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"Jeff was always there for us, whether it was to negotiate the lease terms, deal with issues with the architect and builder or address issues with the landlord. He was a great person to have on our team."

- Peter C. Kosche of Olin Corporation -

"Choyce Peterson says they provide clients with experience, integrity, effort and intelligence, and they certainly do, but I’d add another bullet. They work in partnership with the client."

- Roger Berman, Principal of Bloom & Streit -

"John put in a lot of effort for us, which is obvious in the results – we realized quite substantial savings with this new lease package."

- John Martin, C.E.O. of Martin Rosner Eleftherion -

"John’s experience was a great source of information for us. He gave us a sense of the going rental rates for other buildings in the area and helped us to understand and avoid the pitfalls of doing a deal like this."

- John Martin, C.E.O. of Martin Rosner Eleftherion -

"We were very particular about our requirements and John put in a lot of effort to ensure that we weren’t wasting our time touring offices that would not measure up to our standards."

- Mark McCall, Chief Financial Officer for Lime Rock Partners -

"My father had worked with John Hannigan several years ago and was very pleased. The firm is a class act, and we were happy to call on them again."

- John Martin, C.E.O. of Martin Rosner Eleftherion -

"In the midst of a complex negotiation with a landlord, I realized I was into a process that required more expertise than I had in my skillset,"

- Kathleen Shelton-Smith, Chairman, Renaissance Capital Corp. -

"Our Choyce Peterson Principal, is of great importance to me because he knows our business as well as his."

- Cynthia Poggiogalle, Senior Manager, Worldwide Real Estate of Pepsi Bottling Group -

"John Hannigan guided us through all the negotiations with the landlord and nudged us, as needed, to keep things moving along. I was confident he was on top of all the details, so I could concentrate on the core aspects of our insurance business."

- John Martin, C.E.O. of Martin Rosner Eleftherion -

"We looked at quite a few satisfactory locations, and they did a great job of helping us narrow down our options; the new space is exactly what we were looking for."

- Kurt Strumpf, Chief Operating Officer for eNR Services -

"This is the third time Choyce Peterson has helped us secure space to accommodate our rapid expansion. Their experience makes them very knowledgeable about the available space and we’re confident we can rely on their judgment and focus our attention on growing our business."

- Kurt Strumpf, Chief Operating Officer for eNR Services -

"It was a pleasure to work with John and Steve again. Due to our long term partnership, they played a crucial role in assessing our needs and requirements for our new office space."

- Jim Bretschneider, Managing Director of Columbus IT Partner USA -

"Not only did Jeff know the market, he had a very good network of people he could call on to make things happen. We were able to have a signed lease in 12 calendar days – even though both our CEO and the landlord were out of the country."

- William Latimer, Managing Director for O'Shaughnessy Asset Management -

"I give Choyce Peterson high marks for negotiating with a high degree of integrity in the best interests of the tenants they represent."

- Paul D’Amico, Chief Operating Officer for Triple Point Technology -

"I was pleased with the amount of effort and information Alan and John were able to gather, enabling us to explore all of the possibilities and make sure we were taking the right space for the right price."

- Paul D’Amico, Chief Operating Officer for Triple Point Technology -

Read Our Blog

Space is Money - Read our New Weekly Blog

Welcome to Choyce Peterson’s new weekly blog, “Space is Money.” This blog will provide an ongoing journal of our trials and tribulations as a commercial real estate broker and consultant, and we hope it will offer useful observations to others in our industry and business organizations in general....

Industry News

Lease Up/Lease Down (Mar. 7-13): UBS Renews, Postal Service Unveils 10-Year Plan 10 Mar 2010 | 3:42 am
CoStar compiles news of corporate expansions, relocations, extensions, closures, layoffs,…
Former Clairol Facility Sells for $16.8M 9 Mar 2010 | 11:10 pm
The Proctor & Gamble Co. sold the former Clairol building…

Newsletters

Choyce Tips: February 2010: Local Market Hovering Along the Bottom

Unlike New York City, Choyce Peterson believes the Fairfield/Westchester office space market has hit bottom. For the past 18 months, this regional market has offered high vacancy rates and low rents; however, the tide is turning. Leasing activity and competition are increasing – especially in Greenwich.

