Commercial property management today is a high value service to be offered to landlords and property investors. Specialised agents have the expertise and the market intelligence to strengthen property performance through commercial property management.The major trends in commercial asset performance today include the following:
Minimisation of vacancy factors within the property (this assumes that the property is not required for refurbishment or redevelopment)
The optimisation and stabilising of net income cash flow from the property and the tenancy mix
The management of the tenancy mix to ensure occupancy stability and compatibility between tenants in close proximity
Sensible controls on the expenditure activity for the property in keeping with industry benchmarks and standards
The management of leases within the property using standards that match the landlords investment plans and property holding intentions
The minimisation of risk in the operation of the property and the activities of the tenancy mix
The compliance of the property to rules and regulations surrounding essential services, occupancy terms and conditions, and local property regulations
All of these factors are quite specialised and require an agent that is very familiar with local commercial property trends and benchmarks. It is interesting to note that many a landlord will seek out an agent charging the lowest fees for the services required. This can be counterproductive and usually is. Cheaper agents do not normally have the best people and cannot provide the best services.Quality property management services require significant knowledge and skills and disciplines. That can only be obtained through experienced people supported by professional systems. Short cuts achieve poor results. Good managers usually rise through the ranks and gain experience on different property types on the way through.In some respects they will specialise on certain property types such as retail, industrial, or office property. Retail managers are perhaps the most experienced in the industry, therefore attracting a premium when seeking employment.It is worth remembering that a professional management service so requires specialized lease procedures are supported on dedicated software programs. Capturing the activities of tenants within numerous properties can be a demanding task. This is where specialised software programs will assist the property manager to achieve control and change within the tenancy mix.Gone are the days of trying to manage numerous tenants on spreadsheets. Many a property manager has tried the process only to find that the required upkeep is too difficult. Purchasing the right software to support your property managers is well advised.Professional management is not an experiment, but a specialised business process that can add many thousands of dollars to the property income each year and tens of thousands of dollars to the property value over time.
Tag Archives: Investing
Getting Started With Online Investing
As with everything else these days, the stock market has gone online. If you can shop, pay bills, and do your banking online, why not invest too? Investing online is not as big of an ordeal as some people make it out to be. The key is to know what you want before you start.
When opening a new account, investors need to answer the regular questions, such as the type of account they want and how it will be funded. When selecting an account type the kind you choose will depend on whether or not the account is taxable or tax-deferred, and also whether it is for just you or you and someone else.
You will also have to decide whether your account will be “cash” or “margin.” A cash account means you are only able to place trades for investments with money in your account. A margin account gives you a credit line from your brokerage firm. You can also have a “margin account with options,” which means you are purchasing the right to buy and/or sell a stock at a specific price. Options are quite complicated and usually only purchased by traders with experience and large portfolios.
After choosing the type of account money must be deposited. The initial deposit can be sent to the firm by check or an automatic transfer from a bank account. Another option is transferring an account from a different brokerage firm, but the process is quite lengthy and can take months to complete.
If you are trying online investing for the first time, start small. Don’t put every penny of your life savings into an online account. A smaller sum is easier to handle and easier to keep track of. When you feel confident and are ready, then you can expand your online account.
Another good thing to do when investing online is to try and stay diversified, in other words don’t concentrate all of your portfolio on just one thing, instead develop a well-balanced portfolio of stocks, bonds, and cash.
Many brokers will encourage you not to bail out on mutual funds. The main reason most investors are in mutual funds are because they don’t have the experience to make their own calls on stocks. They are also occupied with other things beside just watching the stock market. Keeping your mutual funds can be a wise decision instead of prematurely “playing the market” in individual stocks.
It is important to remember that online brokerage firms add fees and charges that need to be looked at closely. Before buying and selling large scale stocks online, look at what the tax results are of such trading. The average online brokerage costs are lower than full-service brokers, but fees can still add up.
Remember that just because you are investing online, the Internet is not foolproof and you are bound to run into some problems. There will surely be times when you are unable to gain access to your account. You’re connection could be down, the brokerage firm’s server could crash if trading is overly heavy, you could experience a software glitch, or you may be away from your computer when there is a major market move. Always be prepared for these things and keep in mind the available alternative trading options such as phone trading.
When investing online it is your responsibility to say as informed as possible. Don’t just settle for what you hear. Instead do a little research on a company before investing in them. There are services that send you automatic e-mail messages over news about your stock; take advantage of these. Remember in online investing everything is up to you and knowledge is power.