office building Overland Park

6 Tips for Evaluating an Office Building in Overland Park

If you are looking to move to a new office building, it is important to check to make sure that not only the specific office space, but the building itself meets your standards. Here are a few tips for evaluating an office building, as suggested in the article, “HOW TO: Choose the Right Office Space”:

Security

This is a major concern for any business to ensure the safety and comfort of their employees. Some things to check for include the following:

History of break-ins in the building
Locks on doors, windows, skylights
Need for extra security
24-hour access that also includes security

Neighboring Businesses

Consider the other companies in the property and whether or not they are competitors. Having a competitor around could mean the possibility of another business overhearing your own business’s private information or even trying to deliver pitches to visiting clients.

Construction

Check to see if the property has any plans for major repairs or additions in the near future. Depending on the length of your lease, improvements to the property could be useful to you in the long run, but remember that you would be signing up for months of loud noise and general construction mess.

Maintenance

One way to check and see if the property managers maintain the building well is to check in with current tenants about the quality of the service. You could even get the name of the firm that manages security and other services to check and see if they are reputable.

Parking

Check to see what the building’s parking situation is, both for cars and bikes. If the building itself does not have enough parking spaces or a parking garage, make sure there is enough parking in the surrounding area for both your employees and clients or customers. You might even ask the landlord about renting extra parking spaces for regular visitors.

Reception

One thing you might want to look into is whether or not the building provides a reception desk. If so, what is the service like? Is it more of a security checkpoint or a receptionist focused on customer service? Remember that this will be the first impression a visitor has of your business, so if it is not your own people at the desk, you still want to make sure it is someone who you are assured is doing a professional job.

If you’re looking to relocate to a new office space, remember to look into different aspects of the building itself!

To learn more about Overland Park office space for lease, give a commercial real estate broker in Overland Park a call at 913-685-4100!

Tips for Avoiding Excessive Maintenance and Repair Charges for Your Office Building in Overland Park

While an obvious first step in your lease negotiation process is to stipulate in your lease what you as a tenant will pay for versus what your landlord will pay for, sometimes landlords still find backdoor ways to hold you responsible for unforeseen expenses.

For instance, you might put in a lease that a landlord is responsible for repairing the heating and cooling system if it breaks down, but the cost of these repairs might still be passed on to you through high CAM fees. For this particular example, consider a few tips for avoiding the financial burden of repairs, as suggested in the article “Avoid Common Area Maintenance (CAM) Cost Surprises”:

State specifically in the lease that if the heating and cooling system breaks down, the landlord is solely responsible for the cost of maintenance and repair of the system as necessary.
Analyze the whole lease to make sure there is no other mention of you being responsible for heating and cooling costs. Make sure that all of your other provisions and mentions of CAM charges exclude mention of the heating and cooling system.
Review anything in the lease about damage charges to limit the landlord’s potential to blame you for damages to the heating and cooling system caused by your business. Make sure that they have to undertake some sort of disagreement resolution process before charging you for the damage.
Distinguish clearly between regular CAM charges and the cost of any improvements or other major expenditures which the landlord might have to make for a space.

Make sure you carefully review your lease so you are not burdened with surprise costs!

If you are interested in commercial realty in Overland Park, give a commercial real estate broker in Overland Park a call at 913-685-4100 to find out more about our available spaces!

5 Reasons to Consider Leasing Equipment for Your Office Building in Overland Park

If you just moved into a space and need to find office equipment, consider leasing your equipment instead of buying it. You can find everything from cars, to computers, to desks, and you might find that the leasing option is more cost effective for your business. Here are a few reasons to consider leasing equipment, as outlined in the article “Leasing Business Equipment”:

Save yourself some time and energy. If you lease your equipment, you can avoid some of the hassle and headache of finding a loan to finance your equipment.
Stay with the times. Leasing equipment can help you update your technology regularly without having to buy it new every few years.
Try things out. By leasing your equipment, you can see what is most effective for your business and move on to something else after a short period if what you got is not working for you.
Get maintenance assistance. Sometimes maintenance is included when you lease equipment.
Enjoy a tax break. You might be able to get a tax advantage for a leased item because the payments are fully deductible.

If you are worried about how you are going to furnish your office with equipment on your current budget, look into leasing options!

Looking for office suites for rent in Overland Park? Give a commercial real estate broker in Overland Park a call at 913-685-4100 to set up a tour of one of our spaces!

