Real Estate Articles

Each month we publish new articles specific to the commercial real estate industry. These articles can provide you with great information on wide spectrum of real estate topics. You can find an updated article here on our web site, or sign up to automatically receive our online newsletter by entering your email address in the “Subscribe to our newsletter” box.

Topics

• Apartments, Condos and Residences
• Exchange and Taxes
• Insurance
• Investment Property
• Land
• Leasing
• Lenders and Mortgages
• Office Properties
• Real Estate Analysis
• Real Estate Management

Apartments, Condos and Residences

Turnaround of Apartment Units June 01, 2007 -- The following are some points in a typical plan to create a profitable investment from an underperforming apartment building.

Increasing Cash Flow in Apartment Investments March 01, 2007 -- For apartment owners, the way to increase rental income and gain a bigger return on investment is to improve the property.

Commercial Condo Offices November 01, 2006 -- Just about any unit that can be rented can be converted to condominiums.

Advantages of Condo Conversion April 01, 2004 -- When an owner converts existing rental apartments to a condominium project, there are certain advantages over building a new property.

Buying Apartments - A Short Guide March 01, 2004 -- When any particular apartment building is under consideration for purchase, there are a number of factors that should be considered. Here are some of the more important points:

Apartments -- Always The Favorite Investment April 01, 2003 -- Apartments have been and will continue to be one of the favorite investments of individual investors, syndicates and other groups.

Exchange and Taxes

Why Owners Make A Real Estate Exchange April 01, 2007 -- The real estate exchange takes more patience and hard work to set up a successful exchange than it does to arrange a straight purchase and sale. Some owners and their agents simply do not understand the benefits of an exchange.

Saving Taxes Through Tax Deferred Exchange November 01, 2006 -- When making a tax deferred exchange under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code, the law requires that the properties must be of “like kind”.

The Real Estate Exchange and Capital Gains Taxes January 01, 2004 -- The techniques for arranging tax-deferred real estate exchanges that meet the requirements of the owners have become quite sophisticated with increasing usage.

Insurance

The Insurance That A Commercial Tenant Must Carry December 01, 2006 -- Insurance coverage must be addressed by both landlords and tenants.

Recommended Insurance For Commercial Tenants February 01, 2004 -- The natural disasters that have been in the news during the last year remind us that everyone must have maximum insurance coverage.

Investment Property

Warehouses May Not Be Pretty, But They Are Profitable November 01, 2007 -- Warehouses can be one of the most profitable real estate investments.

Convert Use in Commercial Real Estate for Big Profits July 01, 2007 -- The owner of a property that suffers from obsolescence is faced with a variety of options.

Commercial Real Estate Investment Counseling July 01, 2007 -- A prospective investor may have a problem getting started with a real estate investment program because of the great variety of properties out there. Real estate counseling can help you choose which is right for you & know the reasons why it's right!

Energy Prices and Real Estate Investments June 01, 2007 -- When oil prices soar, real estate is affected because buildings use a great deal of energy for heating and cooling and because accessibility is dependent on automobile travel.

Getting Rich by Solving Problems in Real Estate March 01, 2007 -- Take another look at troubled properties in your area. With fresh new ideas and a re-structuring of the mortgages, the troubles may go away, leaving a profitable investment for you.

Checklist in Analyzing a Property February 01, 2004 -- The best way to develop a clear picture of the property and its potential is to examine all of the principal factors and then integrate them into a meaningful conclusion.

What To Look For Before You Purchase Income Property December 01, 2003 -- Too often, people buy property based on what they have been taught to see on the bottom line of a piece of paper.

Profits From Modernization Of Older Buildings April 01, 2003 -- Many owners and investors in apartments and commercial buildings believe that older buildings in good neighborhoods offer better investment potential than new construction.

Land

Commercial Development in Rights of Way April 01, 2007 -- In many metropolitan areas, commercial land for development is in very short supply. However, there may be hundreds or even thousands of parcels of property that have been overlooked.

Basics of Land Development February 01, 2007 -- From the point of view of the landowner, disposal of a large tract at a good price may require a formula that will encourage the developer to commit improvement and development money for part of the tract that will build future value into the tract.

Developing Land – A Look At The Professional September 01, 2004 -- The acquisition and improvement of land is a large-scale operation and requires large amounts of capital. This has created methods of land acquisition that gives the developer access to and control over a large enough tract to make development econom

Land- A Top Investment June 01, 2004 -- Land is always at the top of investments by real estate professionals. Before any building project can be planned, the land must be available.

Profits From Investing In Land February 01, 2004 -- When investors made real estate investments, one consideration in past years was the tax shelter of certain investments. Now, with fewer shelters, real estate investments must make sense as a dollars and cents return on capital, and must stand alone

Leasing

Changes in Shopping Centers February 01, 2008 -- The smaller festival marketplaces in brilliant interiors, combining shopping facilities with amusements have proven very popular. This theme of providing recreation as well as shopping is changing the thinking of developers and managers.

Negotiating Leases with Corporate Tenants October 01, 2007 -- A few years ago, senior corporate managers were able to make major real estate decision by themselves. Now, a negotiating team will negotiate leases. Landlords, developers, and brokers must be aware of this new style of negotiation.

The Net Lease Checklist May 01, 2007 -- A checklist of what bases should be touched in order to insure that you have a net lease.

