office suites for rent in Kansas City

10 Tips for Moving Your Business to a New Kansas City Office Space: Part III

Moving computers is one of the most delicate undertakings in the business moving process. Here are a few tips for preventing damage to your important electronics and making sure you can access your data after the move:

5. Packing your computers and computer monitors. To pack a computer monitor, wrap it either in bubble wrap or thick moving blankets; make sure that you never just place them in boxes and that no tape touches the monitor itself. Computers should also be protected with heavy blankets wrapped in tape. Do not stack them on top of other items or put items on top of them. Be sure to back up all of your files to an external hard drive before moving or use an online program such as Dropbox.

6. Moving Computer Cables. A good way to start packing computer cables is removing all of the cables from their computers one by one. Put cables in zip locked bags labeled with which computer they belong to. It is important to remove cables to prevent them being damaged or lost and to prevent pins and ports from being bent.

Taking advantage of tips like these (and more coming soon) can help ensure that relocating your business goes as smoothly as possible.

Need to find a space before you start packing up your office? Give a commercial real estate broker in Kansas City a call at 913-685-4100 about taking a tour of one of our office suites for rent in Kansas City.

Information to Include in a Counter Offer for Office Space in Kansas

A counter offer letter is both a chance to ask for different terms that are better for your business and for you to show the landlord that your business is the best choice over other potential tenants. Here is some information that you should typically include in a counter offer letter:

Your Business’s Name. Both the name that you are legally established under and any other names you might be doing business under.

The Structure of Your Business. Let a landlord know where you are incorporated, if you are incorporated, or tell them if you are a tax-exempt organization. Landlords rarely offer nonprofit organizations freebies or perks just for a tax write-off, but they may be inclined to negotiate or lease with an organization with a noble cause over other potential tenants.

The Age of Your Business. If you have only been in business less than two years, you might want to give the landlord some information about your success so far, or your projections for future growth. A landlord might be unlikely to rent to your business without a personal guarantee if you cannot provide some evidence that your business has been doing well.

Check back to a later post for some more important pieces of a good counter offer!

If you are looking at office suites for rent in Kansas City, give a commercial real estate broker in Kansas City a call at 913-685-4100 to talk to us about what kind of space your business needs and how we can match you up with the best available space for your business!

Types of Commercial Realty in Kansas City

Commercial real estate is land, facilities, or property that is set aside for business purposes and usually cannot be used as residences. There are several different types of commercial property; here are a few common ones besides traditional high-rise and low rise office buildings:

Business Parks – This type of space is most commonly leased by service professionals such as doctors. A business park is a handful of buildings intended for general use business purposes as well as light industrial use. Usually these parks offer cheaper rent than retail spaces and are similar in price to industrial parks.
Industrial Parks – This type of commercial real estate is comprised of buildings divided into units that are usually warehouses or big, unfinished spaces. These parks are typically zoned for heavy-industrial use, such as manufacturing. However, they can also be used for other types of businesses and sometimes have store-front window exposure. Small retail businesses that are just getting started have started to pursue these spaces because they are usually cheaper than other types of commercial properties and are often extremely similar to buildings from business parks, with the exception of large, garage-style doors.
Commercial Retail Property – This type of property includes facilities made for store-front types of businesses and includes malls and strip malls. Many of these retail business owners lease property in business or industrial parks in addition to their commercial retail property.

When you consider these different commercial property options, two factors that might help you narrow your search are location and type of lease being offered, as well as what kind of business you intend to do in the space.

Looking at office suites for rent in Kansas City? Give a commercial real estate broker in Kansas City a call at 913-685-4100 to find out about Southcreek Office Park rental property!

Distinguishing Between On and Off-Balance Sheet Financing for your Commercial Realty in Kansas City

Previous posts have discussed the difference between capital leases and operating leases for office equipment, as well as the benefits of an operating lease, which offers an off-balance-sheet financing option. However, it is important to note that the rules for properly distinguishing between on-balance-sheet financing and off-balance-sheet financing must be strictly followed. To make sure that businesses are following these accounting rules, the Financial Accounting Standards Board created a list of four conditions for when a lease must be treated as a capital lease:

1.   The ownership of the equipment or asset transfers to the lessee when the lease term is over.
2.   The life of the lease is longer than 75 percent of the life of the asset.
3.   The current value of the lease payments (factoring in an appropriate discount rate) is greater than 90 percent of the fair market price of the asset or equipment.
4.   The lessee has the option to buy the asset or equipment for a minimal price when the lease term ends.

It is important to properly determine which kind of lease you are using for your office equipment, and since these rules can be complex, it might even be wise for your business to consult an accounting or financial professional as you make these financial decisions.

Want to learn more about office lease rates in Kansas City? Give us a call at 913-685-4100 to find out about our wide variety of affordable office suites for rent in Kansas City.

