Read This Before Relocating Your Office to the Bay Area
The concept of having to cope up with office relocation can be stressful. Especially, when you’re planning to shift your entire corporate setup to the place like Bay Area. Whether you’re moving from a cosmopolitan state of New York or planning to relocate from a small town of Pennsylvania, office relocation is challenging and one should be extremely watchful on how to implement the change.
Make sure you go through this article if you’re planning to relocate your office to the Bay Area soon.
Why Bay Area is a Perfect Place to Run Your Business?
Let’s face it, San Francisco is a land of opportunities. It’s a unique location where you can raise more money and find better investors. Your business networking, collaborations and contacts will gain momentum and the chances of being acquired grow in your favor.
Things to Consider Before Moving Your Office to the Bay Area
If you haven’t visited SF earlier, then you perhaps don’t have a clear idea about how expensive it could be to run a business setup in the Bay Area. San Francisco is listed as one of the most expensive US states after New York and LA. First and most importantly, you have to plan a budget for yourself. Obviously, you have to rent a space for your office. According to one of the reports published by the CBRE Group, the average price per square foot of office space in SF is $72.6 in 2015. So, you have to keep this figure in mind before relocating your office to the Bay Area.
Also, Bay Area is believed to be the hub for tech giants. Do you think you’re going to be able to pull out a web developer from the hold of Apple or Cisco and that too on a limited budget? Thus, it’s important that you get a clear idea about monthly expenses that you have to bear in shape of salaries or other benefits to your employees before relocating your business setup from other location to the Bay Area.
Once you have decided to move to SF for better opportunities and growth, it’s time now to practically plan your move in order to avoid last-minute confusions. Below you will find some of the tips that can help you relocate to your dream place without undergoing much stress.
Know Your Needs
This is certainly one of the most important things. Before, relocating your business to a new location, you must know the purpose of your relocation. This way you would be able to find out the better place and workforce for your business. Knowing your operational needs will make the whole relocation process smooth and hassle-free. Make sure to do proper research about your new office location, the space you will need, basic facilities you require or the type and length of the lease.
Fix a Budget
Start by fixing a budget for your upcoming move including cost allocation for important aspects like:
- Moving company – office relocation can be truly cumbersome without having any professional assistance. Jot down a list of the best moving companies in the Bay Area. Narrow down your search on the basis of cost, testimonials and the estimate you receive from those companies.
- Legal costs – before relocating your office to the Bay Area, you would also be required to get an idea about business license or registration costs. Ideally, you should discuss these aspects with your accountant to ensure you’re not making any mistake.
Make a Checklist
Even if you have acquired services of a professional moving and packing company, make sure to prepare a quick checklist to ensure you don’t miss any important detail.
Start Early
As mentioned earlier, it takes a great deal of planning and implementation to handle an office move. So, it’s best to start early. Ideally, you should start planning your office relocation four to eight weeks before the final moving day.
Downsize
Get rid of the things you no longer need at your new place. Try to skim through your office accessories, supplies and equipment to determine which things you can sell to reduce the burden.
Determine the Cost of Living
If you’re relocating your office to the Bay Area, you have to research thoroughly about the cost of living. As far as the apartments in the downtown area are concerned, they cost up to $3,500-$4,000 per month. To save money, instead of choosing the main city, try to track down the decent SF neighborhood options instead.
There you have it. Bay Area is certainly one of the best places to run a business in SF. While the cost of living is much higher in SF than other alternates, the quality of life you get is definitely worth the price. Take a clue from this post to make your office relocation smooth and hassle-free.
