commercial real estate in Overland Park with a helpful on-site management team and close proximity to a variety of amenities in Overland Park, give Southcreek Office Park a call at 913-685-4100 to find out more about our available spaces!

7 Ways to Make Your Kansas City Office Space for Rent More Comfortable

An office space for lease in Overland Park, KS, can be like a second home for a working adult, so it is important to consider what kinds of items you need to keep around your Kansas City office space for rent and what strategies you can use to make sure that you and your employees are comfortable throughout the day. Here are a few things you should consider keeping around your office, as well as a few strategies to increase comfort, as suggested in the articles “8 Items You Need on Your Desk” and “4 Tips for Working Comfortably at Your Desk”:

A Good Chair. When you spend so much time sitting at a desk during the day, it is important to have the right chair to best support your back. Take the time to adjust the chair properly to your height. You want to make sure that your feet can touch the ground, and also think about bringing in a cushion for added back comfort. Reducing back pain can help increase focus and creativity, so it is well worth investing in good office chairs.
Healthy Snacks. Keeping healthy snacks handy, whether brought from home or even supplied by an office kitchen, is a great way to make sure you stay satisfied from nutritious food and your focus remains sharp throughout the day. As an employer, consider ways to encourage healthy eating habits in your office, whether through healthy potluck lunches or office snacks, or even though programs and competitions designed to encourage people to set and meet health goals.
Computer Monitors. Just as with chairs, subtle adjustments to computer monitors can also help increase comfort. Monitors should be directly at eye level to prevent the need to bend the neck and shoulders or to look up, both of which can cause pressure and pain. Use a stand or some thick books to adjust your monitor to an ideal height.
Lighting. The best possible office lighting situation is a lot of natural sunlight coming in through windows, but if this is not an option, softer light is the next best arrangement – for example, overhead lamps or desk lamps, both of which are much better than florescent lighting.
Health Supplies. It’s good to have necessities for various health situations around the office, such as a first aid kit with band-aids, pain killers, throat lozenges, eye drops, and whatever else you might want to have on hand. Other daily health staples include tissues and hand sanitizer to prevent and manage sickness, especially during winter.
Drinking Water. Staying hydrated is so important to general health and energy levels. Having a water bottle on your desk is a great way to constantly remind yourself to be drinking water. Employers could also consider good water bottles as a giveaway item at an office picnic or team-building session to promote good hydration in the office.
Headphones. Having headphones handy can be a great way for office workers to block out office noise and focus on work for a while. Plus, good music is a great pick-me-up to get through a post-lunch slump!

It’s important for both employers and employees to promote and practice good office habits that are geared towards well-being. Healthy, happy employees are much more likely to be productive than ones who are dehydrated, blinded by florescent lights, and hunched over their computers for eight hours a day,

Looking for commercial real estate in Overland Park? Give us a call today at 913-685-4100 to learn more about our available commercial office space for rent in Overland Park, KS, or to set up a tour of one of our office spaces for rent in Overland Park, KS.

Kansas Office Space For Rent: 4 Tips for a Successful Negotiation

Looking for office space for lease in Overland Park Kansas can be a very long and tedious process for those who are new to the business. A lot of things need to be researched, processed and reviewed. While you are looking for an office rental space, an important but sometimes complicated step is the negotiation process. Here are a few pitfalls you should consider before entering negotiations to make sure that you come out with the best deal possible, as outlined in the article “Lease Negotiation & Mistakes Tenants Often Make”:

Relocation Clause – Some landlords have leases that allow them to relocate your business within their property if they need to as long as they pay for a portion of the moving costs. This can be very disruptive and expensive to your company if this happens. It might sound strange that they could make you just pick up and move, but you’d be surprised as most landlords have this provision in their leases. A good way to avoid this situation is to either strike the clause from the lease or make the penalty costs for the landlord very high, so they have to pay more to move you, which will hopefully discourage them from acting on this clause.
Early Move-In – Nothing is worse than paying rent for a place that doesn’t have internet or telephone connections set up yet, so try to negotiate for early possession of the space to give you time to get it business read. Ask the landlord if you can start setting up the space without paying rent yet two weeks to a month before your official start date.
Right to Hold Over – On the other end of the lease term you may want to negotiate for the right to hold over at the end of your lease. This may become useful if your new space isn’t fully equipped yet or you are still looking for that perfect spot to move your new business. However, be aware that most landlords will probably charge an extra 35-50% increase on the base rent for a hold over. A good idea would be to negotiate for a lower rate for a shorter amount of time upfront in your lease.
Discounted Rent – Though it really varies from market to market, most major cities will have landlords who will offer a month or two of a lower rental rate or a rent free period depending on your lease length. A good way to negotiate this term would be to offer to make the lease a little bit longer, so, for example, negotiating a 24 month lease to a 36 month lease with three months of discounted or free rent might be possible.

