The economy has finally recovered from the Great Recession of 2008, which means property value is back on the rise. So if you need to lease office space for your business, you may have noticed the prices can be quite high.

If you run a small business, or are the sole proprietor, you might not have a need for dedicated full-time office space. Perhaps you do most of your work at home, or from the Starbucks down the street. If this describes your situation, why not consider a virtual office?

Virtual offices provide many benefits. They include:

A virtual receptionist

You may not have time to answer all the calls that come through your business, or you may not want to keep interrupting your work to answer the phone. A virtual office often comes with virtual receptionist service. The virtual receptionist is just like any other receptionist: she answers your calls, takes messages, and can transfer phone calls to you (even if you’re not in the same building). But instead of being an employee that you have to hire, the virtual receptionist works for the building you rent from. So you get all of the benefits, with none of the risk or paperwork.

A professional address

You probably don’t want to put your home address on your business cards: not only does it look unprofessional; it also means all official correspondence will come to your front door. With a virtual office rental, you can have a business address at your disposal where you can receive your mail. And your virtual receptionist will be there to sign for any important documents or packages.

Space when you need it

Sometimes, you might need a quiet place to work and the home office is just too hectic; or maybe you need to gather your employees occasionally for a meeting. A virtual office building can provide office space on an as-needed basis, so you can have an internet-connected, furnished workspace at your disposal. Some virtual offices even come with communal breakrooms.

And if you ever need to make a presentation for clients, many virtual offices will have furnished conference rooms with audio/visual equipment available.

But the best benefit of all is the price: a virtual office is much cheaper than a lease, and carries less risk. You can rent a virtual office on a monthly or even weekly basis: no long-term commitment required.

To get a more detailed look at all of the benefits virtual offices offer, download our free eBook "4 Reasons Why a Virtual Office is Perfect for a Home-Based Company".