Commercial Real Estate

The Benefits of Commercial Real Estate Revealed

The Benefits of Commercial Real Estate RevealeBy Yolanda Bishop

Getting involved with commercial real estate could be the best decision you have ever made. Whether you are currently working within the real estate industry, or are new to the business, commercial real estate is one of the best kept secrets of those already succeeding in the business. The rewards reaped within this industry compare to no other, as you will soon learn.

If you feel commercial real estate is something you are not able to accomplish, I would have to say you are greatly mistaken. With a little knowledge and a great amount of motivation, anyone can succeed in this business. The benefits far outweigh the costs, as you can create a life of which many dream, but never actually experience.

The first great benefit is one that allows you to create a schedule that best fits your personal situation. In commercial real estate you can work full or part-time and still create wealth and equity you never knew was possible!

Commercial real estate can easily be a part-time job that brings in incremental cash flow. You can even start out part-time, and hold a job until you have enough cash flow and money so that, eventually, all you do is commercial real estate.

Commercial real estate as a full-time job allows you to have many benefits such as being your own boss and having the ability to work from home. You can create your very own commercial real estate business and quickly build a strong net worth as well as positive cash flow.

Another great benefit is it does not take years of training, or years of moving up the corporate ladder to be successful. You can start right now, today! You can begin your commercial real estate endeavors whenever you so desire because there are very few barriers of entry to this industry.

Probably the most enticing benefit of commercial real estate is profit. Huge profits, in fact, which can be made with a limited amount of effort. You can make the same amount of money quick turning or selling 100 single family residences as you would make with a single commercial real estate deal. The profits can be astonishing!

It takes the same amount of work for every commercial real estate deal, meaning you must go through the same processes each time. Why not maximize your result and go for the larger returning deals, rather than the smaller ones? Synergy is a key word in commercial real estate, as small changes can yield huge results.

In commercial real estate, your financial investment is very low, perhaps even non-existent. You can purchase property with 100% of other people’s money (OPM), and create large profits for yourself. This is the only industry where there are literally hundreds of millions of dollars just waiting to be borrowed! Find the money and get to investing!

As you can see, commercial real estate meets and exceeds the expectations many people wish they could have in their own career and personal lives. You can make commercial real estate whatever it is you want it to be… a supplemental income or primary career. Take some time and imagine that all these great benefits were yours. How would life be?

If you think commercial real estate is more than you can ever dream of, begin your research and start learning all about it. Find people working in the business, and get acquainted with the investment strategies and methods that can return huge profits in a very short amount of time. Once you truly understand and experience firsthand what commercial real estate has to offer, I know you will look no further for other money-making, equity building, life creating businesses.

Tony Seruga, Yolanda Seruga and Yolanda Bishop of [http://www.maverickrei.com] specialize in commercial and investment real estate. As of May, 2006, they and their partners are managing over $600 million dollars worth of new projects.

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Commercial Real Estate Agents

By Marcus Peterson

Let’s face it – you cannot intelligently buy commercial real estate properties without the help of an expert. Hiring a commercial real estate agent is your best bet against losing thousands of dollars you’ll likely spend, when you make costly mistakes or miss out on solid, commercial real estate investing opportunities. That is why finding and hiring a commercial real estate agent should be your first and most crucial step – it can make or break your commercial real estate venture.

Benefits of hiring commercial real estate agents

Professional commercial real estate agents or broker companies give you access to the best commercial real estate information available. They provide you with information about the latest sales price data, vacancy and absorption rates and comparative tax and labor costs to help you make informed decisions.

Experienced commercial real estate brokers can also help explain to you the present market lease trends, the current demographics, and they will give you a straightforward competitive analysis of different commercial properties that fit your purpose and budget. Professional commercial real estate agents or broker companies give you all this information so that you can anticipate opportunities, gain a competitive advantage and implement the best possible real estate approach.

If you plan to build commercial real estate, an agent can help you determine the best location using scientific local market data and a keen knowledge of the economic trends that affect the commercial real estate market. These agents are specially trained to handle very large transactions – millions upon millions of dollars. Their purpose is to find investments that will not only increase in value, but also give the investor a good revenue stream.

Never try to invest in commercial real estate property without consulting a commercial real estate agent. He or she will have the right training to impart helpful research, advisory and transaction services to you so that your commercial real estate venture goes smoothly.

Commercial Real Estate provides detailed information on Commercial Real Estate, Commercial Real Estate Loans, Commercial Real Estate Agents, Commercial Real Estate Brokers and more. Commercial Real Estate is affiliated with National Association Of Realtors [http://www.Realtors-Web.com].

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Why You Need To Start Investing In Commercial Real Estate

By Scott Scheel

People often ask me how I got started in commercial real estate, and I tell them that it was a conscious decision for me.

Most people who begin investing in real estate start off with single family residential properties because that is what they are most comfortable with. They tell themselves, “All I need to do is a couple of deals a month. I’ll make myself five or ten thousand dollars, then at the end of a very few months most of my problems will be taken care of.” They do not really understand everything that is involved in getting these properties going.

They think they are going to be making big money, but before long, oftentimes they end up with a lot of problems and a lot of headaches. They might have traded in their job for a perceived higher paying job, but find that it is really taking a toll on their lives.

If you belong to a real estate investment group, take a look around you. Look at the people who have done twenty-five to fifty houses or more. Are they living the life of their dreams? More importantly, are they living the life of your dreams? They may be better off than you are now, but is this really what you want to work towards? I know so many people who have a large portfolio of properties but really haven’t achieved the type of freedom, success, and wealth that they truly desire. How can you change this? In my opinion, the answer is commercial real estate.

WHY COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE?

When I decided to start investing in real estate, I stopped and took a look around. I realized that the people who were making the big money in real estate were the people who owned buildings not houses. People who owned the large apartment buildings, the large office buildings, the large warehouse and industrial space – those are the ones who really seemed to be living a lifestyle that I wanted.

They didn’t have to be there tending to their properties; they had property managers who took care of that for them. Yet, they were the ones spending the checks, catching planes to exotic locations and destinations, and living the lifestyle that I desired so much.

After looking at this for quite a while, I decided that there must be a way of getting this done. They couldn’t have been much smarter, have learned much more, or have had access to more resources then I could. Even though I didn’t know how immediately, I knew I could figure out a way to do it.

I sat down and took the time to learn how to invest in commercial real estate, which is what I would recommend that you do. I studied and figured out exactly what it would take, and as I learned, commercial real estate became less and less of a mystery to me.

How can you start? First of all, let’s talk about why you would want to do it.

MORE CASH FLOW

What are the benefits of commercial real estate? First of all, one of the biggest benefits is that commercial real estate is valued differently. By “valued differently”, I mean the amount of income that a property produces is directly proportionate to its worth. So if a property produces more income, then it is worth more. It has very little to do with “market comps”.

