When it's time to hire a property manager to oversee your commercial rental property portfolio, you need and deserve the absolute best for the job. But what exactly are you looking for, what qualities are essential, and what questions must you ask to identify the ideal property manager?  Finding the perfect choice can be complicated, and a hiring process where you don't get the answers you need can be wasted time for all involved. Putting careful thought toward the ideal questions beforehand can ensure you're... read more

Office buildings are as varied and diverse as the people who work within them. To help those who might live, work, manage or invest in a building understand how it compares to others, the industry uses a rating system. The system includes three classes: A, B, and C, and it takes into consideration the features, age, systems, maintenance and amenities in a building. After all, not every office building has a fitness center, and not all depend primarily on fluorescent lighting. In fact, buildings can range from a sta... read more

Force majeure doctrine is something that often appears on commercial real estate leases, but tenants and landlords may quickly disregard it — it's not something we have to lean on typically, and the topic doesn't come up very often. Force majeure clauses in commercial leases are called upon in extraordinary times, when circumstances beyond our control arise and wreak havoc on our ability to follow through on contractual obligations. As tenants and landlords alike begin to eye our current reality and post-COVI... read more

Personal guarantees are common in the construction industry, especially among smaller businesses that need to provide and extra level of protection to companies extending credit to them. In the event that the business defaults on a debt, the guarantor — typically the owner of the business or whoever signed for the credit — would satisfy the debt with their personal assets. For many smaller business owners, it offers an opportunity to tap capital you might not otherwise have access to, and as a result gr... read more

When buying a commercial property, it’s important to know the best way to bring that property into compliance with local zoning ordinances. But how can you know which application you should make? There are so many options, each with its own set of particular considerations, and there’s a lot riding on the decision. After all, you want to be able to use the property in the way you intend. So which application is right for you: conditional use permit (CUP), rezoning or maybe a variance? Let’s examin... read more