Instead of looking at their gains over the past 60 years, they couldn’t see beyond the 25% correction over the past 3.

If the Zell maxim is true, “If you’re not selling, you’re buying,” they bought their commercial investment property back for 25% more in 2007 than they would get today. They believe that selling property for 75% of their 2007 value would result in a loss for the following reasons:

1. They refused higher offers. Therefore the commercial investment property’s market value has been proven to be higher than today’s number.

2. They were raised to buy low and sell high, not buy low and sell for less than high.

3. As long as they hold on, they may hit that peak again.

Unfortunately, they’re focused on the wrong priorities. Sure, 3 investors were willing to pay a higher price. But when they turned down the offers for their commercial investment property, they refused to accept the peak value and bought the property back at its highest value instead of seeing the big picture-”this is more than we ever paid and more than we think it’s worth.” They believe the value will return.

They belied the lessons their parents instilled in them. In 1950, they bought low. In 2010, they can sell high. True, the price has fluctuated over time and they missed peak property values in the market, but in the long-run they will sell for a profit and will enjoy a healthy gain.

As long as their equity remains in the commercial investment property, they will place their personal priorities on hold. They have plans for the cash that will enrich their personal lives. Those plans will wait. And they will miss the advantages of owning commercial investment property because they have no interest deduction, their equity is unleveraged, and the property is depreciated to a 0 basis, so they’re receiving no tax advantages.

Let’s face it, unrealized gains are unrealized gains. Let go of the past and move on.

If you’re holding out for another market peak, be prepared to wait. While it’s comforting to peer into the rear view mirror at what your commercial investment property was worth (N.B. there’s a reason why the mirror says “objects in mirror are closer than they appear”), take it all in and see your long term gains for what they are-profits.

And ask yourself, are you building wealth waiting on another hot market, or just missing opportunities because of your insistence on what could have been?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6438636

Property Types for Residential and Commercial Investments

Houses of four units or less, to rent to private tenants are usually considered residential properties. You can invest in buy-to-let residential properties, which means that you’ll get the rental yields every month, or purchase the property solely for future resale. Residential property investments vary from more traditional buy-to-let investments somewhere near your own home to investments in overseas real estate, below market value properties or foreclosed houses. Commercial properties are for businesses, and include a variety of properties, from apartment blocks and office buildings to hotels, restaurants, warehouses and industrial buildings, just to name a few. Managing a relatively small residential property is obviously simpler than managing commercial properties, where you will often need a professional real estate management company to assist you.

Researching the Real Estate Market

While you will always need some knowledge of the property market and current conditions to make a successful investment, residential properties are simpler to research and value. It is relatively easy to compare different residential properties, their prices and investment potential in a given area. Commercial properties, however, are often unique and require specialised knowledge to value accurately and to establish an investment plan.

Risks & Yields

Residential properties are generally regarded as low-risk investments. They also tend to cost much less than commercial properties and will thus be more affordable, especially if you’ve just started building up your investment portfolio. The relatively low risks and the low purchase price, however will also mean that your profits are lower, and your return on investment will come mainly from increases in capital value.

Commercial properties, on the other hand have higher risks, but also higher potential returns. The significantly higher prices will also mean, that for personal investors, only collective investment schemes are affordable for larger commercial property investments. The relative unpredictability of the commercial property market will also bring more risks. While residential property prices generally double every 10 years, this is not true for commercial properties. You can expect a net yield of up to 7-10% on commercial properties, which is higher than the net yield from traditional residential property investments, and a large part of your return on investment will be in the form of rental income.

Rental Properties

A successful investment plan for both commercial and residential properties is to rent them out. Residential leases tend to be much shorter, usually around one year, and private tenants are often considered less reliable than businesses. Landlords will be liable to pay for repairs, which might incur unexpected additional costs. Commercial properties, on the other hand, are leased out for a longer time, 5-10 years is not uncommon, and the yearly increase in rental yields will be more significant. Businesses are also often considered to be more reliable tenants and commercial tenants are generally required to pay for repairs. You should also consider that while commercial properties can bring you a secure and high rental income, it is also much more difficult to find commercial tenants.

Exit Strategy for Residential and Commercial Properties

One investment plan is to rent out your property as detailed above. However, property flipping, or future resale can also be a profitable strategy with both kinds of investments. Residential property can be sold quite simply to another investor or somebody who intends to occupy the house, and as long as the property is in a good condition and in a well-chosen location, you should generally be able to sell it at a significantly higher price than its original purchase value. Commercial properties can bring huge profits, but the process of resale is more complicated. The property must be sold to another investor or investor group, and it should have a successful and profitable record, to be attractive to the buyer for investment purposes.

Identify your needs

The summer season is suitable for renovation, you’re serious about shaping the expansion project that you’ve been dreaming. To make your project a success on all fronts, first take the time to assess your needs. They will determine the particular type of structure necessary for the realization of your project.

For example, if you want to give a little more ease in the kitchen by extending a few meters, a pile foundation, well secured to the existing structure, will probably the case. You can also opt for a concrete foundation with crawl space, more stable, but also more expensive. By cons, if you want to enlarge both the basement and ground floor, the concrete foundation required full height and with it, major excavation work will boost the bill.

Check with municipal

Before proceeding to the design, check with your municipality to find out the restrictions on development plan. “Some municipalities allow only a certain percentage of occupancy on the ground, said André Gagné, director of technical expertise APCHQ. Also check the allowable heights and types of siding allowed. You will avoid costly disappointments. ”

These audits, contact a building professional for your project on paper. This step is crucial, because in addition to ensuring the smooth integration of the addition based on the architecture of your home, it will determine the technical constraints that allow the successful arrangement with the existing. Moreover, the municipality will require a detailed plan of your project before issuing a building permit.

Set a realistic budget

Depending on the extent of work proposed, their implementation will require significant investment. Of course, the designer will have prepared your plans and specifications will give you an order of magnitude. However, for the hour, you should request a quote for a renovation contractor.

To do this, it first carefully consider your plans and specifications to work to visualize and calculate quantities of materials needed for their implementation. It will then check the status of major components of your home – floors, walls, roofs – giving special attention to electrical, plumbing, heating and ventilation, to ensure a perfect docking. Finally, he will inspect the external environment, including access to the site, and the nature and composition of the soil.

This review will enable it to properly analyze all the work to be done and accurately assess the costs associated with them. The bid that you submit will detail the main elements of the extension and specify the amounts that are matched. If you accept the bid, contract enforcement, describing the roles and responsibilities, work to be performed, payment terms, delivery date and exclusions, will be concluded.