Second, along the way you are going to get a far greater cash flow. Imagine if you were to buy a $250,000 home. That $250,000 home may rent for somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,500 per month. The underlying mortgage on that home may be somewhere between $1,000 and $1,400 per month. So you end up struggling to gain between $100 and $500 per month in positive cash flow. That’s not a very high number for the amount of work you have to put in, and it certainly is not going to get you on the jet set.

Now, let’s take a look at a similar investment from a commercial standpoint. That same $250,000 investment may end up yielding you an 10-unit apartment complex, based on $25,000 per unit to acquire the property.

(Please note: Although these numbers work in MOST parts of the country, I realize there are certain high-priced areas, notably the west coast and parts of the northeast, where houses start in the $600,000+ range, and $60,000 and up per unit is much more common for apartments. Rest assured that these concepts still work 100% — only the numbers, and the PROFITS, are larger.)

Let’s say each of those units were two bedrooms, which could rent in most areas of the United States anywhere between $400 and $600 per month. For simplicity’s sake, let’s use an average of $500 per month. At $500 per month times ten units, you’re bringing in $5,000 per month – more than double the rent that you could expect to get from that same $250,000 single family home. Your underlying mortgage payment would be very similar to what you would expect on a residential property; for this example, let’s use $1,400 per month.

Your cash flow on this 10-unit apartment building will be $3,600 per month ($5,000 per month income, minus a $1,400 mortgage payment). Now that will make a difference in just about anyone’s life.

LESS RISK

Third, and most essentially, you’re now spreading out the risk over ten tenants, as opposed to one. If your single-family home goes vacant, you’re on the hook for the entire mortgage. Every penny of that mortgage, all of the maintenance, and everything that goes along with it is now your responsibility. If the house is vacant for two months, you’d better be planning on spending a minimum of $2,800 to cover that mortgage plus miscellaneous expenses including maintenance, utilities, taxes, and insurance. Potentially, you’re looking at a very heavy negative cash flow.

On the commercial property, however, if one of your ten units goes vacant at $500 per unit, you’re still bringing in $4,500. So you get slightly less positive cash flow but you’re certainly not experiencing negative cash flow. Say three units go vacant – you’re still covering your mortgage and putting cash in your pockets! Do you see how there is actually LESS risk in commercial properties?

INCREASE VALUE AT WILL

The fourth reason you should be investing in commercial real estate is because of a concept called “forced appreciation”. Forced appreciation means doing things with your property that will increase your income and decrease your expenses. Remember that the more income your commercial property brings in, the more it is worth.

As an example, let’s go back to our 10-unit apartment building. Let’s say we plan on improving the quality of each apartment unit by replacing the flooring, upgrading to nicer doorknobs and bathroom fixtures and lighting fixtures, perhaps even adding some ceiling fans – all relatively inexpensive fix-ups. As a result, we can now raise the rents by $50 per month per unit. That’s $600 more in annual income per unit times 10 units, or $6,000 more per year total (which will also recapture all the costs of the fix-ups).

Next, let’s decrease our expenses by $100 per month by passing on a portion of the utilities to the tenants, or by doing some competitive shopping for our lawn-care service and finding a company that does the same great job for less money per month. Times 12 months, we’ve just saved ourselves $1,200 per year.

Total increase in annual income is $7,200 ($6,000 plus $1,200). By increasing our income by $7,200 per year, we’ve increased the value of the property by $72,000 or more. That’s the power of forced appreciation.

There are a lot of strategies that you can use to force appreciation and these are just some of the simplest. But needless to say when you’re dealing with 10 units in one building, for instance in our small example, you’ve got an opportunity to improve many things that will help you justify the increased rents. Also, you’ll be seeing yourself dealing with a better tenant mix. Higher quality properties tend to bring more stable tenants.

PASSIVE INCOME = FREEDOM

All of this leads us to the fifth reason why you should be investing in commercial real estate and that is the passive income. Passive income is the key to commercial real estate. The way that commercial properties are managed and the way they allow for a concentration of efforts lets you to put someone in place to manage those properties.

In the beginning, on the smaller 10-unit buildings, you’ll probably need to manage them yourself. But as you climb your way up the ladder, and you start dealing with 20-units or above, you can then offer free rent on one of the units to someone in return for managing the rest of the units for you. As we discussed earlier, even with 10 units you can still make a monthly profit if a couple of the units are vacant, so giving away one unit is certainly a small price to pay in return for the freedom it gives you.

Now you’ve got an on-site building manager who handles all of the tenant problems, tenant issues, tenant improvements, cleaning, and trash removal – all in return for free rent in your two bedroom, $550-per-month unit. Usually these people have other jobs, so you’re not their sole source of income. If your buildings are large enough to keep them busy full-time, however, you will probably have to pay them an hourly wage in addition to the free rent, but that will only be a small portion of your total monthly profits.

Meanwhile, all the checks come directly to you. You deposit them, you pay the bills, you keep the difference – and believe me, that difference can be substantial. Even on the small 10-unit buildings that we’ve talked about, it’s easy to generate $2,000 to $3,000 dollars per month in positive cash flow, over and above your expenses. On larger, 20+ unit buildings, it’s not difficult to create positive cash flows in excess of $5,000 to $10,000 per month if these properties are acquired properly. And since someone else is managing the properties for you, all this money flows to you passively, while you are spending time with your family, or traveling, or looking for exciting, new opportunities.

Obviously there are many more great reasons to invest in commercial real estate than these five that I’ve given you – in fact, I could easily list another thirty: cost recovery, how it’s financed, management opportunities, scales of economy, and so on.

GETTING STARTED

So, how do you get started?

Just as you would get started investing in residential real estate by getting your education first (either “the easy way”, through books and courses and investor group meetings, or “the hard way”, through the school of hard knocks), the place to get started with commercial real estate is by getting your education and learning the terminology. It’s not that different from residential real estate, and it’s not that difficult to understand.

Next, look around – see what’s going on in your market place. Find several small apartment, office, or retail buildings for sale, get the financial information on them, and learn how they work – what they rent for, how full they are, how the utilities are split up, what the expenses are, and so on. Start doing some “practice” deals – go through the motions of buying the property with as much diligence as you would if you were buying a single-family home. Once you understand what the income is and what the expenses are, you can start to figure out how you would acquire that property.

The sooner you get this process going, the sooner I guarantee that you will be a commercial property owner. Don’t wait to get started – now is the time! This is the best commercial market in the last 50 years. Properties are available extremely inexpensively, and there are many distressed properties just waiting to be picked up with millions of dollars in equity in all of them. The bank rates right now for commercial property are extremely low. These factors combine to offer you an incredible opportunity. Do not let this market place pass you by, or you may very well regret it.

