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March 16, 2021 by nvh2

The Challenges of Owning Multiple Commercial Properties

Real estate investing can be very lucrative and help you reach certain financial goals. To do this, you’ll need to grow your investment portfolio and invest in multiple properties. Of course, with multiple properties comes several challenges.

Reducing Vacancies

Vacancies are a common problem with rental properties. If you have multiple properties with vacancies it can become even more of a problem. To avoid vacancies, you need to properly market your properties. As most business is done online, you should start by creating a website for your properties. This way people can easily find them and view their availability. You also need to make sure your properties are appealing to potential tenants. Keep them clean and well-maintained. Perform repairs promptly and consider adding updates to your properties. While it will be more expensive if you have multiple properties, you should put plenty of time and effort into them to attract and maintain tenants. Of course, keeping your current tenants is another way to reduce vacancies on your properties.

Managing the Properties

Real estate investing is not passive. To reap the benefits of these investments, you need to put in a fair amount of work to manage your properties. You’ll be responsible for making repairs on all your properties. You’re also in charge of managing your tenants including collecting rent. It can be overwhelming to manage multiple properties at once, so make sure you are prepared. It is also important to consider your reputation. Managing your reputation is crucial to reducing bad reviews. Try to stay on good terms with your tenants and conduct yourself in a way that will encourage future business at your properties.

Hiring Help

The reality of owning multiple properties is that you can’t do it all alone. There is simply too much to be done and you won’t have enough time to do it all. You’ll need to form a team to help you manage all your properties and increase the benefits they can give you. The team you’ll need will vary depending on your intentions. If you continue to invest, you should look into hiring a real estate agent, a mortgage broker, an accountant, etc. to help you throughout the process. As far as managing your properties, you’ll want to have a maintenance crew, staff to run the properties, a pest control company, and more.

When you invest in real estate, you open yourself up to many opportunities. The more properties you have, the more opportunities you can see. Just make sure you are prepared for the challenges associated with owning multiple properties.

Check out our available commercial properties here!

January 15, 2021 by Nathan Hughes

Is now the right time to sell your commercial real estate?

hallway between glass-panel doors inside commercial real estate building

Photo by Nastuh Abootalebi on Unsplash

As a commercial real estate investor, two of the most important and difficult decisions to make are when to sell and at what price. One of the most common questions we get is when is the best time to sell your commercial property? And in the same breath, we are asked — how much is my commercial property worth?

“Buy low and sell high”, right? If only it were that simple — flip a switch at exactly the right time. Even if you do get the highest price, you also need to consider how the sale fits into your long-term strategy. If you get a great return, but it’s at the wrong time, you may miss another business opportunity or not have liquidity for personal expenses at the time when you really need it.

When is the Best Time to Sell Your Commercial Real Estate

Let’s say that you just received what appears to be a great offer from a buyer out of the blue, or you have seen news about another building like yours selling recently and now you’re thinking that it might be worth exploring the market. Or maybe you recently bought this investment property and you’re thinking ahead. (Bravo for not waiting too long to consider your exit strategy!)

You can break the decision making process into two silos (TIMING & PRICE), and those will interact together to make a case for whether you should sell or not. What we’re going to look at today is timing. (We will have another post up soon about pricing considerations.)

1. How is the economy and the real estate market surrounding your commercial real estate

There is no getting around it, some of the factors that influence the timing of the sale of your commercial property are out of your control. While you may not be able to control these influences, you want to know how they are affecting your timing. For example, if mortgage rates are the lowest that they have ever been (sound familiar?), then that bit of information lets you know that buyers are more incentivized to buy right now than they would be if rates were the highest that they have ever been.

What are the general market/economic conditions?
What are the vacancy and absorption rates for your specific market?
What is the market demand and current supply for this type of property?
What are the local price trends for commercial property sales and commercial leasing?
What are the commercial mortgage rates and terms being offered generally?

2. Drill down to specifics about your property, the commercial real estate leases and the tenants you have in place

Now that you have a sense for how the market is doing in general, and what kind of demand there is for your type of commercial property, let’s look at your asset specifically. Here we want to explore things about your building that may affect your decision on the timing of a sale. For example, having replaced the roof a month ago puts you in a very different place for marketability than having replaced it 20 years ago. Or, maybe you replaced it 5 years ago and want to sell before getting too far along and having a buyer question the long-term viability of the roof.

What is the financial strength and credit-worthiness of your current tenants?
What length of term is left on your leases? (commercial leases and apartment leases, if any)
How long have the current tenants been in their leases?
Are there any vacancies and how long does it take to fill space when there is a vacancy?
Is there any deferred maintenance on the building? (roof leaks, peeling paint, etc)
Consider the timing of capital expenditures (i.e., how long ago was the roof replaced?)
Is there any new development nearby? (this could hurt or help your marketability)
If you are also the tenant, what lease terms are you willing to offer?

