How the estimate is built
The calculator assigns a planning allowance to each element of your program: about 150 usable square feet per private office, 64 per workstation, 200 for a small meeting room, 400 for a large one, 200 for reception, 250 for a break room, and 150 for copy, IT, and storage. It adds 35 percent for hallways and secondary circulation to reach usable square feet, then applies the building's load factor to reach the rentable square feet that leases are written on. Growth is applied to headcount first, so the result fits the midpoint of the term rather than move-in day.
These allowances are typical of current space planning for professional offices. Law firms and medical practices with many private rooms run larger; call centers and open-plan technology firms run smaller. A test fit by the landlord's architect, which most Albuquerque landlords provide at no cost to a serious prospect, replaces this estimate once you have shortlisted buildings.
Turning the number into a search
- Search a band of plus or minus 10 percent around the rentable figure. Existing suites rarely match a program exactly, and the right building with a slightly larger suite often beats the wrong building with the right one.
- Ask every landlord for the load factor and whether the quoted rate is full-service, modified gross, or NNN. Our lease types guide explains how to put quotes on one total-occupancy-cost line.
- Albuquerque's office market is split: suburban buildings are about 10 percent vacant and Downtown is near 24 percent, which changes what concessions are available. The office space guide covers the submarkets and the statistics page has the current figures.
- Parking, improvement allowances, and the ability to expand on adjacent space are worth as much in Albuquerque as a dollar of rent; they belong in the first conversation, not the last.