Can you imagine buying five 10-unit apartment buildings in the next 12 to 24 months? At the end of that time, you’d have 50 units, managed by someone else, and generating six figures of annual passive income. The exciting part is that apartment buildings are just the tip of the iceberg, and in my opinion, not even my favorite investments. I personally prefer office and retail space which have a much higher profit potential. Apartment buildings are nice but office space and retail space generate the really big money.

I can promise you that if you start following these simple strategies, you’ll generate more than enough gold to fill up the pots for yourself as well as your family and loved ones. The sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll see your first $1 Million profits!

J. Scott Scheel has been investing in commercial real estate for over seven years, and has created profits and equities of over $8 Million in commercial property investments over the last two years alone. He is successfully teaching students across the country how to make millions in commercial real estate. Click Here for a FREE audio CD from Scott to learn more about getting started in commercial real estate with no cash, credit or experience!

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Commercial Real Estate, A Career – How Do You Get Into It?

By Peter Liebert

1. WHAT IS IT AND HOW DO YOU GET INTO IT?

Several years ago, I was attending a Society of Industrial Realtors Annual Spring Conference in Maui. My wife had accompanied me on the trip so that we could also do a lot of sightseeing. Colliers International, a 241 office worldwide firm, sponsored its own company cocktail party the night before the Conference officially began and my wife and I attended the party.

A short while into introductions, a fellow came in from the golf course and he sat down at our table. Andrew Friedlander introduced himself an we discussed our home in Philadelphia, his original home in Brooklyn and his new home in Honolulu. As to how he ended up in Hawaii, Andrew told us that on R&R during his tours in the Army in Vietnam, he decided to take a break in Hawaii after he was finished his last duty tour. He rented an apartment, waited tables, washed cars, etc. to have some extra cash. He said that he paid his apartment rent to an older man who came around once a month and he finally asked the man whether that was his business. Andrew said that he never thought about property management as a business, but the more he spoke to the man the more that he realized how diverse a business commercial real estate could be, particularly in Hawaii. The rental agent began to show Andrew the basics of the business and Andrew decided not to return to Brooklyn.

Forty years later, Andrew is the manager of approximately six Colliers International offices in Hawaii with over 40 brokers and salespeople as his responsibility. Aside from selling and leasing commercial real estate and traditional brokerage transactions through the islands, Andrew’s team is involved in all of the other aspects of commercial and industrial real estate.

As one concierge person told my wife and I while we were touring there, “Yes, it is a great place, now where would you ever think of moving to once you are here.”

In the past year, a young Army Captain and friend called me from Hawaii. He and his wife were taking in some R&R after his last duty tour and he called to ask me for some advice on commercial real estate firms. I gave him Andrews phone number after I checked with Andrew on his availability. Andrew treated my friend to lunch and introduced him to Colliers’ business in the islands. As it turned out, my friend and his wife decided later to relocate to Florida to be closer to their parents. Our Colliers office in Ft. Lauderdale was anxious to interview him and did so. He found a better fit for a concentration in office brokerage with another firm, but I think that it is clear that opportunities do exist with major firms for someone who has an interest, who can demonstrate that they are self motivated and whose comportment (manners, speech, personal grooming, business attire) are all positive. A long time friend told me one night after we and our wives checked in, very late, at a hotel owned by a well known hotel group, “That desk clerk is the person representing this hotel company to its customers and I know the CEO. That clerk’s slight rudeness toward us does not at all represent what their CEO wants his company to be known for in their business. He will need to learn that if he is going to be more than the late night clerk.”

I mention this because a company such as Colliers or any of its competitors must ensure that a salesperson or broker first meeting a potential customer properly represents the company’s image. So much money is spent defining that image to the business community that each person, including all staff, must reflect that effort. Otherwise, a potential customer will choose to hire a competitor whose act is together. My understanding is that customer relation training at Wal-Mart is quite strong for all personnel. I would think that any major restaurant chain has in place a thorough program for staff training and it may pay to observe whether if the customer is not always right at an establishment how the staff person handles a customer who is being a bit particular.

2. Entry

I use Andrew’s story as an example of the opportunity that commercial real estate offers. A senior business mentor and good friend of mine told me in Florida in 1971, just at the beginning of that recession, that commercial real estate offered an opportunity to enter a business without having my own capital to invest other than my time and energy, and, with no limit on the size of transactions that could be put together. We discussed this in relation to my going back to law school. His opinion was that it was almost a “sky is the limit” approach, but with some basic sense to it. I had done a few financial reports on potential deals offered to him. I also handed over that year, at my mentor’s instruction, a $300k commission check to a broker who he had employed to buy a property that he had settled on the year prior to that. The next year, at the same time, I handed over the same check to that broker as the second half of that commission to that broker. Please realize that in 1972 that commission amount in the onset of that recession was a significant amount of money for any transaction.

Each state has its own regulations for licensure. Florida required a person to take a sales licensing course, pass that, then work in a licensed real estate broker’s office for a minimum of two years before being eligible to take a state broker’s exam. The sales course is offered by numerous private firms and colleges, evening courses in particular. The cost of the course is minimal. The basic skills for reading, writing and math portions are not difficult. Depending upon your educational qualifications, commercial real estate firms may often offer to provide the course. Smaller, more generalized, brokerage firms may also do the same in order to gain a salesperson.

There typically is a recognized “culture” or business reputation known for a real estate firm in any community, The community can be local, regional or national. It pays to do your homework as to which firm appears to suit your style. The internet is definitely one of the most productive sources for finding a firm’s history, its areas of expertise, personnel, and its successes. Recognize that major metropolitan commercial firms often outsource client needs in an outlying area to a smaller commercial firm in that area rather than requiring one of their main office brokers to commit to travel time. Consequently, if you are in a rural market outside or between major metropolitan markets, you should investigate which real estate firms have those relationships for the larger deals.

Your time for success starting in commercial real estate (particularly without capital) will be the result of what you put into it. I had the option in the early ’70′s of returning to law school and finishing. What I realized most was that I liked being out of an office and “on the street.” My attorney friends in Ft. Lauderdale were spending innumerable hours, as needed, in their offices to write briefs, draft documents, etc., all of which that profession requires. My decision was to put in the same hours on commercial real estate that I would have to put in for any law practice. If it worked, then fine, if not I would go back to school.

Considering that the early ’70′s recession in Florida hit every occupation with almost equal damage, many attorneys had practices with slim billings and clients whose businesses were suffering economically. Several real estate brokers who I met were having very difficult times because the banks were not lending money for deals. Florida had a usury cap of 14% at that time. Deposits were down and when interest rates in California started to go above 14% that is where the money went.

Weekdays in those years, I was knocking on the doors of businesses in the West Palm to Miami corridor. Weekends, I was often painting a house or captaining a motor sailer owned by a friend’s corporation. Weekday evenings after dinner, I was at the office reviewing property information, ownerships, tax data, etc. for the next day’s driving or phone calls. I found that it was possible to earn a living while getting into the commercial real estate field. I later found out after moving back to Philadelphia, that several of the commercial real estate firms did not mind their starting salespeople to moonlight as bartenders, waiters, or whatever until they had enough experience to close transactions. That has changed somewhat in the larger cities due to the financial strength of the larger firms and their ability to either offer a base salary or draw to new salespersons.