3. Evaluate your personal situation and how the sale of your commercial real estate may impact you goals

Then consider your personal situation, goals, and investment strategy:

What is your anticipated timing of your retirement?
What type/class of property that you want to own?
What are the terms of your current commercial mortgage?
What is the status of any tax benefits? (i.e., historic tax credits)
What are the tax implications of selling vs. holding?
How does this real estate asset factor into your personal investment portfolio?
How much time/headache is this property costing you?
Is there something else you want to do with the capital you have invested here?
Are there any other personal circumstances to consider?

What can you do from here

After going through this review, you should have a solid handle on whether the timing is good for a sale — or is there another time that would be better, and how can you plan for positioning your property for sale. If there are a number of red flags that make it a bad time to sell, don’t just shelve this idea and walk away. Now is the time to look at those different pieces of the puzzle and see what you can improve. Think about what changes you could make that would create a more appealing situation for selling. When you renew a lease or sign a new commercial tenant, what should you keep in mind for the lease terms?

Of course, timing isn’t the only variable in making the decision to sell. Pricing is another huge consideration. While some aspects of timing will affect pricing, some aspects of pricing will also affect the timing.

We are here to help you achieve your goals, not convince you to sell. It very well may be that your perfect timing may be years away. Let’s make sure that we work together to take the appropriate steps to maximize the value of your commercial property.

While we are working on the next post, why not give us a call at 804-464-3898 or send us an email to get the conversation started?

July 13, 2020 by Nathan Hughes

My TOP 5 Favorite Projects [VIDEO]

My TOP 5 Favorite Projects:

Hey RICHMOND!!!Do you love supporting LOCAL businesses and organizations?That's what I love MOST about my job. I’ve been in the commercial real estate and brokerage world for over 15 years. I get to help local businesses and organizations find a place to call home right here in Richmond. In fact, here are my TOP 5 Favorite Projects:#1) Flooring RVA.We helped find them a new showroom with more space AND we were able to help find a tenant to replace their previous lease so they could make a clean break.#2) The Summit (Scott’s Addition area).Such a great, action packed area of town where we were able to help long time friends sell two different properties at the same time.#3) Nomad Deli & Catering Company.Anthony and his family are proof that the American Dream is alive. They started this family owned business as tenants, but eventually bought their building and have continued a successful (and delicious) restaurant!#4) LUX ChurchThis is a great community minded organization that brought life back into a building that was over 130 years old and an area landmark.#5) Liberty Public HouseWhen Alexa told us about her dream concept of a restaurant inside a renovated, historical building, we knew we had just the right property for her! In fact, she moved all the way back to Richmond from the west coast to fulfill her dream of being a restaurant owner.

Posted by Sperity Real Estate Ventures on Tuesday, June 30, 2020

April 9, 2020 by nvh2

3 Commercial Real Estate Red Flags You Should Keep an Eye Out For

When a person decides to purchase or lease a new commercial property, it can be one of the most expensive investments they will make for their business. This is why it is so important to make sure that you are getting what you pay for. Unfortunately, one of the pitfalls of being a new buyer is not being able to see some of the most common red flags. The following list includes three commercial real estate red flags you should always keep an eye out for.

Problematic Areas

Most of the time, red flags within a commercial property will be in the details. These problematic areas can seem okay at a glance but can actually be at the brink of disrepair. An issue that will come up a lot is amateur repairs or additions to the property. Some businesses do not want to pay thousands of dollars in repairs and thus will attempt to cheaply repair certain areas. Although some jobs might be satisfactory, you should always ask for work permits and city inspection documents to have concrete evidence that everything is up and running correctly.

Major Damage

Although you should focus on the details, there are major areas that cannot be ignored. One of the most important ones of these includes the roof. Roof damage can do considerable damage to your business if you are planning to store products within your commercial property. An additional red flag you might run into is the seller attempting to fix the roof in order to close the deal. While roof repair can help, it can’t fix everything. Once water penetrates the building, a broken roof might be the least of your problems. Water can run down walls and destroy pipes and create dangerous mold.

Maintenance Agreement

Before you sign on the dotted line, you should always make sure to ask about who is liable for regular maintenance. If the contract places you as the responsible party to repair issues within areas such as the HVAC systems or plumbing, you might want to renegotiate your contract. This attempt to place this workload and cost on you can be seen as a red flag.

