Top Tips When Marketing Commercial Real Estate

By Randolph T. Mason, CCIM, SIOR, Managing Partner, Commercial Realty Specialists

Following are some tips to improve the process when leasing and selling commercial real estate space.

1. Have the suite number on the brochure for the property. I recently printed some brochures to quickly go and preview a large office building, and when I got to the building I noticed that the actual office suite number was not on the brochure. While I eventually found the vacant suite, it would have been much easier had the suite number been printed on the brochure beforehand.

2. Have color brochures and sample carpet, paint and baseboard (storyboard) in each vacant suite. It makes it very convenient for a tenant to be able to look at a brochure of the suite, be able to draw and imagine, as well as look at the potential options for carpet, paint and baseboard.

3. If the existing carpet of a vacant suite is trashed, remove it. Nothing looks worse than going into a suite with carpeting that will eventually be changed. Stains, traffic patterns and the like present a very poor first impression.

4. Have the suites listed as vacant on the interior tenant roster, and have suite numbers on the front of the doors. This makes it much more convenient should someone be looking to lease vacant space in the building.

5. Have touring instructions on the marketing brochure to make it easy for the procuring broker. If you have a combination lock box, put the code on the brochure. It just makes it easier for everyone.

The point is to have the property look as presentable as economically feasible and make it as easy as possible for the procuring broker and his client to preview the property.