Answering a telephone call is a simple process but one which will create an impression of the office to a customer who may never have visited the commercial property.

It is important to employ people who have impeccable mannerisms when picking up the telephone to answer a call which has come through to an office.

The answerer should state the company’s name, in some cases their name and what they can do to help the customer with the query that they are calling about.

When taking the call it is vital that the person representing the company’s office speaks in a clear, calm and polite manner. Not only does this disarm the caller if they are upset but it gives the caller the impression that it is a professional business which appoints intelligent and humble employees.

If it is that the call needs to be transferred then it is up to the original person who took the call in the office to take the caller’s name, details and what they are phoning about.

Once that has been done then it is the person’s responsibility in the office to explain clearly exactly what the call is about to the office employee who has been requested on the call. This allows the recipient a little breathing space to find the details they require for the call and a second or two to compose themselves. When the employee is ready then the call can be transferred.

Office workers email each other every working day with emails often flying around like there is no tomorrow, although some are still uncertain on the etiquette required.

Emailing in a commercial property when working for a company takes on a completely different aspect to emailing a friend or family member back home.

There are etiquette guides which can be followed but these simple steps will ensure that no unforeseen issues occur after sending an email out to colleagues in your office.

It sounds obvious but first of all think what it is that needs to be put into the message. If the message is fairly long then it may be best making a check list and ticking off the list as each point is added. This saves having to inundate people with excessive emails which can clutter their inbox and in some cases confuse them.

One of the important aspects of emailing is ensuring that the correct person or people have been emailed. Search the company email database and add their name to the email. If unsure about a person’s email address it is always best to send them a private email first confirming who they are before sending an important email.

When writing an email the important thing to remember is to keep the message professional. Even if you know the person or people you are emailing you should still remember that it could be read by others and in a lot of cases all the emails will have copies of them kept as part of the company database.

Sitting down has been taken for granted with every office offering a chair or seat of some sort to make workers and guests comfortable, however it is important to sit correctly.

Failing to sit correctly in office space can cause problems for your body later in life and if you are not covered with health insurance then it could cause problems.

There are several tips which should be adhered to when sitting down, whether in a meeting or behind your desk working behind a computer.

First it is important to ensure that you have the correct posture. This means having a firm but comfortable back on the chair which can offer support to the lower back.

It is also important to make sure that you do remember not to sink into your chair as not only will this affect your posture but it puts great strain on your stomach and other organs, which can lead to digestion problems and other irritants.

Having handles or arms on the sides of the chairs reduces the temptation to sit at awkward angles on the chair. Instead it will leave the user sitting ahead focusing on the computer or laptop.

Finally it is important to remember that the chair is positioned at the right height. It should be so that your feet are able to rest on the ground or a support and having your arms positioned 90 degrees to the table.

By taking in these suggestions then there is every chance that the body’s posture will benefit over the long term.

One of the most prominent landmarks in New Jersey still faces an uncertain future after an insurance company requested to change the terms of a recently agreed deal.

The fate of Newark Tower in New Jersey is still on a tenterhook following the decision by Prudential Financial to review their original terms agreed with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

Under the initial deal which was also sanctioned in the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court, Prudential agreed to pay $444 million for the commercial property.

The money paid would have seen them takeover the 650,000 square feet of office space in the tower, however the company have since had second thoughts and want to construct a second office building on a different site in Newark.

On 14th March Prudential Financial sent a letter requesting that they be allowed to develop a larger office space in Newark with plans to mov3e into the commercial property by 2014 at the latest.

It means that a new site will be used for the construction of the Newark commercial property between Broad Street and Halsey Street, close to Military Park.

One factor which may influence the deal is that Prudential Finance were last year given $250.8 million in tax credit to construct a commercial property worth $369 million and 600,000 square feet, which would have been located at Center Street.

Which way the deal goes will be very interesting as it will affect not just the company but also the landlords of Prudential’s present commercial property who are unhappy at the possibility of losing the insurers.

A one time furniture factory has been sold as an office property for just under $80 million, with the commercial value increasing because of its location.

Cambridge office space has been sold for $79 million to DivcoWest in a deal which sees the commercial office property become one of the most valuable buildings in the Massachusetts city.

AEW Capital Management were the sellers although no reason has been given for the sale to DivcoWest, except that AEW believe they have had a fair price for the site.

Located on the corner of 25th Street in the Kendall Square and East Cambridge area of Cambridge, the commercial property is four stories high and offers 220,000 square feet of commercial office space in Massachusetts. This means that the price for the office space works out at $537 per square foot.

Originally opened as a furniture factory in 1860, the building was 127 years old before it was converted into office space in 1987. The decision to change the property into offices appears to have been vindicated as the commercial property is now 95% leased, with tenants including HubSpot, Sonos, Zipcar and Atlas Venture amongst others.

Cushman & Wakefield’s representatives in Massachusetts represented both the buyer and the seller. The capital markets group were in charge of finding a buyer for the site as well as promoting the property on behalf of the selling party.

Cambridge in Massachusetts is more famous as being the home to Harvard University, one of the most famous universities in the world.

The commercial office market in the USA is expected to have a strong second half of the year, to make up for the weaker showing in the first two quarters of 2012.

Market analysts Cushman & Wakefield are predicting that the American commercial office property market will have a slow start in 2012 but will have a strong finish to the year.

In their latest Market View Report, Cushman & Wakefield have stated that the trends for 2012 will be almost the mirror image of the office market in 2011.

