Have you made the commitment to move your office. You will be surprised by all the little things that need to be done. Make sure and give yourself at least 3 months of preparation planning prior to actually moving.

Start looking for qualified moving companies for executing the move as soon as possible after signing your new office lease. Unfamiliarity with moving process can elevate the stress and anxiety already existing in making move of your office space. Do your research first when you start looking for a commercial moving company. We suggest that you choose a local moving company to execute your move, if you are moving locally or within a state. But for an interstate corporate you must contact a moving company which specializes in conducting such moves. Make sure that they are experienced in office moving. You must check their official website, for client testimonials to get feedback about their work.

Moving is a pain, personal or business, but a little planning can work wonders. Here are a few ways to organize your move successfully.

Plan well ahead for the move

Planning is crucial while moving your business. Make your move as cost effective as you can, as you are already in the expansion and growing phase. Get familiar with the location, where your office will be relocated. You can take measurements of the rooms, to know whether the furniture in the existing office will fit into the new office well or you need to buy new. Make sure that less time is spent while conducting the move, so that your work and productivity does not suffer. 

Hire a well reputed moving company

A lot of things need to be taken into consideration while hiring an office moving company for helping you move. Ask a few questions like:

• How long your company has been in this business?
• Do you specialize in corporate moves?
• Does your quoted rate include cost of packing materials?
• Do you own your own moving equipment like van and truck, or will you rent it.
• Do you provide insurance?

Inform your employees at least month before the move. Your employees are the pillars of your company. Prepare them for the move, by informing them about the move as well as the new location, so that they can inform their family about the change. Usually people do not like change, but informing them in advance will help them in preparing for the move. Keep everyone informed to alleviate any worries or concerns.

Assign some employees to be in charge of coordinating the move. Make a moving committee and delegate tasks to your employees who can supervise the moving company while they are packing and loading things. 

With all this in order, you should have a successful move!

About the Author: Author of this article is a writer primarily focusing on moving, storage and relocation related topics and is associated with moving offices in London 

One of the big questions many office tenants wonder about is how long before their office lease expires do they need to get started on either a renewal or a relocion of their office space.  Here is a great article by our Miami Office Representative that should help answer the question.

"When should a company think about their office lease renewal?  The day after they sign their lease.  That might seem extreme, however, most folks wait too long and end up losing their leverage with their landlord.  Typically, I recommend that my clients begin their lease renewal process at least a year in advance.  There are two reasons.

First, time is your landlord’s greatest leverage.  Your landlord knows that typically over 75% of its tenants will renew their leases. Your landlord also knows exactly how long it takes to construct a new space and physically move.  If you call your landlord 60 – 30 days before your lease expires, he already won.

Second, even if you are determined to move, time slips by quickly.  A week of travel, a couple of days delay while waiting for an architect, attorney or contractor to respond
and suddenly your time line shortens.

It’s never too early to start mapping out your strategy and preparing a timeline for your renewal process.  That’s what I do every day, so let me help you level the playing field with your landlord.  If your Miami office lease is expiring in two years or less, Contact Me today."

You may also be interested in:
The Office Leasing Process and Timeline
How much office space do I need?

Find Office Space

Some property owners of commercial real estate may not understand the reasoning behind why a tenant who has been renting a retail or industrial space for some time, perhaps 5 or 10 years, would want to include a commercial real estate broker tenant representative as an advisor when it is time to renew the lease, change the lease to include an expansion, or agree upon some other transaction with the landlord.

If you think about it, how is a renewal any different than an initial lease transaction? Does the commercial lease not need the same expertise, market and lease knowledge, and experience that can only be assured by engaging a professional advisor? Craig Trbovich, Sales and Leasing Advisor at Commercial Properties, Inc. commented in a LinkedIn Discussion Group, “Even if you have real estate and contract experience, it’s current market knowledge that will be invaluable. And being in the trenches every day is the only way to be current.”

Today, it is critical for top corporate executive to provide the company’s stakeholders with only the best financial decisions to ensure maximum profitability. Yet, a small business or corporate executive is not an expert on negotiating leases for commercial real estate. A professional advisor can help the tenant best determine the answer to questions such as:

·         How large should the leased facility be to need the tenant’s needs?

·         Exactly what configuration of space bets suits the business’s needs?

·         What interior improvements need to be performed and who will pay for these changes?

·         What is the best length of lease term is optimal for the tenant?

·         Should the tenant secure rights for expansion or consolidation?

·         What other options should be negotiated into the lease?

·         Can a period of free rent be rolled into the negotiations?

·         Is the landlord and building in good financial condition?

·         Should relocation be seriously considered?

The owner of the commercial real estate being leased would probably quite pleased if the leasing business does not want a tenant representative because negotiations will likely be very easy and the landlord will get options that benefit them rather than the business. Daniel Rudd, Executive Vice President and Office Broker at Colliers International states, “It is short sighted for a tenant not to have representation and the tenant is ceding the landlord an incredible amount of leverage.”  With a broker, the tenant can be assured they have someone fighting for their right and making sure their best interests are covered. 

Find a good tenant represetnative

When you contact an office finder service to locate a new or different space for your business home, one of the first questions you’ll be asked is,” What size office are you seeking?” Knowing how to respond to that query will make all the difference in the effectiveness of your search for commercial space to lease and your satisfaction with the office that you’ll spend many hours inside conducting business.

