Guide to Retail Leasing

Sign with an agent

To find commercial properties to rent, you need to contact commercial real estate agents.

I recommend: Search for commercial real agents by town or area code at YellowPages.com, or use CityFeet.com, which lets you search for properties to lease by desired number of square feet, location and type of use. LoopNet lets you search hundreds of thousands of commercial properties for sale or lease, but you must become a member for full benefits and search information.

Hire a leasing lawyer

In case you don't already have an attorney to assist you in business matters, consider finding a specialist in landlord/tenant relationships to make sure you don't sign a lease that's detrimental to your future growth.

I recommend: FindLaw.com allows you to search for landlord/tenant lawyers by state.

Look where your customers are

A business without customers won't be a business for long, so consider using demographic tools to examine potential retail areas to see whether the residents fit your image of ideal customers.

I recommend: The IRS makes a wealth of demographic data available on its Web site, such as state income, tax return breakdowns by Zip code, and projected returns for the upcoming year. Data on income by counties and county-to-county migration is also available from the IRS by mail.

Find your comfort zone

Each town has its own commercial zoning regulations, so don't waste time looking at buildings that can't house your business. You can ask the landlord whether her building is zoned for your business, but a safer approach would involve a trip to city hall to find out where commercial activity is allowed.

I recommend: Many cities have zoning maps online (e.g., Chicago, Boston, New York City and San Diego), and a Google search for the words "zoning," "map" and your city name might be all you need. Cities often include descriptions of their commercial zones, such as how many feet of sidewalk must be clear, which hours a shop can operate, and a hundred other details; New York City has a great description of its commercial zones and gives you an idea of how they might be described in your town.

See who pays for what

You'll probably be quoted a price per square foot of rental space, but before you start calculating a budget based on this figure, you need to know which other expenses may be included in the rental rate. (Shopping centers sometimes also charge a percentage of gross sales in addition to maintenance fees and the basic price per square foot.)

I recommend: Learning the costs involved with different rental terms can save you a lot of money. Pay attention to whether the landlord offers a gross lease (in which he or she pays all expenses), a net lease (in which you pay rent and property taxes), a double net lease (where you pay for property insurance) or a triple net lease (with the cost of maintenance thrown in).