In many buildings, there are extras you might consider adding to your wish list, such as:Extra storage for free during a certain time of year
Instead of free rent in your first year, you could take the free rent over the course of the lease during the months with the lowest ... Read More
Tag: tenant beware
24
Sep2014
Your business is doing well, and you are happy with your current landlord. You may or may not notice that your lease is expiring in less than a year. You might think, since there’s been no word, that your landlord forgot. I guarantee you, this is not the case. Maybe ... Read More
September 24, 2014Lynn Drake
01
Jul2014
As a brokerage firm, we have been disappointed with some of the attorneys reviewing our client’s leases. Why would this be? An attorney is an attorney, right? So you’d think. But you’d be wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Assuming all attorneys are alike is no different than asking your gynecologist to ... Read More
July 1, 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
06
Jun2013
I live just outside of Rochester Hills, MI. Our downtown is a quaint one, recalling dreams of Americana with shops and restaurants galore. About a year ago, it was decided that the main street – the heartbeat of downtown Rochester Hills – should be replaced. Getting downtown became a nightmare. ... Read More
June 6, 2013Lynn Drake
30
May2013
With the exception of a few lucky cities whose markets are raging back to life, we don’t expect vacancy rates for most US cities to ever go below 10%. Why? For starters, many older buildings need to be torn down. Vacant buildings quickly become homes to homeless people unless someone ... Read More
May 30, 2013Lynn Drake
11
Apr2013
Last year, I sat on a panel led by Knoll with many designers and architects, and we discussed the ratio of people to a desk. Currently in most major companies, the ratio is 2-3 to a desk. In a sales organization the ratio can be as high as 20 employees ... Read More
April 11, 2013Lynn Drake