Southcreek News

Southcreek News

Checklist of Conditions for Your Office Rental Space in Kansas City Lease: Part I

It is important to closely go over every word of your lease before you sign it, and it would be especially helpful to have a checklist in mind of some information that you want included in the lease.  Here are some suggestions for what the lease should at contain, at minimum:

  • The name and contact information of the landlord or the name of the company that is representing the landlord.  If there are problems down the line, who you are making the agreement with will affect your legal remedies.
  • Name of the person or company acquiring the space (you).  Remember that if the lease is in your name, you will be the one who is personally responsible for the terms of the lease.
  • The start date and length of the lease.  A word to the wise: if possible, do not sign a five year lease!
  • The cost of the deposit the lease requires and whether or not it is refundable.  Will the landlord insist that you pay painting or cleaning fees when you leave?  How much might these cost?

Check back to later posts for more items you might want to include on your checklist before signing your lease!  Going over these things carefully before finalizing the agreement could save you from dealing with issues down the road.

Looking for commercial space for lease in Overland Park?  Give us a call at 913-685-4100 and let us help you find the office rental space in Overland Park that is perfect for your business!

Purple Stride Run at Southcreek Office Park

Be a part of raising money to end pancreatic cancer by registering for Purple Stride Kansas City 2013, a timed 5K run and walk!  The event will also include music, children’s activities, refreshments, the ShopPurple Store, awards, and more.  Start training, grab your purple, and get ready to run for a good cause!  Here is some more information about the event:

Date: Saturday, April 20, 2013
Location:  Southcreek Office Park 7200 West 132nd Street
Event Schedule:
Registration Opens: 7:30 a.m.
Opening Ceremonies: 8:30 a.m.
5K Begins: 9:00 a.m.
Closing Ceremonies: 10:30 a.m.

You can pick a timed race, run for fun, or enjoy the family-friendly 5K walk.  Visit the website to get more information about registering (http://www.kintera.org/faf/home/ccp.asp?ievent=1051586&ccp=634642) online, by phone, by mail, or on the race day.  You can form a team and do some fundraising, as well as look into opportunities to honor a loved one who has struggled with cancer.  If running is not your thing but you would still like to support the event, look into volunteer or donation opportunities!

If you are interested in finding commercial space for rent in Overland Park (https://www.southcreekofficepark.com/office-space/rental-space-available/suites-1500-to-2000-square-feet/), give a commercial real estate broker in Overland Park (http://www.ddicommercial.com/our-agents/) a call at 913-685-4100 and let us tell you about Southcreek’s many and varied available spaces!

Easter Egg 5K and Lil’ Bunny Fun Run Near Southcreek Office Park

Bring the whole family over to Southcreek Office Park this Easter weekend for the 2nd annual Easter Egg 5K and Lil’ Bunny Fun Run.  This fun family activity will feature a beautiful running course (and hopefully beautiful spring weather!), as well as a visit from the Easter bunny, face painting for the kids, event t-shirts, food and drink after the race, and medals for all participants plus age group and overall awards.  If you’re worried that the little ones can’t keep up, sign them up for the Lil’ Bunny Fun Run for kids 8 and under!  The run will be 50-200 yards depending on the age of the child and will also include entry into the Easter egg hunt!  A portion of the proceeds from these events will go to Marillac.  Here is some more information on the event:

Date: Saturday, March 30, 2013
Time: 8:00am
Location: South Creek Office Park 7200 West 132nd Street Overland Park, KS
Packet Pick up:
Friday, March 29, 2013: 2-6pm at Garry Gribbles at 119th and Quivira
Saturday, March 30, 2013 – 6:30-8:00a.m.
Race day registration and packet pickup at the race site.

Check out the website for more information about registration costs, event details, and the work that Marillac does for children with learning disabilities and their families!

Give a commercial real estate broker in Kansas City a call today at 913-685-4100 if you are looking for commercial space for lease in Kansas City!

Four Steps to Take Before Signing an Office Space Lease in Overland Park

Think you are ready to sign your lease?  STOP and make sure you take a few important steps before finalizing the deal!

Step 1: Read and Understand Your Lease
Be sure you take the time to read every word of your commercial lease.  If there is a term in the lease that you do not understand, ask for a lawyer or a knowledgeable and disinterested party to clarify it for you.  Do not rely on a landlord or listing agent to explain the lease to you, because they could be misleading you intentionally, or might not fully understand the content of the lease themselves.

