Commercial real estate and residential real estate are two separate worlds. The tactics you use to locate and buy residential will have no use for you in the realm of commercial property. Use the tips we lay out in this article if you want to find the best deals around on the commercial properties you want.
If you will be including utilities in your tenant’s rent, be sure to know the cost of those utilities before setting the rental amount. It can sometimes be easy to under estimate the cost of heat in the winter or air conditioning in the summer. Water bills can also vary by area. Having an accurate picture of utilities can keep you from under pricing your property.
Purchasing a house
When purchasing a house that you plan to rent out, be sure you know all of the local laws relating to rental properties. For example, you may need a minimum size for a room to count as a bedroom, or you may be required to provide a certain amount of parking.
One important tip to remember when investing in commercial real estate is that you are going to not only need a lot more money for a down payment, but you will have to pay much more for inspections and appraisals than you would for residential real estate. You may not end up purchasing the property you are investigating either, so you really need to have funds available for several inspections.
For new investors and even seasoned investors, it is best to have an investment partner. Buying property can be a very expensive process. A partner can help you offset the cost of purchasing property by using cash or credit. You can pay your partner back with proceeds from the sale of the property.
Use digital camera
Use your digital camera to take photographs of every room from all angles. Your pictures should portray any damage or defect in the property. Common things you should look for include any cracks or holes in walls, and damages to the carpeting.
It is important that you understand that the real estate market is not like the stock market. An investment in a property is a long term investment. Stock investments are usually short term investments. If you go in thinking you are investing in stock, you need to rethink so you do not get yourself in financial trouble.
Now that you realize just how separate the worlds are, you can begin to approach the market of commercial real estate through a narrower, more enlightened path. As long as you can use these tips in any of your dealings, you should have no trouble whatsoever coming out on top.
