The City of Brotherly Love can seem like it’s not so full of love when it comes to looking for office space. Finding office space for rent in Philadelphia is definitely not for the faint of heart. After all, this is the city that pelted Santa Claus with snowballs.

While Philadelphia may lag a bit behind other metropolitan giants like New York and Boston when it comes to business growth, there is still plenty of competition to work where the Liberty Bell lies.

Below, we’re going to run over some of the most important considerations you should take into account when you decide to find office space for your new business in Philadelphia.

Think of Your Employees

While you may have started out your business as a one-man (or one-woman) show, if you’ve got employees working for you then it’s important to take them into consideration when looking for your ideal office space.

This doesn’t mean you have to bring in a ping pong table (although that’d be nice), but you should think about where they live and what the commute would be like.

Try to find a central location that’s easy to get to, either by driving or public transportation.

Think of the Future

While you’re thinking about your employees, it’s also important to think of the future of your business and how many new employees you might be bringing in.

The Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce has been working hard to bring in more businesses and promote business growth through its initiative, which means that you’re going to be competing with others in the future.

You don’t want to be looking for new office space every few years. Having a plan and making enough room to see to it is ideal for your business.

Get to Know Your Landlord

Landlords often get a bad rep, thanks to Hollywood where they are often chasing around our down-on-their-luck hero who’s doing their best to just try and get by.

Your landlord doesn’t have to be awful but a bad landlord can make your life difficult and an unnecessary headache that just won’t go away.

Before getting to know your landlord, talk to other tenants in the building to get an idea of how they are and how they operate. Then, take the time on your own to get to know your landlord.

Be Ready to Negotiate

If there’s one thing that business professionals know, it’s that just about everything is negotiable. That includes your rent. When looking for your perfect office space for rent in Philadelphia, just because something is listed at a certain price doesn’t mean it has to be paid in full.

If you’re not sure where to start on the negotiating table, the best practice is to start around 10% off and work your way from there. You might be surprised what you can do and it’s always good to save your business money!

Think of Your Priorities

Looking for office space, in a way, is just like looking for the ideal house. You want a certain number of bedrooms, a backyard, etc.

Do you want to be close by when the Eagles bring in another Super Bowl championship?

With your office space, you should also have a list of priorities. Some of those could include location, natural light, and size, space, and parking, close to restaurants, building security, and more. Take a few moments and write down what’s most important to you. You might not be able to check every box when it comes to finding your ideal space.

By having a list of your priorities set before you start looking; it’s going to make it easier to find the ideal office space for you and your employees.