Gender in today’s commercial real estate world is not an issue as it was in the ’70′s. At that time, men only eating clubs were often the norm and women were not often able to match that type of selling locale. The number of women who have joined commercial real estate organizations such as SIOR, CCIM, etc. (which I will discuss later) has increased dramatically over the past 15 years. The commercial real estate courses offered today provide an excellent means of obtaining knowledge that once was taught generally “in house” by senior brokerage personnel responsible for a new salesperson’s progress.

Therefore, in considering commercial real estate the aspect of having minimal capital has not changed. Gender is not an issue and many women who have chosen to specialize in industrial or office real estate have done very well. You

can choose your hours, choose your area of specialty(s), choose your market area(s), and choose who you want to approach as a firm to join. Most commercial real estate involes the standard business week, not including late Saturday or Sunday hours (vs. residential Sunday open houses). These are several of the positive aspects of working in commercial real estate. The competition is keen, your competitors respect a good work effort and, most importantly, they respect a strong reputation for any individual.

You should investigate both larger commercial firms and smaller real estate brokerage firms. There are advantages and disadvantages to both.

A). Larger firms may be willing to offer a base salary or a draw against commissions. They may prefer prior business experience, but not necessarily prior real estate brokerage experience that may conflict with what their “culture” is and what their in-house training entails. Typically, a new salesperson would be assigned to a senior broker or brokers to do cold calling, marketing materials, marketing reports for any existing client’s property and probably handle property inspections by other competing brokers with their prospects.

A few points on Larger Firms:

Future ownership potential for you in the company may be limited or non-existent.

Control over what market, territory or discipline that you work in may not be your choice. If you are hired for one department, such as retail, that may change if they need personnel support in another department, such as office. You may find that they prefer a new person to rotate through each department and possible each regional office if they have multiple offices.

Depending upon whether the firm is privately held or a public company it could be sold or merged without you being involved in the discussion. There is no real “safety blanket” for any position in a larger firm. If a primary, large, client is lost to a competitor, cuts may be relatively fast to absorb the lack of revenues.

Senior brokers who are successful occasionally leave to join another firm or to start their own competing firm. Clients usually follow those brokers and that could disrupt your potential income if you are in that department and the rain makers leave.

Deal volume can be significant as can be the size of the deals. If an institutional owner (bank, insurance company, pension fund, etc.) has a presence in an urban market, the leasing or sale assignment that they may award to a larger firm can be a “year maker” if the assignment is completed. Usually some year end bonus money flows down to the salespersons who may have participated in the marketing effort.

Senior brokers should have upper level corporate contacts through either a business association, country club, educational institutions, commercial lenders, or contacts referred from other cities where a corporate headquarters may be located. If the firm owners or top brokers are not developing those contacts and relationships, but are relying on the mid-level brokers to do that you may want to look at another firm whose top management is better involved. You want work to filter down from the top instead of getting the crumbs leftover from competing firms who have a solid community (business and non-business) presence.

B). Smaller firms usually will have a broker/owner running the operations with or without broker partners in the firm. Quite often they will have a residential department and a separate commercial department in which a few of the brokers may work in residential and commercial properties.

A few points about Smaller Firms:

Future ownership shares may be offered depending upon deal volume and commitment to the firm. If the founding broker of the firm is nearing retirement age, the opportunity may be better provided that they are maintaining an fully active presence in the community.

Commission percentages may be much more liberal once a minimum threshold of deal volume is met to cover the cost of your desk, phone, secretarial, etc..

A salary or draw is less likely to be offered.

A senior broker may be more likely to have you work directly under him on any property. You will be accountable directly to him and, as should be the case, learn “on the job.”

If there is a residential component to the firm, those brokers specializing in that area should be a source of commercial referrals and the same for you referring any possible single family residential to them. Smaller multi-family buildings should be on the commercial side of the business, but motels may be on either side. This can vary in an area such as Ft. Lauderdale, Hilton Head, or New Jersey resorts where a residential owner with a relationship to the firm may also own retail rentals.

Most regional areas have a Realtors Association, Chamber of Commerce or other organization that offers discounted insurance and other benefits to its members. Whereas a larger firm may have a good corporate health plan and other bulk discounted benefits to its employees, you should look at the costs for each that are offered. I have not found that much of a saving on either side, but if you leave a larger firm you will need to find the alternatives that are affordable.

Your business exposure may actually be more effective working out of a smaller firm and being a primary contact for that firm instead of a secondary contact at a larger firm.

Property databases and the Internet have provided smaller firms with much better access to real estate information than in the mid-’90′s and before when only larger firms could afford to maintain proprietary property information for a larger market. Launching a significant marketing campaign for a property can be expensive even with the Internet and smaller firms will have a lack of cash resources to compete for major property listings. Deal size, therefore, will be smaller and you will have to strive for volume,

Best regards.

Peter P. Liebert,IV-SIOR

Flourtown, PA

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Keys To Closing Commercial Real Estate Transactions

By R. Kymn Harp

Anyone who thinks Closing a commercial real estate transaction is a clean, easy, stress-free undertaking has never closed a commercial real estate transaction. Expect the unexpected, and be prepared to deal with it.

I’ve been closing commercial real estate transactions for nearly 30 years. I grew up in the commercial real estate business.

My father was a “land guy”. He assembled land, put in infrastructure and sold it for a profit. His mantra: “Buy by the acre, sell by the square foot.” From an early age, he drilled into my head the need to “be a deal maker; not a deal breaker.” This was always coupled with the admonition: “If the deal doesn’t close, no one is happy.” His theory was that attorneys sometimes “kill tough deals” simply because they don’t want to be blamed if something goes wrong.

Over the years I learned that commercial real estate Closings require much more than mere casual attention. Even a typically complex commercial real estate Closing is a highly intense undertaking requiring disciplined and creative problem solving to adapt to ever changing circumstances. In many cases, only focused and persistent attention to every detail will result in a successful Closing. Commercial real estate Closings are, in a word, “messy”.

A key point to understand is that commercial real estate Closings do not “just happen”; they are made to happen. There is a time-proven method for successfully Closing commercial real estate transactions. That method requires adherence to the four KEYS TO CLOSING outlined below:

KEYS TO CLOSING

1. Have a Plan: This sounds obvious, but it is remarkable how many times no specific Plan for Closing is developed. It is not a sufficient Plan to merely say: “I like a particular piece of property; I want to own it.” That is not a Plan. That may be a goal, but that is not a Plan.

