Shaping up for the exciting new world of the 2010s…

As we head into a new decade and optimism increases as the green shoots of economic recovery grow leaves, there is going to be some exciting new thinking needed for doing business.

It is increasingly an era of customisation, where people have more and more say about the goods and services they buy, and how, where and when they get them.

In my area of expertise – commercial property leasing – the business owner’s ability to customise property solutions is the name of the game for the future.

I’ve often spoken about the trends regarding flexible work space, remote working, and virtual offices. This is already having a significant impact when I work with companies to strategise their property needs.

The tough times over the past couple of years have also seen a significant rise in vacancy levels for commercial space, now up around 20 percent when you take into account the high number of subleased spaces available.

It is very much a tenant’s market when it comes to leasing commercial space.

And as we hear more and more reports of increased business confidence, now is the time to be thinking of property solutions that can be customised to fit the future shape of your organisation.

There are still a few wobbles ahead in the economic recovery, and while many believe residential property has stabilised, the same cannot be said [yet] for commercial property.

But I have always been an optimist. There are more incentives on offer from landlords in the commercial property sector than in a very long time. For those that are ready, willing and able to build on the growing business confidence, now is a good time for rethinking space requirements, location, and the terms and conditions of leases.

The leasing of commercial property space is going to be increasingly dynamic in the 2010s because the way we work, where we work, and how we work is starting to shift dramatically.

Predictions are that we will become a more and more urban people across the world, with projections suggesting 70 percent of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050. 100 years ago only 5 percent did.

A world-renowned future trends commentator, Alex Steffen of www.WorldChanging.com says, “… compact, wired and wealthy urban communities seem to me to be becoming the epicenters of innovation these days, and that is going to change what innovations emerge”.

So as we all shut down our computers for a few days over the break, it will be worth contemplating a whole different way of working next year; remotely, virtually, from where ever you wanna be!