Southcreek Office Park Discount for Couponing Book

Looking to become a smart shopper? How about starting out by using your Southcreek Office Park discount to buy the book, Couponing for the Beginner: A Guide to Couponing for the Uninitiated? With shows like Extreme Couponing on TV, couponing is catching on as a great way to save some money. But going from occasional coupon user to coupon aficionado is no small task. Couponing for the Beginner has 13 chapters of advice on how to step up your couponing skills:

Chapter 1: Manufacturer and Store Coupons
Chapter 2: Coupon Language
Chapter 3: Coupon Rules and Policies
Chapter 4: Why Coupons Exist
Chapter 5: Where to Get Coupons
Chapter 6: Where to Buy Coupons – Is It Illegal to Buy or Sell Coupons?
Chapter 7: How to Organize Your Coupons
Chapter 8: Where to Use Coupons
Chapter 9: Rewards Programs
Chapter 10: Weekly/Biweekly/Monthly Sales Flyers
Chapter 11: Refunds, Try Me Free, Rebates, Money Back Guarantees
Chapter 12: How to Stack Coupons and Maximize Your Savings
Chapter 13: Your First Trip to Store

You can get this book for only $4.99! Use the coupon code SOUTHCREEK to get $5 off of the original $9.99 price. To buy the book or send an email to info [at] guidetocouponing.com to get a link to where you can order the book.

If you or anyone you know is looking for office suites for rent in Kansas City, check out Southcreek’s many available spaces! Give one of our commercial real estate brokers in Kansas City a call at 913-685-4100 for more information.

Children’s Day at Missouri Town 1855 Near Southcreek Office Park

Children's Day & National Trails Day at Missouri Town 1855

Take a break from technology overload at Children’s Day at Missouri Town 1855, an electronics-free haven that will give your kids a glimpse of the old days! Volunteers and staff will be leading kids in all sorts of games played by their ancestors. Some favorites include Candle Dipping, Hoop Rolling, Gunny Sack Races, Cracker Whistling, Pie Eating Contest, Spelling Bees, Game of Graces, Marbles, Tin Punching, Stilts, Jump Rope, and Tug-of-War. Retreat even further from civilization by visiting the special exhibit providing information about the expansive trails and outdoor education programs of Jackson County.

Event Information:

Location: Missouri Town 1855, Fleming Park
8010 E. Park Road
Lee’s Summit, MO
Date: June 2nd 2012
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Cost: Adults $5.00; Youth 5-13 and Seniors $3.00; Under 5 Free
Contact Info:
Phone – 816-503-4860
Email – missouritown@jacksongov.org

Head out there for a day of simple pleasures and outdoor fun!

Southcreek Office Park’s location in the heart of Overland Park not only puts you near exciting community events like this, but also near services and amenities that your business needs. Banks, hotels, health clubs, golf courses—it is all right near where our tenants work. If you would like to learn more about office suites for rent in Kansas City through Southcreek, give one of our commercial real estate brokers in Overland Park a call at 913-685-4100. We would love to talk to you more about what your business needs!

Yoga in Your Kansas City Office Space

If you are desk-bound all day and looking for a way to take a quick stretch break, Cyndi Lee, founder of the OM yoga center in New York, has some Office Yoga Tips you can use to relax for a few minutes:

Sit on the edge of your chair with your feet on the floor hip distance apart, palms on thighs. Stretch out spine, balancing head over heart, heart over hips, and inhale and exhale for five counts each.
Inhale and lift arms overhead, grabbing left wrist with right hand. Exhale and bend to the right, staying there for three breaths to stretch your side. Inhale as you come back to vertical and then perform stretch on the other side.
Roll shoulders a few times, then on the fourth role, interlace fingers behind back and straighten arms (just hold onto the back of your chair if you don’t have enough room). Inhale and lift chest to make a high backbend. Stay here for three full breaths.
Exhale and place hands on knees, rounding spine. Tuck pelvis and pull naval away from knees to come into a seated cat pose. Let your head dangle and breathe deeply.
Perform an inversion by folding forward, letting upper body fall through thighs. Try to get your head lower than your hips, reaching toward the floor (or ankles or shins) with palms flat.
Slowly roll up, then exhale as you twist to the right. Place left hand on outside of right thigh and right hand on back of chair, making sure to lift your right armpit-chest area. Look over right shoulder to include your head in the twist, and move your eyes to the upper right corner of your eyes then the lower right corner. Repeat eye exercise twice. Then close your eyes, twist back to center, and repeat on other side.

An easy five minutes to de-stress!

Finding office suites for rent in Kansas City can be stress-free too…just give us a call at South Creek Overland Park at 913-685-4100 and let us help you with your search!