Navigating the complexities of veterinary lease spaces in Northern California with ease.
Why work with a tenant broker and not the listing agent?A listing agent represents the owner’s interests and might not take your interests into account. A tenant broker has your back and your back only!
Working with someone who understands veterinary real estate makes the process smoother, faster, and a whole lot less stressful. Working with someone who understands the business and what it needs beyond the four walls is a sound investment.
No Fear
Not every property works for a veterinary practice. Boarding, surgery, and even basic care can all have different zoning requirements. Permits take time—and sometimes a lot of it. Having a broker that can find spaces that are zoned before you tour them is well worth it.
You want to be easy to find, easy parking and convenient for your clients and their furry family members to get to. Proximity to neighborhoods, signage, and pet friendly access matters. A good tenant broker will prioritize these features to set you up for long-term success.
Veterinary practices aren’t just “medical offices.” You’ll need soundproofing, HVAC that can handle the workload, reinforced plumbing, and more. You will want a spot where pets can “take care of business” before coming inside—without creating problems for neighboring tenants. Power upgrades? Might not be needed if the broker knows your business incredibly well.
Square footage is one thing—functionality is another. Exam rooms, surgery, dental, pharmacy, kennels, storage: the flow has to work. A broker who “gets” veterinary medicine knows how the puzzle pieces fit together and can help you spot whether a building will works for your practice. And a broker with experience has contractors that also know veterinary build outs because not all contractors understand your business.
Kirsten Johnsen, Associate with Lee & Associates –
East Bay, Inc., is a 30 year resident of the East Bay
area, a UC Davis graduate and an experienced sales
professional. Prior to entering real estate, Kirsten
dedicated three decades to being a top producing
sales professional in animal health pharmaceutical
sales, supporting clients with drugs to treat patients
but also helping them with their business goals to
include locating real estate to expand, grow or even
start up their business in their desired geography. As
such, contractors have recommended to clients that
they work with Kirsten due to her attention to detail,
experience and reliable follow through. Kirsten
enjoys meeting people and learning about their
lives, their desires and needs so that she can help
them achieve their goals.
Thank you so much for being proactive and for keeping us posted on your actions. It is very much appreciated!
Tina K.
Thank you Kirsten! We so appreciated your feedback and advice throughout this process. We’re very excited to move into our new work home. I’ll be sure to pass along your information to my colleagues. Take care!
Emily W.
I wanted to send a personal note to the two of you and say THANK YOU, sincerely, for all your help during this process. Particularly your patience with my endless questions! Hard to believe that I have been in business for over 2 decades and still feel like such a newbie with this stuff.
Your willingness to be available and communicative during this process was terrific and it was so nice to feel like I wasn’t going through all this alone. I know ultimately it was my decision, but having someone to bounce options off of and talk through possible concerns was immensely helpful. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Naomi L.
Thank you for today!!
You turned what was supposed to be a “work” day into such a fun day.
Really appreciated water and a delicious protein bar and most of all your company.
It was so refreshing to spend time with such a fun and interesting person like you.
Thank you again and yes.. I will hit you up for coffee of lunch when in the area!
Soo K.
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I work almost exclusively on the tenant side but some of the most useful things I’ve learned about representing tenants well came from paying attention to what actually moves an owner. Early on, it’s tempting to think of a deal as tenant vs. owner. It’s not. It’s translation. It’s understanding the needs of each side…
I lost a vet deal a couple weeks ago, and I’m still thinking about it. Not because of a better offer, not financing, not a slow CUP process. I lost a deal because a landlord got spooked at the finish line because he pictured barking dogs scaring off his other office and medical tenants. I…
Sound familiar? Your waiting room is full. Your associate just asked about a partnership track. You’re booked three weeks out, your surgery schedule is locked, and your team is firing on all cylinders. By every measure that matters in veterinary medicine, you’re winning. And every month, you write a rent check to someone else. That…
Zoning, Conditional Use Permits (CUPs), and Veterinary Leases: What To Know Before Signing One of the most expensive mistakes a veterinary tenant can make is____________________________? The answer: to sign a lease before confirming zoning approval. This happens more often than one would think. I always recommend getting the zoning approval in writing or email. Never…
Veterinary medicine has changed dramatically over the past decade. Today’s practices offer advanced diagnostics, expanded dentistry, technician-driven services, and rehabilitation—all while operating inside buildings that were often designed back when the pharmacy paid the bills {sigh} and X-ray machines looked like they belonged in a museum! That’s why space planning for a veterinary practice isn’t…
We service the following communities in Northern California:
East Bay, San Francisco, Peninsula, South Bay, Sacramento, Central Valley, North Bay, Coastal, Northern California, and more….
Navigating veterinary leasing and purchasing with a broker that knows your business inside and out!
