commercial space for rent in Overland Park

4 Reasons to Renovate Your Office Space in Overland Park, KS

As a small business owner, you have to do so many things on a daily basis to ensure that your business continues to be productive and grows—which often does not leave a lot of time for considering long-term strategies for your business’s improvement. While you probably spend a lot of time thinking about improving customer service or encouraging employee productivity, you might not have thought about the ways that renovating your actual office space can improve your overall business. Here are a few reasons to consider renovating your space, as outlined in the article “The Benefits of Office Renovation for Your Small Business”:

#1 An Office Facelift

Sometimes you just get stuck in a rut at work and need a little change of environment. Even simply making a few small changes, such as new window treatments or a paint job can make your office look like a totally new place. A facelift like this can really make it more appealing place to be and improve your mood every time you walk into it.

#2 Attracting New Clients, Customers, and Employees

Renovating a space is a great way to improve the first impression you give to your customers. Particularly if your business attracts a lot of foot traffic, making sure your space is inviting and modern is a great way to attract prospective new customers or clients and send a message about who your business is.

Additionally, you will not only attract new clients or customers, but a nice office can also have a lot of appeal to prospective employees. Obviously most people’s first choice would be to work from home, but the runner-up would definitely be in office that looks well-maintained and contemporary. A nice looking space might mean a few bonus points for your company in the eyes of a prospective employee who is filling out an application or interviewing.

#3 A Productivity Boost

An office renovation can also help increase staff productivity. There as a lot of decoration wisdom out there about how to decorate your office to affect mood, for example, by painting your office a soothing color or an energizing color. Amenities like ergonomic furniture can help increase the comfort of your employees, or even just rearranging the office to make better use of space will help people move around more easily and be more productive. A better office design will not only increase employee comfort and satisfaction, but a truly efficient office design will also help everyone work harder—and hopefully increase your overall profits.

#4 Green Improvements

Renovating your office can also increase your energy efficiency, which has the twofold benefit for you of knowing that you’re being an environmentally responsible business and being able to save some money on energy costs. If you’re already upgrading your office, it can’t hurt to make some of those upgrades “green.” For example, adding a programmable thermostat, automatic faucets, or windows with double panes—all simple things—can cut energy costs yearly by as much as one-third.

If your business has considered renovating your office, you might think about how each of these different benefits could best be achieved by your renovations. If you have been too busy with the day today of running a small business, take a moment and consider whether renovations could be a beneficial long-term investment for your business!

Interested in commercial space for rent in Overland Park? Give a commercial real estate broker in Overland Park a call at today 913-685-4100 to learn more about our available spaces and even set up a tour.

5 Productivity Boosters for Your Office Space in Overland Park, KS

In any office environment productivity is a major issue. Most motivated individuals are constantly striving to find ways to be more productive during the workday and to feel at the end of the day that they really got something done. To boost your productivity on the job, here are a few tips, as suggested in the article “5 Daily Habits That Will Increase Your Productivity Levels”:

#1 Plan Ahead

A more productive day can begin the night before. Spend just 10 to 15 minutes before you go to bed organizing your to do list for the next day, marking tasks that are more important than others.

#2 Avoid the Traffic

Particularly if you live in a big or crowded city, consider getting into work a little bit early to beat the traffic and give yourself time to start and I’m your most essential jobs for the day. Sitting in traffic and feel like a frustrating waste of hours, and can be a real mood killer at the beginning and end of your day.

#3 Focus on Being Focused

This may seem obvious or redundant, but in this age of technology is so easy to get distracted. Be mindful of your level of focus and remind yourself throughout the day to avoid those easy distractions, both online and in your actual office.

#4 Give Yourself a Break

Leaving the office for lunch is a great way to relieve stress and come back to the office feeling refreshed. Consider even taking a short walk to clear your head and prepare yourself to refocus for the remainder of the workday.

#5 Think of the Big Picture

Sometimes it is easy in the daily ho-hum of work life to lose sight of your overarching goals. Keep a list of these big goals on your phone, a post-it note, or something that you can have with you at all times. When you can see your goals frequently it can help motivate you to get things done.

Building better productivity can take time. Always try to be a little more productive than the day before and and consider even keeping track of your progress so that you can actually see the transformation.

If your business is thinking about moving to a new commercial space for rent in Overland Park, give Kathy Woodward at DDI Commercial a call at 913-685-4100 to learn about our available spaces.

What is the Difference Between Rentable and Useable Square Feet in a Kansas City Office Space?

Do you ever wonder why it seems that the price listed in a lease seems to be for more space than what you actually get in the office? One of the biggest sources of confusion for potential tenants is the difference between actual office space square footage and square footage listed for rent purposes. Rentable square footage typically incorporates not only the office space itself, but also common areas of the building. Because of this, tenants effectively pay rent for more space than they occupy and they need to be aware of this as they search for commercial space. Here are some clarifications of common misconceptions regarding usable versus rentable square footage, as outlined in the article “Understanding the Common Area Factor: Rentable vs Useable Square Feet:”

Usable Square Footage

Usable square footage is typically defined as the space a tenant actually inhabits. In smaller rental properties, this might simply be the area inside your office suite, which does not take into account entry or exit areas or columns – so the space is measured as if the columns don’t exist. However, janitor closets, restrooms, elevators, lobbies and corridors are factored into the square footage and the tenant is responsible for a certain percentage of the cost of these spaces. Larger spaces that consist of a full floor or multiple floors include everything in this area such as restrooms, mechanical and electrical rooms, etc. These full floor tenants also are responsible for a portion of common area expenses – even ones that aren’t on their floor – such as the main lobby of the building.

