Whether you are leasing commercial property on your own or using the services of a broker, this book will serve you well because leasing is a very different kind of real estate transaction. In most real estate transactions some form of binding agreement is made early in the process, such as in the purchase of property. A buyer tenders an offer in writing with a purchase contract and deposit receipt to seller. The seller either accepts the offer or counter offers go back and forth until there is acceptance. When the terms of this binding contract have been met the property transfers to the buyer. While this some times happens in leasing, most often, a series of non-binding proposals go back and forth outlining general business terms and at the end of the leasing process a rather lengthy contract is produced. This contract, when executed, defines the ongoing rights and obligations of the parties to each other for a period of time. During the time the contract is being negotiated, reviewed by legal counsel and finally completed, there is much to do and much that can go wrong.
This book will take you through the steps involved in the leasing process; teach you about the most important business points in a lease negotiation; show you how to create winning proposals; and give you some useful negotiation tips. I’ve also included some useful checklists and defined the jargon for you. Leasing commercial property on your own is not overly complex, but it does take some knowledge and skill. Not surprisingly, the owners or their brokers will have that knowledge and skill, however, you must level the playing field and this book will help you do that. Lease transactions are interesting and can be fun and creative. My hope is that with the help of this book leasing a commercial space will be fun for you too.
