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A wide range of commercial leasing possibilities exist. Typically, an office lease in a major city and a retail lease in a suburban shopping center will be considerably different. The urban centers always help to develop your business.

Of course, if you are lacking sufficient capital to purchase a commercial building, then the decision becomes an easy one. But leasing may be the smartest move anyway: Statistics show that most new business owners start out by leasing office space, and many business consultants advise leasing your work space until you get on your feet and your business starts operating in the black. Some advantages to leasing your business property:

Flexibility. One obvious advantage to leasing property is the flexibility it provides. When the lease is up, you can easily relocate to another office that better suits the needs of your business and your budget.

Net lease: The tenant pays the rent plus a portion of the maintenance fees, insurance premiums and other operating expenses.

Triple-net lease: Typically, for a freestanding facility, this type of lease has the tenant paying for all fees and operating expenses associated with the space.

Shopping center leases: The tenant pays a base rate in conjunction with the square footage of the retail facility. Typically, the tenant will also pay some common charges and frequently a certain percentage of the gross sales. The tenant may also be assessed part of the property taxes. A shopping mall lease will often include terms about signage, hours of operations, common areas and deliveries. The landlord may also have the right to relocate the tenant.

Land or ground lease: The tenant leases the grounds and builds on the property. Typically, with a land or ground lease, all improvements on the property, including any building or buildings revert back to the landowner at the end of the lease period.

Ultimately, if a prospective landlord is difficult to deal with during lease negotiations or makes unreasonable requests, you might want to consider leasing office space elsewhere. Also, have a good real estate broker and lawyer at your disposal, and do not sign anything without having them review the terms in advance.