Can anyone recommend any good online commercial leasing courses? I live in Orlando, FL and can’t find anything local I can attend. Thanks in advance! Deena
Commercial leasing
Deena,
There are several commercial leasing programs available through various trade organizations. International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) focuses on retail. Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) focuses on office and industrial, as does Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR). Google searches will lead you to the respective sites for these organizations.
Of the three, I have the most experience with the ICSC programs. I’ve been a member for over 10 years and have many of the courses. Many are available both onsite and online. Check the education section of the website at icsc.org for the course, and check the local meeting directory for the Orlando regional meetings. You don’t say what type of property you’re leasing, but the fundamentals of marketing and lease construction can be adapted from the retail programs to office and industrial properties.
I also have a half-dozen books in my library on the topic as well. Be aware that there is a divide in educational programs and books between lease construction, e.g. the actual lease clauses and terms; and commercial space marketing.
For the former, I like the book “Negotiating Commercial Leases” by Martin Zankel (see Amazon). It’s a plain language text written by a longtime broker and lawyer with a lot of practical knowledge along with the necessary legalese.
For property marketing I have yet to find a definitive text I’d recommend. The ones that claim to be real estate marketing guides are usually centered on residential broker or FSBO advertising. Commercial is a different world. I’ve purchased a couple of purported commercial lease marketing programs and found them to be sorely lacking in quality and content.
In my own company we use a number of general marketing techniques refined by years of trial and error to develop specific property marketing plans. (Perhaps this should be my next book?) I’ve found that direct marketing techniques work best, though not in the traditional direct mail format. We use a variety of tools, including property specific websites, Loopnet listings and websites, targeted email lists of specific business types that match our desired tenant mix, networking with local and national brokers, and local community business organizations as well as the above-mentioned trade associations.
Let me know more details of your needs and I may be able to point you to further resources.
ray