Welcome to TRA’s new blog – TRA Café©. The blog dedicated to Tenant (and Buyer) Chat about This & That. Your office lease and building purchase will never…ever…be the same.
“We will expose the dark side of your office lease or purchase while shedding light on new strategies to make you and your company better – more profitable. And, perhaps, we will have some fun along the way.”
Let me introduce myself. I’m Scott Fabean, President & CEO of Tenant Representation Associates, Inc. (TRA). This blog will be a journey through our relationships – public and private. We will share stories about our lives and leases. We’ll laugh about our day and maybe cry too.
“This is my way of planting a tree.”
After starting TRA in 1998, it became clear to me that so many tenants and buyers of commercial real estate are being taken advantage of by their landlord or their landlord broker. It is about time I shared some of my expertise and secrets with you. Some of it I learned from mentors, some in hard fought negotiations, some in classrooms and most in the classrooms of life. Hopefully, this blog will help lead you along the way to a more successful lease or purchase.
This is my way of planting a tree. You may hear from wealthy billionaires like Warren Buffet just as easily as you may hear from those with a vow of poverty like Thomas Merton. Warren Buffet says, “Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” We will unpack this gem in the future. But for now, let’s have it seep in. So nice, right? On so many levels. I see the connections we will make here as intellectual, physical, and spiritual. Some will be frivolous and fun, some deep and devotional.
Like, Thomas Merton is quoted as saying, “Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.” So pregnant with meaning and yet another guide for business and life.
So, you will find overarching themes like a pursuit of happiness as well as detailed strategies of lease negotiations.
Here are titles of blogs you’ll see coming to this space:
- Covid‐19: How does it affect my lease?
- Top 10 List: Secrets Your Landlord Wants Secret!
- My lease is expiring, when should I begin the process?
- The Meaning of Trust
- My Inner Marty ‐ My Inner Ruth
If you have any questions, I will be happy to address them here or if it’s urgent, feel free to contact me through the blog or my website at www.tenrep.com.
The title of this post is “Secrets on Why Your Landlord Kicks Your Ass (Without You Knowing It).” So, let’s take a look at a few secrets to whet your appetite:
- How Landlords Get Tenants to Pay for Landlord’s Broker
- My Landlord Invited Me to Golf – How Sweet!!
- How Landlords Get Tenants to Pay for Landlord’s Market Data
- “Don’t Worry, you have a Renewal Option”
- “Don’t Hire a Tenant Rep, it’ll lower your rent.”
- “After all I’ve done for you!”
In this list, you can find so many manipulations landlords try to exert on their tenants and prospective tenants. Don’t worry, we will be going through each and every one, and more to show how you can combat these typical maneuvers. We will expose the dark side of your office lease or purchase while shedding light on new strategies to make you and your company better – more profitable. And, perhaps, we will have some fun along the way. There it is. My first post!