The Commercial Alliance of REALTORS is pleased to welcome two new Affiliate members, with ATC Group Services, LLC. Welcome, Jesse Veenkant and Adam Wrubel, to the membership.
Archives for 2018
Setting Realistic Expectations
by: Chris R. Prins, NAI Wisinski of West Michigan
As commercial real estate professionals, it is imperative that we properly set our clients’ expectations. With the current market being so restricted in terms of vacant space and available buildings, it is even more important that our clients have realistic expectations. A client who is willing and able to wait for the perfect space would be given much different advice than one who needs the space yesterday. For the sake of this article, I am assuming the client needs to occupy new space soon. I am also speaking specifically with the industrial market in mind, but the concepts should also fit for other product types as well.
Since the amount of available vacant space is so limited, the two primary objectives a prospective tenant or owner-occupant need to keep in mind are compromise and creativity.
Compromise- If a company needs to change or add locations soon, it is highly likely that the perfect space in the perfect location at the perfect price simply doesn’t exist. For example, a company looking to locate within a mile of US 131 might need to expand that radius to within three or even five miles of US 131. Much of the vacant space in our market is new construction. Typically, the price to lease a new building is higher than an existing building, so the client may need to be willing to compromise on the price. Some of this increased cost can by offset by lower utility costs due to better insulation and more efficient mechanical systems, both of which you would likely find in a new building.
Creativity- Location and price aren’t the only areas where the client may have to compromise. The other could be with the physical attributes of the space or property. This is where the creative minds of a broker, architect, or engineer could be the key component to getting a deal done. Maybe the ceiling heights are a little lower than desired, or the office layout isn’t exactly what the client had in mind. Maybe the manufacturing area is cut up into a few sections rather than being a wide-open space. Or, maybe there isn’t enough parking onsite. Rather than walking through a building and immediately saying, “this won’t work”, it is better to ask, “is there a way to make this work?” Or better yet, “how can we make this work?” Look into the possibility of moving or removing interior walls. Is there additional parking that can be leased at an adjacent property. Maybe a loading dock or drive-in door can be added.
Location, price and space won’t always align with our client’s needs. Setting realistic expectations upfront in the process is vital. Thinking creatively and researching options for our clients will create more work and require consistent communication. However, these are critical components to serving our clients and are some of the most important ways that brokers can add value, especially in our current market.
CAR CARES CAMPAIGN RAISES FUNDS FOR EQUEST CENTER
The Commercial Alliance of REALTORS CAR CARES CAMPAIGN has raised over $28,000 for The Equest Center For Therapeutic Riding. Contributions will be used to purchase horses that can easily carry adult riders, and will help with other costs associated with the riding center.
Thank you to these members who contributed to the campaign:
Matt Abraham |
Adams & Associates |
Gary Albrecht |
Rod Alderink |
Jeff Ammon |
Erin Anderson |
Jonathan Anderson |
Mark Ansara |
Chris Atwater |
Mark Baker |
MB |
Marvin Belk |
Bryan Bench |
Russ Bono |
Dave Borak |
Cathy Bottema |
Bill Bowling |
Larry Branscombe |
Brad Bruinsma |
Wally Bulkowski |
Marcel Burgler |
Bill Bussey |
Doug Butterworth |
Michael Cagen |
Earl Clements |
Tom Coleman |
colliers Agents |
Colliers Fund – GR community Foundation |
Colliers Match |
Pamela Collins |
Chip Cummings |
Dane Davis |
Tom DeBoer |
Steve Delanoy |
Dave Denton |
Kris DePree |
Doris Drain |
Sarah Ebels |
Ed DeVries Properties |
Jim Edewaard |
Tom Elhart |
Anne Ficeli |
Mark Finkelstein |
Eric Finnigan |
Ed Foltice |
Chelsey Foster |
John Francis |
Gable Ventures |
Genzink Appraisal |
Arnold Grover |
Max Grover |
Kim Hain |
Jeff Hainer |
Ty Hallock |
Olga Hallstedt |
Ben Hammond |
Janelle Hill |
Fran Hopper |
Erin Hurst |
Kelly Hutchings |
Pam Johnson |
Diane Karns |
Tom Kilgore |
Stu Kingma |
Ray Kisor |
Kevin Kossen |
Tom Koster |
John Kuiper |
Kurt Kunst |
Mary Labinski |
Kevin Larr |
Kevin Lipke |
Bill Lokers |
Bob Lotzar |
Jason Makowski |
Jim Manning |
Steve Marcusse |
Frank Marshall |
Adam McMillan |
John Meyer |
Deb Middleton |
Jodi Milks |
Drew Miller |
Lisa Miller |
Michelle Mixon |
Kristen Moore |
Chris Muller |
Mike Murray |
Lynn Munson |
NAI Match |
Nederveld |
Drew Nelson |
Paula Nichols |
Rose Nienhaus |
Scott Nurski |
Laura Olee |
John Oppenhuizen |
Brian Page |
Susan Pastoor |
Tony Pearson |
Ben Pitcher |
Tim Platt |
Jon Potvin |
Chris Prins |
REMS Team – Colliers |
Todd Roesler |
Bob Schautz |
Jayne Schoenborn |
Jeff Schreur |
Kara Schroer |
Jacob Siegwald |
Callie Simon |
Kyle Sischo |
Elizabeth Slane |
Casey Smith |
Doug Snyder |
Eric Starck |
Sally Steenwyk |
Fred Steiner |
Jamie Stiles |
Sun Title |
Duke Suwyn |
Gene Szpeinski |
Doug Taatjes |
Hillary Taatjes Woznick |
Doug Todd |
Jeff Tucker |
Sally Tucker |
Bill Tyson |
Jeremy Veenstra |
Shari Veldman |
Chad Versluis |
Jason Webb |
Lane Wells |
David Wiener |
Stan Wisinski |
Mary Anne Wisinski Rosely |
Ben Wrigley |
Ann Yarnel |
Dan Yeomans – Amicus |
Welcome, New REALTOR Members
The Commercial Alliance of REALTORS is pleased to welcome Matt Hoekzema, First Companies, and Joe Kolderman, Kolderman Realty, to the membership.