Blog – Page 2

June 10, 2020 by nvh2

Just Closed A Restaurant? 3 Problems You May Need to Address Before You Lease Again

If you just closed your restaurant and are looking to lease it again, it is important to be aware of potential problems that you may need to address first. Indeed, in real estate, knowledge is power. You may encounter problems, such as pests, lingering odors, and safety or health issues. These problems need to be addressed sooner rather than later before you can even think about leasing your restaurant space again.

Pests

Unfortunately, it is common to encounter pests after closing a restaurant. It’s important to address these problems because they can introduce dirt and disease to your property. When addressing this problem, be sure to clean thoroughly with disinfecting chemicals. Close all openings around wiring, vents, and drain pipes to ensure that bugs cannot return and bother the new renters. In addition to bugs and rats, other vermin might seek out food from the now-closed restaurant space. You can set up snap and sticky traps for rats and mice. If bugs and vermin continue to be a problem, calling an exterminator is a good course of action.

Lingering Odors

In addition to pests, it’s not out of the ordinary to encounter lingering odors after closing a restaurant. These odors can be unpleasant and unappealing for new renters, so they must be fixed before the property can be rented out again. Grease and burnt food are typical culprits of lingering odors. Vinegar, baking soda, and odor-removing cleaning agents are a few ways you can remove these odors. There are multiple odor elimination methods to choose from, so consider your circumstances and needs when selecting which method is right for you.

Damage, Safety, or Health Issues

There can be any number of circumstances which would cause a previous restaurant space to present safety or health issues or have internal damage. Before leasing the space again, it is essential to repair any structural damage to the property. It’s also essential to verify that all carbon monoxide and smoke detectors work, and that there are at least two forms of exit from the unit. Make sure to check for mold and lead-based paint hazards presented by old buildings.

Taking the time to check your property for pests, lingering odors, damage, safety, and health issues will allow you to eliminate unpleasant surprises. Taking care of these issues will help your leasing process to happen more smoothly, and ensure happy future tenants.

Need commercial real estate advice? Contact us today and we’ll be happy to help!

June 5, 2020 by nvh2

How to Make a Commercial Property Presentable Before Listing It

Commercial properties come in all shapes and sizes. They can be the size of a warehouse, or a small shop in a mall. Regardless of its size and purpose, there are a few key things that you can do to make your property stand out and justify a higher list price. To get going on your preparations, start with these three tips.

New Paint

Nothing makes a place feel rundown and depressing like peeling, chipped, or dirty paint. If this is the current state of your property, you should consider giving it a new paint job before listing. The new paint will give your property a much newer feel. Even if the paint is still in good condition you might want to paint it anyway.

By painting the walls white, you can help make the property seem bigger and give it the feeling of a blank canvas. This will make it much easier for potential buyers to imagine how their color schemes will fit in the room. There are a few ways you can paint your property while sticking to a tight budget. Since the paint is only temporary, you can use lower quality paint. If you choose to leave the paint as it is, you could just focus on touching up certain areas.

Kitchen and Bathroom Upgrades

Kitchens and bathrooms are key selling points, so these should be up-to-date. If you rent your property to businesses, these can make a huge impact on the business’s productivity. A nice kitchen/kitchenette makes a great break room for employees. A poor-quality bathroom will leave a poor impression on visiting customers. No matter who your potential buyers/renters are, they will be impressed if these rooms are in good condition.

Simple Furnishing

Depending on the type of commercial property, staging an empty location can be a big mistake. It makes the place look bare and boring. Consider putting in some simple furnishings to brighten the place up. You shouldn’t spend a lot of money on this. The furnishing is just for show, so it can be cheap, yet stylish. Try to anticipate your tenants’ preferred use for the property and design your furnishing accordingly.

These preparations may take some time and cost you a bit of money. But they will allow you to get the property sold or rented more quickly and at a far better price. Just be sure to plan out your actions well and keep careful track of your expenses.

If you’re planning to list your commercial property, we can help to connect you with buyers. Reach out to us to learn more about how we can assist you!

June 3, 2020 by Nathan Hughes

From Stitches to Riches

TSI Promotionals may have a history that starts with printing services, but when owner Doug Mays took over, the company expanded into new product lines and grew its profits five-fold.

What’s the secret sauce? According to Doug, it’s diversifying products and services for changing times. As a byproduct of that success, Sperity recently helped him secure a new space.

Doug took over Superior Printing after his father-in-law passed in 2011. With an original focus on print materials and stationary, he saw the need for change and potential for growth. In 2015, he purchased Timeless Stitches, Inc. (that’s TSI for short) and expanded services to include embroidery and screen printing.