Leasing an office which is too small can make you and your employees feel cramped, increase ambient noise levels to near-intolerable, and reduce productivity and employee satisfaction. On the other hand, a space which is significantly too large, beyond predicted near-term growth factors, will result in many extra footsteps during each workday, excessive rent for unused square footage, and give the employees in the workspace a feeling of loneliness rather than the comfort of feeling part of a team.

To select the right office size for your business, consider at these factors:

•  Executive Offices: These offices are those which need doors that close for executive privacy, usually those which house upper management. Determine how many executive offices you need based on the number of people who require this type of space. As a general yardstick, between 150-300+ square feet should be allocated to each of these offices.
  
  
• Reception Area: Depending on the type of business you operate, you may need a lobby or waiting area in the front reception space. To determine the size of this area, consider the average number of people who may be waiting and allow space for seating, tables, lamps, and green plants. You’ll want your front office employee to have plenty of space to provide a professional first impression to those entering your office space. If you plan to place equipment such as copier, fax, and other items needing space for both the hardware and the person operating it, take this into consideration. Provide plenty of walking space around any equipment, furniture, and seating to prevent a feeling of crowding.
  
  
• Meeting Space: Do you hold small meetings in your office frequently and conduct large meetings rarely? If so, consider saving money by locating nearby meeting facilities which can be rented only as needed. If, however, you hold large meetings frequently, it may be more cost effective to choose to lease an office space with at least one very large meeting room. Also, consider how many meetings may commonly be scheduled simultaneously. If necessary, select a space with several meeting spaces, but you can save rental charge if you can schedule meetings so that fewer meeting areas are needed. Since the square footage taken up by conference rooms is calculated into your lease fees yet the space may be used infrequently, it can be wise to avoid excessive conference spaces.
  
  
• Useable Square Feet per Person: If your employee workspace is open plan using minimal partitions or desks separated by space only, you should plan for 90-125 square feet per employee for desks, filing cabinets, and other necessary furnishings. A closed plan requires more square footage of useable space per person for comfort, on average 125-200 square feet is needed for comfort. Take into account that you also need traffic areas for personnel and client circulation. Crowded walkways can lead to a sense of walking over one another and even result in accidents.
  
  
• Community Areas: Every office space needs a space which can be used as a break area or lunch room so that employees can safely store bag lunches in a refrigerator, provide a place for coffee service, and allow those who like to save money by avoiding restaurant lunches have a space to eat. Estimate the size of this area based on what conveniences you plan to provide such as microwave, water cooler, coffee machine, sink, tables, and chairs. You may also need a common area for shared equipment such as copiers, paper shredders, and other common office hardware.
  
  
• Sanitary Facilities: You’ll need to take into account restrooms if those are inside your leased space.
  
  
• Growth Factor: Look at your company’s plan for future grow and the lease period. Do you expect to grow significantly during the lease lifespan? If so, you’ll want to allow for space in which to grow since there can be stiff penalties if you need to relocate before you lease period has expired. Keep in mind that moving is an expensive proposition since business cards, letterhead, signage, advertising, and other associated costs really add up and if proper planning can prevent an unnecessary relocation, it is well worth the time to carefully consider the future.
  
  
• Seek Professional Advice: Choosing a qualified, experienced office locating service and seeking the advice of seasoned commercial real estate professionals can ensure that you choose the perfect office that is right-sized. Each business is unique and a trained professional can best assess your specific requirements. While you should use guidelines to do pre-planning, listen to the advice provide by your professional leasing advisor.

We also have some Online Tools you can use in evaluating how much office space you should rent:

The OfficeFinder Office Space Calculator will give you a fairly accurate idea of the square footage you need.

Our Conventional Office Space Rental vs Executive Suite Offices Rent Calculator will give you a price comparison between renting conventional office space compared to executive Suite Office space.

"How Much Office Space for This? How Much Office Space for That?" will show you the itemized sizes of different areas you may need.

To learn about how your office space should be measured to make sure you get all of the square footage you are paying for CLICK HERE.

Finally there is a lot of other good information related to office space design in other OfficeFinder Blog posts.

If you need office space, we can help! Just CLICK HERE.

Good news regarding the office space market seems to be abundant now-a-days. I was just reviewing my Google alerts for office vacancy and office space and came across quite a few positive headlines.  Here are a few:

Jobs will fuel an office market recovery
Michigan Business Review - MLive.com

Twitter hunts for Manhattan office space
The Real Deal New York (blog)

Dubai office occupancy set to go up
Zawya

Manhattan Business Center Expands by Opening Fourth Office Center
DigitalJournal.com (press release)

Record Occupancy Levels for Birmingham Office
officebroker.com (blog)

Brisbane office market bounces back
Queensland Business Review

Commercial real estate recovering
Daily Press

Key Economic Indicators Hint At Local Recovery
SF Weekly (blog)

Recession over--sort of--and recovery underway
STLtoday.com

Office spaces outside of CBD to yield higher rents due to growing demand
Channel News Asia

Amazon's Hiring Spree Will Fill 1.7 Million Square Feet of Office Space in Seattle
All Things Digital (blog)

Office take-up in Edinburgh increased significantly in 2010
Free Office Search

GSA posts 255,000 SF office space requirement
Washington Business Journal

Nordstrom leasing more space from art museum
Seattle Times

Liverpool hindered by a lack of grade A office space
Liverpool Daily Post

Not bad for just a week’s worth of news. Let’s hope this trend keeps going forward.