How much should I pay a commercial realtor if I end up leasing a space that did not involve her?

Question

I have been working with a commercial realtor for over a month to find a space to lease for my new business. She has done a lot of work to this point and has been very helpful. In the end, I found a space on my own (Craig's List) and the owner does not want to use realtors. I would like to give my realtor some type of compensation to show my gratitude for all the work she did anyway (out of my pocket). How much would be appropriate to give in this situation?

Answer 1

i don't know about commercial r.e. but in residential r.e. the seller's agent split the commission with the buyers agent; so if there is no AGENCY in the transaction, there is no commission.  Since you feel a personal debt to this agent, how about a big gift certificate to your business?

Answer 2

If you signed an exclusive agency agreement with her, then guess what happened?   YOU have to pay her instead of who you leased from.

If she takes you to court and sues you, she will win.

If you read the contract it will state that no matter where you lease from, whether you found it on your own or not, you'll still owe her a commission....this is to prevent people from doing what you did in order to cut an agent out who has put forth their own time and expense to find you a property.

If you didn't sign anything with her, then you can do as you please.

But if you signed a contract with her, that is going to be a very expensive lesson for you...commercial realtors are not as nice as residential ones....it's rare that a Reatlor will sue a client in residential transactions, but it is VERY common in commercial.

The reason is that commercial Realtors make more money per transaction, but they close FEWER transactions than residential Realtors.

I highly suggest you find an attorney that specializes in small businesses before you keep making decisions like this, especially since you appear to be very, very new.

PS:  I can tell you now that no agent is going to agree to a contract to represent you that allows you to shop on your own....no agent.

Answer 3

If you signed a contract with her indicating that she must be the initiator of any lease  for a certain period of time then you owe her whatever the contract you signed call for.

If your contract indicate that if you find a lease on your own, then legally you are not obligated to pay her anything.

I would suggest a nice lunch or other meal to show appreciation for  her services that you did not use.

You should not pay for services that you did not use. Sometimes it puts the other person in a awkward position, because they know they did not perform a service and don't really want to be paid for something they did not do.

I hope this is of some us to you, good luck.

"FIGHT ON"