Rentable Square Footage

Rentable square footage is every inch of floor space in a property, including restrooms, electrical rooms, and janitor closets. This excludes things like holes in the floor for stairwells and elevators, but every other space is included in the rent. The cost of the rent then consists of the listed rentable square footage multiplied by the lease rate per square foot. There are calculations to help determine rentable square footage for different size tenants. For instance, a less than full floor tenant should multiply usable square footage by the floor common factor, then take this number and multiply it by the common factor of the building. A larger tenant would also multiply usable square footage by the common factor of the building to account for shared spaces and amenities in the building.

The Common Area Factor

Another important piece in this puzzle is the common area factor, which is a number that accounts for the shared spaces on either a single floor or in the whole building. These common areas might either be used by all of the building’s tenants or be pro rata shares that are specific to one tenant suite.

Floor Common Area Factor – this number represents the tenant’s common areas only on their floor. It is different for different properties, but typically it is 8% of the space, meaning the factor is 1.08.
Building Common Area Factor – this consists of all the tenant common areas in the building and determines the rentable square footage number for which a tenant will actually pay. This also ranges from about 6-8%.

Quoted common area factors in a listing are typically a combination of the floor common area factor and the common area factor for the building. Often the total common area factor is is around 12-20% based on the building. In different markets, sometimes these calculations are slightly different, so it is important to clarify with an attorney or an agent exactly what is included in the cost of rent and the listed square footage.

Making Comparisons

When considering your options, keep in mind the different common area factors or even the shape of the space and how it can impact your bottom-line cost. Use a usable square footage metric when comparing buildings just to make sure that you are consistent in the numbers you’re generating for evaluation. Bear in mind that two spaces that have the same rental rate might actually have different values based on the common area factors or even the efficiency of the space’s design.

Address all of these issues before you sign a lease, as there is very little that can be done after a lease is agreed upon. Make sure that your own legal representative verifies that the common area factor number that your landlord provides actually corresponds with the reality of the space. Again, this is one of those tricky parts of leasing and makes it worthwhile to work with an expert to ensure that you’re getting the best deal based on accurate information.

If your business is looking into commercial space for rent in Overland Park, give us a call at 913-685-4100 to find out more about our Overland Park office space for lease and potentially set up a tour.

How to Calculate Square Footage for Your Office Rental Space

One of the most exciting, but potentially stressful parts of renting an office space is planning the space. It is important to know exactly what your requirements are for a space before signing a lease. If you rent too much space, you will be depleting financial resources for space you don’t need, but if you rent to little, your office will feel crowded and your business won’t have room to grow. Here are a few simple ways to determine how much office space is right for your business, as suggested in the article “How Many Square Feet Do I Need for my Office?”:

Number of Employees

If you have a more administrative staff, you might look for a space that is 60-100 square feet, but if you have a more C-level staff, you might need a space that is 250-400 square feet. In addition to considering how many employees you have, you will want to think about the supplies and equipment that each employee requires, as well as any space you might need for visitors.

Storage Space

Don’t forget to plan for any storage space you might need. You can save a lot of space by putting documents on external hard drives, but you will probably still need a few file cabinets, plus some space for a server, office supplies and employee’s belongings, such as coats in the winter.

Common Space

Consider common spaces such as reception areas, break rooms, conference rooms, and restrooms. Plan for that ahead of time, so that you do not find yourself without a place for employees to eat lunch or a place for customers to sit and wait.

Growth

If your business has been doing very well, consider the possibility that you may need to expand into more space in the near future or hire more employees. Try to either plan ahead for that office space or talk to your landlord about a lease clause that will allow you to expand into more space on the property if you need to.

Be sure to take the time to plan ahead when considering how much office space your business needs! Remember that too much space can be a financial drain, but too little could potentially hold your business back from achieving maximum growth.

If your business is interested in commercial space for rent in Overland Park, give us a call at 913-685-4100 and we can help you figure square footage, discuss potential office space layouts, and even set you up with tours of spaces!

3 Ways to Avoid Excessive Common Area Maintenance Costs in Your Overland Park Office Space

Common Area Maintenance (CAM) costs can be a major expense for business’s renting commercial real estate, often to their surprise. While there are a lot of negotiation points in a lease that affect CAM costs, here are three general principles for keeping your CAM costs manageable, as suggested in the article “Avoid Common Area Maintenance (CAM) Cost Surprises”:

#1 Know Who is Really Paying

While you and your landlord might have established in the lease who is immediately responsible for certain costs, be wary about the ways costs can come back to you in different forms—such as through high CAM fees. Read the lease thoroughly to make sure you are not paying double for anything and to check that all costs seem reasonable.

