That Commercial Realtor - Susan Williamson

06/08/2026

06/08/2026

$35 per square foot allowance sounds great….until the buildout comes back at $50 per square foot.

Now what?

Most tenants focus on the allowance. The smarter question is what happens if the allowance doesn’t cover the build out?

The allowance is only half of the conversation. The language that deals with the gap is where things get interesting.

Before you sign an Offer to Lease, make sure you understand who carries the overage if construction pricing comes in higher than expected. It’s not a construction conversation. That’s a business conversation.

06/06/2026

You agree on the tenant improvement allowance.

Construction pricing comes in higher later.

That gap should be addressed before the lease gets signed… not after.

06/05/2026

Lead with curiosity.
Listen longer.
Leave people better than you found them.

The universe will notice.

06/04/2026

Most tenant improvement allowances are use-it-or-lose-it.

If the buildout comes in under budget, the unused portion usually stays with the landlord.

The negotiation is not just about the number.
It’s about how the money gets used.

06/03/2026

“Land is scarce.”
“Developers are circling.”
“Just wait for rezoning.”

None of those are wrong.
None of them close deals in 2026.

Across Burlington, Halton, and the west GTA, landowners are running into the same reality:

📈 Land has value
📉 Executable land is rare
⚖️ The gap between the two is where expectations stall

Today, land is not priced on possibility.
It is priced on zoning in place, servicing, power, timelines, and feasibility.

If your land needs approvals, utilities, or optimism to work, buyers price that risk in immediately. Quietly. Mathematically.

Hope is not a servicing plan.
Interest is not a deal.
Waiting without a catalyst is just carrying costs in disguise.

I broke it all down in this month’s blog so owners can stop guessing and start making strategic decisions that actually protect value.

🔗 Read the full breakdown here: https://williamsoncommercialrealty.com/Blogs

Built for business.
Backed by data.
Negotiated with bite.