Each year, I’m amazed at the new things I see happening with tenants. One of the largest buildings near us in Southfield, has taken the relocation clause to new heights. A tenant in the building worked diligently with their landlord to get their proposed office space just right. No sooner ... Read More
Tag: flex
07
May2014
Most people don’t really have any concept of the amount of time and effort it takes to line up a tour for prospective clients. Commercial real estate is quite different than residential—if only our work was as easy as residential, where all you have to do is call and get ... Read More
May 7, 2014Lynn Drake
19
Mar2014
There is much debate about the open floor plan. As you read recently, Compass Commercial moved offices last year, and as we began to search for space, I wanted one that would attract a younger generation of workers—which meant going with an open floor plan. Are you considering doing the ... Read More
March 19, 2014Lynn Drake
05
Feb2014
I’ve lived in Troy, Michigan for most of my life. If you ask me, it’s a great community with great amenities. Last year, Troy High School was listed as one of the top 20 best high schools in the United States. We have great shopping – people come from miles ... Read More
February 5, 2014Lynn Drake
24
Jan2014
Crain’s Business recently had an article about Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson. I’m a huge fan of Patterson, but have to admit I was a bit perplexed when I saw his comments about Dan Gilbert. According to Patterson, Gilbert’s move to recruit suburban firms to move downtown seemed to ... Read More
January 24, 2014Lynn Drake
04
Dec2013
Last month there was a blog asking which areas were growing across the US. With all sincerity I responded that Detroit was a growth market. The person who posted the question asked me how many construction sites I saw in this area. I could tell he thought I was pulling ... Read More
December 4, 2013Lynn Drake
22
Nov2013
While many people might consider agents to be animals, the animals I’m referring to here are the 4-legged furry types. In 2012, I ran a column asking for the oddest lease clauses that people came up. The most amusing answer I received was about a location where the tenant wanted ... Read More
November 22, 2013Lynn Drake
08
Aug2013
There are several ways to protect your business when it comes to the improvement area in the lease. In some leases, the landlord won’t put together plans for the space and won’t cost them out until after the lease is signed. This isn’t the way we like to work, as ... Read More
August 8, 2013Lynn Drake
26
Jul2013
We love our tenants, but we see them make a great deal of unavoidable mistakes. The number one mistake we see tenants make? They don’t start the negotiations until it’s too late. If you’ve been following my earlier posts you know this is something we’ve run into many times over ... Read More
July 26, 2013Lynn Drake
12
Jul2013
How much should one expect to pay for a security deposit? Well, like most things in real estate, everything is negotiable. As tenant representatives, we always request that our client not have to pay a security deposit. In the case of some of the largest organizations we represent, we are ... Read More
July 12, 2013Lynn Drake