Essential Tips for Your Office Move
Commercial real estate brokers spend much of their time helping companies find new locations for their business. Requirements for individual companies are different and depend on a variety of factors, and it's a challenge to make sure we are guiding our clients to the space that fits them best. However, finding the right spot is just the beginning.
We recently moved our office, and more than doubled the amount of space we occupy. Though the move went smoothly, it was an involved, time-consuming process that taught us several lessons worth sharing.
Create a Space Plan
This is often a great place to start. A space plan shows not only the office floor plan, but also the layout of all the furniture, desks and equipment. This is helpful in determining how much office furniture you'll need, and it will help you determine locations for communications and network cabling.
Don't Forget About Lead Times
Most vendors do not stock large quantities of materials or products, and rely on their distribution chains to deliver on an as-needed basis. This has the potential to cause significant delays if you don't plan properly. Carpet can take up to two or three weeks to be delivered. Office furniture delivery—depending on the manufacturer—can take four to eight weeks. Computer equipment and other items requiring installation could all cost you significant amounts of time if you do not plan ahead and order in advance.
Have an IT Walkthrough
It's likely you will have several different vendors or service providers handling your IT and communication services. It's wise to gather these professionals together in the new space to do a walk-through with you, as they will need to coordinate together to do wiring and other infrastructure prior to the move. Their ability to coordinate with one another is crucial; The walk-through will also allow everyone to be on the same page and fully understand who is responsible for what.
Make It a Team Effort
Moving is fun and exciting, and it's a great time to increase your team's engagement. Make your staff feel like they're part of the process by providing updates and offering tours of the new space while it's under construction. In our case, we made decisions together on how we would furnish and use certain spaces, and it made the team feel invested in their new workspace.
In the end, all of the coordination pays off. If you make the effort to plan your move properly, you'll be back to business in no time.
About the Author: Nick Banks
Nick Banks created Front Street Commercial Real Estate Group in 2002 and spent the first eight years developing and acquiring office and retail projects in South Florida as well as North Central Florida. He is involved in several commercial real estate industry organizations, including the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), where he has been a frequent panelist. He was also the founding co-chair of the Gainesville committee for the North Florida chapter of Urban Land Institute.
