Kansas City office space for rent

10 Things You Must Know Before Signing a Small Office Lease in Kansas City: Part II

Rushing into a lease could mean a huge financial setback for your business in the long run. Here are a few things to consider before you sign a lease:

3. Negotiate. Remember that while landlords and lease brokers will expect negotiations, they would love for you to take the first deal they offer, since they built in room to drop the price. If you do anything less than negotiate, you will probably end up paying more and excluding from the lease important clauses to protect your business. When negotiating, be prepared and do not appear too eager. Leave pride aside in pursuit of the best possible deal. Start low, go for extra perks such as free rent, and ask for more than you expect.
4. If this is your first lease negotiation, practice. Talk to plenty of landlords, ask as many questions as you need to, find out about different incentives—try to get an overall feel for the negotiation process. Doing so will help you better understand what is on the market and prepare you for the actual negotiations once have an idea of what is available, what your business needs, and what you can ask for in a negotiation.

Preparing for negotiations and honing your negotiation skills can help your business find the best possible office rental situation.

Is it time for your business to move into a new office rental space in Kansas City? Give us a call at 913-685-4100 to find out about our available Kansas City office space for rent!

6 Tips for Renting Commercial Real Estate in Kansas City: Part II

If you think it might be time for your business to relocate, now is the time to do it, especially if you are a small business. The current economy has forced landlords to be more open to renting to smaller tenants, increasing your office space options. Here are a few more tips for how to capitalize on this opportunity:

3. Try to get concessions. Do not accept the rent rate at face value. Landlords are so desperate to generate any revenue from a property, that they will be more open to negotiation, so you might be able to get lower-than-advertised rent rates. Landlords will ideally want to lower rent in the form of improvement dollars, which means they will subsidize renovations to the space, or give you a rent-free period, so that it does not seem like rent prices are actually going down. You might also be able to negotiate a cap on rent increases in anticipation of inflation in the future. Another thing you could negotiate for is perks like parking spaces, garbage removal, maintenance and repairs, or snow-clearing if necessary.
4. Take the security deposit seriously. Landlords find these very important because they are concerning about the risk of tenants failing in the recession. If you are moving into a new space, your security deposit will most likely be about 10% of your total lease, and you might also have to provide a letter of credit or a personal guarantee. The only possible exception to this rule is subleases, which might only be able to afford to ask for one or two months’ rent as the deposit.

Do a little research so you are aware of all of these aspects of relocating your business, especially in this economy!

If you are looking for Kansas City office space for rent, give a DDI Commercial real estate broker a call at 913-685-4100 to find out about our available spaces!

Tips for After You Relocate to a New Kansas City Office Space for Rent

Moving to a new state can be almost as much work for a small business owner as when you first started your business. Just as when you first started up, you will need to register and comply with state and local tax laws and apply for any necessary permits and licenses. Here are a few items to put on your checklist to get done once you have moved:

Register with your local government for any business permits or licenses you might need. There are online tools to help you figure out what permits and licenses you might need based on your new zip code and your business type.
Make sure you register for a “doing business as” naming permit.
Contact the local revenue agency to apply for a new tax ID number and make sure that you are aware of all city and county business tax regulations.
Be sure to take care of your employer responsibilities, such as disability insurance, unemployment insurance, and worker’s compensation insurance, which you can take care of on your state’s website.

These are all legal issues that you need to take care of when relocating, but which you can address after you have already moved into the new location.

Looking for a small office lease in Kansas City? Give us a call at 913-685-4100 to find out about some of our commercial space for lease in Kansas City!

Checklist for Leasing Overland Park Office Space Part I

Business decisions should not be made impulsively. Think about making a checklist like this to make sure a space will meet your business’s needs:

Property Maintenance: Is the park well maintained? Parks that look run-down will not only hurt your business’s appearance, but may also be a sign that you will be dealing with an unresponsive landlord.
Visibility to Customers: If it is important that you attract street traffic, can the front of your office space be seen from the main road? Or does it have a sign advertising the businesses in the park that is street-visible? Whether you are looking for a retail space, industrial space, or business park, it might be worth looking into whether the owner advertises on behalf of the tenants in order to draw in business.
Parking: Are there plenty of parking spaces? Do not just visit the parking lot after-hours to tell; check it out at several different times on different days to get a good picture of the parking situation. A parking lot that is typically full suggests a strong flow of customer traffic, but it could also mean that your customers will have difficulty finding spots, so find out how much parking your business will be assigned.
Advertising Restrictions: Are there any restrictions on signs such as color, size, lighting, or are you required to use the landlord’s vendor?

Consider these and other factors when you are looking at different business spaces!

If you would like to learn more about Southcreek’s Kansas City office space for rent, give Kathy Woodward at DDI Commercial a call at 913-685-4100!

More Kansas City Office Space for Rent Options

A renewal option and a short term lease with a renewal option are just a few possibilities for your business’s office space lease in Overland Park. Keeping in mind the future growth or changes of your business, here are a few more options to think about:

3. Option for additional space. Having the option to expand is very important for a growing business. A landlord might be inclined to grant the option for additional space if they feel that you might be an important tenant that could potentially attract other businesses, especially in a retail context. You will want to carefully examine the terms for renting extra space to make sure that option is in your business’s best interests. When you are negotiating your initial option agreement, you will determine with your landlord if you are going to pay for your expansion at the same per square foot price you are already paying, at the fair market price at the time, or at a fixed rate of increase.
4. Option to end the lease early. This option is becoming more popular in commercial leases. Often landlords offer this clause to important businesses with the goal of getting them to sign long-term leases and attracting other high profile tenants. If the tenant exercises their ability to terminate the lease early, the landlord will receive some sort of compensation.
It cannot hurt to look into all of your options as you are negotiating a lease to make sure that you can adequately communicate with a potential landlord the needs of your business.

If you are looking for an executive office in Overland Park, call and talk to one of Southcreek’s commercial real estate brokers at 913-685-4100 to talk about your vision for your ideal office rental space!

Office Space for Rent in Kansas City

Looking for office space for rent in Kansas City can be a challenging process for business owners to take on by themselves. While research certainly makes it possible to conduct this process on your own, here are some advantages that some businesses have found to working with a commercial realtor:

Less Frustration. Renting commercial real estate is not the simplest process. Letting a professional handle some of the paperwork can help you sidestep a lot of that stress.
Saving Time and Money. A professional, experienced realtor might help you save money by using their knowledge of the nuances of the rental process to negotiate the best possible lease for your business.
Peace of Mind. The real estate rental process can be tricky, all too full of mistakes that are very easy for the inexperienced lessee to make, and these mistakes could cost your business more money than you intended to spend. The help of a realtor could help you stay on top of all of your important deadlines and avoid those costly mistakes.

Careful research and some business smarts can help you handle a commercial real estate transaction on your own, but the help of a professional might be worth considering if you are worried about the stress and potentially expensive mistakes associated with renting Kansas City office space.

If you would like to learn more about Southcreek’s available Kansas City office space for rent, give one of our commercial realtors a call at 913-685-4100!