06 Dec How Successful Are Commercial Real Estate Brokers?
We’ve all seen it. People who look like they have it all together. All the nicest clothes or watches, picking up the tab for the table. But then they get home and scratch and scrape to pay their light bill. This same illusion can hold true for commercial real estate brokers. A lot of people see commercial real estate brokers who...
05 Dec How Do I Find the Owner of a Commercial Property?
If you’re searching for the owner of a commercial property, be prepared to dust off your detective badge and get down to work. While finding the owner of a commercial property is possible, you have to do a little digging to get there. Finding the owner of a commercial property begins by identifying which parish it’s in. Once you know which...
04 Dec Why Is Commercial Property So Expensive?
In this case, the term “expensive” is relative. What looks expensive to a novice, first-time investor may look like pocket change to one that is established in commercial real estate investing. But, to be fair, commercial real estate is generally more expensive than single-family residential homes. This is the result of a few factors. Commercial property takes a lot of money to...
29 Nov What Is the Average Return on Commercial Property?
The average rate of return on a commercial property must take into account several factors, including but not limited to the cost of the property, the initial investment in getting it ready for tenants, and the ongoing maintenance costs. Many times, people will have an inflated view of the average rates of return because they fail to factor in the...
21 Nov How Do I Know My Appraisal is Accurate?
Buying or selling a property is a big investment. You want to ensure that you’re getting a fair price for your property. What happens if the property is appraised too high or too low? Do you trust the first appraisal, or should you request multiple appraisals from different appraisers? While the short answer is that if you’re uncomfortable with what...
20 Nov Is Commercial Real Estate a Good Investment?
Commercial Real Estate is a phenomenal investment! Commercial properties such as office buildings, apartment buildings, industrial buildings, warehouses and “mixed-use” buildings typically offer a greater financial reward as compared to residential property. We’re talking, real, tangible assets that you can see and check on with a strong earning potential. The key thing about investing in commercial real estate is that you’ve...
19 Nov How Much Do Commercial Brokers Charge?
The answer to this question is deceptively simple: It’s all negotiable. But the reason behind this answer dates back to 1890 when Congress passed the Sherman Act as a way “to protect the process of competition for the benefit of consumers” (source). Essentially, the Sherman Act along with the Federal Trade Commission Act and the Clayton Act ensure healthy competition in...
14 Nov How do I evaluate a commercial property to purchase?
As a commercial real estate investor, it is crucial that you know how to properly evaluate a property before making an offer. You may be eyeing a commercial property to purchase, but before investing it is critical to know how much the property is actually worth. What will be the rate of return on the property? Is the asking price...
11 Nov What is the typical lease term for office space?
This is kind of a trick question. Unlike residential real estate where leases are typically for 1 year, lease terms for commercial real estate vary widely. Many times, the lease term will depend on the building type, whether it’s a one story garden type office or a multi-story/multi-tenant building that you’d see downtown and other areas of Baton Rouge. Lease terms...
11 Nov Can I request my landlord to make upgrades to my office space before I move in?
Generally, office space is tailored to each specific businesses' needs whether it be small things like paint colors or big things like locations of walls and offices. When you’re moving into a new office space, it’s likely that the decisions that the previous business made for the space will not meet your needs for the space. Because of this, you...