Archive for May, 2009

Relieving the Stress of Commercial Real Estate

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

It is essential to your business to find the right commercial real estate for the location of your business, so your product can be presented to the prime of your target audience. Commercial as well as corporate real estate are slowly expanding as the economy bounces back from its recent down turn. Depending on your business, more space may be needed as demand becomes more prolific as the economy stabilizes.
We’ve all felt the hole in our wallets as the bottom of our economy fell out. As that hole begins to close, the physical presentation of your business is crucial for potential consumers and investors. Finding commercial real estate can be a determining factor as our business location is the cover to the book that we have put the success of our lives in. Would you read a book where the graphic to catch your eye is cast in the distance of the surrounding world? The busyness that takes up more of our lives to need leave much time to admire symbolism, and our images must be brought forward or they may be overlooked.
The most important part of moving your business is handling the stress. If we let the stress overwhelm us, it can hurt you emotionally, and hurt your business financially. There are companies that recognize this importance, and are there to help you. The survival of your business depends on you being able to handle the ups and downs of the economy. When there is an opportunity for relief, you cannot pass it off. A common stress is finding a location that is not only in the eye of the consumer, but also matches your budget. There are companies built around the sole purpose of helping you manage these problems while you stay in touch with your customers.
Moving your business is more stressful than one might think. You are trying to manage your business the same time that it’s moving. If your full attention is not on the client at hand, important documents may become lost in the move. There are companies that can take some of this burden so you can keep your attention on the customer and not only move the company, but keep a stream your stream of revenue flowing and never skip a beat. Managing the expense of a move is also a burden that can be lightened with the right people managing the expenses. The cost of a move can hurt your business if the expenses, as well as time, are not managed properly.
All of these stresses can be easily managed with a company that is qualified to manage them. Corporate real estate and commercial real estate do not need to be added stresses to the already stressful movement of your business. It is important for the well being of yourself and the family that you care for that you take the necessary steps to ensure that we can balance the pressures so we’re not overloaded.

About the author: Jason Ausmus is a web content specialist for Innuity For more information regarding, commercial real estate and corporate real estate go to Royal Commercial.

Tags: ,
Posted in commercial real estate | No Comments »

10 Ways to Improve Your Office Space

Monday, May 18th, 2009

Here are 10 things you can do to improve your home office space without going WAY over budget.
Think Green and Get Some Plants!
Bring life to your office by adding life! A bit of greenery can lift a room and make it a much more pleasant place to be. Not only will plants add more color to your office, they will increase the oxygen in your office and provide an enticing ambiance.

Hide the Wires
Unfortunately, wires are an unsightly necessity of the office world. While you might be able to get a wireless mouse, keyboard and even internet, you simply can’t escape power cords. To tidy up your wires- look to these options:

• Bind Cords Together
Use a string or rubber band and bind the cords together at intervals so they are all in one place, sot scattered all over.
• Secure long running wires to walls
Instead of letting cords lay in the middle of the walkway, use clamps to stick wires to the walls.

Shop Discounted Stores, Online Deals or Thrift Stores For Great Steals on Furniture, Cubicles and DĂ©cor -including Paint
If you have ever scanned online discount stores, auction houses or craigslist’s in the “free section” you would be amazed at what you can find! Entire office furniture sets for less than half their retail price or free! Paint, doors, carpet and even art is all available online for complete deals. Thrift stores, garage sales and warehouse stores are all great places to look for great furniture at rates you can afford. Even though you can’t afford to get a new office space and furniture now, you can get pretty close to it and at least get what you need.

Initiate a Work Clean Up Party
So you cannot hire a cleaning service, painters or carpenters to help remodel your office but that doesn’t mean you can’t spruce things up with the resources you have at hand. Have a mandatory cleaning party at work. Pay your employees, provide lunch and drinks and crank up the music. Draw names for cleaning duties or separate yourself into cleaning teams. With some positive energy and dome good elbow grease, you can have a shiny new office space in no time!
Add an Employee Communication Area
Build morale and add some new décor. Placing a communication board in a common area of your office will improve morale, keep people informed and encourage involvement. When all of your employees are in the know with all of your company’s plans, people feel appreciated and important. Add an employee of the month club and post pictures of the staff!

