Greg Cooper helps Austin businesses lease office space, negotiate renewals and evaluate relocations. The work starts with how your team uses the office, then compares the full cost, timing and flexibility of each viable alternative.
An office tenant representative advises the business taking space. The assignment can include defining requirements, identifying buildings, coordinating tours and test fits, comparing lease proposals, negotiating business terms and managing the steps toward occupancy. The objective is a workable office commitment with clear costs and responsibilities.
A successful search begins before the first tour. Your current lease, decision deadline, headcount, attendance patterns and capital budget determine which alternatives are realistic. A beautiful suite can still be the wrong choice if it requires a buildout that cannot be completed in time or commits the company to more space than it can use.
Greg approaches the search as a business decision. He helps organize alternatives so your leadership team can compare the same information across properties and understand which concessions improve the transaction and which simply shift costs elsewhere.
Headcount is a starting point, not a complete space program. Consider how many people are present on the busiest day, which roles need enclosed rooms, how often clients visit and whether meetings require dedicated space. Storage, reception, phone rooms, training areas and circulation all consume area even when no employee is assigned to them.
Ask a space planner to test the program against actual floor plans. An efficient rectangular suite may accommodate a team better than a larger suite interrupted by columns, deep interior space or poorly located common areas. A test fit also reveals whether existing improvements can be reused.
Current and expected headcount, with a realistic attendance pattern.
Private offices, workstations, meeting rooms and acoustic needs.
Client visits, accessibility, parking and reception requirements.
IT, security, internet service and after-hours operations.
Preferred locations, budget, occupancy date and expansion needs.
These requirements become screening criteria. Properties that fail an essential operational condition should be eliminated before the team invests time in detailed negotiations.
Usable area describes the space available for the tenant's use under the applicable measurement method. Rentable area generally adds an allocation for shared building areas. The lease and measurement documentation determine the actual calculation. Two suites with equal rentable area can provide different usable layouts.
Rent is often calculated on rentable area, which can include an allocation of shared building space. Usable area describes the space available within the suite. Ask for both measurements and the calculation connecting them. Compare the total annual obligation against the layout the business can actually use, rather than comparing quoted rates alone.
Ask for the measurement standard, stated usable area, stated rentable area and floor plan before comparing proposals. Confirm whether the space program fits inside the usable area rather than assuming that every quoted square foot is available for desks or exam rooms.
An office proposal can be full service, modified gross or triple net. Labels alone do not establish every expense responsibility. Review the actual inclusions, base year, exclusions and reimbursement provisions in each proposal.
Cost item | Question to resolve |
|---|---|
Base rent | What is the rate, area charged and escalation schedule? |
Operating expenses | What is included, estimated, reconciled or passed through? |
Parking | How many spaces are available, reserved and separately charged? |
Buildout | What does the landlord fund, and when is payment available? |
Utilities and service | Are electricity, janitorial and after-hours HVAC included? |
Move and setup | What will furniture, data cabling, signage and relocation cost? |
End-of-term obligations | What must be removed, repaired or restored? |
A larger allowance does not automatically make a proposal cheaper. A longer term, higher face rent or narrower scope of reimbursable work can offset the headline concession. Compare total cash outlay over the same occupancy period, then consider the value of flexibility and timing.
Vacancy and availability describe different aspects of a market. Neither establishes which suites meet your requirements or what a landlord will offer. Build negotiating options from actual properties that fit your layout, timing and budget, then compare written proposals on the same expense basis.
Vacancy and availability are different measures: available space can include space being marketed before a tenant vacates. Neither figure tells you whether a particular building has the right size, layout, move-in date or landlord funding. A search for a small move-in-ready suite can produce a different negotiating position from a search for a large unfinished floor.
Use market information to frame questions, then test them through live alternatives. Ask which suites have remained available, which owners can fund improvements, and which competing proposals remain executable on your timeline.
