Real Estate Investing for Beginners: How to Get Into Commercial Real Estate

The majority of the wealthiest people in the world own commercial real estate properties such as retail stores, office buildings, apartment buildings, and industrial properties. With new businesses springing up every day especially in urban cities, demand for commercial real estate is always on the rise. Most investors, therefore, want to know how to get into commercial real estate since it is considered a lucrative endeavor. However, this can be quite intimidating for beginners. Unlike traditional single-family investment, commercial real estate investing is a little more complex and needs a lot more involvement. The sheer amount of capital needed to invest in commercial real estate and the risk involved can also impede the progress of an investor. If you are wondering how to get into commercial real estate and gain financial freedom, here are some tips to achieve this.

Know Why You Want to Invest in Commercial Real Estate 

This is the first step of how to get into commercial real estate. Even before you consider making your first commercial real estate purchase, you need to know the reason you want to do it in the first place. What do you hope to accomplish by investing in commercial real estate? Don’t invest first and try to determine what you want later. You first have to set your investment goals and then find investment property that can help you achieve those goals. This is very important, especially for beginners who are still trying to find out how to get into commercial real estate. There is no point in spending huge amounts of money investing in commercial real estate if you have no idea what you want to achieve.

Related: Why Switching to Commercial Real Estate Investing Is Smart

Choose Your Investing Options

The next step on how to get into commercial real estate is to consider your commercial real estate options for investing. After knowing why you want to invest in commercial real estate, you now have to determine the kind of investment you want to deal with. There are many types of commercial real estate such as retail shops, office buildings, industrial complexes, multi family homes for sale and many others. You may want to be the landlord of a commercial real estate for rent and bear all its responsibilities or join a REIT investment group that jointly buys office buildings. Consider the benefits and drawbacks of your options and choose what suits you best.

Secure Financing

Commercial real estate is often more expensive than residential real estate. Most people will need some sort of financing aid to be able to buy investment property. Financing is, therefore, an important part of how to get into commercial real estate. Securing these essential finances will determine your capacity to bring a commercial property into your portfolio.

There are a number of financing options available, including traditional real estate investment loans, partnership investing, real estate crowdfunding, hard money loans etc. You need to know which financing option would be best for your situation. You should aim at securing financing even before you begin searching for a commercial real estate property to purchase. This will enable you to know what you can afford and also help you have money in hand to facilitate a deal quickly and efficiently.

Related: 4 Investment Property Financing Methods

Hire the Right Professionals

Real estate investing for beginners can be challenging. Moreover, the purchase of commercial real estate is usually a complex process. Even though you can research and do some things on your own, you will need to hire professionals to guide you through some of the steps and help you land good deals. However, the kind and number of experts you will need will depend mainly on the type of commercial real estate you are investing in. Some of the experts you will need include a commercial real estate agent, mortgage broker, a commercial real estate attorney, and an accountant. Other specialists may be needed for more complicated properties. Even though you may want to cut costs, failing to hire the right experts where necessary can lead to costlier mistakes. Qualified and experienced professionals will offer the needed support on how to get into commercial real estate.

Related: You Need These Real Estate Professionals for the Success of Your Investment Business

Find Commercial Real Estate That Meets Your Criteria

With everything in place, the next step on how to get into commercial real estate is to commence your search. You ought to know your criteria and stick to it. This will depend on your reasons for getting into commercial real estate. The criteria you set should enable you to find investment property that will make you realize your goals. Explore a variety of commercial real estate investment properties in the market that are up for sale, evaluate the options available and find the type of commercial real estate that suits your needs and situation. Some of the important things to consider include location, condition, uses, and property price. You can also use a real estate investment calculator to quickly analyze the potential of the commercial real estate.

Commercial real estate investing has more value of scale compared to single-family homes and therefore more potential for bigger profits. It also has fewer tenancy issues that are often associated with the traditional residential real estate. Knowing how to get into commercial real estate can be very beneficial to an investor. However, property investment for beginners should be approached with caution. While it may have great rewards, commercial real estate investing has some big risks too. Poor practices in your investment journey can lead to huge problems. Proper real estate education will enable you to know how to get into commercial real estate smoothly, avoid pitfalls and be successful. Do your research and familiarize yourself with the process of buying a commercial real estate and the governmental laws. You need to have all the facts on how to get into commercial real estate before putting your money into it.

Mashvisor provides you with all the tips and tools that will guide you on how to get into commercial real estate investing. Sign up for Mashvisor and learn more about how to invest in real estate.

Compare listings

Compare