A Plan requires a clear and detailed vision of what, specifically, you want to accomplish, and how you intend to accomplish it. For instance, if the objective is to acquire a large warehouse/light manufacturing facility with the intent to convert it to a mixed use development with first floor retail, a multi-deck parking garage and upper level condominiums or apartments, the transaction Plan must include all steps necessary to get from where you are today to where you need to be to fulfill your objective. If the intent, instead, is to demolish the building and build a strip shopping center, the Plan will require a different approach. If the intent is to simply continue to use the facility for warehousing and light manufacturing, a Plan is still required, but it may be substantially less complex.

In each case, developing the transaction Plan should begin when the transaction is first conceived and should focus on the requirements for successfully Closing upon conditions that will achieve the Plan objective. The Plan must guide contract negotiations, so that the Purchase Agreement reflects the Plan and the steps necessary for Closing and post-Closing use. If Plan implementation requires particular zoning requirements, or creation of easements, or termination of party wall rights, or confirmation of structural elements of a building, or availability of utilities, or availability of municipal entitlements, or environmental remediation and regulatory clearance, or other identifiable requirements, the Plan and the Purchase Agreement must address those issues and include those requirements as conditions to Closing.

If it is unclear at the time of negotiating and entering into the Purchase Agreement whether all necessary conditions exists, the Plan must include a suitable period to conduct a focused and diligent investigation of all issues material to fulfilling the Plan. Not only must the Plan include a period for investigation, the investigation must actually take place with all due diligence.

NOTE: The term is “Due Diligence”; not “do diligence”. The amount of diligence required in conducting the investigation is the amount of diligence required under the circumstances of the transaction to answer in the affirmative all questions that must be answered “yes”, and to answer in the negative all questions that must be answered “no”. The transaction Plan will help focus attention on what these questions are. [Ask for a copy of my January, 2006 article: Due Diligence: Checklists for Commercial Real Estate Transactions.]

2. Assess And Understand the Issues: Closely connected to the importance of having a Plan is the importance of understanding all significant issues that may arise in implementing the Plan. Some issues may represent obstacles, while others represent opportunities. One of the greatest causes of transaction failure is a lack of understanding of the issues or how to resolve them in a way that furthers the Plan.

Various risk shifting techniques are available and useful to address and mitigate transaction risks. Among them is title insurance with appropriate use of available commercial endorsements. In addressing potential risk shifting opportunities related to real estate title concerns, understanding the difference between a “real property law issue” vs. a “title insurance risk issue” is critical. Experienced commercial real estate counsel familiar with available commercial endorsements can often overcome what sometimes appear to be insurmountable title obstacles through creative draftsmanship and the assistance of a knowledgeable title underwriter.

Beyond title issues, there are numerous other transaction issues likely to arise as a commercial real estate transaction proceeds toward Closing. With commercial real estate, negotiations seldom end with execution of the Purchase Agreement.

New and unexpected issues often arise on the path toward Closing that require creative problem-solving and further negotiation. Sometimes these issues arise as a result of facts learned during the buyer’s due diligence investigation. Other times they arise because independent third-parties necessary to the transaction have interests adverse to, or at least different from, the interests of the seller, buyer or buyer’s lender. When obstacles arise, tailor-made solutions are often required to accommodate the needs of all concerned parties so the transaction can proceed to Closing. To appropriately tailor a solution, you have to understand the issue and its impact on the legitimate needs of those affected.

3. Recognize And Overcome Third Party Inertia: A major source of frustration, delay and, sometimes, failure of commercial real estate transactions results from what I refer to as “third-party inertia”. Recognize that the Closing deadlines important to transaction participants are often meaningless to unrelated third parties whose participation and cooperation is vital to moving the transaction forward. Chief among third-party dawdlers are governmental agencies, but the culprit may be any third party vendor or other third party not controlled by the buyer or seller. For them, the transaction is often “just another file” on their already cluttered desk.

Experienced commercial real estate counsel is often in the best position to recognize inordinate delay by third parties and can often cajole recalcitrant third parties into action with an appropriately timed telephone call. Often, experienced commercial real estate counsel will have developed relationships with necessary vendors and third parties through prior transactions, and can use those established relationships to expedite the transaction at hand. Most importantly, however, experienced commercial real estate counsel is able to recognize when undue delay is occurring and push for a timely response when appropriate. Third party vendors are human (they claim) and typically respond to timely appeals for action. It is the old cliché at work: “The squeaky wheel gets the oil”. Care must be taken, however, to tactfully apply pressure only when necessary and appropriate. Repeated requests or demands for action when inappropriate to the circumstance runs the risk of alienating a necessary party and adding to delay instead of eliminating it. Once again, human nature at work. Experienced commercial real estate counsel will often understand when to apply pressure and when to lay off.

4. Prepare For The Closing Frenzy: Like it or not, controlled chaos leading up to Closing is the norm rather than the exception for commercial real estate transactions. It occurs because of the necessity of relying on independent third parties, the necessity of providing certifications and showings dated in close proximity to Closing, and because new issues often arise at or near Closing as a consequence of facts and information discovered through the continual exercise of due diligence on the path toward Closing.

Whether dealing with third-party lessees, lenders, appraisers, local planning, zoning or taxing authorities, public or quasi-public utilities, project surveyors, environmental consultants, title insurance companies, adjoining property owners, insurance companies, structural engineers, state or local departments of transportation, or other necessary third-party vendors or participants, it will often be the case that you must wait for them to react within their own time-frame to enable the Closing to proceed. The transaction is seldom as important to them as it is to the buyer and seller.

To the casual observer, building-in additional lead-time to allow for stragglers and dawdlers to act may seem to be an appropriate solution. The practical reality, however, is that many tasks must be completed within a narrow window of time just prior to Closing.

As much as one may wish to eliminate the last minute rush in the days just before Closing, in many instances it is just not possible. Many documents and “showings”, such as UCC searches, surveys, water department certifications, governmental notices, appraisals, property inspection reports, environmental site assessments, estoppel certificates, rent rolls, certificates of authority, and the like, must be dated near in time to the Closing, often within a few days or weeks of Closing. If prepared and dated too far in advance, they become stale and meaningless and must be redone, resulting in additional time and expense.

The reality is that commercial real estate Closings often involve big dollar amounts and evolving circumstances. Rather than complain and stress-out over the hectic pace of coordinating all Closing requirements and conditions as Closing approaches, you are wise to anticipate the fast paced frenzy leading up to Closing and should be prepared for it. As Closing approaches, commercial real estate counsel, real estate brokers and necessary representatives of the buyer and seller should remain available and ready to respond to changing demands and circumstances. This is not a time to go on vacation or to be on an out of town business trip. It is a time to remain focused and ready for action.

Recognizing that pre-Closing frenzy is the norm rather than an exception for commercial real estate transactions may help ease tension among the parties and their respective counsel and pave the way for a successful Closing.

