Category Archives: Rent

Lets Get Real (Estate)

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My friend Justin Bedecarre of 42 Floors reached out to me recently with such a simple request. “Ashley, can you write a short little blog about how to lease office space?” his request read. Given that I’ve done this exercise a few times in my 18-year career, I thought it would be simple to write about how to lease office space. But when you actually think about the process of securing the company’s next lease, there is A LOT that goes into a significant real estate decision (and are there any insignificant ones)? Also, if you Google “leasing process” you’ll find some pretty dull [...]

Curb Your Enthusiasm

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"I learned that IHOP is not the place to order fish" - Larry David

Uh oh. I just read the latest Cushman & Wakefield US office market report and I think we got a little ahead of ourselves in calling the real estate depression of the last five years completely over. So, apparently, did landlords who are trying to float major increases in asking rents. I’m a positive guy, and I’m positive that landlords have unrealistic pricing expectations in some US markets as they attempt to score rate increases. The industry’s prognosticators (including yours truly) forecasted that a swing back to a landlord-favored market was under way.  After almost five years of beating on [...]

Ranch Dressing

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Ah, the economic malaise continues. This New York Times article (Fed Divisions Led to a Compromise on Interest Rates) starts with a pulse quickening statement: "No one knows what to do to fix the economy." With the certainty of uncertainty continuing to be a daily   media subject, interest rates are trending near all time lows. Yes, one day, Ethel, it will be ok. The cycle will turn and joblessness will no longer be the headline de jour. But with all the fun in the economy,  there's an unintended consequence of this "condition" we are in: bad real estate deals still have life [...]

Back to School! – Top Eleven Things to put in your CRE backpack

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So my wife made the annual Pilgrimage to check off the supply list and make sure we have our own personal office supply store at home (God bless her). The children had a great time with the whole process. I can remember the time as a kid myself; the combination of excitement and trepidation as you faced the   new school year. You miss the long lazy summers, but there is something fun about a challenge and meeting new friends. I don’t think I realized it then, but every kid, just like every executive feels the same emotions at the [...]

DeTERMination

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By Ken Ashley (ATLANTA) March 7th, 2011 No matter what market conditions are, we frequently get questions about what is “fair” for a term or length of lease commitment. If corporate users could get landlords to commit to a scenario where they could unilaterally terminate every year, every month or even every day, then that would be just dandy. Wouldn’t that flexibility make the corporate real estate game easy? This would be the equivalent of writing in pencil; you could erase your mistakes and start over. As a corporate officer or real estate director, you know well that the more [...]

Can We Talk?

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By Ken Ashley (ATLANTA) January 21, 2010 The words make your heart beat, don’t they? Whether from a coworker, friend or spouse, when someone asks for time to communicate seriously, you pay attention. But in the tenant and landlord relationship how do you have a serious conversation? Like most everything this is governed by the lease. Many miss some subtle but very important communications tools in the so called “Notices” section of the lease. It all seems so, well, so standard and boring. But stick with me as we share a few important tips on the lease communication front. Men [...]