LOS ANGELES-Nearly everyone has heard of office condominiums and owner-occupied buildings. In some cases, in fact, owning one’s own space can have business advantages, if businesses are prepared to take on the responsibility of landlords. Suzanne Lee, vice president in Transwestern’s local office, specializes in representing companies and organizations in both leases and purchases of commercial real estate. As part of Transwestern's corporate advisory services team, she is responsible for business development, transaction processing, client relations and market analysis.

GlobeSt.com: What are the advantages of owning your office space, as opposed to leasing?

Suzanne Lee: In most markets, making mortgage payments on a commercial property can be a prudent investment when proper financial management is in place. The current moment, in fact, holds some potential advantages to ownership: advantages: Interest rates are at historic lows, and will remain so for the foreseeable future. With only 10% down on a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan, the borrower can “lock-in” rates between 4.5% and 5.5% for up to 25 years. Even if you don’t remain in the building forever, you have a potential upside when it comes time to sell the space.