A renewal can preserve existing improvements and avoid a move. It can also lock in an inefficient layout or an unfavorable expense structure if the tenant does not evaluate alternatives. Start while relocation remains practical so the decision is based on options rather than an approaching deadline.
A relocation can improve team access, client experience or space efficiency. Account for disruption, duplicate rent, furniture changes and the work needed to reopen. Free rent may help with these costs, but its timing and the expenses still payable during the concession matter.
A sublease may offer existing furniture and improvements, but it requires a different review. Remaining term, landlord consent, the underlying lease, the sublandlord's obligations and the ability to remain after expiration all matter. A short commitment is useful only if it fits the company's next decision point.
The letter of intent should record the principal economic and operational terms, including premises, term, rate, increases, parking, allowance, work responsibilities, delivery condition and commencement. Renewal, expansion, assignment and sublease rights deserve attention early because they can be harder to introduce after the parties think the economics are settled.
A tenant improvement allowance is a contribution toward approved work, not a promise that every project cost will be covered. Determine which costs qualify, who controls construction, how overruns are handled and whether reimbursement requires the tenant to pay contractors first. Have the project team establish a scope and estimate before treating the allowance as adequate.
Business negotiation and legal review should work together. Greg coordinates commercial terms with the tenant's legal and project advisers; the executed lease controls the parties' obligations. Important negotiated points should be checked against the lease and work letter rather than assumed to carry over automatically from an earlier discussion.
The critical path often involves approvals, design, contractor pricing, permits, construction, inspection, furniture and technology installation. A landlord's delivery date may differ from the date the business can actually operate. Work backward from the required opening date and assign an owner to each step.
Define requirements, budget and decision authority.
Review the existing lease and key notice dates.
Shortlist properties and compare layouts, access and economics.
Obtain test fits and budget estimates for viable finalists.
Negotiate proposals and coordinate lease review.
Track buildout, delivery and move-in responsibilities.
For a medical or dental practice, add specialty design and operational requirements before selecting a suite.
Downtown, Central Austin and the Domain can serve different commute patterns and client experiences. Northwest and suburban locations may offer different building formats and ownership alternatives. Westlake and southern corridors require their own analysis of access, parking and the location of the people who actually use the office.
Compare two or three viable areas rather than assuming an address has to remain in the same district as the current lease. A small change in location can affect attendance, client convenience and recruiting. Test those trade-offs with your team instead of relying on broad descriptions such as “central” or “easy access.”
Narrow the geography around employee and client needs, then evaluate specific properties. If your business expects a long occupancy period and has capital available, a parallel office purchase analysis can help establish whether leasing remains the better fit.
The most useful starting materials are your current lease and amendments, a floor plan, the target move date, expected headcount and a budget range. If the requirement is still taking shape, start with the operational problem: too little space, too much space, cost uncertainty, a difficult commute or a coming expiration.
Greg can help translate those issues into a search strategy and a comparison framework. The next step is to identify a realistic set of choices and the information needed to make a decision with confidence.
Start early enough to preserve a realistic relocation option before any lease notice deadline. The schedule depends on suite condition, size, buildout and approvals; a construction-heavy relocation needs more lead time than an existing furnished suite.
Yes. A renewal assignment compares the existing commitment with executable alternatives and addresses rent, expenses, improvements, term and flexibility.
Not necessarily. Compare rentable area, operating expenses, parking, improvements, moving costs and the entire term. A low base rate can be offset by costs outside that rate.
Some do and some do not. Confirm whether a proposal is full service, modified gross or triple net, then review its actual inclusions, exclusions and expense adjustments.
Yes. Compare its remaining term, delivery condition, furniture, underlying lease, consent requirements and exit or extension options with direct leases.
Yes. Use the same space requirement and occupancy horizon, then compare rent with acquisition capital, financing, operating costs, repairs and potential sale proceeds.
Tell Greg about the property or space you need, your preferred location and your timing.
Whether you’re evaluating a commercial asset, land opportunity, or development site, the first step is a strategic conversation.
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