If you run or own a business, at some point you will be faced with the question, “Should I buy or lease my property?” Our answer? It depends. In this video, we provide a breakdown of the pros and cons of each option to help you determine what the right choice is for your business.

Employees everywhere have settled into work-from-home routines, making it almost impossible to convince many to forego sweatpants and a commute-free workday. So how exactly does a company with reluctant employees get its workers to return to work? You make the office a place that they WANT to be.

As hybrid work becomes the new standard, the availability of sublease spaces continues to remain high. These spaces present an enticing opportunity for tenants to secure premium-quality office space at a significantly reduced cost. However, it's essential to consider whether subleasing your office space is truly as advantageous as it initially appears.

With ever-changing interest rates and rising inflation, many business owners find themselves grappling with financial stressors and uncertainty. For businesses who own their real estate and are looking to free up valuable balance sheet capital, it may be time to consider a sale-leaseback.

One of the most common questions asked by clients is “How exactly does a tenant representation broker get paid?” Some may be surprised to learn that commission fees are a highly transparent and visible part of a real estate transaction.

In a commercial lease, landlords agree to pay for the maintenance of several standard items, such as the roof, sprinkler system and common areas. Any items not specifically stated as the landlord’s responsibility, however, fall directly onto the tenant. One of these items that can put a significant dent in your overhead costs is the HVAC system.

One of the most common questions we get is, "What is going to happen to Downtown Minneapolis?" While the situation is complex, we can tell you that things ARE happening - and we have reason to be optimistic about the future of this vibrant city.

Since 1915, the most commonly used method of space measurement for commercial leasing has been revised six times, with the process only resulting in larger, not smaller, square footages. And when the overall size of your space is what determines your monthly rent payments, an unexpected increase in leased square footage can have a big impact on your bottom line.

As your company grows operations, you will likely need to expand your real estate footprint beyond the market of your company headquarters. Finding the right commercial real estate broker in another state or even country is crucial to your overall project success. But how do you even begin going about this process?

The tenant relocation clause is the landlord’s right to move your company into a different space within the same building or building campus during your lease term. It’s a common term that is most often used to accommodate a larger tenant’s requirement. And it can have a big impact on your business.

While finding the perfect space for your business is one of the most exciting and impactful times for your business, it is also one of your biggest expenses and comes with many potential pitfalls. While this may seem relatively simple, there are a large variety of different lease formats, and all of these formats have some serious pros and cons for the business owner. It’s important to know which type you are signing because it will impact your ongoing costs significantly.

With a tumultuous 2022 behind us and 2023 underway, the commercial real estate market is poised for a number of changes. But what exactly is in store for the industrial market this upcoming year? Will demand continue to outpace supply? Will rates drop? And how would a recession affect this dynamic market?

How do you find the right commercial real estate broker? This Rokos Minute covers the five questions you should ask yourself when choosing the best broker for your needs.

The office market has no doubt experienced a variety of challenges and changes over the past few years. So, what exactly is the state of the office market at present? Are most employees back in the office? Are rates going up or down? And is there any optimism for future projects to move forward?

With the present state of the office market, tenants continue to hold the upper hand. When renewing a lease with your current landlord, tenants have even more sway and power to land their ideal terms that best fit their overall space plans and financial goals. But how exactly is this accomplished?

Short-term office leases have grown in popularity as more and more business leaders are having less and less clarity about their future space needs. But landlords are often reluctant to sign agreements with tenants for a reduced time, so how exactly do you acquire a short-term lease?

One of the most common questions tenants ask is, “What exactly is the difference between a net lease and a gross lease?” Our answer? The differences are subtle, but each structure can produce different overall rental payment outcomes throughout your lease term.

Many people assume that office rates everywhere are dropping due to the impacts of COVID-19 and remote work. With landlords under pressure, it would make sense that deals would get better for tenants and rates would go down. But is that actually the case?

With the onset of the pandemic and the subsequent surge in e-commerce, the industrial market went from slow and steady to altogether booming. But is industrial demand still high? And how is that affecting how the market is evolving as a whole?

In today’s world, people everywhere have embraced remote work – and many of them don’t want to give up the flexibility it provides. But switching to a fully remote work style can be damaging to your company’s culture and success.

All business needs ebb and flow over time, and the amount of square footage your business requires is no exception. If you happen to find that your business is long on square footage, there are at least four great ways to try to eliminate extra space and some of the associated costs.

There are plenty of potential pitfalls within a lease agreement, making it incredibly important that you do your due diligence when negotiating a new lease. But what exactly are those key items you need to analyze and review closely before signing on the dotted line?

Over the past several years, the healthcare real estate market has been heavily influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. The market has continued to overcome challenges and adapt during these unique times. But what exactly is happening in this market?

When interest rates go up, property values tend to decline. In a matter of months, the Fed has increased rates from 0.25% to 2.5% - and it’s anticipated that they will climb even higher. So, what does that mean for real estate investors?

When signing a new lease, having the option to sublease unneeded space in the future is an important tenant right to have. Unfortunately, if you aren’t careful, the sublease portion of your lease may not be set up to benefit you.

