Need Help Finding Austin Retail Space For Rent?

Austin Tenant Advisors specializes in helping you find Austin Retail Space for lease, rent, or sale within your target size, location, and budget. We help in the search, selection, and negotiation of restaurant space, storefronts, retail shops, & salons to ensure you get the best deal possible.

If you would like us to help you find the best retail real estate call us at 512-861-0525 or fill out our form to get started.  You can also learn about Austin retail space lease rates.

Retail storefronts can be tough to find on your own, however whether you are a new business searching for the first time or an existing retailer or looking to relocate or open additional locations we can help. We have helped many business & franchises find shops & storefronts, and restaurant rentals in and around the Austin metro area. We have an efficient process of helping you find the best locations and will ensure that you are involved and well informed and represented at all times.

Things to Consider When Leasing Retail Space

• Investigate traffic patterns –  How many cars pass by the location per day? Is there a traffic light in front making it easy to exit the parking lot and make left or right turns? Do people typically walk around the retail center? Is it easy to park near your space? Is your space easy to find?
• Study your customers –  Where do they live, work and shop? Demographic information from your local library, chamber of commerce or Census Bureau can help you analyze where your business would best be located.
• Follow the rules – Study all policies and procedures in regard to signage, zoning, planning, hours of operation, and common area usage before signing a lease.
• Know your competition and neighbors – Nearby retail can help or hinder your business. Make sure your neighbors are complimentary retail or otherwise compatible with your own business.
• Cheaper isn’t necessarily better – Inexpensive means it may have a track record of business failure or low foot traffic. Retail centers that are old and outdated and/or in bad locations will be less expensive however will your customers want to visit? Find out who the previous tenant was, and why the business left.
• Consider all costs involved – Who pays for maintenance and repairs? How much are the utilities? How much will it cost to build the space out? Also, some landlords require that you pay a percentage of sales in addition to your monthly lease payment.
• Get an ally in your corner – As your Tenant Representative, Austin Tenant Advisors can facilitate your needs, from the initial search process to signing a lease.

Questions to Ask Landlords When Comparing Stores for Rent

Whether you are renting a new retail shop or a secondary location these questions will help protect you, your interests, and your investment.

Who is the Landlord? – Your negotiation approach will vary depending on who you are dealing with (mom & pop shop, bank, real estate investment trust, etc.)

How long have they owned the property? – A new owner may have just purchased the property and want higher rents to cover the mortgage.  A long-hold landlord will have a lower basis thus more room for rent breaks, and will want to retain the property longer.

Where is the owner located? – If they are local they maybe more accessible making it easier to get things signed and completed.  Out of town landlords can be hard to get a hold of and take longer to approve things.

Is property management local? – Similar to the preceding question.  Local property management is easier to get a hold of and take care of all your matters.

What’s the building history? – Older buildings require more maintenance.  High turnover rates are not a good sign that a shopping center is doing well.

Have similar use tenant’s leased a storefront at this shopping center before? – It would be good to know if one has rented here before and closed business or moved to another location within the last 5-10 years.

Who are the most recent tenants that signed lease contracts? – Ask them how their negotiations went and how their experience has been so far.  If the listing agent is new and does not know find out.

Have any tenants moved out recently? – Find out who the last tenants were that moved out.  Why did they move out?  Look them up and ask them about why they left and their opinions of the shopping center, landlord, and property manager.

Who is the largest tenant? – These anchor tenants will typically drive the most traffic.  Find out how long their lease is and if they intend on staying.

Is the property for sale? – Owners looking to sell and investors looking to buy have different motivations with tenants.

Types of Retail Properties

Freestanding

These are typically large destination-oriented retailers such as grocery stores, home improvement stores (Home Depot, Lowe’s), Wal-Mart, Target, or drugstores (Walgreens, CVS). The don’t depend on traffic from other stores as they are more than likely the anchor (largest) tenant that pulls in most of the traffic.

Neightborhood Shopping Center

Ranges in size from 60,000 to over 200,000 sf. Their trade areas range from 1 to 3 to 5 miles depending on where the competition is. A grocery store is typically the anchor with smaller tenants such as restaurants, hair salons, dry cleaners, and nail salons that can serve residents on a daily and weekly basis.

Community Shopping Centers

Bigger than the above with 250,000 to 500,000 sf. They may have more than one anchor tenant and have a larger trade area up to 10 miles or more.

Regional Centers – Open and Closed Malls

Have trade areas of up to 100 miles or more and range in size from 500,000 sf and up. Think of the Domain or Barton Creek Mall in Austin, Texas

Restaurant Space

Storefronts For Rent

Why Use Austin Tenant Advisors When Leasing Retail Space?

Listing Agents Do Not Represent Your Best Interests

When you call a listing agent you are speaking with the Landlords representative. What that means is that person was hired by the landlord to help them negotiate against you and get the highest lease rate possible. Yes, they are nice people however they are obligated to help the landlord get the best deal………NOT you. They will tell you about the space and other amenities however they will not tell you if the landlord will take a lower lease rate or give tenant improvement allowances. Negotiating leases can be tricky if you do not have experience doing so. By having us represent you in locating and renting retail we can level the playing field.

Finding the best Retail space to lease in Austin, Texas can make or break your business so it’s important to investigate your options as retail comes in all types, from general retail, community centers, lifestyle centers, free standing retail, neighborhood centers, power centers, regional malls, specialty centers and unanchored strip centers.

Gain Access to Real Time Market Knowledge

In addition to keeping our own database of available Austin retail listings we also pay to have full access to the most widely used listing services (e.g. Xceligent, Costar, LoopNet). What that means is you will have full knowledge of every available location in the Austin metro area. And since we know all the owners, landlords, listing agents, and brokers in town we also stay updated on sites that have not hit the market yet. Most websites will just show you a bunch of listings that are outdated or NOT available. We actually research all available properties to ensure that you have the most updated information possible.

Leverage Our Retail Experience

We have assisted 100’s of retailers find space and negotiate leases in and around Travis, Williamson, Hays, & Bastrop Counties. Whether you are a small or large we have the time, experience, and plenty of resources to sure you find the best retail space and negotiate the best deal possible.

We Only Represent Retail Tenants & Buyers

Some retail brokerage firms represent both tenants AND landlords. In a few cases this may be ok, however what if you hired an agent who worked for Company A to help you find and negotiate retail space, and the space you liked and decided to get a proposal on was listed by that same agent or another agent with the same company? Do you think they represent you in this situation? No. Their fiduciary duty is to the landlord. We do not represent retail owners, nor do we have retail space listings. We only help Tenants find and lease retail space.

Ready to Find Retail Space in Austin Tx Now?

Call us at 512-861-0525 or fill out our retail space search request form.

We will research every retail space in your ideal location by calling building owners, retail listing agents, and landlords, searching our online data bases, and driving around ourselves
We will create a report in pdf format that lists only those spaces that meet your ideal location, size, and budget.  Photos, lease rate info, and site plans will be included.
We will review all the options with you and give guidance to the best ones
We will call all of the listing agents to schedule times to tour each retail space with you
After property tours we help you determine your top choices and then draft request for proposals (RFP’s) for each one.
Afterwards we represent you in lease negotiations, help coordinate contractors, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions About Leasing Retail Space

• What is the Most Common Lease For Retail Property?

• When Should I Start My Retail Space Search?

• How Much Does It Cost To Lease Retail Space in Austin Tx?

• How Do I Calculate My Monthly Retail Space Rent?

• How Long Are Retail Rental Terms?