Confessions of a Recovering Landlord

Why is it important to talk about how the office reflects the culture of the company? How do you “create” this feeling? What about an open plan where everyone is on a wide-open floor? What if wellness and health are part of your company's core values? Designs in new buildings Other things that impact culture in the office How does all this change with COVID? Learn more about REATA Commercial Realt...

The top 10 list was published by Bisnow but was created by The Counselors of Real Estate. No. 10: Environmental, Social and Governance No. 9: Infrastructure No. 8: Technology and Workflow No. 7: Space Utilization No. 6: The Flow of People No. 5: Affordable Housing No. 4: The Public and Private Debt Bomb No. 3: Capital Markets Disruption No. 2: Economic Renewal No. 1: The Coronavirus – Duh! Learn m...

In today's episode, we interview Charlene Aldridge of Aldridge Kerr & Associates and Tracy Voltin of CoSource, Inc . They have joined forces to offer companies a process for determining how they plan and implement a return to the office.  Tracy Voltin is President of CoSource, Inc. whose primary focus is office space and fit up strategy and implementation. Charlene Aldridge is the Preside...

This week Bob & Jan discuss the various ways that tenants of office buildings are dealing with returning to their offices.  Business as usual Split schedules Some at home, some at the office Office for meetings and conferences only Procedures for cleaning On part 2 next week, we'll interview two experts on processes and procedures to consider once you have decided to definitely re-open th...

Commercial lease credit – What is it? How do you get it? In this episode, Bob & Jan discuss how a landlord underwrites a lease from a credit perspective. Some of the issues/questions they address include: The definition of lease credit. What does that even mean? Is it like a personal credit score? What specifically does a landlord look for when reviewing a tenant’s credit? Examples. The differ...

So you’ve signed a lease and moved in. Will you ever hear from your broker again? What should you expect of your tenant rep after the lease is signed? In this episode, Bob & Jan discuss the following questions: What should a tenant expect from their broker after they move into the space? Does REATA have a special tool or system to handle this? REATA LeaseTrac 5 primary aspects to the REATA Lea...

Your office building may be growing and you don’t even know it. How is that possible? Today’s episode takes a deep dive into rentable square footage and usable square footage. What’s the difference and why should you care?  We discuss lots of questions like: How can a building grow? That sounds ridiculous. Can it be true? Who decides how to measure a building? Leases use the terms rentable SF...

If you need office space, or it’s time to renew your current lease, or you want to consider buying a building, should you use a tenant rep? In this episode we address these questions and plenty more! Why should someone use a tenant rep, and, what exactly does a tenant rep do? Conflicts of interest. How can someone know who represents who in a transaction? Can’t a broker represent both parties to a...

On today’s episode, Bob & Jan talk about rental rates. How much should they be? How to know if you have a good one? What’s with all the different ways they are quoted? The most important question first: how much does it cost to lease office space? Consider factors such as the size of the space, location, quality of building, length of lease, credit of tenant, and lots of other things. Averages...

As companies lay-off employees or close offices, they don’t need all their office space and seek to sublease it. In this episode, we flesh out why someone would want to sublease and the pros and cons of doing so from the perspectives of both the company disposing of its excess space and the company taking over the space. We’ll discuss questions such as: What’s the difference between subleasing and...

Business owners often ask us whether they should consider buying a building instead of continuing to “throw away money” leasing. Today's show answers that question.  The reasons we hear for why people don't buy usually include:  I don’t want to be a landlord, I don’t have the down payment, I want to keep the money in the business where it will earn a higher return, I don’t want to be “st...

What will be the lasting impact of the COVID crisis on office space? Bob and Jan discuss many aspects of this including: Office space configuration Flexibility of office needs Landlord preferences - what will they expect differently Insurance considerations - business interruption and new coverages Rental rates Building operating expenses Parking and commuting This podcast is sponsored by REATA Co...

Exercising a renewal option in a commercial lease is almost always a bad idea. It leaves so many negotiable issues on the table. But there's a better way. Renegotiate. This episode talks about how to go about that.

Bob and Jan discuss what options are available to tenants when negotiating lease extensions, expansions or reductions in a market where rental rates are expected to fall.

In this episode, we explore the ways that landlords are responding to tenants that request rent relief during the COVID-19 crisis.

COVID-19 has brought this week’s topic front and center in many people’s mind. Learn how to approach your landlord if you need rent relief.

When should you get started planning for your lease expiration? What are the initial steps recommended?

Just a quick description of what Confessions of a Recovering Landlord is all about.