Office Space Search for NYC Startups, From First Tour Through Move-In
Nomad's office space search for NYC startups is one service in three parts, built on 300+ offices delivered and 2M+ square feet leased. Before signing, a broker takes the brief, surveys the market, runs the tours, compares landlord proposals and negotiates the lease. Between signing and move-in, Nomad's construction management team runs the buildout, or the team moves straight onto a furnished floor. After move-in, facilities management keeps the office running. One firm carries all three, so nothing is handed to a stranger at the signature. In most transactions the landlord pays the broker fee for the search.
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Start my office searchUpdated 2026-10-03 · Nomad Group
Part one, before signing: the search itself
- The brief: headcount now and at the end of the hiring plan, the date and a monthly budget.
- The survey: direct floors, subleases and space that has not been marketed.
- The tours: a shortlist walked in one afternoon, then second visits to the finalists.
- The proposals: each landlord's offer converted to one basis so they can be compared.
- The lease: the letter of intent first, then the lease negotiated alongside your attorney.
Nomad's brokerage service describes each step.
Part two, between signing and move-in: build or move straight in
Where a floor has to be built, the work goes to Nomad's construction management team: the design, the Department of Buildings filings, the landlord's approvals, the contractor, and the furniture and cabling at the end. Custom work of this kind typically runs 10 to 16 weeks from the day the lease is signed. Because the same firm negotiated the lease, design can begin while it is still in draft.
If the floor is furnished or pre-built, there is little to build and a startup is usually in within two to four weeks. These are typical ranges, not promises. A landmarked building or a slow permit review can add weeks, and we flag that before you sign. The buildout cost and timeline guide goes into the detail.
Part three, after move-in: keeping the office running
Once the team is in, facilities management takes over the daily work: cleaning, repairs and maintenance, restocking the pantry, coordinating vendors and answering when something breaks. It is the part of an office that a startup of 40 rarely has anyone to own. Facilities management sets out what is covered.
When the lease nears its end, the search starts again with a broker who already knows how the team used the space.
Why one firm from search to keys suits a team of about 40
Forty people need roughly 7,000 square feet, which is a real construction project if the floor is not already built. Schedules slip at the handoffs: from broker to architect, from architect to contractor, from contractor to the people who run the office. With one firm, the buildout is priced before the lease is signed, so the allowance is negotiated against a real estimate.
Nomad has delivered 300+ offices and leased 2M+ square feet that way. The block below holds floors that suit about 40 people.
Floors that fit a team of 40
Live from our listings · 6 of the 13, smallest firstA team of 40 plans on about 7,000 square feet at 175 a person. 13 floors on our book sit in the range that fits, 7,000 to 12,600 square feet, asking $43 to $200 per square foot per year on the 11 with a published rent.
- Floors
- 13
- Sizes
- 7,047-12,500 sq ft
- Asking rent
- $43-$200 / sq ft
- 520 Madison Avenue, Partial 21st Floor 7,092 sq ft $125/sq ft Midtown about 41 people
- 5 Bryant Park, Entire 33rd Floor 7,500 sq ft $96/sq ft Bryant Park about 43 people
- 45 West 45th Street, Entire 10th Floor 8,230 sq ft rent on request Midtown about 47 people
- 137 East 25th Street, 6th Floor 8,308 sq ft $43/sq ft Flatiron about 47 people
- 127 West 26th Street, Entire 7th Floor 9,500 sq ft $50/sq ft Chelsea about 54 people
- 1239 Broadway, Entire 12th Floor 12,500 sq ft $62/sq ft NoMad about 71 people
The full guide
This page is the short answer. The long one, with the numbers worked through, is here:
Related topics
- Startup Office Leasing in NYC: The Weeks From First Call to Move-In
- Office Space for Your NYC Startup: Four Tests the Right Floor Has to Pass
- Leasing Strategy for Startups: How Long, How Big and How Flexible
- Office Space for a Small Business in NYC: Start With the Monthly Budget
Who pays Nomad for the search?
In most transactions the landlord pays the broker fee, so the search itself usually costs a tenant nothing out of pocket. That covers the brokerage. Construction management and facilities management are services of their own, so ask what each would involve on your floor before you sign the lease.
Can a startup use the search without the buildout or facilities services?
Yes. The brokerage stands on its own, and a search that ends on a furnished floor needs no construction at all. Tenants on a direct lease add facilities management as a package if they want it. The parts are built to hand off to each other, not to be bought as a bundle.
When does the construction team first look at a floor?
During the search, not after it. A test fit on each finalist shows how the team would sit, and a builder's read on the floor flags what would be expensive before any offer is made. That is how the cost of the work is known before the lease is signed.
Does Nomad promise a move-in date?
No. We give the typical range for each floor and say what could move it: approvals in a landmarked building, permit reviews, and items such as glass partitions that take weeks to arrive. A shortlist can be sorted by realistic move-in date, so a team with a deadline sees the furnished and pre-built floors first.
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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