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Determine The Best Type of Real Estate Investment - Part III
By
Nov 13, 2005, 11:11
Commercial
Office Buildings
Office buildings are a difficult first investment. Adequate income is the
key. If you decide to buy an office building, be sure to make a thorough tenant
demand analysis for the subject property. Briefly, a demand analysis would
include a forecast or estimate of the need and desire for office space in the
community over a long period of time and what the future competition from other
similar existing and proposed projects might do to the office building market.
If there is nothing in the immediate area renting for $3.5 per square foot of
floor area per month, it would be virtually impossible to get any more for your
space unless you have a better quality building.
It is not advisable to buy an office building unless you really know what you
are doing or have an immediate need for it. The current glut of vacant office
space in most major metropolitan area makes investing in this type of real
estate quite hazardous.
About 15 years ago, I made an appraisal of a Medical Building in downtown Los
Angeles. When I finished with my appraisal, I met with a group of doctors who
owned the medical building as well as a large lot in the rear of the complex. I
told them at the time that they ought to build a hospital on the lot because if
they didn't, they would have a difficult time keeping the medical building
leased. Other developers would come into the area and build office buildings
adjacent to the medical buildings, driving the medical tenants out.
The best arrangement for a commercial property is an owner-user. For any
commercial property, whether it's a restaurant, business, supermarket, hardware
store, or clothing store, the ultimate tenant is an owner-user. If you own a
medical office building, it is best to have doctor participation. To keep
commercial tenants in the building over a period of time requires that they get
a piece of the action. If you are interested in buying an office building, you
might want to syndicate it through a partnership, corporation, or trust with a
group of professionals who will occupy the space.
I represent a company that has seven office and industrial buildings. The
company leases these buildings from the employees, who own the properties in a
profit-sharing trust. This trust is set up through the Securities and Exchange
Commission. The company leases these buildings on a short-term basis, and every
three years they have to be appraised to figure out how much the employees have
made to increase their pension fund benefits.
If you are planning to purchase an office building for an investment, be sure
to obtain expert, unbiased advice before you commit yourself to anything.
Specialty Investments: Miniwarehouses
Similar to other types of commercial real estate investments, a specialty
investment such as a miniwarehouse requires that you know how to operate it. The
key to a thriving miniwarehouse business is a good location. If you owned a
miniwarehouse in a high-density resort community or bustling metropolis, you'd
be a millionaire because there is such a high concentration of people who have
wealth and all sort of junk they don't need or want. A storage facility would
attract ample customers. Even so, it's more of a speculative investment, really.
Recently, a friend of mine who owned a miniwarehouse went broke. He's one of
the smartest guys I've ever met. He's brilliant, absolutely brilliant. He understands
the tax laws and the economic forces of finance. He's given many lectures on
these subject. But he had to file bankruptcy recently because the miniwarehouse
he owned and operated was to poorly managed. He didn't know how to generate
enough interest and enthusiasm to fill up the building. he basically didn't know
how to market his product property.
With expensive commercial investments, there is a lot of money going out each
month, so you've got to be sure that it comes back in. That might not sound
difficult, but sometimes it takes tremendous effort and expenditures to first
find suitable tenants and then to get everything that is coming to you, even
when you have signed leases.
Shopping Centers
There are two basic types of shopping centers: "strip" and
"anchored". A strip shopping center, or mini-mall, consists of a
collection of independently operated or franchised retail stores with a common
parking area but no "anchor" or main tenant that dominates the
complex. An "anchored" shopping center, on the other hand, is
characterized by a substantial commercial tenant, such as a major drug or
discount store, supermarket, or department store, that serves as a primary
tenant to anchor the project.
Strip Shopping Centers: Mini-malls
Mini-malls can make secure investments if you have a good long-term lease
with reliable tenants and you understand the retail business. With some understanding
of the commercial real estate business, you can probably make it work. But all
kinds of outside factors can change the value of that property. The traffic
pattern can change because of a decision by the state transportation department;
the local planning commission can recommend a zoning change; a key store in your
complex can declare bankruptcy and go out of business. You're vulnerable to all
of these factors, plus the rulings and decisions of local, state, and regional
agencies.
Moreover, some cities are difficult to do business in. They'll impose taxes
and assessments. They won't allow you to put up a sign, to set up a display in
front of your store, or to erect any kind of awning that upsets the character of
the street. They'll ticket anyone who is two seconds over the parking limit.
Whether by design or happenstance, some cities to everything they can do to
harass customers and keep them away.
I've seen this happen in many cities. On the one hand, the city council says
it likes business, but on the other it does everything it can to undermine
economic activity. The city won't provide adequate parking; the meter maids will
ticket too much; a laborious permit process makes new construction virtually
impossible. By doing such things, the city destroys the business incentive and,
along with it, the value of commercial property.
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