Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
Angela Howard – Culture Expert
Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
A new Apto National Broker Buzz poll reveals that brokers are less concerned about coworking operators than they were a year ago.
In fact, 56% of respondents said that coworking is not a threat to the industry, up from 49% last year.
“With familiarity comes a higher comfort level,” said Tanner McGraw, founder of Apto. “The longer WeWork is around, the less fearful brokers are of it. We’re also seeing greater understanding and acceptance of the notion of real estate as a service, which is the larger dynamic that WeWork represents. In so many aspects of the economy, goods and services are being procured on demand, so the idea of real estate as an on-demand service is less shocking than it was a year or two ago.”
Now, more brokers are seeing the value in these workspaces and are accepting coworking firms as clients, as well as aiding landlords to launch flexible office programs in office buildings.
Although brokers are clearly getting cozy with the idea, they acknowledge the long path the industry has ahead of it. 44% of respondents said that they expect coworking to take up 10% to 25% of the total office market in 10 years.
McGraw also said that landlords are becoming more comfortable with the coworking space market as they accept the growing demand for short-term, flexible offices.