Purchasing a commercial real estate property can be quite an expensive endeavor, and thus it’s important to protect your investment. Apply the information above to help you look out for common red flags.

Looking for great business properties? Browse opportunities here!

April 4, 2020 by nvh2

What Can I Do to Increase My Pool of Prospective Tenants?

Owning rental properties can be a great source of income for many people. However, it can be challenging to attract quality tenants. If you follow a few useful tips, you can increase the number of people who apply to rent from you. Here are some things you should do to make sure you attract the cream of the crop when it comes to tenants.

Regular Maintenance

Keeping up with various maintenance tasks around the properties can provide a few key benefits you might use to attract more tenants. For one, it will help you make sure you don’t get overwhelmed by time-consuming or costly repairs that turn into a big job. Staying on top of things can give you more time to improve your reputation as a landlord and find additional renters. Scheduling regular maintenance in occupied properties shows the current tenants that you care about the state of their home and their well-being. You might be able to do much of this yourself. However, you should call in some experts to avoid overspending or wasting time on things that are hard to fix.

Build Your Reputation

A solid reputation can work wonders in most industries, and this is something that is true for landlords as well. In a way, your main job as a landlord is to provide not only four walls and a roof for tenants. You also need to give them some peace of mind and the certainty that you are there to help them with some of the major issues that might crop up in or around the property. People don’t just look for information about the state of the home or apartment they are hoping to rent from you. Consider that 84% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations when deciding who they want for a landlord. Building a good reputation leads to positive word of mouth from people in the area. This kind of reputation management is something that can increase the number of tenants you get to the house.

Handle Security Deposits

Handling security deposits is part of the job of being a landlord. Since returning them is one of the last things you might do for a tenant, establishing a proper way of handling them can improve overall satisfaction among your tenants and lead to more rentals based on their recommendations. It’s important to avoid typical mistakes when it comes to handling these financial matters.

Getting more tenants in properties you own means more responsibility, but it also means more revenue in your pocket. If you’re able to keep both empty and occupied properties free of any maintenance woes and present yourself as a landlord to be trusted, you can become the ideal choice for new renters looking for a place to call home.

If you’re looking for a new property to rent out, see what properties we have for sale here!

June 14, 2012 by CarliAmber

Renting on the Rise in Richmond (and everywhere else)

Have you noticed a recent spike in your monthly rent? A lot of people have, and it’s a trend not only locally but in markets across the country.

According to http://news.investors.com, over the past several years homeowning has become more difficult and former homeowners are now becoming tenants in mulitifamily dwellings. Due in large part to the economic downturn, many homeowners today can no longer afford to pay a monthly mortgage and instead are resorting to the next alternative: renting apartments.

As with most news, this is a mixed bag — it’s not good for renters, but it does make for a strong market for multifamily properties, supporting higher sales prices and spurring new development and redevelopment of multifamily properties. (see last week’s post about local development for current examples of this happening right here in Richmond)

Across the nation, multifamily properties are leading in occupancy and rent growth when compared to commercial developments, like office space and retail properties.

In a recent housing study by commercial property brokerage firm Cassidy Turley, chief economist Kevin Thorpe said:

“I’m optimistic about the multifamily sector, certainly for the next two years…We’ve entered a period of sustained rent growth.”

This recent boom in multiple tenants occupying apartment units is due to the fact that the average renter a year ago could afford the rent for a single family home when now the cost is too high.

Richmond seems to be following that rising rent trend, too. In 2007, the cost of a single bedroom apartment averaged $754/mo. and now the average cost is approximately $814/mo.

Have you seen this happening when your lease has come up for renewal? What do you think the renting forecast will look like in RVA for the rest of 2012?

May 12, 2011 by Nathan Hughes

Don’t try to fool the insurance company

Understanding Landlord Insurance

By: Dona DeZube

Published: September 1, 2010

Turning your home into a rental or buying an investment property? Expect to pay up to 20% more for the right insurance policy to protect your property.

Rental properties require their own type of coverage–landlord insurance, which is different than the homeowners policy you buy when you live in a house yourself. Landlord insurance protects you against losses from fire, lighting, falling trees, wind and hail, water damage, and injury to your tenants and their guests.

But it doesn’t cover the renters’ household goods. So encourage tenants to buy a renters policy to cover their stuff. You can even include a clause in your lease saying they have to buy renters insurance, so everyone is clear about what’s insured and what’s not.

Landlord insurance is expensive

You’ll pay 15% to 20% more for a landlord insurance policy than you will for a homeowners policy on the same house–and even more if you offer short-term rentals. Start your policy shopping by calling the company that sold you your homeowners insurance, then check with an independent insurance agent selling commercial and business policies.