Like it or not, this is the way it is. Prepare for the Closing frenzy and be available to respond. This is the way it works. Anyone who tells you differently is either lying to you or has had little experience in Closing commercial real estate transactions.

So there you have it. The four KEYS TO CLOSING a commercial real estate transaction.

1. Have a Plan

2. Assess And Understand the Issues

3. Recognize And Overcome Third Party Inertia

4. Prepare For The Closing Frenzy

Apply these Keys to Closing, and your chance of success goes up. Ignore these Keys to Closing, and your transaction may drift into oblivion.

R. Kymn Harp is a seasoned attorney based in Chicago, Illinois with 30 years experience representing commercial real estate investors, lenders and developers. He is a frequent speaker at continuing education seminars, and is a widely published author on commercial and industrial real estate topics including due diligence, entitlements, commercial real estate financing, and Brownfield development and financing.

R. Kymn Harp can be contacted at:

Robbins, Salomon & Patt, Ltd
25 E. Washington Street Suite 100
Chicago, IL 60602
Dir. Ph: 312-456-0378
Email: rkharp@rsplaw.com

For more information go to: http://www.realestate-law.com

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10 Things Every Buyer Needs – To Close A Commercial Real Estate Loan

By R. Kymn Harp

For nearly 30 years, I have represented borrowers and lenders in commercial real estate transactions. During this time it has become apparent that many Buyers do not have a clear understanding of what is required to document a commercial real estate loan. Unless the basics are understood, the likelihood of success in closing a commercial real estate transaction is greatly reduced.

Throughout the process of negotiating the sale contract, all parties must keep their eye on what the Buyer’s lender will reasonably require as a condition to financing the purchase. This may not be what the parties want to focus on, but if this aspect of the transaction is ignored, the deal may not close at all.

Sellers and their agents often express the attitude that the Buyer’s financing is the Buyer’s problem, not theirs. Perhaps, but facilitating Buyer’s financing should certainly be of interest to Sellers. How many sale transactions will close if the Buyer cannot get financing?

This is not to suggest that Sellers should intrude upon the relationship between the Buyer and its lender, or become actively involved in obtaining Buyer’s financing. It does mean, however, that the Seller should understand what information concerning the property the Buyer will need to produce to its lender to obtain financing, and that Seller should be prepared to fully cooperate with the Buyer in all reasonable respects to produce that information.

Basic Lending Criteria

Lenders actively involved in making loans secured by commercial real estate typically have the same or similar documentation requirements. Unless these requirements can be satisfied, the loan will not be funded. If the loan is not funded, the sale transaction will not likely close.

For Lenders, the object, always, is to establish two basic lending criteria:

1. The ability of the borrower to repay the loan ; and

2. The ability of the lender to recover the full amount of the loan, including outstanding principal, accrued and unpaid interest, and all reasonable costs of collection, in the event the borrower fails to repay the loan.

In nearly every loan of every type, these two lending criteria form the basis of the lender’s willingness to make the loan. Virtually all documentation in the loan closing process points to satisfying these two criteria. There are other legal requirements and regulations requiring lender compliance, but these two basic lending criteria represent, for the lender, what the loan closing process seeks to establish. They are also a primary focus of bank regulators, such as the FDIC, in verifying that the lender is following safe and sound lending practices.

Few lenders engaged in commercial real estate lending are interested in making loans without collateral sufficient to assure repayment of the entire loan, including outstanding principal, accrued and unpaid interest, and all reasonable costs of collection, even where the borrower’s independent ability to repay is substantial. As we have seen time and again, changes in economic conditions, whether occurring from ordinary economic cycles, changes in technology, natural disasters, divorce, death, and even terrorist attack or war, can change the “ability” of a borrower to pay. Prudent lending practices require adequate security for any loan of substance.

Documenting The Loan

There is no magic to documenting a commercial real estate loan. There are issues to resolve and documents to draft, but all can be managed efficiently and effectively if all parties to the transaction recognize the legitimate needs of the lender and plan the transaction and the contract requirements with a view toward satisfying those needs within the framework of the sale transaction.

While the credit decision to issue a loan commitment focuses primarily on the ability of the borrower to repay the loan; the loan closing process focuses primarily on verification and documentation of the second stated criteria: confirmation that the collateral is sufficient to assure repayment of the loan, including all principal, accrued and unpaid interest, late fees, attorneys fees and other costs of collection, in the event the borrower fails to voluntarily repay the loan.

With this in mind, most commercial real estate lenders approach commercial real estate closings by viewing themselves as potential “back-up buyers”. They are always testing their collateral position against the possibility that the Buyer/Borrower will default, with the lender being forced to foreclose and become the owner of the property. Their documentation requirements are designed to place the lender, after foreclosure, in as good a position as they would require at closing if they were a sophisticated direct buyer of the property; with the expectation that the lender may need to sell the property to a future sophisticated buyer to recover repayment of their loan.

Top 10 Lender Deliveries

In documenting a commercial real estate loan, the parties must recognize that virtually all commercial real estate lenders will require, among other things, delivery of the following “property documents”:

1. Operating Statements for the past 3 years reflecting income and expenses of operations, including cost and timing of scheduled capital improvements;

2. Certified copies of all Leases;

3. A Certified Rent Roll as of the date of the Purchase Contract, and again as of a date within 2 or 3 days prior to closing;

4. Estoppel Certificates signed by each tenant (or, typically, tenants representing 90% of the leased GLA in the project) dated within 15 days prior to closing;

5. Subordination, Non-Disturbance and Attornment (“SNDA”) Agreements signed by each tenant;

6. An ALTA lender’s title insurance policy with required endorsements, including, among others, an ALTA 3.1 Zoning Endorsement (modified to include parking), ALTA Endorsement No. 4 (Contiguity Endorsement insuring the mortgaged property constitutes a single parcel with no gaps or gores), and an Access Endorsement (insuring that the mortgaged property has access to public streets and ways for vehicular and pedestrian traffic);

7. Copies of all documents of record which are to remain as encumbrances following closing, including all easements, restrictions, party wall agreements and other similar items;

8. A current Plat of Survey prepared in accordance with 2005 Minimum Standard Detail for ALTA/ACSM Land Title Surveys, certified to the lender, Buyer and the title insurer, including items 1 through 4, 6, 7(a), 7(b)(1), 8 through 11(a) and 14 from the Surveyor’s “Optional Survey Responsibilities and Specifications” referred to as “Table A”;

9. A satisfactory Environmental Site Evaluation Report (Phase I Audit) and, if appropriate under the circumstances, a Phase 2 Audit, to demonstrate the property is not burdened with any recognized environmental defect; and

10. A Site Improvements Inspection Report to evaluate the structural integrity of improvements.

To be sure, there will be other requirements and deliveries the Buyer will be expected to satisfy as a condition to obtaining funding of the purchase money loan, but the items listed above are virtually universal. If the parties do not draft the purchase contract to accommodate timely delivery of these items to lender, the chances of closing the transaction are greatly reduced.