It is thought that the main drivers of the commercial office market in the UK will be from the Asian sector, with the American commercial market holding its own. However the study suggests that the European influx will regress for the short term at least thanks to the ongoing economic problems in the European markets.

Glenn Rufrano, the president and chief executive of Cushman and Wakefield believes that the report issued by the firm will be an accurate portrayal of the next 12 months in the commercial office market.

Mr Rufrano said: “Despite uncertainties, there remains a well of pent up demand in most nations. As the year progresses and uncertainty subsides, improving economic conditions will support a boost in commercial real estate activity.”

Global investment in the USA commercial property market saw an increase of 14% to $808 billion during 2011 and this is predicted to increase once more by 7.5% to $867 million by the end of 2012.

The commercial office market in southern Florida is in line to becoming one of the strongest in the USA after promising signs that it is recovering from the worst of the financial problems.

The National Association of Realtors has claimed that Miami’s commercial office market will have lower vacancies when compared to 73 different sites located across the rest of the USA during February.

News is also promising for the industrial sector in Miami, with the city expected only to have a 7.6% vacancy rate, compared to the national average of 11.9%.

This puts Miami in the top three for industrial sites, not far behind Orange County and Los Angeles which are both in California, with the NAR report expecting Miami’s office space, industrial sites and retail sector to grow further during 2013.

John Dohm SIOR CCIM 2012 president of RCA Miami said: “There was no overbuilding in the South Florida industrial market and almost no new construction during the past three years.

“Meanwhile, there is considerable pent-up demand due to lease expirations, the improving economy, and the continued strong trade with the southern hemisphere.

“These forces combined are causing absorption of existing space and creating demand for additional space to be built.  All-in-all the picture is very positive for South Florida and especially the Miami industrial market,” he added.

If NAR’s predictions are correct then the report could be seen as a springboard for the Magic City to progress even further in the industrial, commercial and retail markets.

A commercial real estate investment trust has made an office purchase in New Jersey after spending more than $50 million on the commercial property.

Commercial firm Cole Real Estate Investments have invested $53 million in order to buy a commercial site in New Jersey which offers 176,000 square feet of class A office space.

Based at 8 Sylvan Way in Parsippany, the office is fully leased by the The Medicine Co., a global pharmaceutical firm who use the New Jersey office site as their headquarters.

Cole’s chief investment officer of the office and industrial business Robert Micera believes that his firm have an outstanding deal for the price they paid.

Mr Micera said: “With the location of the property, long remaining lease term, scheduled rent increases and desirable corporate headquarters, this acquisition corresponds with our overall conservative, disciplined investment strategy.

“The Morris County, New Jersey, office submarket boasts great fundamentals, considering its strong economic base and educated workforce,” he added.

Micera’s opinion is backed up by a report for Cushman & Wakefield which states the northern area of New Jersey is continuing its road to recovery, with 5.5 million square feet of office space leased during the last quarter.

Gualbero Medina, the managing director of Cushman & Wakefield’s offices in the Garden State said: “The rise in leasing activity from 2010 to 2011 demonstrates that the recovery truly has begun in Northern New Jersey.

“Low rental rates will further motivate tenants looking for space, and vacancy rates should begin to gradually decline over time as a result,” he added.

The west coast has overtaken the east coast in relation to the best performing commercial office property in the USA, following a report by Knight Frank.

San Francisco has overtaken New York City as the best office market performance in the country after more than doubling the amount of office space occupied.

A survey by Knight Frank noted that the Californian city has more than doubled the amount of commercial office space which has been leased or bought thanks to its position as being in the heart of the technology industry.

Whilst the Golden Gate Bridge City was able to ramp up office rates to 24%, the increase in Manhattan office space was by 12%. This meant the average cost for a single square foot of office space in San Francisco worked out at $37.75 per square foot, although Manhattan still leads the way with an average of $64.36 per square foot.

Compared globally though neither US commercial property market can hold a light to Hong Kong which has claimed the title as the most expensive place to set up an office, with a 28% increase to an eye-watering $152.30 per square foot of office space.

Matthew Colbourne, a senior international research analyst at Knight Franks said: “Office occupiers remain cautious in many international markets, particularly with concerns over the strength of the global economy and the future of the eurozone resurfacing in recent months.

“The pace of prime office rental growth in Europe slowed significantly in the second half of 2011, with rents remaining essentially flat in markets such as London’s West End and Frankfurt,” he added

The Silicon Valley commercial property market has experienced its biggest boom in over a decade thanks to the plans outlined by Apple to build new headquarters.

Apple has led the second revival of the Silicon Valley office market through its ambitious doughnut office scheme headquarters, with more office space expected to be created in the area.

Leasing and office purchasing rose by 2.7 million square feet over the past 12 months, with rents averaging $36 per square foot of office space in the Californian region.

Since the lows experienced around 2009, commercial investment into the Silicon Valley office properties has increased by sixfold as many companies from outside of California and the USA look to take a slice of the office market share.

As well as office specialists such as Tishman Speyer from New York, there have also been pension investment companies from as far away as Sweden which have taken stakes in Cupertino offices and the surrounding area.

It is thought that Apple could be looking to lease another 700,000 square feet of commercial office space in the lower Bay area towards the end of this year, having already expanded out of Cupertino into nearby Sunnyvale.

Sunnyvale has been experiencing plenty of good news in the office market as its vacancy rates dropped to 16.3% for the final quarter of last year and at the same time office space costs rose to $45.60 per square foot.

At its peak in 2000 Silicon Valley office space demanded rents of $77.88 per square foot in the final quarter of the year.