Step 2: Perform a Walk-Through
Do a “walk-through” of the property before you officially lease it.  You will want to note anything that is wrong that the landlord should upgrade or repair, taking photographs of any existing damage so that you will not be accused of causing it and have to pay at the end of your lease.

Step 3: Make Sure Repairs are Done Before Move-In
If any work does need to be done on the property, make sure the landlord gets it done before you sign the lease.  If work has to be done after you move in, make sure the lease details the completion times for this work.  Otherwise, you have only promises from the landlord and could potentially find yourself unable to use the space for weeks at a time because of construction.

Step 4: Make a Checklist
Make a checklist of the information you absolutely want to see in a lease and make certain that it is included.  Check back for another post with suggestions for what should be on this checklist!

Following these basic steps could save your company money and hassle in the long run!

If you are wondering about office lease rates in Kansas City, give a DDI commercial real estate broker in Kansas City a call at 913-685-4100!

Types of Commercial Realty in Overland Park Leases

There are several different types of commercial real estate leases, which are used in different contexts and involve different types of rent.  These types of commercial leases can be overlapping.  The category distinctions are not as important as paying attention to how the rents and other fees are calculated for each type of lease.  Here is a list of different types of leases with a little information about each:

  1. Percentage Lease – base rent + percentage of monthly sales.  This type of lease is most often used in retail businesses or malls.
  2. Net Lease – in addition to rent, tenants pay part of or all of the insurance, taxes, or maintenance costs.  This is often used in any commercial lease, and it usually favors the landlord’s interests.
  3. Double Net Lease – rent + taxes and insurance.  This is also most commonly used in any commercial lease and usually favors the interests of the landlord.
  4. Triple Net Lease – rent + taxes, maintenance, AND insurance.  This can be used in any commercial lease and typically favors the landlord’s interests.
  5. Fully Serviced Lease (Gross Lease) – landlord pays most or all of the usual costs, which are often passed on to the tenant in their rent in the form of a “Load Factor.”

Be sure to know what kind of lease you are being offered and what that will mean for your rent!

If you are looking into executive office rental in Overland Park, give a Southcreek commercial real estate broker in Overland Park a call at 913-685-4100 to find out about our available office spaces for lease!

Schlitterbahn Waterpark Discount for Southcreek Office Park Tenants

If the frigid weather is getting you down, start planning for warmer months by purchasing your discounted season pass to Schlitterbahn Kansas City Waterpark!   Get excited to lounge in the Kristal River, bring the little ones to Kinderhaven, or speed down the Bahnzai Pipeline!  Schlitterbahn offers amazing rides and epic rivers…and Southcreek Office Park tenants can get discounts on both All-Day Admission Tickets and Season Passes!  Here are the steps for taking advantage of this special online offer and getting 25% off on All-Day Admission Tickets and 12% off on Season Passes:

  1. Visit Schlitterbahn.com and click on Kansas City.
  2. Click on GET TICKETS and select Admission Tickets or Season Passes.
  3. Enter the Promo Code: ddirs13.

2013 Schlitterbahn Discount

Note: this offer is only available for online purchase of tickets and not at the park entrance. In addition to this great discount, Schlitterbahn also offers free parking, provides free lifejacket and tube usage, and welcomes patrons to bring their own picnics inside the park.

Give yourself something to look forward to during these cold months by planning a waterpark day (or summer!) and getting your tickets now!

If you are interested in becoming a tenant of Southcreek Office Park, give a commercial real estate broker in Overland Park a call at 913-685-4100 and talk to us about some of our available commercial space for rent in Overland Park!

Types of Commercial Realty in Kansas City

Commercial real estate is land, facilities, or property that is set aside for business purposes and usually cannot be used as residences.  There are several different types of commercial property; here are a few common ones besides traditional high-rise and low rise office buildings:

  • Business Parks – This type of space is most commonly leased by service professionals such as doctors.  A business park is a handful of buildings intended for general use business purposes as well as light industrial use.  Usually these parks offer cheaper rent than retail spaces and are similar in price to industrial parks.
  • Industrial Parks – This type of commercial real estate is comprised of buildings divided into units that are usually warehouses or big, unfinished spaces.  These parks are typically zoned for heavy-industrial use, such as manufacturing.  However, they can also be used for other types of businesses and sometimes have store-front window exposure.  Small retail businesses that are just getting started have started to pursue these spaces because they are usually cheaper than other types of commercial properties and are often extremely similar to buildings from business parks, with the exception of large, garage-style doors.
  • Commercial Retail Property – This type of property includes facilities made for store-front types of businesses and includes malls and strip malls.  Many of these retail business owners lease property in business or industrial parks in addition to their commercial retail property.