Planning for Closing Costs

The closing process for commercial real estate transactions can be expensive. In addition to drafting the Purchase Contract to accommodate the documentary requirements of the Buyer’s lender, the Buyer and his advisors need to consider and adequately plan for the high cost of bringing a commercial real estate transaction from contract to closing.

If competent Buyer’s counsel and competent lender’s counsel work together, each understanding what is required to be done to get the transaction closed, the cost of closing can be kept to a minimum, though it will undoubtedly remain substantial. It is not unusual for closing costs for a commercial real estate transaction with even typical closing issues to run thousands of dollars. Buyers must understand this and be prepared to accept it as a cost of doing business.

Sophisticated Buyers understand the costs involved in documenting and closing a commercial real estate transaction and factor them into the overall cost of the transaction, just as they do costs such as the agreed upon purchase price, real estate brokerage commissions, loan brokerage fees, loan commitment fees and the like.

Closing costs can constitute significant transaction expenses and must be factored into the Buyer’s business decision-making process in determining whether to proceed with a commercial real estate transaction. They are inescapable expenditures that add to Buyer’s cost of acquiring commercial real estate. They must be taken into account to determine the “true purchase price” to be paid by the Buyer to acquire any given project and to accurately calculate the anticipated yield on investment.

Some closing costs may be shifted to the Seller through custom or effective contract negotiation, but many will unavoidably fall on the Buyer. These can easily total tens of thousands of dollars in an even moderately sized commercial real estate transaction in the $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 price range.

Costs often overlooked, but ever present, include title insurance with required lender endorsements, an ALTA Survey, environmental audit(s), a Site Improvements Inspection Report and, somewhat surprisingly, Buyers attorney’s fees.

For reasons that escape me, inexperienced Buyers of commercial real estate, and even some experienced Buyers, nearly always underestimate attorneys fees required in any given transaction. This is not because they are unpredictable, since the combined fees a Buyer must pay to its own attorney and to the Lender’s attorney typically aggregate around 1% of the Purchase Price . Perhaps it stems from wishful thinking associated with the customarily low attorneys fees charged by attorneys handling residential real estate closings. In reality, the level of sophistication and the amount of specialized work required to fully investigate and document a transaction for a Buyer of commercial real estate makes comparisons with residential real estate transactions inappropriate. Sophisticated commercial real estate investors understand this. Less sophisticated commercial real estate buyers must learn how to properly budget this cost.

Conclusion

Concluding negotiations for the sale/purchase of a substantial commercial real estate project is a thrilling experience but, until the transaction closes, it is only ink on paper. To get to closing, the contract must anticipate the documentation the Buyer will be required to deliver to its lender to obtain purchase money financing. The Buyer must also be aware of the substantial costs to be incurred in preparing for closing so that Buyer may reasonably plan its cash requirements for closing. With a clear understanding of what is required, and advanced planning to satisfy those requirements, the likelihood of successfully closing will be greatly enhanced.

R. Kymn Harp is a seasoned attorney based in Chicago, Illinois with 30 years experience representing commercial real estate investors, lenders and developers. He is a frequent speaker at continuing education seminars, and is a widely published author on commercial and industrial real estate topics including due diligence, entitlements, commercial real estate financing, and Brownfield development and financing.

R. Kymn Harp can be contacted at:

Robbins, Salomon & Patt, Ltd
25 E. Washington Street Suite 100
Chicago, IL 60602
Dir. Ph: 312-456-0378
Email: rkharp@rsplaw.com

For more information go to: http://www.realestate-law.com

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How a Commercial Real Estate Broker Can Help You

How a Commercial Real Estate Broker Can Help YouBy Anthony Seruga

Commercial real estate is a booming business; however, whether you are buying or selling commercial real estate, chances are that you are going to need a bit of help. A good real estate broker can be invaluable to you, and they can provide you with a great deal of help that no one else could ever give to you. If you want to have a successful career in the commercial real estate business, then more than likely you will need to work with a commercial real estate broker from time to time. The following are some of the great ways that a commercial real estate broker can be of help to you.

Local Land Values

Having a commercial real estate broker working with you can be very helpful when it comes to local land values. As an investor, you may not always be investing in commercial real estate that is in your area, and it can be hard to find out what the land values are in the area that you are considering investing in. When you work with a commercial real estate agent, they usually have a good grasp on local land values and can help you make good decisions based upon this information. This saves you having to do a great deal of research on your own to find out the same information.

Access to City Officials

If you have been working in the commercial real estate field long, you know that there are many times in this line of work when you have to deal with various city officials. At times this can be difficult, since you may not be familiar with them and you may have a hard time finding time to speak with them. When you work with a commercial real estate broker, many times you will find that they already have direct access to the city officials, which can expedite your deals much of the time.

Negotiation and Constructing Offers

Another great reason to have a commercial real estate broker is that they can do a great deal of the negotiating for you on a deal. It is usually better to have a broker as a go-between instead of dealing directly with the other person in a deal. A broker can usually more effectively negotiate the terms of a deal. They can also help you to construct offers as well so that you will be able to present a good offer on a piece of commercial property.

Exit Strategies

More than likely there will be some point in time when you will find it imperative that you get out of a commercial real estate deal. This can be hard to do on your own, but when you have a commercial real estate broker to help you, then can help you to come up with a solid exit strategy if you need it. When you get out of a deal, you need to have a great strategy that is totally legal, or you may end up losing a great deal of money. Having the commercial real estate broker there to help you can ensure that you exit the deal in a legal way that will not hurt you as well.

Referrals to Other Professionals

Commercial real estate brokers can also be of help to you by referring you to other professionals that can be helpful to you as well. This is especially great if you are new to the commercial real estate industry, you have just moved into a new area, or you are investing outside of the area when you live. It can be difficult to find good professionals to work with, such as lawyers, contractors, inspectors, and engineers. When you are dealing with a commercial real estate agent that you trust, they can refer you to other people that you can trust as well. This saves you the hassle of trying to find some of these professionals on your own without anyone’s recommendations to go on, which can be disastrous in some cases.

Lenders

Another area that a commercial real estate broker can help you with is the financing for your commercial real estate purchase. These broker work with a variety of different lenders from day to day, and if you are looking for financing for your venture, more than likely they can steer you in the right direction. They may even know of some private lenders that may be of some help to you as well.

First Grab at Targeted Properties

Having a commercial real estate broker can be very beneficial to you because they can also allow you to have first grab at some targeted properties that they know of. No doubt there are times when you find a great property, only to find out that it is already under contract and you spoke too late. If the broker knows what you are looking for, they may be able to pocket the listing so you can have the first chance at it.