A renewal option is a crucial right to have in your lease. It gives your business the option to extend its lease beyond its initial term if your current space is still working for your business. But what exactly should be included in the renewal option clause?

Since the onset of the pandemic, industrial users have been fighting to find space in a highly competitive market, causing rents to skyrocket and space to be in short supply. In this Rokos Minute, we cover why many are predicting that rates will continue to climb and why demand will stay high.

Commercial real estate investing has long been viewed as an exciting alternative investment but, for many, appeared to be too complex and only for the ultra-wealthy. So what exactly does it take to invest? What is the process and is it a quick one? It may not be as complex as you think.

In today’s complex and challenging office leasing market, many landlords are bolstering tenant improvement allowances, commonly referred to as TI's, to attract businesses to their buildings. But what exactly is a tenant improvement allowance, and how can it benefit your company?

In this Rokos Minute, we’re breaking down the top four things companies should consider in order to create a successful hybrid workplace. These are: people, technology, collaboration, and amenities.

As we finally turn a corner with COVID, activity in the office market is accelerating as companies seek high-quality space, and the industrial market continues to boom.

Expansion options allow a tenant to have preferential rights to expand within their current building. There are three common types of these lease clauses, and all have distinct advantages as well as some aspects to be wary of.

The Great Resignation is a trend that began in early 2021 where a record-breaking number of employees began quitting their jobs. This wave of resignations has left businesses wondering what to do with their office space. To properly evaluate your real estate needs, it’s important to address three major topics.

There are several key differences between a standard office lease and a lease for a healthcare user. Although the overall leasing process for medical facilities is similar to other commercial leases, the specific clauses needing to be addressed and negotiated within healthcare lease agreements are highly specialized and specific to the healthcare industry.

Throughout the pandemic, the suburbs have seen the most leasing activity in the Twin Cities, and the West Office Market, located along the I-394 corridor, has continued to be a clear leader.

Understanding the difference between usable square footage and rentable square footage is important when it comes to signing your lease. Knowing the difference between these two terms will help you fully understand your space and the rent you will pay on it.

Over the past year, the Minneapolis-St. Paul market has faced the same challenges that all markets have faced as companies continue to navigate through various work from home policies. Despite these challenges, the Southwest office market has proven to be one of the strongest submarkets in the Twin Cities.

Cost is still the primary driving issue for law firms as they face mounting competition on the price clients pay for legal services. This means firms continue to look to real estate and the workplace for efficiencies and savings.

The onset of COVID-19 turned industrial product into one of the hottest assets in commercial real estate as markets have seen low vacancy rates, increased rent growth, and a need for new product.

What is a 1031 exchange and how could it benefit you? The 1031 exchange strategy allows you to defer paying capital gain taxes when selling a property. Instead, you can reinvest those proceeds into another property.

The North Loop has proven to be one of the strongest submarkets in the Twin Cities. Despite a challenging year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this Minneapolis neighborhood has continued to thrive.

Downtown Minneapolis has experienced a variety of challenges over the past year, leaving people wondering if it will ever return to normal. Although there is no definitive answer, movement seems to be trending in a positive direction.

Movement in the industrial real estate sector has skyrocketed over the past year largely due to the increase in e-commerce during the pandemic. But is the growth we saw during COVID a misleading indicator of future market movement?

The ways companies are utilizing office space has evolved since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. With people being home more and advancements in technology over the past year, remote work has become the new norm. In this Rokos Minute, you’ll learn about the four types of office models we are commonly discussing with our clients.

In the post COVID-19 world, tenants are looking for flexibility when it comes to committing to office space, forcing landlords to find creative ways to work with businesses on their leases or lease renewals.

Today’s topic is about helping start-up companies understand their office leasing options. When looking for new space, most start-up companies initially decide between coworking spaces or their own dedicated office.

In the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on healthcare delivery. Today we discuss the top healthcare trends impacting real estate.

Phased occupancy is a flexible growth strategy for a business to pay for and occupy only a portion of their square footage while gradually growing into their full space.

One effective way for companies to eliminate the risk of rising construction costs for their office buildout is to consider a spec suite. In this Rokos Minute, you’ll learn about spec suites and why this move-in ready solution is being embraced by more and more landlords and tenants alike.

Another effective mid-lease strategy are Lease Termination Options. These are options that are pre-negotiated at the time when a company initially signs a lease which allows the company to terminate their lease early.

Our next Mid-Lease Strategies topic is subleasing. We've seen a surge in sublease on the market during the pandemic, but here's what to know about subleasing your space before you start marketing it.

What can you do if you want out of your lease obligation? Try a lease buyout. A Lease Buyout is when you pay a pre-negotiated sum of money to buy out of your lease obligation prior to the lease-end.

Rent Deferment. What is it and how do you ask for it? In this week's Rokos Minute, we explain what rent deferment really means and how businesses can tactfully ask for short-term rent relief from their landlords. This is the second video in our mini-series on Mid-Lease Strategies.

Our first episode is the first topic in our mini series on Mid-Lease Strategies: Downsizing. What does it mean and how might you go about it?