there's plenty of fish in the water. The economy still sucks so there are tons of vacant spaces available at excellent prices. Start looking around and don't stop until you find the perfect space at the right price. The layout is not something you can change, but the prices right now are negotiable. When you find the space that will work for you tell them what's in your budget and ask if they can work with it. You'll be surprised at what goes these days. I have found that being honest and polite about offering considerably less goes long ways. When we were looking few years back it got us the space at about 50% going rate. We straight up told them what we can afford and they chose to do it rather than have the space sit empty. When negotiating, we were working with the potential landlord to try to find some compromise that would work for both of us rather than trying to outmaneuver them. We gave in some and they gave in some. In the end, they signed a tenant into a space that needed a little work, but we agreed to take care of it.
The point is, find somebody who wants to work with you. It will make a better landlord long term . . .
pierre