There are in fact lots of things you can do to make your office space a better place to work. Visiting thrift stores and office supply stores to find ideas are great ways to get ideas. It’s possible that moving to a new office space isn’t foreseeable any time soon, or hiring an interior designer and since you are trying just to keep the lights on in the one you are currently occupying. There are plenty of things you can do to make due with your office space today while you while wait for things to change financially tomorrow.

About the author: Melissa Peterman is a web content specialist for Innuity For more information regarding, office space go to Royal Commercial.

Tags:
Posted in commercial real estate | No Comments »

Considering the Location for your Office Space

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

So, the question is: where is the best location for your office space. When you are considering office leasing you will need to make a lot of choices. Before the economy took a turn for the worst, companies could consider location above all else. However, now, while location is still essential, cost seems to be taking over as the major deciding factor.

There are two major choices when considering location. Will you choose the downtown, in the hub of the activity, or in the outskirts? Which is right for your office? It may be that your company is not that type of company that would thrive in a downtown environment – do you need the luxury and the ease of being in the mix? There are some companies that may decide the higher cost is worth it because they need to be right in the middle of the action or near their competitors.

For example, many law firms may locate in a downtown area because they want to be close to the courthouses. Many also feel that they can conduct business more casually if they run into people when they are out for lunch or stepping out of the office for a brief period of time. Image might also be a considering factor for companies as those with downtown addresses may have a higher image.

Consider also the effect it could have on your employees. Will this location attract the type of employees you are looking to hire? Is the parking sufficient? Will everyone have to pay for parking or will you have a lot available? If employees are going to end up paying a bunch of their paycheck for parking you are going to need to take into consideration an incentive package that makes it more affordable or cost effective.

For some the benefits of moving away from a city hub might be a great way to save money. The business parks outside of the city can offer companies plenty of advantages, including a great way to entice local employees. By being more affordable, companies might be able to offer their employees higher pay or better parking options, including discounts to area restaurants or health clubs, as the case may be.

Traffic can be a concern for companies in a downtown area as well. Employees may be more likely to be on time if they don’t have to sit in traffic each day and hope for the best. This will also help employees save gas and make a positive impact on the environment as well. Employees that live close to work will really appreciate the extra time they have in the morning and after work that they wouldn’t have if they were stuck in the daily grime of traffic.

While there are many options that must be considered when searching for the best office space, consider the location as well. Carefully look into working both in a downtown area and outside in order to make the best, most affordable choice for your company. Not all companies need what a downtown location has to offer while others do – What does your company need? Answer this question and it will help you determine where to lease.

About the Author: Rebecca Beckett is a freelance writer for Innuity. If you would like more information about office space or office leasing go to Royal Commercial

Tags: ,
Posted in commercial real estate | No Comments »

The Bittersweet Availability of Commercial Real Estate

Monday, May 4th, 2009

For businesses looking for a great deal on office space, there is no better time to look. Due to the economic downturn, many businesses have gone belly-up or moved out of expensive leases. Sadly, empty office space is never a good thing but the silver lining is that there are affordable options available to new start-ups or businesses that are doing well in this economy and looking to expand their business.

Corporate real estate owners are offering great rates, deals and special incentives in order to get businesses to sign new leases. Besides filling empty office spaces, commercial real estate owners are trying to appease to their current tenants who are reluctant to sign another lease. But that can work for a business owner’s advantage; the option to renew a lease rather than take on the expense of moving is more attractive to several business owners who may have had plans to expand or move.

Vacant stores, retail spaces and office spaces don’t help neighboring retailers and other offices and often become a target for vandalism and usually fall into some form of disrepair. If landlords can offer more incentives for struggling businesses to stay, it may be worth giving a month’s lease for free in order to keep a business or attract new ones.

The hardest hit areas for commercial real estate vacancies are Michigan, Arizona, Las Vegas and California. The metropolitan cities of Oregon and Washington State are among the least affected, but still affected none-the less.

The hardest thing to measure is the trickle down affects of all the commercial real estate vacancies and office space. When the people leave the area, people stop going to the restaurants and other businesses in the area and so on. When people stop going to the grocery stores and stopping into after work happy hour or coffee shops, it’s much more than the business workers who are affected. It’s everyone who works in those smaller businesses who are affected.

It may be great for new businesses looking for once hard to get space, but in the end, vacant signs on businesses affects more than just those businesses.

About the author: Melissa Peterman is a web content specialist for Innuity. For more information regarding Corporate real estate or office space go to Royal Commercial.

Tags: ,
Posted in commercial real estate | No Comments »