Tips for Making Good Impressions in Your Overland Park Office Space

The need to make a good impression does not end with your job interview. Maintaining good etiquette in the workplace throughout your career can earn you the respect of your colleagues and superiors. Here are some tips for making positive and professional impressions throughout your workday

Body Language. Practice good posture, eye contact, and turning towards people when they are talking. Genuinely smile at the people around you.
Stay Organized. Carry a neat briefcase or bag. The things you carry with you and the way you treat your possessions say something about your character. Even if you feel like you’re on top of things, messiness can present an unfavorable image.
Dress Appropriately. Follow the office dress code, and going a step above can never hurt either.
Handshake. When you first meet someone, make sure you shake their hand with a firm (but not too firm) palm to palm grip.
Stay Awake. Always be alert; sleepiness looks like laziness.
Be Punctual. Always arrive a bit early.
Be Kind! Common courtesy and kindness always go a long way in making a positive impression!

Be aware of the culture of your office, and be sensitive to both official and unofficial rules of etiquette!

If you are looking to move your business into an office building in Overland Park, give us a call at 913-685-4100 to learn more about our affordable office space in Overland Park!

4 Tips for Reducing Daily Stress at Work in Your Office Space in Kansas

Often the simplest solution to relieving stress is looking at how you are caring for your own body. Here are a few suggestions for relieving stress at work by taking care of yourself.

Eat Healthy. Overeating can drain your energy, while low blood sugar can make you moody. A good way to maintain consistent healthy eating and stabilize your mood and energy is to eat smaller meals frequently throughout the day.
Avoid Alcohol and Smoking. You’ve heard it before—both of these things may be temporary stress relievers, but the effects can wear off in the long run and overuse can potentially cause dependence issues.
Sleep. It is a vicious cycle: lack of sleep can cause more stress, and additional stress can trigger insomnia. Staying well rested keeps you emotionally balanced and more prepared to take on the day. Ideally try to aim for 8 hours a night.
Exercise. Not only is it healthy, but it is a major stress reliever. Doing cardio exercise (increasing your heart rate), can help relax you, improve your mood, and give you more energy for focusing and being productive at work. The best scenario would be getting 30 minutes of cardio exercise most days, but this can even be broken into smaller workouts depending on your schedule.

None of these tips are revolutionary, but being more cognizant of these area of your life can have a major impact on stress reduction at work!

If your business is considering relocating to an office building in Overland Park, give us a call at 913-685-4100 to set up a tour of one of our office suites for rent in Overland Park!

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

Did you know that the Environmental Protection Agency found that about 30% of the energy used by office buildings is used inefficiently? Think of the money your business could save by reducing that number! Here is some information on how to make sure your vents aren’t costing you unnecessary energy:

Tip #3: Check on Your Vents

•   Sometimes energy loss is a result of inefficient heating or cooling systems. Investigate this in your building with easy questions: how is the circulation? Are air ducts clean? Do any clogged filters need to be replaced? Regularly check the striping around office doors and windows for leaks and gaps—fixing leaks can cut up to 10% from your energy bill!
•   If you want to make bigger improvements, look to your HVAC system. Sometimes water in the condenser tubes can leave a slimy buildup, reducing the air conditioner’s efficiency. Occasionally treating this with chemical or ozone cleaning can keep your air conditioner running at top efficiency. Or, instead of paying for continued maintenance, think of replacing outdated units with more energy efficient ones, which could reduce cooling costs by up to 50%.
•   If possible, paint an office building roof a lighter color or plant a rooftop garden to deflect the sun’s heat on warm days and increase your energy savings.

Look into your heating and cooling systems to make sure you are using them as efficiently as possible!

If you want to tour some office suites for rent in Overland Park, give us a call at 913-685-4100 to set up a tour of an office building in Overland Park!

Benefits of an Equipment Operating Lease for Your Office Building in Overland Park

Operating leases for office equipment are often referred to as “off-balance-sheet financing” because lease payments do not affect a business’s balance sheet, since they are treated as an operating expense on the lessee’s income statement. Here is some information about why an operating lease is a beneficial option:

An off-balance-sheet option is often considered better than alternatives, such as commercial loans, in which a business borrows money by leveraging an asset (i.e. accounts receivable). This creates a liability (the loan), which then must be reported on a balance sheet.
In an operating lease, your business does not have to report any liabilities because you are not creating any debt or equity. This optimizes your financial leverage and can make your balance sheet more appealing to potential lenders.
Off-balance-sheet financing can improve the overall financial health of your company by creating liquidity for your business but avoiding leverage. This can help keep your business’s debt-to-equity low, as well as other leverage ratios.

Overall, if you can arrange to rent equipment for your company using an operating lease, this kind of off-balance-sheet financing might help your company’s financial health.

If your business is looking to settle into some affordable commercial space for rent in Kansas City before figuring out your office equipment, give a commercial realtor in Kansas City a call at 913-685-4100!