Purchasing commercial real estate can differ much from obtaining a home. Read this article for timely tips and advice to help drive you to success.
Before you jump into a commercial real estate deal, you want to get a lay of the land first. This means considering and examining the general income levels in the area, how high or low unemployment rates are, and looking at the hiring practices of employers within the vicinity of where you intend to invest. Your house will sell more quickly and at a higher value if it is near a university, hospital or any large employment center.
Negotiate, whether you’re the seller or the buyer. Ensure that your opinion is known, and wrangle for the best price you can get on the property.
As with other property purchases, pay attention to the three Ls: location, location, and location. Think about the type of neighborhood the property is in. Also, keep growth in mind. Since you will likely still own the property in ten years, you want it to be located in an area that is likewise still desirable in ten years.
Take the time to be certain you are satisfied with a piece of real estate before you purchase it. Never rush into an investment. If the property doesn’t suit you in the end, you may regret your hastiness. You may have to wait months or even years to find the ideal investment.
You must absolutely confirm that your real estate’s asking price is realistic. There are a number of variables that can affect the realistic value of your property.
Pest Control
Make sure you’ll be able to access power, water and other utilities for your commercial property. Look for access to water, electricity, gas an a sewer or anything specific to what you intend to use this property for.
When renting or leasing property, be sure to set up some form of pest control. If the area that you are renting in is known for pest infestations, it is especially important for you to talk to your rental agency about their policies for pest control.
Be sure you position yourself well when it comes to negotiating any lease for commercial real estate, you want to do things like decrease what could be considered as a default event. Your tenant will be less likely to default on the lease if you do this. You do not want this to happen to you.
When making decisions between one commercial property and another, think big. Finding the right bank to finance you might be hard, even if you are going for a smaller building. However, buying several units will cause the price of an individual unit to decrease.
Go on some tours of places you might want to buy. It’s a good idea to hire a building contractor to come with you and do on-the-spot inspections of properties you are considering. Make preliminary proposals to break the ice and open negotiations. Prior to making any final decision, you should thoroughly go over the counteroffers you have received.
Do not hire a broker without finding out more about their past experience within commercial property. Look for brokers who specialize in commercial real estate. Then if they meet the criteria you are looking for, you can agree to work with that broker exclusively.
When searching for a real estate agent, keep their disclosures in mind so you know who they are working for. Keep an eye out for dual agencies. In this type of transaction, a real estate agency acts on behalf of both parties involved in the deal. In other words, the agent is representing both you and your landlord in the same transaction. If this is the case, and the agent is a dual agent, this should be known to both parties and agreed to by both parties.
Strive to keep your commercial properties occupied at all times if you choose to rent them to tenants. If you have an unoccupied property, you will be the person paying for the maintenance and upkeep. If you have several properties open, you should ask yourself why, and attempt to correct the issues that may be driving out your tenants.
When you are first starting out in real estate investing, the best thing is to keep it simple and start with one investment strategy at a time. Select the type of property upon which you wish to focus, and pay close attention to your dealings. It’s better to be very good at one particular type of real estate than to be okay at a lot of different types.
Make sure that the commercial property has access to all utilities needed. You’ll need to have quick access to water, electricity, gas and the sewer.
Before buying, make sure that you consult a tax adviser for assistance. You adviser can help you calculate the overall cost you will incur in making the purchase, and what portion of the income deriving from the property will be taxable. Have your adviser assist you in finding an area in which the taxes won’t be so high.
You should think about what neighborhood you are going to buy the commercial real estate in. Purchasing in an affluent area may help your business to be more successful, since the potential clients may have deeper pockets. If the service you offer would appeal to less affluent people, you should not set up your business in an affluent neighborhood.
Pay attention to the environment your property is in. Should a problem with environmental waste ever occur, it is your obligation to properly clean your building and property. For example, do you want to buy a property that lies in a flood zone? If so, think again. You can speak to environmental assessment places to get information about that area you want to buy in.
If you want to sell a property, advertise it locally and on a wider level too. Don’t be mistaken by the thought that locals will be the only people interested in your sale. There are many private investors who would purchase property outside of their local area if the price is right.
Experts recommend not purchasing unit blocks that have fewer than 10 units in them. This is because they can be more difficult to manage than smaller properties. Look into your unique situation to make the best decision.
Take tours of properties with purchase potential. It’s a good idea to hire a building contractor to come with you and do on-the-spot inspections of properties you are considering. Once you have all the details, start drafting proposals and enter negotiations with the seller. Before you choose, make sure you look over your offers a few times.
People who invest in commercial real estate know the threat associated with fluctuating interest rates. In the current volatile economy the interest rates are rising and falling without warning, which can also dramatically affect the cost of financing an investment. Be sure to consider the current and long-term economic conditions when shopping for property.
If you are hunting among multiple properties, make a checklist for touring sites. Accept the proposal responses during the first round, but before going further, notify all the property owners involved. Don’t be shy about telling the owners that you are thinking about purchasing another property. You may even get a more favorable deal!
It’s a good idea to purchase properties larger than you actually need when buying commercial real estate. Although you may feel overwhelmed by the number of units you will be responsible for in a large building, it actually doesn’t take more work to take care of large buildings successfully. Plus, larger buildings are cheaper in the long run–you pay less for each unit if the building has more units.
Before you can start using the property you’ve purchased, you might need to make some improvements. For example, you might neat to repaint or purchase new furniture. You may even need to tear a wall down to make the floor plan fit your needs. Who is going to pay for such improvements is something you should seek to negotiate in advance of the actual signing or formal purchase.
You should always know how to get in touch with emergency maintenance. Ask the landlord who handles emergency repairs in your office or building. Always keep this important contact information at hand, including average turnaround times. Take advantage of this information to devise a contingency plan in order to prevent and respond to customer complaints resulting from maintenance issues.
Dual Agency
If you are thinking about hiring any real estate professional, read over all their disclosures. Look for any disclosures regarding dual agency. In this case, the agent is two-faced: she is representing both parties to the transaction. Or, for short, the agent is looking out for both parties’ interests. Dual agency should be disclosed and both parties should agree to it.
The borrower of a commercial loan is the one that orders the appraisal. There is a good chance that the bank may not validate it otherwise. So, cover all your tracks and make sure you are the one who orders the appraisal.
If you want to invest in a piece of commercial real estate, think about the kind of tax breaks and benefits you might receive. Investors get both depreciation benefits and interest deductions. However, investors are sometimes taxed on income that they do not actually receive in the form of cash. This is known as “phantom income.” You should know about this income before you make a investment.
Always ask how a broker negotiates, before hiring him or her. Inquire about their training and experience. Also be certain that they are ethical when conducting business, and good at what they do. Request evidence of previous negotiations, both successes and failures.
Think about the environment around your property. If your building is full of hazardous waste or otherwise constitutes a threat to the environment, you will be responsible for resolving these problems, even if a previous owner caused them. Is the property you’re looking into in an area that’s prone to floods? That is a decision you need to think long and hard about. There are companies that will do environmental studies to evaluate the risk of incremental hazards in the area that the property is located in.
Commercial Real Estate
As you might imagine, there are a multitude of considerations, when you are contemplating an investment in commercial real estate. Hopefully after reading this article, you have learned everything you need to know about commercial real estate.
A number of people would like to learn more about Interest Rate, but not everyone knows where they should look. Luckily, you have found an article that has good information to get you started. Just put all this advice to good use.
Leave A Comment