In commercial real estate agency, the property investors that you know well and connect with regularly will provide you with lots of opportunists in sales and leasing activity. That being said you really do need to know their focus and priorities when it comes to property ownership and overall performance.
The property market changes frequently and so will the plans of the people and clients that you serve. A lease transaction today can be a sales transaction tomorrow. The same extended business opportunity can occur from a lease deal to a property management appointment. Understanding the client will help you find the right opportunities and leads.
Here are some questions to ask your clients and prospects. Adjust the questions and concepts to suit the property type and local market that you control.
- What type of property do they prefer to own and in what location? They may relate more to industrial, office or retail property. Their preference will have an impact on your prospecting activity.
- What do they own now and how long do they intend to hold that investment property? There are strategic differences between holding a property for the short term (5 years) versus longer. Any leases that are negotiated in a property will be established with due regard for the investment holding period, the cash flow required from the investment, and any renovation or relocation needs.
- The income that you set for a property will be relative to the market rental in the property type. What do they know about gross and net rent today? What impact will incentives and vacancy factors have in the leasing process and returns over coming months and years?
- Will the property need renovation soon? Some older properties will reach the end of their useful life as tenants look for better property improvements and locations. A repositioning or renovation process will need to occur with older properties. Many property investors do not know how to position current lease negotiations for that. Renovation and relocation clauses can be inserted into current lease negotiations with due regard for the upcoming property changes. In such cases, the strategy of leasing really becomes very important.
- How are outgoings and expenses running for the property? Are they comparable to the other properties locally of similar type? Keep your clients property suitably positioned in a competitive way so that any lease can be attractive and viable for new tenants considering occupation.
Simple concepts like these will help you serve your clients professionally when it comes to tenant mix and leasing. When you get the balance right, the income for the property can grow and the vacancy rates can fall.
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