I’ve had the opportunity to perform office selection and relocation a number of times in my career and I wanted to give the tech community some quick and dirty lessons when considering new office space.

#1 – Direct vs. Sublease
Before committing your company to 5+ year lease you might want to consider subleasing from an existing company that is downsizing. In this market cash conscious startups can easily negotiate short and long-term subleases. Remember shorter is better and allows for greater flexibility and potentially an easier exit should you become acquired.

#2 – Hire a Tenant Broker, Not a Commercial Real Estate Agent
I know that everyone has a friend that is in the business, but remember you need an advocate. Tenant Brokers do not offer their services to Building Owners so they are free to aggressively negotiate on your behalf.

#3 – Whenever Possible Create Pocket Space
Creating a pocket space allows you to grow into your new office without paying for the full office footprint up front. Can you set aside 500/1000/2000 sq ft for future growth? If so, add it to the lease.

#4 – Controlling Costs During Build Out
Assign a high performing individual to manage vendors and change requests. Make this person responsible for managing the day-to-day decisions that arise as you complete your build out. Think about it, every little change request can add up to a bunch of dollars quickly.

#5 – Do Not Create Specialized Offices or Spaces for Individual Contributors
The fact is your workforce changes over time, your office space generally does not unless you are willing to cough up money for tenant improvements as your needs change. Keep your office flexible and the ability to scale as you add more employees.

#6 – Termination Clauses
Planning on being acquired before your lease runs out? Are you afraid you will grow out of the space the building provided? See if you can be given the first right of refusal on adjacent space, or spaces within the building. If they cannot accommodate your growth then add that to the termination clause.

#7 – Commuting & Service Friendly
Is this location commuter friendly? Can your employees easily access basic services including great coffee shops and lunch places? Does your space have a kitchen and fridge? Your talent does care where you are located and basic amenities.

#8 – Employee Safety
As the employer you need to think carefully about a building’s location and parking facilities and their safety. Not everyone is the same, but consider what it might be like for one of your employees to be leaving the office at 9pm – will your employees feel safe?