Opening a retail store in a shopping center is a major commitment. You sign a long-term lease, invest in build-outs and inventory, and build your customer base around the foot traffic that the center promises. But what happens when the anchor store closes, neighboring storefronts sit empty, or the center loses the mix of retailers … Read more

If you are signing a commercial lease, the rent figure on the first page is only part of the story. Many office and retail leases use a base year lease structure, which means your rent can rise each year as the building’s operating expenses grow. Understanding how the base year works helps you predict your … Read more

When you tour office space, the broker tells you a suite is 1,000 square feet, but the rent quote is based on 1,150 square feet. That gap is not a mistake. It comes from two different ways of measuring commercial space, and understanding rentable vs usable square feet is one of the most practical skills … Read more

Commercial tenants usually face a choice between two extremes. A gross lease bundles nearly every property expense into one rent payment, while a net lease piles taxes, insurance, and maintenance on top of the base rent. Many businesses find neither option comfortable. The modified gross lease offers a middle path, splitting expenses between landlord and … Read more

If you are signing a commercial lease for office space, retail space, or an industrial unit, you will run into the phrase CAM charges early in the process. Many tenants learn what are CAM charges only after the first bill arrives, which is the wrong time to figure it out. Common Area Maintenance charges are … Read more