Commercial Leasing Agents and Brokers in NYC: Who Is Who on an Office Tour
On an office tour in NYC there are usually two professionals in the room. The commercial leasing agent belongs to the building: hired by the landlord to lease that building. The broker beside you is yours: there to compare this floor with every other one that fits. During the tour your broker asks the questions and handles anything about terms, and you keep three things to yourself: the budget, the deadline and the terms you would walk away at. A tour is usually three to five floors in one afternoon. Second visits to the best two or three come next, and then proposals from the landlords.
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Plan my Chelsea toursUpdated 2026-10-03 · Nomad Group
The leasing agent in the room: usually the landlord's
A building's leasing agent is hired by its owner, and the assignment is to lease that building on good terms for the owner. The agent knows the property well and is the right person to ask about it. The agent also reports back. How many of you came, what you asked, and how pleased you looked all reach the landlord before any offer does.
What your own broker does on the tour day
- Builds the route: floors from several landlords, grouped so they fit one afternoon. Nomad coordinates the tours, transportation included.
- Brings a one-page sheet for each stop, with the size, the asking rent and the condition of the space.
- Asks the agent the questions that are awkward for a tenant: how long the space has been available, and what the landlord has agreed to on recent deals.
- Answers for you when the conversation turns to money or timing.
- Sends a side-by-side comparison afterward, while the details are fresh.
Do and do not, while the building's agent is listening
- Do ask about the building: air-conditioning hours, freight rules, internet providers, who the neighbors are.
- Do take photographs and notes at every stop.
- Do pass any question about terms to your broker.
- Do not state your budget, even as a range.
- Do not give your deadline or mention when your current lease ends.
- Do not say which terms would make you walk away.
- Do not show how much you like the space. Enthusiasm is information too.
What to inspect on site is a separate list, and the tour checklist has it.
How a tour afternoon runs, and who should come
Three to five floors fit in one afternoon. Fewer leaves nothing to compare and more starts to blur. Chelsea is the example on this page because it has enough floors, close enough together, to fill a real tour afternoon, and the Chelsea guide describes the blocks.
Bring the person who will sign, whoever runs the office day to day, and one skeptic whose job is to find the problem. Keep the group small. Someone from IT can join for the second round.
What follows the tours: second visits, then proposals
The two or three floors that survive get a second visit, at a different time of day and with a test fit in hand if possible. After that your broker asks each landlord for a written proposal. Keeping two floors in play through this stage is the strongest position a tenant has.
Chelsea office space available now
Live from our listings · 6 of the 9, cheapest first9 offices are available in Chelsea right now, from 2,937 to 18,668 square feet, asking $44 to $64 per square foot per year. The Chelsea median is $56.
- Floors
- 9
- Sizes
- 2,937-18,668 sq ft
- Asking rent
- $44-$64 / sq ft
- Median
- $56 / sq ft
- 153 W 27th Street, Partial 3rd Floor 2,978 sq ft $44/sq ft about 17 people
- 237 West 27th Street, Entire 11th Floor 7,158 sq ft $44/sq ft about 41 people
- 127 West 26th Street, Entire 7th Floor 9,500 sq ft $50/sq ft about 54 people
- 115 West 30th Street, Partial 4th Floor 3,500 sq ft $55/sq ft about 20 people
- 151 West 26th Street, 12th Floor Penthouse 17,610 sq ft $56/sq ft about 101 people
- 104 West 27th Street, Entire 9th Floor 7,047 sq ft $59/sq ft about 40 people
The full guide
This page is the short answer. The long one, with the numbers worked through, is here:
Related topics
- Commercial Leasing Broker for Startups: What a Landlord Asks of a Young Company
- Commercial Property Brokerage: Choosing an Office Neighborhood With a Method
- Commercial Property Brokers in NYC: Office Space, Across Manhattan
- How Much Space? How Commercial Property Leasing Agents Size Startup Offices
Is a commercial leasing agent the same as a broker?
The words overlap in everyday use. On a tour the useful distinction is whose side each person is on: the building's leasing agent represents the landlord, and your broker represents you. Ask anyone you meet which of the two they are.
Can we tour with only the building's leasing agent?
Yes, and many tenants do. Remember that the agent shows only that owner's buildings and reports to the owner. If you have already toured some buildings alone, tell your broker which ones before the next tour.
What do we say if the leasing agent asks for our budget?
Say that your broker has your requirement and will follow up. It is a normal answer on a tour. The budget then reaches the landlord when, and if, it helps you.
Does touring with our own broker cost us anything?
In most transactions the landlord pays the broker fee, so the tours usually cost a tenant nothing out of pocket. On your search Nomad works for you, and it also offers agency leasing and owner representation.
Talk to a broker
Want this answered for your team?
Tell us three things: team size, timing, budget. A first shortlist can be ready within 24 hours, with the asking rent on every floor that publishes one.
- Within the houra broker reaches out during business hours, no automated triage
- On your sidewe work for you on your search, and the landlord usually pays our fee
- Open pricingasking rent published for 46 of 49 floors, size and address for all
- 300+ officesdelivered in New York, 2M+ sq ft leased
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