Ask how you can get discounts if you have fire prevention devices, burglar alarms, or multiple properties.

What a landlord insurance policy probably will cover:

Lightning, windstorm, hail, explosion, riot and civil commotion, smoke, falling objects, snow, ice, sleet, vandalism, sonic boom, sprinkler leakage, frozen pipes, water damage, burglary, volcanoes, and sinkholes.

Things that belong to you that stay at the property, like appliances, furniture, or lawn care equipment. Keep an inventory of what’s on site.

Outbuildings, like sheds or garages, although this coverage will have its own limit (probably 10% of the overall insurance policy amount).

Costs to defend yourself against lawsuits filed by tenants or guests, as well as the costs awarded if you lose the case. Some policies cover medical bills for injuries; some don’t.

Lost rental income if the property is damaged and you can’t rent it.

What a landlord insurance policy probably won’t cover:

The tenants’ belongings.

Your rental property if it’s vacant for more than 30 days. Seek an exemption in advance from your landlord insurance company as soon as you know the property is going to be vacant.

War and nuclear, biological, chemical, or radiological attacks.

Optional coverage you might want to buy:

Flood

Earthquake

Vandalism (if the policy you buy excludes it)

Pool and tennis court insurance

Liability for personal injury, wrongful eviction, wrongful entry, libel, and slander

Don’t forget liability coverage

To cover yourself in case you lose a big court case filed by an injured tenant, buy anumbrella insurance policy that gives you liability protection for $1 million to $5 million or more if you have a lot of assets to protect.

Don’t file a claim unless you absolutely have to

There’s a limit to how many claims you can file before insurance companies start charging you more or canceling your policies. Claims can quickly add up as you buy more rental properties.

One time you always want to file a claim is when someone says they’ve been injured on your property. One claim you’ll want to avoid filing: water damage for less than $10,000 because worries about mold growing in water-damaged properties will lead some insurers to immediately cancel your insurance policy.

More from HouseLogic

How to Correct Your Clue Insurance Report

Improve Your Insurance Score

Other web resources

Renters Insurance Brochure to Share with Your Tenants

Dona DeZube, HouseLogic’s News Editor, has been writing about real estate for over two decades. She lives in a suburban Baltimore 1970s rancher on a 3-acre lot shared with possums, raccoons, foxes, a herd of deer, and her blue-tick hound.

Visit houselogic.com for more articles like this.

November 9, 2010 by Nathan Hughes

Sexual orientation discrimination in housing? We won’t stand for it.

We have come a long way in the fight for civil rights in this country, and we have a lot to be proud of. Unfortunately, in many states it is still absolutely legal to discriminate against someone for their sexual orientation when it comes to housing. This needs to be addressed legally, but the Realtors aren’t going to allow any of our members to get away with such practices anymore.

Read through this article at Agent Genius to see what’s changed: “Is sexual orientation discrimination in housing legal? Maybe.” It’s great news!

According to the NAR, the Code of Ethics Article 10 has been amended:
Article 10: Equal Rights Amendment Passes:
The NAR Delegate Body approved an amendment to Article 10 of the Code of Ethics to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. In a roll-call vote, more than 93 percent of the Delegate Body voted in favor of the amendment. The Delegate Body decision confirms a vote by the Board of Directors in May.

As a personal note, AG strongly supports and applauds the measure taken that Realtors’ ethics supersede federal law so that no matter if it is legal or not locally, discrimination based on sexual orientation will not be tolerated from Realtors, a measure taken by Realtors.

Huzzah for the Realtor community for standing up for what’s right and making an amendment to the Code of Ethics to declare sexual orientation discrimination officially unacceptable!

Today is a day when I’m even more proud than usual to call myself a Realtor.

March 22, 2010 by Nathan Hughes

New chapter for a Church Hill institution

St. John’s Realty has been in the property management business almost as long as we have here at Bandazian & Holden. While I haven’t seen a record of what year they started, I’ve been told that they have been doing residential property management for somewhere between 20-30 years. (FYI – B&H was founded in 1974.)

With the passing last year of the founder and principal broker owner, Danny Athans [edited 3/23/10, per information from Church Hill People’s News — link to announcement here], the future of St. John’s Realty was unsure. I am proud to announce that we at Bandazian & Holden have stepped up to take over the accounts, and all of the years of hard work by St. John’s Realty will not go to waste.

There are a lot of other details that will be forthcoming, but there is a lot of work that we are doing right now to get in touch with the property owners and tenants to alert them to the change, and to get all of the files in order.

We are very excited for the opportunity to serve this new group of property owners and tenants, and to expand our presence in Church Hill!