Leasing Retail Space - Using a Broker

Tenant rep brokers are a great option for your retail space search. Their fee is paid by the landlord in most markets. They are retail space experts. Every day, they work on finding and negotiating agreements regarding retail space. Even if you started the retail space search with an online search service, using a retail tenant rep broker will probably generate the most cost-effective retail space for your business.

If you select a tenant rep broker to help find your retail space, find an expert. Do not hire the person who helped you purchase your house. Retail space tenant rep brokers are full-time experts. It is a very specialized area. You would not even want to utilize the tenant rep broker who helped find office space for your administrative staff.

Use a search engine to identify perhaps 5 or 10 retail tenant rep brokers in your area. Do your initial research by reviewing their website. Are they retail space experts? Call and interview perhaps five to seven by a phone.

Ask about assignments they've recently completed, how many years they've been in the retail space tenant rep business, how much retail space they leased in the prior year, and which retailers they represent in the local market. You may feel comfortable selecting retail space tenant broker after the phone calls. It is certainly helpful to find someone who has helped other retailers in your same line of business. They will have insights which could be meaningful.

Set up meetings with two or three of the tenant rep brokers if you have not chosen one after the first round of phone calls. The objective is to visit more regarding their retail assignments, obtain their thoughts on an appropriate retail space for your business, and determine whether you will feel comfortable working with them.

While you make the final decision when selecting a retail space, you will want to feel confident the retail space tenant rep broker will provide actionable advice.

The compensation arrangement with the tenant rep broker is often not intuitive. In most cases, the tenant rep broker will be paid by the landlord. He has a fiduciary relationship to the landlord. His relationship with the perspective tenant is to provide honest information. Your retail space tenant rep broker will go out of his way to accommodate you and help with the search process. However, remember that his client is the landlord. If you discuss your negotiation strategy or the maximum amount you're willing to pay, the broker has an obligation to provide this information to his client, the landlord.

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