Before you put your foot in the commercial real estate market, it is better if you gain experience by dealing in smaller residential single properties where you tend to get off lightly when making a mistake. Dealing in commercial properties requires more skills and investments and the consequences of making a mistake could be very heavy.
Commercial properties are those where industrial or commercial activity, including education and medical activity takes place and also properties where 4 or more residential units are located together. The first thing to be ready for such a deal is that all the problems associated with such dealings become varied and multiple as compared to a small residential deal. You hence have to get ready to devote more time and energy in solving problems such as evictions, maintenance, etc, sometimes occurring together at the same time.
Instead of learning everything the hard way, you could contact a commercial real estate broker who could guide you in the first couple of deals so that you can slowly learn the ropes. His experience and style of working should be observed closely so as to spot good deals immediately and avoid costly mistakes. In this way, you can also note down the paperwork involved in the entire process. Also, in many cases, commercial properties are sold in a very hush-hush way and a good commercial broker might be able to ferret out valuable information to help you seal the deal.
You can also set up bigger loans from your bank's commercial loan department. This will be easy if your previous dealings with the bank have been clear and if you have cleared your earlier loans on time. This will enable you to have the required funds, which will be needed to finance the new big deals. You might be required to place your assets as collateral, but since the interest rate on such big loans are low and the repayment period long, it should be quite easy to manage paying off the loan.
Plan every deal to the last detail and have a backup plan ready to get a fast and painless exit in case your original plan fails. Study your seller's strength and weakness to get better leverage while dealing with him. By offering the maximum amount upfront, you can get a better deal and hence make more profit while selling. Have a long term plan and be prepared to hold onto some properties for a longer time if the market does not appreciate the way you had hoped.
Check out the appreciation rate of the neighborhood commercial properties before you plan to purchase or sell a property. Hire a good tax consultant who can guide you in tax saving by investing your profits back again into commercial properties so that your profits multiply with the minimum tax liability.
The location of your commercial property is very important. The property should be accessible easily and should be in good condition. Buying and then repairing a commercial property is very expensive and should be attempted only when you have gained enough experience and have the right contacts to get the job done quickly and at a reasonable cost.
If you have the confidence and a proper plan to execute it, then go ahead and get started in commercial real estate.