When you do find a great commercial real estate broker, it is important that you hold onto them. A great broker can be invaluable and can help you out in a variety of ways that will help make you successful in the commercial real estate market. Working together with the same great broker over and over can be mutually beneficial to both of you. They will get the rewards of your business, and you will be able to enjoy the many benefits of working with an excellent commercial real estate broker that you can trust. When you find a good broker, they are definitely worth the money that you will pay out to use them.

Tony Seruga, Yolanda Seruga and Yolanda Bishop of Maverick Real Estate Investments, Inc. work with builders, developers and other players in the commercial real estate industry to acquire and develop properties. They use progressive investment strategies that have proved extremely profitable. In addition to their own deals, they teach both seasoned and inexperienced investors how to be big players in the game. Visit the website for more info.

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Commercial Real Estate Loans – 12 Problems to Avoid

By Stephen Bush

This article describes 12 recurring problems with commercial real estate loans that commercial borrowers and their advisors need to anticipate before it is too late. The following problems are common in traditional bank commercial real estate loans and should be avoided if feasible (special circumstances will periodically make some of these terms unavoidable).

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS PROBLEM NUMBER 1: Tax Returns versus Stated Income

Most traditional banks will require several years of tax returns in order to qualify for a commercial real estate loan. The alternative is to use a Stated Income lender that does not verify personal income or assets. Many borrowers will simply not qualify for a commercial mortgage loan if tax returns are used due to high business expenses (and low net income). Many lenders using tax returns will also continue to verify income after the loan closes. Stated Income lenders will not engage in this practice.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS PROBLEM NUMBER 2: Special Purpose Properties

It is becoming increasingly difficult to get commercial loans for special purpose properties. Properties that do not fall in the categories of apartments or retail/office buildings are often placed in this special purpose classification. This means that business acquisition loans for commercial properties such as restaurants/bars and auto service businesses are frequently hard to find. Commercial financing will be even more difficult to locate for such specialized properties as churches, funeral homes, nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS PROBLEM NUMBER 3: Recall/balloon features

These terms are used by many banks to effectively shorten most commercial real estate loans to 3-7 years.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS PROBLEM NUMBER 4: Short-term loans (less than fifteen years)

15-40 year commercial property loans without recall/balloon features are available.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS PROBLEM NUMBER 5: Up-front Commitment fees

Under most circumstances, commercial borrowers should not pay such a fee. Please note that processing/retainer fees are not included in this discussion of commitment fees. Processing/retainer fees should be viewed as an acceptable and standard business practice when dealing with commercial real estate loans.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS PROBLEM NUMBER 6: Business Plans

Under most circumstances, commercial borrowers should not use a lender that requires a business plan.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS PROBLEM NUMBER 7: Cross-collateralization

Commercial borrowers should not be required to use their personal assets as collateral for a commercial property loan.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS PROBLEM NUMBER 8: Sourcing and seasoning assets. Seasoning of ownership.

This particular problem will not be relevant to all business borrowers. However, if it is relevant, you should seek out a lender without sourcing and seasoning requirements or limitations. Most banks have strict guidelines for sourcing and seasoning of assets or ownership to qualify for commercial real estate loans. For a purchase, commercial lenders will frequently want documentation about where the down payment is coming from (sourcing). Commercial lenders will also frequently have very specific requirements stipulating that the funds must have been in a specific account for a specific period of time, often 3-6 months or longer (seasoning). Seasoning of ownership is similar to seasoning of funds, except this requirement involves the minimum time someone has owned a commercial property before they can refinance the property.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS PROBLEM NUMBER 9: Requirement to sign IRS Form 4506

IRS Form 4506 authorizes the lender to obtain a borrower’s tax returns directly from the IRS. This form is routinely required by most traditional banks and many other commercial lenders for a business acquisition loan. Commercial borrowers using a Stated Income lender with limited documentation requirements will avoid this requirement.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS PROBLEM NUMBER 10: Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR) in excess of 1.2 for a business acquisition loan

The most flexible approach to DSCR for a commercial property loan will require a DSCR in the range of 1 to 1.2, with exceptions permitting a DSCR less than 1.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS PROBLEM NUMBER 11: Minimum commercial property loan size that is too high for your commercial mortgage needs.

It is not unusual to encounter a minimum commercial real estate loan requirement of $500,000 to $1,000,000.

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE LOANS PROBLEM NUMBER 12: Excessive length of the commercial real estate loan process

Many traditional banks require three to nine months to close a commercial mortgage. A more action-oriented commercial lender will close commercial real estate loans in 45 to 60 days.

Copyright 2005-2006 AEX Commercial Financing Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Stephen Bush is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of AEX Commercial Financing Group, LLC (http://steve.bush.googlepages.com/aex). Information about enrolling for a free online six-part series of Special Commercial Financing Reports or a free online seven-part Commercial Mortgage Course is available at all AEX Commercial Financing Group, LLC websites (including http://aexcommercialfinancing.com). AEX Commercial Financing Group, LLC is based in Ohio and provides commercial real estate loans for purchases, construction and refinancing from $100,000 to $5,000,000 throughout the United States. AEX Commercial Financing Group, LLC also provides assistance in obtaining immediate working capital up to $300,000 using credit card receivables for retail stores, service businesses, bars and restaurants (http://aexcfg.com).

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Commercial Real Estate Guide- Earn More With Commercial Real Estate

By Sardool Sikandar

Commercial Real Estate refers to the property that has potential to generate extra income for the owner of real estate. Commercial real estate generally includes office buildings, retail properties, apartment units, condos and raw land. Every property that can produce revenue for the owner is known as commercial real estate. It doesn’t include habitable real estate like houses or apartment buildings.

In 21st century, large number of people is generating income with commercial real estate. Commercial real estate business is based on certain principles. These principles are generally same for property owner, developer as well as for commercial real estate agent. Commercial real estate agent helps you to identify the best features of commercial real estate agent. Real estate agent enables you to make a finest deal of commercial real estate. Commercial estate agent is helpful to both buyers as well as tenants.

You should choose best commercial real estate as per your requirements. Choose your property at best location that has great future. Commercial real estate at good location will offer more benefits in the coming days. You’ve to choose finest piece of land that you can use efficiently. You may select commercial real estate nearby high traffic areas that can be easily used for full-service restaurants, hotels, stores or other shopping malls.

Investment in commercial real estate business is the best way to get more revenues. Always keep in mind that a right time investment is the best opportunity to earn more profits. You should consult financial advisors that will provide help to find the best commercial real estate. Investment in commercial real estate is good for large as well as small-scale businessmen.

Buyers should check the reputation of commercial real estate provider. Before any type of agreement or purchase, they should check rate, terms & conditions, and other essential aspects of commercial real estate for the best deal.

About Author: Author presents a website on Commercial Real Estate [http://www.gmcommercialrealestate.com]. It provides useful information on commercial real estate. Also offers some useful tips to buy commercial real estate on cheap rates. You can also visit his site about real estate investing.

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