How to choose who markets your corporate property before taking it to market.
Demand, a reading of the property, screening and the lease: what to ask before entrusting someone with letting your asset.
Whoever markets a corporate property needs to bring the right company, not just a quick lease. To choose, look at seven points: CRECI registration and written authorization, access to companies that are looking, a reading of the property, screening of whoever will occupy it, what the lease will say, discretion and the agreement with whoever markets it.
- In Brazil, advertising a property requires the owner's written authorization (Law 6,530/1978, art. 20, III).
- Ask which companies the advisor works with today: that is where demand for your property comes from.
- Positioning means saying who the property is for, before deciding where it appears.
- The law allows one guarantee per lease: a security deposit, a personal guarantee, rent guarantee insurance or an assignment of investment fund units (Law 8,245/1991, art. 37).
- Written commercial leases adding up to five years may give the company the right to ask for renewal (Law 8,245/1991, art. 51).
- Under the Tenancy Law, brokerage fees are the owner's responsibility (art. 22, VII). Scope, term and exclusivity are agreed in writing.
What a corporate property marketing advisor does
Marketing a property means taking it to the company it serves, not just publishing it. The difference is the order: first a reading of the property and of who is looking, then exposure.
| Stage | What they do | What the owner receives |
|---|---|---|
| Reading the property | Floor plan, delivery condition, infrastructure, documentation and surroundings | What the property does best, and for whom |
| Positioning | Matches the property with what companies are looking for | The occupier profile that makes sense |
| Material | Floor plan, photos, technical sheet and terms | Material that works for the board of whoever decides |
| Presentation | Takes the property to companies with that profile | Visits from those who can actually occupy it |
| Screening and negotiation | Background checks, guarantee, intended use, term, rent-free period and fit-out | Offers compared side by side |
| After signing | Handover, adjustments and, where it makes sense, lease management | Continuity |
Seven points to assess
Registration, demand, a reading of the property, screening, the lease and discretion. These are the points that separate well-run marketing from a property that is merely advertised.
- Registration and written authorization. In Brazil, brokering a lease is reserved for brokers registered with CRECI, the regional council of real estate brokers, and advertising a property requires the owner's written authorization (Law 6,530/1978, arts. 3 and 20, III). Set out in writing who may advertise it, where and with what information.
- Access to those who are looking. Ask which companies the advisor works with today, without names: sector, size, the districts they are looking at. That is where demand for your property comes from. Exposure without demand multiplies visits, not offers.
- A reading of the property. Positioning means saying who the property is for: the company that needs a whole floor, the one that wants its own façade, the one arriving in São Paulo. An advisor who reads the property before advertising it chooses better where and how it appears.
- Screening whoever will occupy it. Background checks, financial health, intended use and guarantee. The law allows one guarantee per lease: a security deposit, a personal guarantee, rent guarantee insurance or an assignment of investment fund units (Law 8,245/1991, art. 37). Assigning or subletting the property requires the owner's prior written consent (art. 13).
- What the lease will say. Term, rent adjustment, rent-free period, fit-out and handback. In commercial leases, written contracts adding up to five years may give the company the right to ask for renewal, if it has been in the same line of business for three years (Law 8,245/1991, art. 51). Reviewing the lease is a job for the owner's lawyer.
- Discretion. Not every piece of information about the property needs to be on every channel. Professional confidentiality is a broker's duty (Law 6,530/1978, art. 20, VI): agree on what can be disclosed, where and to whom.
- The agreement with whoever markets it. Scope, term, exclusivity and fee, in writing. With exclusivity, the fee is due even if the deal closes without the broker, unless the broker's inaction is proven (Brazilian Civil Code, art. 726). Under the Tenancy Law, brokerage fees are the owner's responsibility (art. 22, VII).
The best lease is not the one that closes first. It is the one that still makes sense in year five.
What to ask before entrusting the property
Seven questions that show, in one conversation, how the property will be handled.
- Which companies you work with today could occupy this property? It shows whether there is real demand behind the proposal.
- Where and how will the property appear? Open listing, direct presentation or both: each path exposes the property in a different way.
- What material do you prepare? Floor plan, photos, technical sheet and terms, ready to circulate in a boardroom.
- How do you screen an interested company? Background checks, guarantee and intended use, before the offer reaches you.
- How often will I hear back? Visits, objections and offers, in writing.
- Who negotiates and who follows the lease? Continuity keeps information from getting lost between the visit and the signature.
- In this deal, do you represent the owner or the company? It defines whose interests are on the table, and it needs to be clear from the start.
What to watch for before signing the authorization
The signs appear early, before the first visit.
- Timing and price promised before the visit. A corporate property cannot be read from a photo. A promise made before seeing the property rests on no reading at all.
- Exposure without criteria. The property on every channel, with different information on each. Prices and terms that circulate loosely weigh on the negotiation later.
- Unfiltered visits. Many visits and no offers. An advisor who filters first brings fewer visits and more serious conversations.
- Silence. Weeks without news about visits, objections and offers.
- A discount as the first answer. Lowering the price is a lever, not a diagnosis. First, it is worth understanding why the property has not yet found the right company.
We start with the companies
Wharbz is a corporate real estate advisory firm in São Paulo (CRECI/SP 51.788-J). We start with the companies looking for space: they are where the reading of what the market wants comes from.
For owners, that means presenting the property to the companies it serves, with the decision already studied on the other side. In every transaction, we make clear from the start whom we represent.
Reading the property
Floor plan, delivery condition, infrastructure, documentation and surroundings.
Positioning
Which company profile the property suits, and why.
Presentation
To companies with that profile, with material ready for their board.
Negotiation
Offers compared, guarantees, term, rent-free period and fit-out.
After signing
Handover, adjustments and, where it makes sense, lease management.
Owners receive a reading of their property, not just a listing. See how we work with owners.
What owners ask before handing over a property
Shall we start with a reading of your property?
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