Find a Dental Office for Rent in Austin

Finding the right dental office for rent in Austin takes research and persistence, but the right location makes a huge difference.

Medical Real Estate Focused Team

Industry Leading Demographics

Hundreds of Successful Clients

So, you’re thinking about space for your practice in Austin – exciting! Navigating the commercial real estate market is a little different than the residential one, so we’ve created this short guide of tips and key pitfalls to avoid while trying to find a dental office for rent in Austin.

Where can you find a dental office for rent?

Commercial Real Estate Agents

Commercial Real Estate Agents use their local market knowledge and relationships alongside databases of properties to find and screen available properties for their clients.

Most commercial real estate agents specialize on either landlord representation or tenant representation. We almost exclusively represent medical tenants, the majority of which are dentists looking to find a dental office for rent.

Hit the Street

Driving areas you are interested in can be a good way to get a feel for what is out there on the market. When trying to find a dental office for rent in Austin, you’ll want to be sure to take note of the existing practices that are nearby.

There are many beautiful and lively neighborhoods that make up the greater Austin area and all could serve as potentially perfect locations to set up a dental practice.

The Uptown/Arts District is a busy and chic center bordering the Texas Hospital Association, Texas State Capitol, University of Texas, and the Governor’s Mansion.

The Historic District is an important area located on Congress Avenue which runs through the heart of Austin’s central business district. This area includes some of the city’s most iconic buildings and its highest concentration of office buildings.

The Market District on the western side of downtown is an upscale, mostly residential neighborhood intermixed with converted office spaces.

The 2nd Street District is another major commercial center in Austin containing a variety of specialty shops and boutiques.

In addition, there are a variety of other neighborhoods throughout Austin such as Cedar Park, West Lake, East Austin, and several others with the potential to help your practice reach valuable patients.

Keep in mind, if you go to a landlord’s broker directly without representation, the landlord’s broker simply keeps the entire listing fee from the landlord instead of splitting it with your representative.

Some landlords won’t pay a tenant agent (your agent) if you’ve discussed a space in depth with them on your own previously. This can make it tricky to bring in outside representation later.

Online

There are several listing services that are available for free online. They are less comprehensive than the paid databases, and are often less frequently updated. Searching through them is a great way to get a feel for what you like and don’t like in commercial properties, but can be a hard way to find a dental office for rent. Take note of any property features or amenities that strike you as important for your practice.

How much space do you need to lease for your dental office?

Because operatory square footage is fairly fixed, the number of operatories and the size of additional rooms are the primary drivers of the square footage you’ll need to lease for your dental practice.

With space in Austin coming at a premium, it is a good idea to determine an absolute minimum square footage that will adequately accommodate your practice to be used as a baseline once you begin looking at specific properties. There is no need to waste time and effort looking at properties that are otherwise ideal but too small or too large for your needs.

General Dentists

400 – 450 square feet per operatory is a good rule of thumb for a general dentistry practice. Most practices are between 4 and 6 operatories, and are thus are between 1,800 and 3,000 square feet. This rule of thumb includes space for reception and a small private office.

The physical layout of the spaces you consider can make a difference. If the shell of the space is the right shape, 6 operatories can squeeze in to 2,000 square feet, but its rare.

Be careful getting carried away with non-revenue generating space in a practice – only go bigger on reception or team space if it is a central part of your business model.

Pediatric Dentists

Pediatric dental practices can often do an open-bay layout and squeeze an extra chair or two in for the same square footage that a general dentistry practice might lease. However, many just trade that saved space for increased square footage in their reception area.

Thinking about renting a chair to an orthodontist? Just remember to plan for private operatories if you’ll need them.

Orthodontics

Orthodontic practices – like pediatric practices – often lease bigger reception/waiting areas and aim for 4 or more operatories. These operatories are typically private, as well.

Other Specialties

Periodontics, Orthodontics, Endodontics, and Oral Surgeons often need fewer operatories and can rent smaller spaces for their offices.

What makes a location great for a dental practice in Austin?

For a general dentistry office you want to consider a few key things:

Local competition
Proximity to target customer demographic
Does the space promote the practice adequately (high traffic retail vs office space)
Signage
Adequate parking
No exclusives on dentistry with other tenants

If you’re a specialist, you are likely more concerned with:

Proximity to referral sources
Signage and other “built in” marketing provided by many retail sites may be less important

Medical Real Estate in Austin Demographics

Austin is the capital of Texas and the seat of Travis County. With an estimated population of 964,254 in 2018, Austin is the 11th most populous city in the United States and the 4th most populous city in Texas. The Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area has an estimated population of 2,168,316.

As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Latinos made up over 35% of Austin’s population.

The median resident age in Austin is 32.7 years, well below the 34.5 median age of Texas residents.

2016 estimated median household income in Austin is $66,697, well above the median household income for the state of Texas at $56,565.

Like any major city, commercial space can come at a premium. Costs per square foot can be quite high and occupancies rare in the most competitive neighborhoods. For these reasons it is vital to have a well-rounded understanding of the many factors that go into selecting an ideal location for your dental or other medical practice in Austin.

Get the benefits of agent representation at no cost to you

A commercial real estate agent specializing in medical leasing can help you to consider all of your options and select the perfect location that both fits within your budget and satisfies all of your business needs.

Best of all, commercial landlords typically pay the entire agent fee when finalizing an agreement. Why not take advantage of the benefits of enlisting qualified professional agents that will help you to get the best deal on the right property.

Ways to offset lease costs in your dental practice

Although the rent for your Austin dental office may seem to take up a large part of your expenses, there are several ways you can help bring those costs down.

Consider renting out an operatory to specialists wishing to do work for patients in your area. Keep non-profit-producing space to a minimum. Efficient scheduling practices can help to eliminate the need for a large waiting space. Or, consider whether a similar but less expensive neighborhood would be a better deal for the bottom line.

Lease costs for healthcare real estate in Austin can be expensive but there are enormous opportunities for great dentists who start their practices off right with the perfect location.

Ready to find a dental office for rent?

We do the heavy lifting of combing through property databases and running demographics and competition reports for you. We work exclusively with medical clients, so we know how dental practices work and what it takes to be successful. Use the form below to get in touch and we’ll reach out shortly.

Austin has a strong Dental Community.

Here are some useful links and groups to help you get started: