Surely if your business is firmly entrenched in the market, you have significant financial resources, and you plan on keeping your business in the area for many, many years to come, buying your commercial office space may be the way to house your business. Yet, you may still want to consider renting an office space. Here's why:

• Lower Initial Investment - You won't tie up money you could use in your business. Many businesses get a higher return from their core business than they would from buying an office and the associated savings and appreciation.
• Fixed or Adjustable - Every homeowner knows the pros and cons to this option. Do you want to pay the same amount every month for your property, or do you want to gamble with the potential of rising office rental rate costs. Ultimately, the market will tell dictate what your business will pay for rent. In a down economy, the idea of renting can be lower cost and offer significantly lower risk. The unfortunate Catch-22 here is that if the economy is good, your business will flourish, but you may end up paying some of that profit back in rent. But, then again, isn't that a nice problem to have?
• Flexibility - Renting your office space also affords a business the opportunity to grow their office space along with the growth of their business. As your business expands with staff, operations, and more; renting an office will allow you to buy more or less office space as the situation dictates accordingly. This level of flexibility can provide a business owner with the peace of mind of knowing that they're not locked into an enormous space if they don't need it or too small of a space if their business has outgrown it.

More Information on the decision of whether to buy or rent office space.

"OfficeFinder, LLC" is the leading web based office space referral and information network, with highly qualified local office space leasing and sales professionals in over 550 markets. 

Contact us today to find the right location, negotiate the best price, and avoid costly mistakes. We would love to help your business find the best property available!

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By: James Osgood

So business is going strong, and now you are beginning to wonder if it’s time to stop pouring all that office rent money into someone else’s pocket rather than investing in office space of your own. After all, commercial mortgage interest rates are still quite low, and your company’s success indicates a bright future ahead. As you consider this important shift in business strategy, here are some things to consider.

• Is now really the time? We ask this question not just with regard to interest rates, but also with regard to your company’s future growth. If your business continues to expand, will you find yourself, in another few years, running out of office space? If you are still in a period of growth, sticking with leasing may be preferable, because it provides more flexibility for future expansion. You should only purchase office space if you are quite certain that your future needs will be met by the space you purchase.
• Where do you want your headquarters? Here we are thinking “bigger picture.” Think beyond whether the area you are considering is a prestigious, or up-and-coming, location for your company’s headquarters. It would be wise to do some research—and we can help—about business trends in your city. You need to think not just about what things are like now, but what they might be like in the future.
• Is the area of town you are considering going to be the right place for your business in twenty, or fifty, years, not just for the next five? Will the area’s infrastructure (roads, bridges, restaurants, etc.) meet your needs in the years to come? If you are counting on some appreciation in the building’s value over time, it’s important to make sure you are buying in an area that will continue to grow.
• Is this a good financial move for you? In addition to paying a mortgage company instead of a landlord, you will need to factor in your upcoming capital needs and cash flow considerations, as well as the tax consequences of making the purchase.
• Are you ready to be your own landlord? This is a very important consideration, because when you lease space, it’s easy to call the landlord if the toilet backs up, or expect that the icy sidewalks will be cleared by the time you show up for work. If you own the property, those responsibilities, and more, will now be yours.

These are just a few of the questions that you should be considering as you discern whether to lease or buy in this market. We have more information on lease vs. buying office space and we suggest you contact us to conncet with on of our local pros to further discuss this exciting possibility.

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By: James Osgood

Loopnet put together a very good info-graphic (below) on leasing vs. buying trends in commercial real estate. It is very interesting from the prospective tenant’s viewpoint as they lease new or renew space for their business or decide to buy a building to house their business. While it does us a lot of averages, it is a good overview of what has been happening recently in the commercial real estate markets in the US. In particular, over the past two years rental rates have only dropped 3% while sales prices have dropped 15%. It is my opinion that now is a good time to hit the bottom of the market in either signing a long term office space sales or buying an office building for your business. More on Lease vs. Buying office space to help decide if it would be a good or bad move for you.

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By: James Osgood

I spent the day yesterday at the Commercial Broker's Association (CBA) Commercial Real Estate Form.  A great program on relevant issues in today's commercial real estate markets. The one presentation that hit hard was Market Knowledge: Strengths and Weaknesses in Different Segments of the Commercial Real Estate Market presented by Dr. Jim DeLisle, University of Washington Director, Graduate Real Estate Studies at the Runstad Professor of Real Estate. 

My take away: The Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities market, where commercial mortgages were bundled and sold, has pretty much evaporated. The only loans that are being made and will continue to be made are portfolio loans, where the lender actually keeps the loan in their portfolio. The result... very few mortgages are being written. It is much more difficult to obtain a commercial mortgage and the loan to value; the present value, is in the neighborhood of 40% - 60%.  With many commercial mortgages rolling over in the near future, new financing will be a problem. I expect there will be many good opportunities to purchase commercial properties at attractive rates.

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According to a recent CoStar Blog post "Banks reported that commercial real estate markets displayed mixed results - still mostly negative - but that leasing markets and investment exhibited increasing signs of recovery, while nonresidential construction remained weak."

This doesn't mean that a full recovery is near, but any signs of improvement are good.

"We expect that the worst of the commercial credit cycle is behind us but we expect a few more quarters of uncertainty and choppiness in commercial charge-offs and non-performers."
Richard D. Fairbank, founder, chairman, and CEO, Capital One Financial Corp.

Via: OfficeTimes Blog