Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers about how commercial real estate brokerage works and how Burgess Properties serves tenants, landlords, buyers, and sellers across Greater Boston. Have a question that isn't covered here? Contact us or call 781-321-5200.
What does Burgess Properties do?
Burgess Properties, LLC is a full-service commercial real estate brokerage based in Greater Boston, with offices in Charlestown and Malden, Massachusetts. The firm handles tenant representation, landlord representation, investment sales, and user property sales across office, industrial, retail, and multi-family assets. Burgess Properties has been regularly ranked among the Boston Business Journal's top 20 commercial real estate brokerages in Massachusetts by square footage leased and sold.
What areas does Burgess Properties serve?
Burgess Properties specializes in Boston's inner-north suburbs, including Malden, Medford, Everett, Chelsea, East Boston, Melrose, Saugus, Revere, Woburn, Wilmington, Salem, Peabody, and Middleton, and completes transactions throughout Greater Boston and New England.
What is tenant representation?
Tenant representation means a broker works exclusively on behalf of the tenant, not the landlord, in a lease transaction. Your tenant rep broker identifies suitable spaces, including options that are not publicly listed, arranges tours, benchmarks market rents, negotiates the letter of intent and lease economics such as rent, escalations, tenant improvement allowances, and options, and coordinates the process through to signing.
How much does it cost to hire a tenant representation broker?
In most commercial lease transactions the brokerage fee is paid by the landlord, so working with a tenant rep broker typically comes at no direct cost to the tenant. The same generally applies to buyer representation in sales, where the fee is customarily paid from the seller's side. Ask us and we will explain exactly how fees would work in your specific situation before you commit to anything.
What is landlord representation?
Landlord representation means the broker markets a property on the owner's behalf to lease vacant space at the best achievable terms. That includes pricing strategy, marketing on commercial listing platforms, canvassing prospective tenants, qualifying offers, and negotiating leases. Burgess Properties has represented owners in leases to tenants including Amazon, Skanska, Iron Mountain, Boston University, Mass General Hospital, and the MBTA.
What types of properties does Burgess Properties handle?
All major commercial asset types: industrial and warehouse, office and medical office, retail, flex, land, and multi-family or mixed-use investment properties. Recent work spans last-mile warehouse leases, medical office building sales, municipal properties, and multi-acre development sites.
How can I hear about new listings before they are widely marketed?
Sign up for our new-listings notification list on the contact page. Subscribers are notified as soon as new exclusive listings come to market. You can also follow Burgess Properties on LinkedIn and Instagram.
How long does a commercial lease or sale take to complete?
It varies with the deal. A straightforward lease can go from first tour to signature in roughly 30 to 90 days. Investment sales commonly take 60 to 120 days or more once diligence, financing, and permitting are factored in. Complex deals, such as those involving zoning changes or environmental review, can run longer. We will give you a realistic timeline for your specific transaction up front.
Can Burgess Properties tell me what my commercial property is worth?
Yes. We prepare confidential broker opinions of value for owners weighing a sale, a refinance, or a long-term hold. An opinion of value draws on current comparable sales and leases, in-place income, and our read of buyer demand for your asset type. Call 781-321-5200 or email steve@burgessproperties.com to start the conversation.
How do I contact Burgess Properties?
Call 781-321-5200, email steve@burgessproperties.com, or use the form on our contact page. Offices are located at 529 Main Street, #607, Charlestown, MA 02129 and 40 Eastern Avenue, #100, Malden, MA 02148.
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