The mortgage crisis and bubble burst in the housing market are well known to everyone these days, but commercial real estate is likewise affected right now. Many empty retail spaces and office buildings are sitting around, meaning there is demand for buyers, renters and sellers. Read on for some advice on how to move forward in this market.
Cleaning up your neighborhood can work wonders for your property value, especially if there are several run-down or abandoned buildings in your area. The best thing to do is report any health or safety risks to the authorities. These types of safety risks can include, shattered windows, rusty fences, debris and things of this nature. If the authorities will clean out the neighborhood for you, you can end up saving money on demolition and increasing the overall, neighborhood real estate values.
Some apartments come with a garage. Measure it before you rent the apartment to make sure your oversized SUVs or pick up trucks fit inside. You may have only one additional parking space besides your garage and there will be no room to park your extra long vehicle. Make the necessary arrangements with the management before you rent as it might be impossible to remedy the situation later.
Ask the rental agent if outside BBQing is allowed or not. If you enjoy summer BBQs, make sure the apartment complex you choose either has outside BBQs installed or they allow you to use your own. The lack of these facilities can completely ruin your summer party, as you can’t provide the food you want to.
Test the wiring in the house before you rent it. It is inexpensive, easy and fast to check the outlets to make sure the wiring is correct. Faulty wiring can not only present a fire hazard, but may also damage your sensitive electronics such as computers and TVs. Ask the landlord to make the necessary repairs before you sign the lease.
During the process of looking for a commercial real estate property, it is important to ask your broker any questions you may have. If you don’t, you could end up agreeing to something that you are not pleased with or losing out on something that you were really looking for.
When you are in the market to buy some property make sure that you get in touch with a commercial property broker. Since they will do most of the work and they have a deeper knowledge of the market, they will end up saving you a lot of money and time.
Obtain and study information about the number and types of businesses surrounding each commercial property that you are considering, based upon the underlying type of business that will likely occupy the property. A deli or restaurant space might not be your best option if there are dozens of established eateries within a five-mile radius.
Full service commercial real estate brokers serve as agents for buyers and sellers, as well as buyer-only representatives. You will definitely benefit from utilizing the skills that a buyer representative has to offer to you. They will provide you with the control that you need on the commercial market.
Be sure to do research on commercial lenders. You may be able to find a great deal somewhere you were not expecting. Also note you will be required to put up a hefty down payment. Keep in mind that if the deal falls through there typically will be no personal liability and commercial lenders may be lenient if you borrow a down payment from a different lender.
When negotiating a commercial real estate lease, a great tip you should apply is to be sure you get a long grace period to pay the rent. The reason is because this will decrease the probability of a penalty when you create more time for the tenant to make payment.
Don’t personally guarantee the lease whenever possible. You created a corporation for a reason: to protect your personal effects and your family. With personally guaranteeing the lease, you will jeopardize not only your company’s assets, but your family’s too. Don’t risk everything you have worked for for a lease find another location if you have to.
While you may feel confident in your abilities as a commercial real estate investor, it is a very good idea to have an attorney who specifically specializes in real estate investment. The attorney can check over everything to see if everything you have is in order and catch anything you may have missed in regards to any property. The more people you have to help you check, the better.
When investing in commercial real estate, a great tip is to attempt to increase your revenue. You can increase revenues by looking into whether you can increase the lease rate, what you can do to lower vacancy rates, whether you can add more leasable space, and whether you can gain more revenue streams from billboard leases.
When trying to sell commercial real estate, it is very important to make sure you are treating the customer with utmost respect by not hiding any details from them. Many times, buyers may be tricked into buying an estate that has hidden features that can hurt them in the future.
When you look for a real estate broker, you should look for certain abilities. You will need a broker that knows how to negotiate and stay firm on a position. You have to be able to trust your broker and be sure that they have your best interest in mind.
Before you invest in commercial real estate, you should challenge underlying assumptions. Even though many pro formas will look really good, you should still review the validity of the different assumptions because the pro forma could have gaps in it that need addressing: Suppose a pro forma assumes there will be two months of leasing down-time. Therefore, you should consider what would happen if the leasing down-time is six months instead of two? What would happen? This is an important assumption that needs to be addressed.
If you keep in mind and apply the information from this piece, you are sure to navigate the waters successfully in your commercial real estate dealings as you conduct your business.