These negotiation points are easy to address with your landlord if you review the lease and make sure you have everything in order before signing the lease. Most landlords are used to making negotiations and working with the lessees for better control of the space. This makes each experience unique, so be prepared for a landlord that doesn’t want to budge or one whose lease is completely fluid. So if you are looking for commercial real estate in Overland Park make sure to find an experienced real agent or attorney who can be a helpful resource for the situation.

If you are looking for commercial office space for rent in Overland Park KS give one of our real estate agents a call at 913-685-4100 to set up a tour of our office spaces for rent in Overland Park KS!

6 Essential Questions To Ask Before Signing A Lease for Commercial Office Space for Rent in Overland Park, KS

When you are looking for Kansas office space for rent you will most likely spend a lot of time signing and negotiating your lease. This has the potential to can be a tiresome experience with delays, problems and long negotiations, but this process is normal and can be navigated successfully. So when you are finalizing your lease for your commercial office space for rent in Overland Park KS don’t worry! Just ask these six questions, as outlined in the article “10 Questions to Ask Before Signing a Commercial Lease,” which will make the signing process a little simpler:

Do you understand what the lease is saying?

This first one might seem like a simple thing, but it may be the difference between having a good space and a great space. This point is to make sure you understand the terminology used in the lease. A few words, like Common Area Maintenance, appear in acronym form: CAM. This number is based on the percentage of the building you are renting. There are a several other terms and phrases that are important and you should know about before signing your lease, so make sure that you read up on the terminology before entering negotiations.

Are you getting the best deal available?

Once you know most of the terms and phrases in the lease, look it over once more and maybe negotiate further. Is everything okay and ready to go? Does the lease address all of your concerns? What would you like to add or take away from the lease? It’s a good idea to address these things before you sign the lease, because once you’re committed you cannot change these issues.

Is your business organized and ready to go?

Organization is an essential key to any good business; so before you sign the lease make sure you know what you need to do right from the start. Go over the lease, have everything in place and know what needs to be started or taken care of before you start you open your doors—ranging from moving arrangements, to your budget for this space, to a business plan you can show the landlord to reassure them that you’re a reliable tenant. Also, it is advised that you have either Articles of Incorporation or Articles of Organization filed for an LLC back from the Security of State before things get going.

Have you read the lease agreement?

Yes, you should read every word of the lease before signing it. It can be a very long and not very interesting litany of technical jargon, but it is an important document for your business. It’s a good idea not to assume that everything is included; so make sure check everything from the starting date, to rent escalation to any other special terms you negotiated before putting down your signature.

Do you need a personal guarantee?

Most places probably won’t let you sign the lease without a personal guarantee, which essentially means that you are personally liable for upholding the terms on the lease. Of course this is negotiable, and you could either negotiate for a shorter period in which the guarantee is in place, or perhaps even a guarantee for half the time from when you terminate the lease.

What do you need to be responsible for?

Most leases will include a term called Capital Expenditures within the document. This usually means that you as the tenant are responsible for certain things that may need to be fixed in the building. These types of things can differ greatly from property to property and city to city. However, it is wise for a tenant to negotiate for the removal of terms that require you’re your business to take the majority of the repair costs yourself.

In the end, it is a good idea when looking for commercial real estate in Overland Park to be realistic with your negotiations. Someone who is leasing 5% of a larger property will have a completely different experience with the process than a person who is trying to rent out 70%. While there are certain variables you can’t control, you can prepare yourself to get the best possible deal by researching and studying up on what you can influence before entering negotiations.

If you are looking for an office space for lease in Overland Park, give us a call at 913-685-4100 to find out more about our office spaces for rent in Overland Park, KS, or even set up a tour.

Office Space for Lease in Overland Park KS: When and Where to Look

Trying to find office spaces for rent in Overland Park, KS, and don’t know where to begin? Here are a few tips on when to look for commercial real estate in Overland Park and what resources are available to help you search, as described in the article “How to Find Commercial Real Estate for Lease”:

When to Look

While it might seem like the home real estate market has nothing to do with your office space, statistics show that a favorable real estate market for home buyers also correlates with a favorable market for businesses leasing commercial property. So when home prices in the area where you are looking are down, that might be a great time to start seriously looking into commercial property.

