Leasing commercial real estate is something that can provide a good buffer of commission when sales listings and actual sales have slowed. It is also the case that a successful lease transaction can lead to a future property management or sales opportunity. This then says that all top commercial real estate agents should be prepared to lease ‘quality’ local property.
Notice that I said the word ‘quality’ when it comes to property selection. Determine the property size and type that will give you the appropriate fee for a successful lease transaction. Focus locally on quality, the good landlords, and the quality tenants. A lease transaction can take a reasonable amount of time to initiate and complete. On that basis you should only focus on the good deals and the good opportunities. Let some other agent have the small things to lease that have minimal fee results.
Here are some tips for taking enquiries from tenants today when it comes to leasing new premises or relocating:
- Make sure that you’re talking to the decision maker when it comes to the particular tenant. Get the contact details and the identity of the tenant sorted before you provide too much property information.
- Ask them about the property type that they are looking for when it comes to improvements, services and amenities, location, and permitted use. Also find out about the required lease term, the rental budget, and property usage.
- The tenant’s staff and the customers interacting on the property will create certain challenges when it comes to improvements and location. Car parking is a good example and case in point.
- There are big differences when it comes to leasing office, industrial, and retail property. Create checklists for each so you can ask the relevant questions with potential tenants.
- Is the tenant coming to you today from another property location? Are they new to leasing property locally? If they know nothing about the local area, you will need to fill in the gaps when it comes to business demographics, transport, communication, local area profile, and property usage.
- If they are coming to you from another property location, they may have some timeframe to satisfy or a property disposal requirement. Ask the right questions to get the complete picture. You may even find another listing requirement with the property changeover.
- Has the tenant looked at other listings with other local property agents? It is quite likely that they have seen other listings and may have current negotiations underway through other agents. It is good to know if this is the case so you can adjust your strategy accordingly.
Don’t be too eager to take a tenant to a property. Get all of the facts together prior to the inspection process so that you don’t waste your time with the incorrect strategies or listings. Match the tenant to the property before you leave the office; qualify them. If necessary take them to a number of properties to give them a comparison of current market conditions.
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