Real Estate
Portfolios

  Strategic Planning

We work closely with you and your business units to understand current and future people/space needs and develop space strategies that align with your business requirements and projections. Strategic Planning includes the evaluation of the following areas:

We help you establish annual goals for rent savings and other KPIs. Our team looks at each market to determine where early restructures may provide cost optimization and we help you maintain the greatest flexibility possible in all real estate agreements.

  Transaction Management

Our Advisors /Transaction Managers ensure thorough representation, negotiation strategies and value add reporting. We orchestrate the entire process from coordinating the tours, submitting and developing standardized RFP’s, LOI’s and complete lease document negotiations. We keep you updated every step of the way via weekly activity reports. Processes include but are not limited to:

• Situational Analysis
• Analyze Existing Lease and Space Deficiencies
• Preparation of Comprehensive Market Surveys
• Coordinate & Manage Site Tours
• Prepare and Deliver Customized RFP’s
• Proposal Summaries and Executive Summaries
• Strategic Lease/Contract Negotiations
• Financial Analysis / NPV’s
• Lease Execution Packages
• Value Add Summaries

  Portfolio Management & Reporting

We can assist you by implementing the following:

• Space utilization studies to maximize efficiencies and trim portfolio size
• Standardized Request for Proposals & Letter of Intents
• Standard Form Lease Document
• Interior standards and finishes
• Preferred Vendor selection

Our corporate reporting services include but are not limited to the following:

• Biannual Portfolio Reviews
• Dash Boards/Presentations
• Weekly Activity Reports
• Transaction Cycle Times
• Portfolio Segmentation
• Benchmarking/KPI’s
• Fair Market Value Analysis
• Utilization Analysis
• Transaction Value Add
• Construction Value Add
• Portfolio Value Add

  Lease Administration

Let us take care of all your leases, deadlines and payables. We understand the importance of monetary and legal obligations for each property and strive to maintain a highly productive portfolio for you through our lease administration services. Our team regularly reviews department procedures to develop best practices and continually improve. With proficiency in lease abstracting, CAM/OPEX reconciliation, AP/AR and general audits, we offer a wide menu of standard and custom services to tailor our procedures to our individual clients’ needs. Our in-house Lease Administration Department provides unmatched customer service and can assist with:

• Installation and data mapping
• Procedure review
• Abstraction and data management
• Landlord and tenant communications
• Invoice reviews and dispute resolution
• Rent review, payment, and reporting
• Lease and operating expense audits/reconciliation review
• Subtenant management
• Estoppel reviews
• Advanced ad hoc reporting for corporate benchmarking and dashboards
• Space utilization and metrics
• Special initiative support
• Value add and savings review
• Advanced real estate accounting services, including AS 842/IFRS 16 Compliance

Web-based Lease Database Management

Our web-based real estate platform allows for sophisticated lease portfolio database administration and lease accounting. This system is backed up hourly, giving you consistent, secure database access. Benefits of this software include:

• Critical dates automatically emailed directly to an unlimited number of users
• 100+ standard and/or customized reports for client needs
• Custom field set up for client-specified data return
• Reports exported to Excel, emailed, saved as PDF files and/or printed
• Expense management, including monthly rent review and AP Export functionality
• Vendor management
• Security deposit review, tracking, and demand
• AS 842/IFRS 16 Compliance tools, including capitalization schedules, journal entries and disclosure reporting
• Document management (including lease documents, floor plans, building photos, and much more)
• Location mapping
• Portfolio summary
• Equipment tracking and reporting
• Client ability to set up user groups and access levels
• SSL-encrypted for added security

  Lease Negotations

Is your lease expiring soon? Are you paying above market rental rates? Don’t want to move but are unsure how to access current market information for your renewal negotiations? Are you in the middle of a long-term lease and your real estate needs have changed? The most critical time to have good representation is in lease restructures or renewals. Let our professionals develop a strategy for your company to maximize your leverage in these negotiations.

• We abstract all lease documents.
• Remaining economic obligations, inclusive of all operating expenses, are compared to comparable properties and transactions in the subject property and submarket.
• Negotiating strategies are developed based on opportunities which may exist to restructure the terms of the lease(s), including:
  • Align lease term to business priorities and objectives
  • Obtain improvement allowances for remodeling
  • Negotiate expansion, contraction and termination rights
  • Enhance disposition rights
  • Mitigate increases in rent and operating expense pass-throughs
  • Increase corporate identity and branding
  • Elevate tenant rights throughout the lease agreement

  Lease & Operating Expense Audit

If you’re looking to reduce expenses and avoid unnecessary costs, our auditing team can help. Swearingen has recovered millions of dollars for our clients as a result of regular lease audits. Our step-by-step process ensures a thorough review and analysis of all lease-related billings for compliance with the terms and conditions of the lease. We verify the accuracy of landlord charges, such as:

• Base rent, tenant concessions and common area maintenance (CAM)
• Real estate taxes, CPI escalations and operating expenses
• HVAC and electricity charges
• Sundry, electricity and overtime

  Market Research & Site Selection

We know your time is valuable. Our Research Department will provide you with customized, up-to-date market research regardless of property type. Our research team takes care of all the legwork in advance by calling properties, and speaking with landlords before we even propose a property to you. Critical to your decision-making, we deliver the following:

• Demographic information on all markets and submarkets
• Detailed property, landlord, leasing and ownership information
• Customized market surveys that identify viable lease and sublease alternatives geared for each client and their exact needs
• Lease and sales comps for all property types
• Possible reports include, but are not limited to:
  • Customized Market Study
  • Financial Analysis
  • Fair Market Value
  • Market Value Analysis
  • Future Space Availability Reports

  Project & Construction Management

From the earliest stages of the project, our Project Managers work closely with our Brokers to initiate the planning and design all the way through construction. We create cost savings and efficiency measures throughout the entire project process.

Our focus is to bring “VALUE” to the project and add bottom line savings to the construction process.  Managing a construction project in today’s market is a complex process. We endeavor to remove the risk by applying these two principles: think outside the box and details that matter. 

Our expertise allows us to transform your ideas into a final space to efficiently operate your business with your goals in mind. Our clients expect expertise and that’s why many of our clients come back to us for the next project. Our team of Project Managers specialize in the following:

• Space Programming
• Preliminary Project Planning
• Pre-Construction Design and Budget
• Construction Phase
• Project Close Out

From renovations of second generation space, new shell space, ground up construction in office, retail, or industrial, we bring expertise to the project.  Our team utilizes all aspects of market and research to save our client time and money.

  Relocation Management

Our project management team assists clients with managing the challenging tasks of relocation or restacking. With Swearingen’s vast experience and knowledge of the intricacies of move coordination, we can bring turnkey relocation services to your project, or complement your internal efforts. Our relocation services include:

• Identification of potential relocation, furniture and IT vendors
• Facilitation of request for proposals (RFPs), including analysis of proposals
• Creation of proposal summaries and recommendations
• Documentation/resolution of any post-move walk-through issues

  Economic & Tax Incentives

One of our main goals is to enhance your bottom line, and we can do that by negotiating on your behalf. Swearingen’s experts will deal with city, regional and state governmental agencies to secure tax abatements, job credit rebates and other incentives for you. We’ve negotiated some of the country’s largest tax incentives to date, and our in-house specialists have over 40 years of experience in this area. We’ve assisted clients in saving millions in economic incentives.

We research the respective area for each transaction and the types of incentives available. These could include tax abatements/credits, infrastructure grants, utility cost incentives, cash grants, and training assistance. Our team can assist in the implementation of these incentives, including paperwork, formalities and necessary meetings.