David, depending on the location, there is a serious oversupply...

David, depending on the location, there is a serious oversupply of secondary grade commercial property at the moment.

the downturn and new shopping malls and overdevelopment have left many places empty and nothing much indictaes that trend will change.

Play it cool and go for a shorter lease with more options, a rent free period and upgrades to modern standards if the building does not offer good facilities.

Depnending on your business, if it is a new business venture be careful signing a lease makes you responsible for the full term of the lease unless it can be rerented at the same price, should your business faIl.

If the property has sat vacant for two years it may be hard to relet. many people fail to take into account that a 5 years 100k PA Lease is not much differant to a 500K loan from the bank. It is a binding contract.

There are strategies to mitigate this risk. Just assess your situation very carefully. landlords are notoriously hard to deal with and will hold you accountable.

So like most things in life get the terms of the original commitment right.

Good Luck.