There comes a time in the evolution of successful startups where they make the move from garages, apartments and coffee shops into actual office space. Some even take this opportunity to change cities, but finding decent office space isn’t as easy as finding an apartment or a bedroom to rent on Craigslist.
Rofo, a site offering commercial real estate listings, tries to solve this problem by simplifying connections between smaller landlords and real estate brokers. With a new LinkedIn application launching today from Rofo, young companies can track local deals and find the best brokers for their needs.
The application, Real Estate Pro, can be used by companies looking for commercial real estate, but it is mainly meant for brokers facilitating deals. Brokers can use Rofo to update information about current listings and past deals which automatically populate in their LinkdedIn profiles via the Rofo app.
The reason this benefits a young startup is because of the nature of LinkedIn. Many use the social network to maintain business connections, but others use it to make judgements on potential business partners. Just as an employer can review a candidate’s resume and recommendations, startups can use information from the Rofo app to find the best commercial real estate broker for their needs.
Additionally, due to the social connections and varying degrees of separation built into LinkedIn, a startup can more easily find a broker that it shares connections with. Perhaps another startup used a specific broker to find its new digs, or maybe one broker seems to be very well connected in the startup community. These are all important factors that should be considered when searching for the right real estate broker.
As we mentioned earlier this week, finding the right location in which to set up shop is important for young companies that want to tap into various startup communities. With Rofo’s Web interface working in concert with its LinkedIn app, startups should find it much easier to connect with relevant brokers in their area.