The Greenwich market has become the first to tighten, and the effect could ripple out to adjacent regions. While tenants in the Fairfield/Westchester marketplace continue to enjoy significant advantages, generous offers of free rent, below-market rental rates and large tenant improvement allowances will gradually lessen as 2010 progresses. Tenants should keep a sharp eye on activity in their respective markets to determine whether they “go Greenwich!”

Choyce Tips: February 2010: Take Advantage of Today's Office Market

As the economy ebbs and flows, executives are always alert for opportunities to improve their company's position in a cost-effective manner. As experts in commercial real estate for more than 20 years, we believe the current economy offers unique advantages to find new space or renew/renegotiate your current lease.

The following list identifies ten opportunities you should consider during first and second-round negotiations as you evaluate the unique priorities for your business.

1. Deal numbers are now 15 to 30 percent below the asking rent.

In the current market, a landlord will cut a great deal to renew an existing tenant or win a new one. Some landlords will now reduce their asking rates by 15-30% to fill open space.

Choyce Tips - LEASE RENEWALS: No Time for Amateurs

It's the most common mistake made by office tenants: missing a huge opportunity-and risking significant dollars-by negotiating their own lease renewal.

With the help of a real estate professional, a company seeking new space typically searches the market and negotiates relentlessly for the best deal. But when seeking a renewal, that same company abandons this proven approach. They go it alone, negotiating without professional representation because they feel it's "only" a renewal. Read More:

Choyce Tips - What to say when your landlord says, "You can't do that."

Making the most of your renewal, expansion or relocation - For businesses of any size, the lease and its related costs are critical to the success of the enterprise. In fact, your lease is likely to be the second or third largest expense of your business.

Despite this importance, most tenants negotiate a renewal and/or expansion on their own, without any objective professional input. That's music to a landlord's ears. Read More:

Choyce Tips - It pays to KNOW YOUR LEASE. Your obligations - and opportunities.

Decision makers use the Lease Abstract to put key lease provisions at their fingertips.

Your lease has a profound impact on your business. It dictates costs and stipulates deadlines. It spells out your landlord's responsibilities and your options. And yet most businesses are hard-pressed to identify even the most basic provisions of their lease-even provisions that require action in the near-term. Read More:

Choyce Tips - What does your lease renewal mean to your landlord? It pays to know.

If you negotiate your lease renewal on your own, it's impossible to know the countless variables that determine precisely what your renewal is worth to your landlord.

What's more, you send the signal to your landlord that you're not fully aware of current market dynamics, specific movement (or pending movement) in your building and other key information. Information that your landlord has at their disposal. And so do we.

In fact, we've determined over 15 factors that impact your negotiating strategy toward a renewal. Information you need to know to secure the most favorable transaction possible. Read More:

Choyce Tips - Real Estate is a Process, Not an Event

Negotiating a lease is an important transaction. But it should be even more than that. Every corporate real estate transaction should be part of a systematic, comprehensive plan that ensures maximum return from every dollar invested in real estate.

Inside:

Lease flexibility: How do you get the option to expand or contract?
What every executive should know about their lease-off the top of their head.
Broker dynamics, lease amendment pitfalls.
And more...

Choyce Tips - Spotlight on: NATIONAL ACCOUNTS

An insider's look at:

The "in-house" real estate department vs. outsourcing dilemma
How to speak to multiple local challenges with one voice
Leveraging a "tenant-only" focus across multiple transactions
And more...

Choyce Tips - the "Tenant Team" profile

Bob speaks out about:

The advantages of moving from corporate to the client side of the table
Using the right tools, getting the best intelligence
What every business owner needs to know about commercial real estate
And more...