"It was nicer, newer and had better economics," Steve Strand, with NAI Horizon in Phoenix, tells GlobeSt.com of the 6263 N. Scottsdale Rd. building. Certified Public Accountant Brent Stewart made the move into a 1,695-sf, first-floor suite at the four-story, class A building late last month after vacating his former office at 4725 N. Scottsdale Rd.

Strand said the $173,000, five-year deal was a good one for Stewart, who was facing a rent increase with a lease renewal of his former office. "He was in his previous location for 18 years and his prior landlord just didn't toe the line when it came to an economic package," said Strand. "They wanted more money for an older building."

Instead, Stewart got a recently renovated office in a 1991 building with underground parking. Strand said building owner, Chicago-based CMD Realty, installed upgraded carpet and wall coverings and aggressively priced the office space to help fill a building with a 36% vacancy rate. That strategy is working to lure new tenants into the property, with several new lease deals in the works, Strand said.