Tenant & Owner Representation

We sit on both sides of the table, though never the same one at the same time. Owners hire us to fill space on terms that hold up over a decade. Tenants hire us to find the right space and not overpay for it.

How we represent tenants

If you are a business looking for space in Minneapolis or St. Paul, we will tell you what a suite is actually worth, what concessions are available in the current market, and which buildings will be a problem to occupy once the lease is signed. Our fee typically comes from the listing side, which means the advice costs you nothing and you get it before you are committed.

Landlord representation

As a landlord, you need the space filled, but not at any price. We market it, qualify the prospects and negotiate terms that protect long-term value rather than simply ending a vacancy. A weak tenant on a bad lease costs an owner far more than three additional months of empty space.

What representation covers

• Requirements definition and market survey
• Site tours, shortlisting and comparison analysis
• Rent, escalation and concession negotiation
• Lease review alongside your attorney
• Build-out allowance and delivery condition terms
• Renewal, expansion and early termination negotiation

A note on representing both sides

We disclose the relationship at the outset, every time. Representing both parties in the same transaction is not something we do, and if a conflict emerges mid-process we will say so and step back from one side.

Commercial real estate tenant representation

Commercial real estate tenant representation means one thing: somebody at the table whose interest is yours. Landlords have represented themselves for decades and are very good at it. A tenant negotiating alone is usually comparing asking rents when they should be comparing effective rents, and agreeing to language on assignment, holdover and restoration that costs them years later. A tenant rep is generally paid by the landlord out of the listing commission, which surprises most people who assume representation is an added cost.

Site selection services

Site selection services start before any building is toured. What are the hours, the parking demand, the delivery pattern, the customer catchment, the power and ventilation requirements? Space that fails on any of those is not a candidate, however good the rent looks. We narrow the market to a real shortlist first, so that tours are decisions rather than education.

Commercial lease negotiation

Commercial lease negotiation is where value is created or lost. Base rent gets the attention. The terms that decide what a lease is worth over ten years are the escalation schedule, the operating expense structure and its caps, the renewal and expansion options, who restores the space at the end, and what happens if the building changes hands. We negotiate all of it, on either side of the table.

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