Sublease Cooperation Between Tenant and Landlord May 01, 2007 -- When an existing tenant wants to sublease their rented office space, the problem for landlords is whether its a better strategy to enforce lease restrictions against subleasing or to work with the tenants.

Lease Subordination Clause February 01, 2004 -- When a landlord and a tenant agree to a commercial lease, it may contain clauses covering things that neither party to the lease ever expects to happen.

Negotiating Away Vacancies In A New Building By Exchanging Leases February 01, 2004 -- Filling a new building is a challenge that developers and Commercial Brokers often face. Some potential new tenants may wish to relocate to a building but cannot do so because of an existing lease commitment.

Lenders and Mortgages

Property Management and Lenders June 01, 2007 -- The service joint venture is a form of incentive compensation by which the lender retains an asset management firm as its agent, with the firm agreeing to defer a portion of its fees until payment may be made out of future cash flow.

Realtors Solve The Real Estate Problems Of Lenders November 01, 2003 -- One of the problems that banks and insurance companies have is disposing of their real estate owned.

Office Properties

Suburban Office Buildings September 01, 2007 -- With even the sub-prime mortgage crisis in home mortgages, available investment capital is at high levels, and demand for investment real estate continues to drive up prices. Suburban office buildings remain many investors primary acquisition target.

The Suburban Commercial Building April 01, 2007 -- Are commercial buildings becomming obsolete as more workers do their work at home? The answer seems to be no!

Why the Office Building is Hot Investment March 01, 2007 -- An office building has always ranked as one of the favorite real estate investments of large institutional investors. It follows, then, if they are that attractive to institutional investors, they should be of interest for the average investor now.

A Master Lease Can Make the Sale August 01, 2004 -- Although office space is in supply in some locations, development has continued. Business leaders are optimistic about the short and long term future.

The Floor Size In The Office Lease January 01, 2004 -- When a leased space in an office building consists of one or a few rooms, a relatively small space that the tenant can that can be easily measured by the tenant.

Real Estate Analysis

Checklist for a Real Estate Investment February 01, 2008 -- The analysis of real estate investments can take any number of forms, but no matter which approach you use for the property being invested, you should be sure to first address the important considerations that follow.

Establishing Value in Real Estate September 01, 2007 -- Knowing the value of property is a vital part of the decision-making process of all buyers, sellers and users of real estate.

Affordable Shopping Centers May 01, 2007 -- When looking at shopping centers, bigger isn't necessarily better. While a well-run regional or super-regional center can produce a good return, so can a successful small-market center. In many cases, small town centers can turn out a better return.

Property Turn-Arounds For Profit January 01, 2007 -- In any market, good or bad, there are always problem properties (to someone). Take another look at troubled properties in your area. With fresh new ideas and a re-structuring of the mortgages, the troubles may go away, leaving a profitable investment

You Can Use Options for Big Profits December 01, 2006 -- When most owners and investors think about options on real estate, it is usually one-dimensional. The option is just a way for a buyer to tie up a piece of property.

Purpose Of An Appraisal August 01, 2003 -- Any decision concerning the value of real estate, whether it be for purchase or sale, financing, tax assessment, or estate valuation, should be based on a competent appraisal.

Real Estate Management

Upgrade Your Rentals and Get Higher Rents February 01, 2008 -- Buildings that are held for rental income must be kept up to the standards of the newly built properties in order to maintain the maximum cash flow.

Information And Action By A New Property Manager October 01, 2007 -- When a new managment company takes charge of a property they must collect great amounts of information. A new property checklist should be used to ensure that all activities and transactions relating to the property are handled in a timely fashion

Property Management Help September 01, 2007 -- Here are some ideas to assist in property management:

New Addresses for Older Buildings July 01, 2007 -- A new name for an existing building might be what is needed to help with the impression. The upscale address improves the image of the building and may increase its market value.

Warding Off the Ghost Tenant December 01, 2006 -- What are ghost tenants? They are tenants who do not operate their businesses on the premises continuously or who vacate the leased premises, but paying the minimum rentals.

Prevent Problems with Routine Maintenance November 01, 2006 -- Maintenance of any apartment building should be handled as much as possible on a routine basis rather than on an emergency one.

Good Landscaping Increases Value March 01, 2004 -- Property managers must watch the nickels and dimes as well as the dollars that are spent on the property. Save one dollar in operating costs and (assuming a 10% cap rate) value of the property increases by $10.

Asset Management In Real Estate February 01, 2004 -- The asset manager has a different job from the property manager.

Emergency Procedures In Your Commercial Or Office Building February 01, 2004 -- Building owners and managers are becoming aware of their obligations to prepare for emergencies that can happen in buildings. The examples of the emergencies at the World Trade Center and at Oklahoma City are reminders of what can happen.

How Management Works For You October 01, 2003 -- A low-priced and unprofitable property that is on the market can sometimes be purchased and upgraded with little expense. A professional investor can add the new cash-flow property to his investment portfolio or quickly turn it for a profit.

Managing Corporate Real Estate Assets July 01, 2003 -- In too many big businesses, all emphasis within management has been on what the corporation does to affect profit and loss. Even though the company may own hundreds of millions of dollars in land where its factories, distribution facilities and wareh

The Commercial Broker And Asset Management May 01, 2003 -- The Commercial Broker makes management recommendations to his client when a purchase of a property is completed. The property must be placed under the supervision of professional, experienced and innovative managers to get the highest return.