Santa Barbara commercial spaces are nearly impossible to find in the right location with the right amenities.
“Commercial spaces are very hard to find in the 2,000 – to 10,000-square foot range, especially if you want an independent, free-standing building with the whole parking lot to yourself,” said Allen Williams, president of Big Green Cleaning Company.
Fortunately, Williams has such a space for the right local business — with some advice for the top five things to look for when renting.
Location
If a location is wrong, it doesn’t matter how attractive the building is. Location involves looking at both the property and the surrounding area to understand the local economy. Williams found the right location for his business at 4860 Calle Real in Santa Barbara.
“We are subleasing a building we used as a prior business location,” Williams said. “I inquired about the building two years before it was vacant because I knew it was just what we needed.”
It turned out Williams was right about the location.
“Our business tripled in the first six years we were there,” Williams said. “The building is across the street from In-N-Out, so the name recognition was huge.”
Williams still loves the location, but his business outgrew it. He’s looking forward to passing the 5,011-square foot building to someone who can take advantage of the space.
Parking spaces
Available parking is key to appealing to customers.
“If you have a business in Santa Barbara proper, you won’t have enough parking for your customers and your employees,” Williams said. “Some employees have to move their cars every couple of hours. Other businesses have to pay for their employees’ parking.”
It’s why commercial buildings with parking areas are so valuable.
“Our location is five or six miles from downtown, and we have 24 dedicated parking spaces just for our building,” Williams said.
Indoor amenities
Most commercial buildings need some renovation to accommodate new businesses, so the more finished they are, the less upfront cost there will be.
“Our building has 15 private offices, large common areas, two bathrooms, and a kitchenette with refrigerator and microwave,” Williams said. “We were able to repurpose some doors from a previous cleaning project as office doors. They’re really stunning.”
Hidden charges
Some business owners may be surprised by triple net charges: expenses on top of rent that cover property taxes, maintenance costs, and property insurance premiums, according to Investopedia. If several businesses share a building, each pays to cover these costs.
“The nice thing about renting an entire building is there are no mystery triple net fees,” Williams said. “You don’t have to worry about splitting the cost of anything or whether another company is going to pay its share.”
Length of commitment
Part of a lease includes agreeing to pay rent for a certain amount of time, regardless of whether a business continues to use the space.
“Business owners will need to be willing to commit to the full length of the lease and find out if there is an escape clause,” Williams said.
Williams has just one year left on his lease so is renting the space at a discount.
“It reduces the risk for another business because they have an out in one year,” Williams said. “If things are going well, they can negotiate a new rental agreement with the landlord at the end of that year or set up a longer lease now if that is their preference.”
William’s commercial site available for lease is at 4860 Calle Real in Santa Barbara.
If interested in this commercial space, please email Allen Williams at awilliams@biggreenclean.com or call 805 680-0299.
