Commercial real estate trends in the third quarter of 2011 suggest an improving U.S. economy is beginning to make itself felt in Canada, consulting firm Cushman and Wakefield said. The company's real estate vacancy report showed office buildings in Canadian suburban areas—favored by U....
Q My tenant operates a restaurant in the space I rent to it. The lease for the space is nearing its end, and the tenant plans to move out instead of renewing the lease. The tenant is claiming that lighting fixtures and a liquor bar that are built into...
Q I signed a short-term lease with a “merger” clause for retail space in my strip mall. The tenant's business was profitable there, and about halfway through the short-term lease, the tenant and I discussed the possibility of extending...
CoStar Group Inc. recently released its list of the top 50 biggest commercial lease deals by size in the New York metro area for the first two quarters of 2011. The list revealed that the Top 5 deals finalized in the first six months total an astonishing 4.3 million square feet. This trumps the...
Before you sign a lease, have a local attorney review it. Since real estate laws aren't uniform among the 50 states, it's important to consult an attorney who can practice in the state whose laws will apply to the lease. Otherwise, you risk getting burned by unfamiliar state laws—...
If your lease requires the tenant to give you proof that it has the necessary insurance policies, don't accept the tenant's proof by fax. That's because it's easy for an unscrupulous tenant to “create” the required proof by cutting and pasting documents together, then...
Don't agree in the lease to maintain your building at the same level as other “comparable” buildings or centers in your area. Instead, specify these buildings or centers by name and address. Otherwise, if the tenant claims that your building isn't being maintained adequately...
We are seeing an increase in cases in which building owners that have not previously leased space to the government find themselves landlords to federal government tenants, either by acquiring a foreclosure property with a government...
Consumer electronics are the bigger-ticket bellwethers of the holiday season. But this year, TVs and DVD players are likely to lose ground to newer, smaller—yet just as pricey—electronic devices.
Many retailers posted solid sales during the kickoff to the back-to-school season as deep discounts and sweltering heat in July drove shoppers to air-conditioned malls. Back-to school shopping trends are an opportunity for retailers to gain insight into consumers' shopping habits heading...
Traditionally, renting space to kiosks—small, independent stands that sell merchandise—has been a low-maintenance and relatively hassle-free way of supplementing shopping center profits—if it's done correctly. And, for the last two seasons, pop-up tenants—temporary...
Back-to-school sales and traffic have historically served as a key indicator for the winter holiday shopping season for retailers. This year, retailers can expect bitter and sweet news: Retail industry experts project that back-to-school shoppers will spend more than last year, but make fewer...
