Lynn Drake

Lynn Drake’s status is well known in the industry: She’s the commercial realtor focused on maintaining “true north” for her corporate clients. It’s a reputation built on 35 years of commercial real estate experience. Lynn became a commercial realtor in 2001 after 15 years in corporate real estate. Thus far in her career, Lynn has successfully completed over 1,500 real estate transactions ranging from small business tenant leases to the sale and purchase of industrial complexes.

07

May2014

What Was Your Oddest Showing This Year?

by Lynn Drake / / Tenants
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

23

Apr2014

Favorite Landlords: Who Was Yours This Year, and Why?

by Lynn Drake / / Detroit, Entrepreneurs, Landlords, Tenants
In this industry, one can’t help but develop favorite landlords. The ones who treat your prospect like gold. The ones who go out of their way to be accommodating. This year, I had the pleasure of working with a firm called Shaw Construction in Livonia. They were so accommodating to ... Read More
April 23, 2014Lynn Drake

02

Apr2014

Why Compass Moved

by Lynn Drake / / Brokers, Landlords, Leasing, Relocations, Tenants
When we leased our last office, we were so excited to move out of my house and into an office space. We thought that we would be there for many years. However, two short years later, we ran into a couple of bumps in the road. For starters, our building ... Read More
April 2, 2014Lynn Drake

19

Mar2014

Open Floor Plan, Anyone?

by Lynn Drake / / Brokers, Detroit, Landlords, Leasing, Relocations, Tenants
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

Mar2014

Do You Speak Lease Terms?

by Lynn Drake / / Brokers, Detroit, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurs, Landlords, Leasing, Relocations, Tenants, Trends
Some of us speak Greek, Spanish, French or Mandarin, in addition to English. We think that if we can speak these other languages, surely we can speak real estate. But that’s where we’re wrong. See, not everyone can speak real estate. That’s why it’s important to work with a tenant ... Read More
March 5, 2014Lynn Drake

20

Feb2014

Moving Compass Commercial’s Offices

by Lynn Drake / / Brokers, Detroit, Landlords, Leasing, Relocations
In late 2013, we moved into a really nice new office space. You probably think it was a slam-dunk, since office space is what we do for a living. We might know our stuff, but that doesn’t mean our search was a piece of cake. For one reason or another ... Read More
February 20, 2014Lynn Drake

05

Feb2014

How Can Troy, MI Recover From its High Office Vacancy Rate?

by Lynn Drake / / Brokers, Landlords, Leasing, Tenants
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

Detroit’s Rebirth: Shuffling Seats, or Real Growth?

by Lynn Drake / / Brokers, Detroit, Landlords, Tenants
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

18

Dec2013

The Spirit of the Holiday Season

by Lynn Drake / / Misc
My son is long since grown, and we no longer need to attend the children’s service on Christmas Eve. Luckily for me, I have a young niece who plays an angel in the pageant every year, giving me the chance to attend the children’s service even though my son no ... Read More
December 18, 2013Lynn Drake

04

Dec2013

Believe It or Not! Buying A Commercial Building in Detroit

by Lynn Drake / / Brokers, Detroit, Landlords, Tenants
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