Today, TSI Promotionals is a one-stop shop for branded products with all design, printing, and embroidering or screen printing completed in house — nothing is outsourced. They help businesses better market their services though decorated apparel and design and also partner with schools to produce spirit wear and athletic gear. From large corporations that already have a logo, to small startups, who come in with just an idea, TSI Promotionals provides a crucial resource for marketing businesses.

With Sperity’s help, the company recently purchased a building to expand its production capabilities. Originally leasing retail space, TSI Promotionals had to cram bulky equipment into its showroom. Now, with a proper production facility dedicated to equipment, the showroom feels like a retail space where clients can check out products in person. The new space also brings the ability to fulfill larger orders and provide faster turnaround.

Doug is also pleased with the warehouse’s new location. Before, he had occasional walk-in customers, but they tended to be much smaller orders. Now in an industrial park, many of his clients are nearby. “We are much more accessible,” Doug said. The move brings them closer to current clients including Hanover County Schools which uses TSI for its athletic and spiritwear.

We brought several buildings to TSI’s attention, but didn’t rest until we turned over every stone and found the perfect spot. With our methods in finding commercial space, Doug felt confident that Sperity had his best interests at heart.

We tackled another challenge and secured a new tenant to take over the long-term lease on Doug’s previous space. Sperity also secured an extension for his new building’s current tenant to give Doug peace of mind and income to apply towards his mortgage.

“Instead of finding a big ticket location, Sperity listened to my needs and found what I was looking for. I was never waiting on them for anything. They handled both parts of the transaction, which was incredible,” Doug said. “I was able to sit back and let them run with it.”

Doug sees the future of screen printing and embroidery as fast growing, with more companies moving to casual wear and logo apparel and away from suits and ties.

With the new workspace and an increase in production, TSI has a bright future ahead.

Learn more about TSI Promotionals on their website

April 30, 2020 by nvh2

What Your Real Estate Website Needs to Be More Effective in Gaining Customers

These days, businesses simply can’t survive without a website. The internet is the first place a customer looks when they are looking to work with a business. With every business building a webpage, it can be hard to stand out. In order to get attention, you need to focus on your niche. If you run a real estate company, there are a few industry specific aspects of your website that deserve special attention. The following advice will help you focus your efforts so that customers are impressed when they view your page.

Add Quality Videos and Photos

There is absolutely no excuse for a pixelated image on your website. Pixelated photos and videos don’t allow customers to see the quality of the property. Instead, they get the impression that you don’t take pride in your work. On the other hand, HD photos and video show that you do high quality work. Video courses are a powerful type of lead magnet to include on your website. Quality video with nice music can help a customer build an emotional connection to the properties on display. It can be expensive to hire a quality photographer, but the returns are worth it.

Virtual Tours

The last thing you want to do to a customer is drag them through tours of properties that don’t catch their interest. This tires the customer, destroys their enthusiasm, and strains your relationship. You can avoid this with a virtual tour. With the emergence of 360-degree cameras, many real estate companies are starting to put together virtual tours of the properties that they sell and lease. This allows customers to get a better idea of what properties they want to visit in person. If a customer sees that you offer virtual tours, they will be much more interested in working with you, than a company that only shows pictures.

Engaging Content

In order to increase customer traffic to your website, you need to appear more in online searches. One of the best ways to do that is through content creation like a blog. Having a regularly updated blog will move you up in search engine algorithms. Having quality blog posts will create a good impression with your customers. It is a great way for you to show them your industry knowledge.

Working in real estate is a rewarding business. You are helping people find their dream space. You want to make sure that your hard work is paying off. By updating your website and following the above advice, you will see an increase in customers that trust in your ability to get the job done.

Looking for a new, bigger business location? We can help.

April 17, 2020 by Nathan Hughes

Why work with a CBI?

From the IBBA’s website: “A Certified Business Intermediary (CBI) is an experienced business broker who is committed to the highest level of professional development the industry has to offer and has ethical values aligned with the IBBA standards of professionalism. A CBI has the ability to objectively guide clients through the intricacies of the entire marketing and negotiation process of a business sale, resulting in successful transactions and satisfied clients.

A CBI offers the most experienced professional representation available during the process of selling or buying a business. Along with having undergone a specialized initial program of detailed training, a CBI is required to earn continuing education credits to maintain the credential.

When you want to work with the best intermediary to buy or sell a business, look for the CBI designation.”