For any small business, reducing costs is always a priority. One of the best ways to keep operating costs low is by skipping out on an oversized, wasteful office space and renting a virtual office instead. Virtual offices provide tons of services that businesses need, uphold and even boost your credibility and save lots of money. If you have a budget in mind and want to spend as little as possible without giving up any of the benefits you’re looking for, here are some questions to ask yourself before looking at different virtual locations.

Which benefits are you looking for?

A virtual office offers many amenities that keep your business running smoothly on a day-to-day basis from a fully functioning workspace and meeting place, to just a virtual business address and a mailbox. Do you want a virtual receptionist to handle your calls and sign for your packages? Is it important for you to have a furnished office at your disposal? The benefits that you’re looking for in an office matters a lot when you start your search. The more limited the features, the cheaper the price is going to be.

Where do you want it to be located?

As is always the case with real estate, location matters immensely. If you’re looking for a space in a San Francisco skyscraper, you can expect to pay a pretty penny. But if you’re just looking for quality office space in a nice building, there are much more affordable options in suburban communities. Look toward smaller communities to save money; they can offer you all of the amenities and features of a swanky urban office at a fraction of the cost. All you’ll be missing is the marquee location. If functionality is what matters most, a smaller community is the way to go.

How much time will you be spending there?

The amount of time you need in a virtual office space is critical when determining cost. Virtual offices can be rented by the month, the week, the day – heck, even by the hour! Different virtual offices have different rental lengths, but whatever your time needs are, there’s a virtual office for you. And renting a conference room for a few hours can be much cheaper than reserving a virtual office for a whole month. If you can hone in on exactly how much time you need the office for and only rent for that time, you’ll make the most of your virtual office space.