Chicago is the third largest city in the United States, which means there is a deep pool of potential medical spaces to fit just about any practice. Prior to beginning the search for new space, many of our health care clients are interested to know what exactly is involved in the process. Through our experience we’ve assembled a list of the most important steps involved along with tips and tricks we think will help these doctors.

Timeline

Aim for a minimum of nine months before you’re ready to lease or purchase a space. Keep in mind that at least six months worth of time is essential to account for site selection, business term negotiations, attorney review, architectural design, permitting and any interior construction or design work to fit your specific medical office needs. 

The Search

A tenant representative will start with a survey of the market to deliver relevant property options that fit your specifications in terms of a budget, location, type, size and quality of a space.

In addition to the standard software that all CRE firms use, Tenant Advisory Group has established a network of resources to efficiently uncover both newly on- and off-market listings that will increase the quality of your search.

Assuming a budget of a certain amount per month, desired medical office size, building class and neighborhood proximity to transportation are all variables that can be adjusted to stay within your means.

After you’ve selected a list of properties of interest, a tenant representative will organize tours of all potential buildings, helping to guide you through considering all the logistical factors involved with each space.

One great way to get the most out of your dollar is to consider reducing both the number of private offices and reducing the size of the exam rooms to reduce the square foot per capita. However, if individual offices and larger exam rooms work better for your type of practice, and you are not looking to compromise on size, then shifting from a Class A to a Class B building can still maintain relative quality building finishes with amenities while substantially reducing rental rates.

Business Term Negotiations

Once the list is narrowed down to a handful of properties that seem like a potential fit, the next step is to submit RFPs that seek to achieve all of your goals, both financial and in terms of space quality and layout.

Even if you’ve chosen one property for your top choice, seeking proposals from multiple properties will provide you with market comparables to facilitate more negotiating leverage.

In addition to appropriate rental rates, a tenant representative broker will understand terms and be an advocate for you to achieve fair market concession packages such as rent abatement; tenant improvement allowances; escalations; securitizations; rights to expand or renew; and termination rights.  Working with a tenant representative who possesses a deep knowledge of fair market values will be indispensable to this process and overall cost savings.

Upon receiving proposals, a broker will run analyses to outlay the financial impact of the Landlord’s response and will submit counters to advance the negotiations toward your goals until acceptable business terms are agreed upon.

If there is a need for a build out, this will also be the time that a tenant representative will coordinate efforts of an architect to design the space to your specifications. A space planner might be provided from the building, particularly if they will turnkey the work, or an independent architect may be involved.

One thing to keep in mind during the negotiation process is to organize your paperwork. Prior to signing a Letter of Intent with a particular property, the landlord is most likely going to require you to show them financial statements and/or the last two years of your tax returns to be assured that you will be able to pay your rent in a timely and stable manner.

Attorney Review

Once both sides have come to agreement on the key business terms, a tenant representative will coordinate the attorney review process. The will work alongside your attorney to ensure the legal language reflects the negotiated terms.

If your practice does not have an attorney you use that specializes in real estate, Tenant Advisory Group is available as a referral source to qualified and affordable real estate attorneys.

Navigating Construction

Upon lease signing, Tenant Advisory Group will continue to assist with coordinating walk-throughs of the space for meetings with the architect and contractor bidding. We will be there to track progress against the project completion dates to make sure everything and everyone is moving forward efficiently.

Tenant Advisory Group is also available to make introductions to quality furniture vendors, movers, phone & data brokers, IT vendors, insurance brokers, and other ancillary professionals to help facilitate the process.

Moving Checklist

• Receive quotes from several movers and line up a company well in advance
• Line up the phone and data broker to set up the phone and data lines so they are ready by the time you move
• Contact your IT support and let them know about the move at least six months in advance, but no later than 90 days
• Recycle or donate unwanted electronics and furniture
• Consider meeting with a furniture vendor to decide on reusing existing furniture, purchasing new or purchasing refurbished furniture
• Gather any necessary paperwork for potential tax write-offs
• Obtain a copy of the building rules and regulations
• Identify the best point of contact from the building for all moving-related, space buildout and daily space operations questions
• Understand the acceptable moving procedures in terms of hours, parking, unloading and elevator access
• Establish a packing schedule to determine what can be packed in advance or last minute to reduce disruption to productivity
• Setup mail forwarding from your old address
• Order stationery, business cards and envelopes with the new address printed on them
• Change your mailing address on your practice registration with the city, website, social media, Google, credit cards, bank accounts and other professional and medical organizations
• Notify your network of clients and vendors that your practice has a new space and address to proactively avoid any interruptions in productivity

Why Use a Tenant Representative

The tenant does not pay any commission for the brokerage services they receive. The services are paid by the landlord. Even if the tenant negotiates direct, the landlord still pays a commission to its in-house brokers. Shouldn’t you have an experienced advocate on your side, too?

An attorney can negotiate legal terms, but typically does not have sufficient micro-knowledge of the changing local real estate market conditions to ensure you receive favorable business terms.

Tenant Advisory Group has established a network of trustworthy, qualified and affordable real estate-adjacent professionals to incorporate into the transaction, in order to fully service all of our client’s needs.  

Tenant Advisory Group is committed to bringing best-in-class commercial real estate services to every end user, and proudly saves our clients an average of $15,000 per person on leasing costs and over 20% on purchases.