Another thing to keep in mind is to give yourself plenty of time to find a space and negotiate a lease—anywhere from six months to a year. If you find a space quickly, a landlord might be willing to hold it for you for a few months, but it is also likely that it will take a long time to find a space, gather any necessary documents, finalize a lease and eventually move into a space, so you do not want to wait until your current lease is almost over to start looking for a new option.

Where to Look

There are several different ways to find different types of commercial space for rent. Here are a few to start with:

Ask around. A simple way to start is just by asking friends and family in the area if they know of any available space. If you are looking for a small amount of space, there are also some local organizations who might have a spare office area, such as local community centers, churches or other businesses. You might also try checking in with the local chamber of commerce.
Drive around the area. Another easy early step is to just drive around the city or town and look for office parks with for lease signs. In tougher economic times, you will most likely see plenty of signs, and if you can find something and contact the lessor directly, both parties will be likely to save money without the hassle of an intermediary party that needs to be paid commission.
Check the local newspapers. This might seems a little old fashioned in the digital age, but this could also be a great way to save some money. Most papers will have ads from realtors, but in addition to looking at these, keep an eye out for listings that are posted by individuals. As with signs outside of buildings, this means you can work with the lessor directly, and because they don’t have to pay commission they might be more inclined to offer extra incentives such as a month of free rent.
Utilize internet search engines and websites. A great way to start a very general search is to type into Google the name of the location (city and state) where you are looking, followed by keywords related to the type of space you want, such as “commercial space for lease” or something along these lines. There are also a few different specific websites you can use to search:
- LoopNet – This nationwide website allows you to look for commercial space by city, state, or zip code. A lot of listings are for property that is for sale, but there are also always for lease spaces listed as well.
- Craig’s List – This catchall website can also be a good source of commercial space listings and you can narrow down your search to the county you are looking in and the type of listing. Craig’s List is also a common place for individuals to post listings, so it is another good opportunity to find a lessor who might pass along some of their savings to you in the form of various benefits.

When looking for commercial office space for rent in Overland Park, KS, it is good to look at several different spaces and systematically compare the pros and cons of each. There is more to consider other than just the bottom line rental rate, including extra fees, the length of the lease term, and any potential benefits a landlord might offer. Start early and give yourself plenty of time to find what will best carry your business forward in the upcoming years.

If you are looking for office space for lease in Overland Park, KS, give us a call at 913-689-4100 to find out more about our available Kansas office space for rent and even set up a tour!

6 Questions To Consider Before Leasing Commercial Real Estate In Overland Park

Managing lease negotiations for commercial real estate in Overland Park can be a hassle if you aren’t schooled in the technical language that is used between brokers and property management. To better prepare yourself for this process and make sure you understand what you’re getting yourself into, here are a few questions to consider before signing your lease, as outlined in “10 Things to Consider Before Leasing”:

Is the space in the right area of town? Did you want to be next door to amenities that you need or closer to other like-minded businesses? Particularly if you are a new business, it is also important to consider your image, which your neighborhood can have a big effect on.

How will the parking be handled? Parking is definitely something that can be forgotten about when dealing with larger more important situations during lease negotiations. However, parking isn’t something that should be pushed to the side. Customer, employee and handicapped parking are all different aspects of parking that you should discuss with the landlord.

Do I know who is responsible for what costs? Leasing companies and brokers often use terms that are a bit unfamiliar to a business new to the world of commercial real estate. So when looking at a potential rental space, it is a good idea to go over the various expenses associated with a space and the property to figure out what exactly you are paying when you sign that contract.

Does this space have the amenities I’m looking for? When you are looking for an office rental space, it is a good idea to ask questions about the features and image of the building. Does it have everything you want in your commercial space? For example, are you concerned about an eco-friendly environment or the importance of clients feeling comfortable when they arrive? There are things that you might be interested in knowing about before signing your lease, and can also be confirmed by a thorough tour of the space.

How much space do I need? A good idea for any new business owner is to realize how much space you need right away to run a successful and thriving business. The best way to go about doing this is to stick to your budget and what feels right for your business. Remember to also factor in the potential growth of your business.

Can I improve or build out the space? If a space isn’t exactly what you want it to be yet, that does not mean that it is off the table entirely. Talk to the landlord about whether or not you can build out the space or customize it in other ways. Make sure you clarify who will be responsible for those expenses, what permissions you need, and whether you have to return the space to its original state at the end of your lease.

There are a lot of factors and decisions that go into finding the perfect commercial office space for rent in Overland Park, KS, for your business. Be sure to know what you are looking for and be prepared to negotiate for it!

If you are looking for office spaces for rent in Overland Park, KS, give us a call at 913-685-4100 for more information about our available Kansas office space for rent!