After year search, broker decides to build new office

Amy Lessinger sometimes felt that she had looked at every single vacant office property in Reno and Sparks all 2 million square feet of it before her company decided to build.

RE/MAX Realty Affiliates broke ground last week on an 8,000-square-foot office building at 10795 Double R Blvd. Tanamera Construction LLC is general contractor on the project, which is scheduled for completion this autumn.

Lessinger, owner and broker of RE/MAX Realty Affiliates, spent more than a year looking at vacant office to house the firm's growing staff. Its support staff has grown by more than 50 percent in the past two years.

The vacant space, she says, simply didn't pencil out.

By the time existing spaces were remodeling and upgraded particularly to handle the rapid growth of technology in the real estate sector the costs rivaled that of new construction in the current market.

"The opportunity is now," Lessinger says. "Five years from now, I want to be able to look back and say we took advantage of the opportunity."

Then, too, Lessinger says the company wanted strong community visibility for its new office, and the site where it's building a two-story office is near busy Highway 395 in South Meadows.

The company will be moving out of leased space at 10539 Professional Circle where it's been based for about five years.

The new building will include office space for approximately 65 to 70 agents and staff members along with common areas and three meeting rooms.

All the upstairs offices will include balconies. The building also will include entertainment spaces such as a patio.

In launching the project, Lessinger asked for suggestions from agents and staff members.

Some suggestions were grandiose a racquetball court, anyone? but Lessinger says several of the staff ideas were folded into the final design.