Find a Dental Office for Rent in Seattle

Finding the right dental office for rent in Seattle takes research and persistence, but it really matters.

Medical Real Estate Focused Team

Industry Leading Demographics

Hundreds of Successful Clients

So, you’re thinking about space for your practice in Seattle – 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 Seattle.

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 Seattle, you’ll want to be sure to take note of the existing practices that are nearby.

Seattle is a large and diverse city consisting of many distinct neighborhoods and districts.

The downtown area is the busiest commercial area in the city. Home to the famous Pike Place Market and various other cultural and historical attractions, downtown Seattle consists of neighborhoods such as the Central Business District, First Hill, Belltown, and Pioneer Square.

North Seattle consists of dozens of unique neighborhoods including Fremont – home to tech giants Google and Adobe – Ballard, Ravenna, and Hawthorne Hills.

North Seattle also includes the area known as the University District named after its most prominent feature The University of Washington main campus.

Areas in West Seattle include Gatewood, Fauntleroy, Arbor Heights, Genesee, Delridge, and Fairmount Park

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 the fee with an independent agent of your choosing.

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 Seattle 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.

Will you rent a chair out to an orthodontist? Be sure to plan for private operatories if you’ll need them.

Orthodontics

Like pediatric practices, orthodontic practices often lease larger than normal reception/waiting areas, and aim for 4 or more operatories. Operatories are usually 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 Seattle?

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

Seattle Dental Demographics

In addition to being the seat of King County, Seattle is the largest city in Washington and also is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States with an estimated population of 744,955 in 2018. The Seattle Metropolitan area consists of an estimated 3.94 million residents, ranking as the 15^th largest metropolitan area in the United States.

In several recent years Seattle has been ranked as one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. In 2016 the city ranked #1 of all major U.S. cities with an annual population growth rate of 3.1%.

The median age in Seattle is 35.5 years, lower than the median age for the state of Washington at 37.7 years.

Median household income in Seattle is estimated to be $83,475, which is significantly higher than the Washington state median of $67,106.

Medical Real Estate in Seattle

Due to the large concentration of people in Seattle, space comes at a premium. Costs per square foot can be extremely high and occupancies rare in certain competitive neighborhoods. This is why 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.

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 expenses in your dental practice

Although the rent for your Seattle 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 Seattle 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.

Seattle has a strong Dental Community.

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