For those of us in the commercial real estate industry, success is often measured by the transaction process. Site selection, the contract, the closing and then the ceremonial LinkedIn photo of the broker shaking hands with the client. But for business leaders focused on long-term growth, the moments between the transactions carry the most weight.
That’s where the real work happens. And that’s where Helm operates.
We believe real estate is a continuous leadership function, not a series of isolated decisions. Space carries financial, cultural, and operational implications that evolve over time. When it’s managed with discipline, it becomes a strategic lever. When it’s treated like a one-off task, it becomes a blind spot.
Helm was built to eliminate that blind spot. Our role as fractional Director of Real Estate means we stay with you – before, during, and after every lease, acquisition, or move.
The Portfolio Is a Living System
Real estate portfolios don’t sit still. Leases mature. Headcounts shift. Market conditions evolve. Business plans accelerate, pivot, or pause. Inside those fluctuations there is a constant need for visibility, stewardship, and decision-making.
The lease gets signed, and then… nothing. No structured reviews. No active landlord oversight. No strategic benchmarking. Just reactive problem-solving when something breaks or expires.
Our clients engage us to fill that gap with structure, foresight, and accountability. We don’t view real estate as a cost to monitor, we treat it as an asset to manage. That includes:
- Quarterly portfolio reviews
- NNN reconciliation audits
- Internal reporting for executive and board teams
- Space utilization snapshots
- Vendor coordination and accountability
- Early warning systems for renewal and termination cycles
- Site-specific risk monitoring tied to geopolitical or economic shifts
The goal is not just to avoid surprises. The goal is to turn your real estate into an intelligent, responsive part of your business, just like your financial model or your org chart.
The Hidden Work That Creates Leverage
Here are three examples of what that looks like in practice:
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Annual NNN Reconciliation Reviews
Each year, between January and April, landlords send tenants a detailed breakdown of actual building expenses versus estimated charges. Often, this comes with an unexpected invoice, and there is no real avenue for review or pushback.
We treat this process as part of financial governance. Helm clients receive a detailed line-by-line audit of their reconciliations. We identify inconsistencies, communicate with landlords on the client’s behalf, and, when needed, build escalation plans. This work saves money, protects trust, and improves forecasting.
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Mid-Cycle Lease Optimization
Real estate decisions don’t end with a signature. We regularly evaluate lease structures mid-cycle to identify opportunities, whether it’s a renegotiation, a sublease, or a strategic relocation that frees up capital or improves team performance.
Recently, we helped a client restructure a multi-site lease portfolio across three states. The move created over $900,000 in projected savings over the remaining lease terms—without adding any new space or taking on risk. It wasn’t magic. It was attention.
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Landlord Relationship Management
Landlords remember how you show up between deals. So do we. Whether it’s enforcing service-level agreements, reviewing CAM charges, or addressing maintenance delays, Helm represents our clients with clarity, consistency, and respect. We manage the relationship with firmness and diplomacy, preserving leverage, while reducing friction.
This is the value of representation that doesn’t disappear after the ink dries.
A Different Kind of Role
The traditional brokerage model rewards movement. The more transactions, the more compensation. There’s a time and place for that, but only when it’s anchored in long-term thinking. Helm’s model flips the emphasis.
As a fractional Director of Real Estate, we function as a consistent member of the leadership bench. We attend executive meetings. We prepare reports. We align space planning with hiring forecasts and capital strategy. And when a transaction does arise, it’s informed by everything that came before it, not rushed by urgency or limited scope.
That’s why our clients tend to stay with us. Not because they’re always transacting, but because they’re always leading. And they want partners who lead with them.
What to Ask Between Transactions
If you haven’t reviewed your portfolio in the last 90 days, here are a few questions worth asking:
- Are we still using our space the way we designed it?
- What is our real estate cost per employee, per department, or per outcome?
- What economic, political, or regulatory signals could affect our leases in the next year?
- How current is our documentation on landlord obligations, renewal windows, or compliance issues?
- Who is monitoring all of this?
If those questions are unanswered, Helm can help.
