If you're looking to invest in real estate, you'll need to decide whether to put your money into residential or commercial properties. While both can be lucrative investment options, commercial real estate often provides some significant advantages over residential. Here are some of the key benefits of investing in commercial real estate:
One of the biggest draws of commercial properties is that they tend to come with much longer lease agreements than residential rentals. Residential leases are typically 12 months or less, while commercial leases can range from 3-10 years or even longer for some retail, office, and industrial spaces. Those extended terms provide far more consistency and predictability when it comes to your rental income stream.
Many commercial leases are structured as "triple net" (NNN) agreements, where the tenant is responsible for paying a pro-rata share of the property's operating expenses like real estate taxes, insurance, and maintenance costs. This can substantially reduce your costs as the landlord/investor and provide a more predictable operating expense structure. Residential properties do not usually have this favorable net lease structure.
If you invest in a multi-unit residential property like an apartment building, you're still dealing with relatively small rental amounts and making lots of individual transactions with tenants. However, with a single commercial property that's leased to one or a few tenants, you benefit from economies of scale by having much larger rental payment amounts that are more efficient to process and manage.
Speaking of tenants, managing a commercial property with fewer tenants is typically far easier than overseeing dozens or hundreds of individual residential units. You'll have less turnover and primarily deal with professional, established businesses as tenants rather than individuals and families.
While both commercial and residential properties can appreciate nicely over time, commercial properties historically have experienced greater natural appreciation in value, especially for well-located assets in supply-constrained markets. This allows for bigger potential profits when you decide to sell or refinance the property in the future.
Commercial properties provide attractive tax advantages that residential rentals typically don't. Owners can deduct things like mortgage interest, operating expenses, property taxes, insurance premiums, repairs, and depreciation from their annual taxable income. Those deductions can really add up, especially for larger commercial buildings.
Of course, commercial investing also comes with some additional complexity and risk compared to residential. But for investors that do their homework and invest wisely, the potential returns and advantages of commercial properties are extremely compelling compared to residential real estate.
If you're interested in capitalizing on the lucrative opportunities in commercial real estate investing, contact the experts at North Star Commercial Real Estate Advisors. Our experienced team can guide you through every step of acquiring and managing high-potential commercial properties. Visit us at https://northstarcommercialrealestate.com to learn more.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be considered financial or investment advice. It is always recommended to consult with a qualified financial advisor or investment professional before making any investment decisions.
Scott Naasz
Founder and President Broker
North Star Commercial Real Estate Advisors Keller Williams Preferred Realty