Types of Commercial Real Estate

Throwing down a wad of money on a new business venture is a risky endeavor any time, no matter what the economy looks like. But for a confident, adventurous business person interested in expanding their investment portfolio and generating multiple streams of income, commercial real estate is one of the many options that they can consider picking from when the urge for new business growth strikes them.

There are quite a few different kinds of commercial real estate properties to investigate when looking at the big picture. In fact, the only type of properties that cannot be categorized as commercial real estate are single family homes and single home land lots. Multi family units, such as brownstones in urban areas, duplexes and multi family apartment buildings are all considered to be examples of commercial real estate. This investment is also known as a residential property. Families and individuals leasing the space pay rent to the owner of the residential property each month, but it is the owner himself who is responsible for making repairs, maintaining the buildings and insuring that all taxes are insurance is paid in full. The dividends pay well in this type of commercial real estate venture, but not without quite a bit of work on the part of the owner. Just managing and maintaining the grounds and tenants can be a full time job.

Another type of commercial real estate is the retail space. Clothing stores, coffee houses, and retail businesses of all kinds fall under this category. Chances are that when you walk into your local book store, the people that own the store do not own the building that houses the store. This means that the store is leasing the space from the commercial real estate owner. If you are said owner, chances are you are making bank. The interesting thing to note about retail spaces is that they typically sign up under what is called a Triple Net Lease. This is music to the ears of the commercial real estate owner. Under the terms of a triple net lease, or NNN lease, the tenant pays for all repairs and upkeep, the insurance as well as all of the property taxes. Add to that the fact that NNN leases are usually long term leases, perhaps between five to twenty years, and your smile will just get bigger and bigger, if you own the property that houses the store. Rent goes up, but your investment in the property remains the same. Not a bad gig, all things considered.

Another type of commercial real estate property is the warehouse and office space. Just like retail space, the warehouse and office space is typically rented out by a NNN lease, and just like retail space, the warehouse and office space is a good bet for a would be commercial real estate owner simply because once a warehouse is built, it is there, ready for leasing, with not too much effort expended on the part of the owner. The NNN lease comes through once again, and that means more money in the bank for you, if you have taken the plunge and dove into the world of commercial real estate. Lets face it, everything in life entails some kind of risk. Investing in commercial real estate can benefit the investor as well as the local economy and the businessman to whom you lease the property. It can be a win-win situation, if you play your cards right.

Online Advertising - The Newest Way to Market Your Home

Selling a home requires advertising it in as many ways as possible to reach a wide audience. If you fall in the FSBO (for sale by owner) category, you need to exert extra effort to market your home in various advertising media. One of the best options available today is advertising on the internet because of its numerous advantages over the traditional method.

The advantages

Global reach is a major advantage of online advertising compared to newspaper, radio and TV ads that cater only to a certain area. With this newest form of advertising, information and content can be transmitted to millions of people regardless of time and geographical location. This means that you can attract people looking for a new home or a second home even from countries outside of your own. So don't be surprised if you'll get a potential buyer for your home located in the U.S. from, say, Europe or Asia.

While its reach can be global, online advertising is also targeted. In other words, it has the ability to reach your specific target audience. Examples of programs that help achieve this goal are Google's AdWords and AdSense which match up advertisers with content that their target market reads on a regular basis.

Internet advertising is also Cost effective. Compared to a small yellow-page ad, for instance, that can cost you hundreds of dollars, you can advertise your home for sale online with only a small fee. You can even market it free of charge on some MLS sites that don't require any listing fee. All you need is a little research and you will surely find a good MLS site on which to list up your home.

Types of online ads

Online advertising has different variations. These include using search engine results pages, banner ads, social network advertising, e-mail and affiliate marketing and advertising networks. For paid ads, they can be of various types such as floating, expanding, polite, wallpaper, trick banner, pop-up, pop-under, video, map or mobile ad. Most of these forms of advertising, though, require payment of certain fees.

E-mail marketing is also another option available for home sellers as it does not entail any expenses. You just need to find time to e-mail friends, colleagues and real estate companies and agents you know about the home you are selling. This is quite easy because you can already send a single letter to several people in one click of your mouse.

Helpful tips

The National Association of Realtors reveals that 24 percent of new home buyers get information about new homes for sale from the internet. This only means that people looking for homes now use the internet more than using the newspaper classified ads. The convenience and quick search results provided by the internet may be attributed to this.

When opting for this advertising form, be sure to provide the necessary details about your home for sale such as the location, number of bedrooms and your contact number. If necessary, include a photo of the property to perk up the interest of potential buyers and entice them to look deeper into your offer. A virtual tour of your home is another popular way of attracting buyers. Remember to be creative and direct to the point when advertising your home online.