Two proposals can look like a winner and a loser until you put them on the same occupancy assumptions. Usable versus rentable area, term, escalations, operating expenses, improvement allowance, delivery condition, parking, options, and timing all move the real number. Swartz Co Commercial Real Estate does this work through tenant representation across Metro Atlanta.
Asking rent alone is not a complete measure of occupancy cost. A cheap Buckhead quote with a short allowance and a long wait for delivery can cost more than a Marietta quote that looks higher on page one.
Lock the model before you fall for a building
Write headcount, workflow, customer access, parking, deliveries, growth, budget, and timing before the second tour. Then force every proposal onto that model. If a landlord measures area differently, convert it. If free rent is front-loaded, show the average. Pair this with total occupancy cost for Georgia flex when the asset mix is office plus warehouse.
Qualitative factors still matter: image, commute, and whether the building actually works. They are easier to discuss when the financial model is not changing underneath each option. Test the daily route first, as in a tour that checks commute, loading, and movement through the space.
Improvements, downtime, and move costs
Allowance dollars are not the same as a turnkey delivery. Construction duration is occupancy cost. Furniture, IT, and a temporary space if the date slips belong in the same sheet. Legal review, design, construction, finance, and move planning should see the same dates.
Parking ratios that looked fine in a listing can fail at 8 a.m. in Perimeter Center. Visitor and truck needs should be in the assumption set, not discovered after the LOI.
Keep sources and open questions visible
Label broker observations versus landlord-provided numbers versus third-party estimates. Unknown operating expenses should stay unknown until a document arrives. Valuation consultation is a different assignment than a lease comparison, even when both use rent comps. Review current listings as a market scan, then return to the model.
Landlord-side readers can see how owners prepare packets under landlord representation. Occupiers still need their own spreadsheet.
What to send
Send the proposals, your headcount and parking needs, and the date you must occupy. Review our services. Call 678.973.2776 or info@swartzcocre.com.
Compare lease options on the same occupancy assumptions. Then argue about the building, not about two different math stories.
Talk with our team
P: 678.973.2776
info@swartzcocre.com
Office: 5064 Roswell Rd b201, Sandy Springs, GA 30342
Call when your Georgia property needs a tour packet that answers operating questions before the prospect has to ask.