#2 Understand the Management Fee

Oftentimes you will have to pay a fee based on a certain percentage of your gross payments or some other calculation that goes towards property management – salaries and overhead for people on the property management team. This cost might be unavoidable, but make sure you clearly understand how your landlord is calculating the percentage to check to see that they are not overcharging you. You will want to make sure that the salaries are not also included in your CAM fees, which would mean you are paying double. Be sure to carefully analyze the language describing additional costs to make sure it is reasonable, then factor in what this percentage management fee means for your true cost of rent.

#3 Negotiate for Caps

If there is no way around certain costs, make sure that you at least a set a limit on how much the landlord can charge you, because if not, they have no real reason to keep those costs down. To keep a landlord transparent, see if you can get a copy of a budget of CAM expenses for a first year. You might also ask for an approval process if a landlord’s spending exceeds a specified cap, or simply state that the landlord is responsible for all costs beyond a certain amount. If you would prefer consistency, consider negotiating for a flat fee, rather than reimbursing a landlord for occasional expenses. It is a gamble as to whether or not this will save you money, but it will at least allow you to plan your budget accordingly.

CAM fees have a major effect on the actual cost of your rent, so make sure you understand them completely!

If you are interested in commercial space for rent in Overland Park, give us a call at 913-685-4100 to learn more about our affordable office space in Overland Park!

Comparing Responses to a Proposal for an Office Space Lease in Overland Park: Part II

When you are in the initial phases of finding a new office space for your business, it is important to give yourself options. Once you have written proposals to a number of landlords, take some time to compare their responses to gather some objective data on how the different spaces meet your needs and fit in your budget. Here are a few more points of comparison, as suggested in the article, Proposal Responses:

Lease Length. It is important to consider how long you would like to lease a space and what kind of clauses in the lease landlords are suggesting. If you are a growing business, you will want to look for options that allow you to begin with a short lease term with options to renew or possibly expand into surrounding space.
Operating Expense Histories. You can glean some useful information about a potential space by asking for a three year history of their operating expenses. Unless there have been obvious issues such as increases in energy costs, insurance issues, or maintenance contract negotiations, a well-well run and stable business should have pretty consistent operating expenses from year to year.

Take some time to evaluate your responses objectively before you move forward in choosing a space!

If your business is interested in commercial space for rent in Overland Park, give Kathy Woodward at DDI Commercial a call at 913-685-4100.

Some Tips for Determining the Actual Cost of an Office Rental Space in Overland Park

Once you have found a promising office space for your business, the next step is to calculate the true rental rate. The rent for a commercial office space is always more complicated than a simple monthly rate; it consists of several different factors, and sometimes there are extra expenses that are technically not part of your rent, but must be paid on a regular basis. Here are a few tips for determining the actual cost of your rent.

Determine how the square feet is measured. Commercial space is usually advertised as a cost-per-square-foot basis, versus a descriptive basis (i.e. “the first floor” is available to rent). However, it is important to be aware that just because a space is advertised as “3,000 Square Feet of Office Space” does not necessarily mean that you will occupy and pay for exactly 3,000 square feet. Sometimes landlords take measurements that begin at the exterior of a wall, so you could end up paying for both usable space and wall thickness.
Determine the cost of common areas. In many office buildings, there are parts of a floor that you will share with other tenants, such as hallways, lobbies, elevator shafts, restrooms, and parking lots. These can add up to quite a lot of space, so do not assume there will be no cost associated with the use of these areas.

It is always prudent to not take prices at face value. Do a little digging to make sure that you are really getting all that you are paying for.

If you are interested in commercial realty in Overland Park, give us a call at 913-685-4100 to find out about our available commercial space for rent in Overland Park!

6 Ways To Be A Savvy Kansas City Office Space Lease Negotiator: Part II

Don’t let your business be hurt in the long run by a poorly negotiated lease! Study up on some ways to make sure you are on top of your negotiations:

Expenses
Just as in the case of residential leases, landlords for commercial real estate often add extra fees for maintenance, upkeep of common areas (CAM fees), and other costs. You might want to check out utility costs, which are usually the tenant’s responsibility, but find out how these costs are measured. Are they individually metered or based on square footage? Ask your landlord about these “hidden fees” and other policies, plus see if he or she can show you examples of expenses usually incurred by tenants.

Maintenance and Repairs.
In residential leases, maintenance and repairs is usually the responsibility of the landlord, but commercial leases do not function this way. Approaches to this issue vary: some commercial leases state that property repairs and upkeep are the tenant’s responsibility; others stipulate that tenants pay for the upkeep of systems such as plumbing, air conditioning, etc. Check your lease to figure out who is responsible for these various costs, and also to see if there is a limit on how much a tenant might have to pay for repairs and maintenance. It might be helpful to consult an attorney about your legal rights for these clauses.

Do your homework so you know what you are getting yourself into in a lease!

Give Kathy Woodward at DDI Commercial a call at 913-685-4100 to set up a tour of a Southcreek commercial space for rent in Overland Park!