When you consider these different commercial property options, two factors that might help you narrow your search are location and type of lease being offered, as well as what kind of business you intend to do in the space.

Looking at office suites for rent in Kansas City?  Give a commercial real estate broker in Kansas City a call at 913-685-4100 to find out about Southcreek Office Park rental property!

Vocabulary to Know When Leasing Kansas City Office Space

One way to be a sharp office space hunter and a savvy lease negotiator is to know the terms associated with this process.  Knowing the names of the different types of rents and fees or different types of spaces and services can help you pinpoint exactly what you are looking for in a commercial space and be able to articulate that to landlords.  Here are a few terms to know:

Hot Building: A building that has more than one Wi-Fi hub, versus having just a single hot spot area of the building.  Because of today’s increased need for wireless technology, a lot of new buildings are being designed as “Hot Buildings” in order to draw in larger businesses and new tenants.

Additional Rent: Costs that a tenant might have to pay for items besides usable square footage or other regular rent costs, such as HVAC, Common Area Maintenance (CAM fees), after-hours services, percentage rent, or any other expenses that are not covered by base rent.

Shadow Market: Vacancies on the commercial space market that are technically “unseen” or “unofficial” spaces that are available because of subleasing and/or extra space that a company has leased but is not actually using.

Knowing about random terms like these before you begin searching and negotiating could help ensure that your business gets exactly what it is looking for in a commercial lease!

Want to talk more about commercial MLS listings in Kansas City and how to start looking for your business’s perfect office space in Kansas City?  Give us a call today at 913-685-4100!

Red Flags for an Office Space Lease in Overland Park: Part III

If you are not completely sure of what every term in your lease means, you still have more work to do before you sign.  It is important to understand what you are getting yourself into, because misunderstandings in your lease could prove costly to your business down the road.  Research or seek clarification from an attorney if you have questions about what some of the terms in your lease mean.  Here are a few final leasing “red flags” —bad news leasing terms that you should be watching out for:

  • Triple Net Leases – In a Triple Net Lease, a tenant is required not only to pay for rent, but also for the landlord’s taxes, insurance, and maintenance fees.  Triple Net Leases always favor the landlord.
  • Vague or Unrestricted Fees:  Sometimes landlords might try to make tenants responsible for the direct expenses of large common area maintenance (CAM) and repairs.  It might be wise to make sure that any CAM fees you need to pay are specifically addressed in your lease.  Tenants should not have to pay “unanticipated” increases in expenses or “occasional” expenses, such as major renovations or repairs (i.e. a collapsed roof), a landlord’s unexpected tax bill, landlord or property management staff salaries, or contractor fees.

Knowing what kind of problem terms to look for in a lease is a good step towards ensuring that your business will not run into any lease issues during the duration of your time in a space.

If you would like to learn more about available commercial space for rent in Overland Park, give a DDI Commercial real estate broker in Overland Park a call at 913-685-4100!

Red Flags for an Office Space Lease in Overland Park: Part II

Before you sign a lease, you need to make sure that there are not any bad terms in the lease that could come back to hurt your business.  If you are unsure of what anything in your lease really means, consulting a lawyer might be a good option, but here are a few more major “red flags” to be aware of as you review the lease on your own:

  • Unclear Renewal Clauses or No Renewal Option – Unless you are absolutely sure that you only want a space for a short period of time, you will want to avoid signing a lease that does not give you any option to renew.  A lease with a renewal option should clearly address the length of your renewal term and the exact rate of rent increase you will have to pay.
  • Oral Transactions – Do not make an agreement based off a landlord’s “you can trust me.”  You will want to get all of the terms of your lease in writing to protect both you and your landlord.  If a landlord tells you that they always fix things, but does not want to put it in writing, you run a huge risk of things not getting fixed to your satisfaction—and the same goes for renewal terms.  Any future promises should be spelled out in the original lease.  Remember that this is a business transaction, and a good businessperson will understand that things need to be put properly in writing.

Keeping an eye out for these and a few other red flags could save your business from dealing with some major issues later on in your lease.

Want to tour a Southcreek office building in Overland Park?  Give a commercial real estate broker in Overland Park a call at 913-685-4100 and we will set it up!