Questions To Ask When Leasing Office Space
By Jerry L. Work
If you've started your own business, and are starting to see promising returns on your investment, it may seem like your spare bedroom or basement office space is no longer meeting your needs. If you've found yourself wishing for a conference room in which to meet with clients, or a receptionist that can ward off all of those unnecessary sales pitches, then it just might be time to lease office space. Before you get all excited and rush out to buy all of the latest commercial real estate classified listings, you should know that in these tough economic times there are some important questions to ask when leasing office space.


First and foremost, you want to write down a list of your needs, wants and the budget you can actually afford long before you get all excited about the listings that you may seen in the paper and online. For any business, there are clear differences between what you need and what you want. For instance, ample space for desks, the right amount of telephone jacks, quiet neighbors and high speed internet connectivity are needs, where as corporate bathrooms, balconies and a great view of the downtown area are clearly

wants.

Once you've written down the things that your business cannot possibly live without, it's time to take that list of demands to the landlords or real estate agents that will be showing you the properties. Find out the monthly rent of each office space before you even consider setting up an appointment to look at it. Also be sure to ask the landlord if the monthly rent includes anything, like internet services or utilities. If the rent for a particular office space seems too high, these extras can make it more reasonable.

These are uncertain economic times, especially for new businesses. It is very important to ask your prospective landlord or property manager their policies about breaking the lease before it is fulfilled. If your business suddenly booms and you need a bigger place, or business drops off and you want to go back to virtual office space only, you need to know what they penalty is beforehand. You will also want to be absolutely clear on the length of the lease contract before you sign it. Many commercial leases are years longer than typical residential leases. Make sure you don't commit to more than you can live up to.
Visit eOfficeSearch.com to find executive suites in your area. They have a many listings including executive suites and virtual office space.