Industrial real estate VS Commercial real estate: What's the difference

Real estate investment opportunities encompass a wide range of lucrative assets, including prime land and various property types, such as single-family homes, multi-family units, office buildings, retail centers, and warehouses. These properties can be classified into four key categories: residential, commercial, industrial, and land. While residential and land investments are fairly straightforward, it is crucial to understand the nuanced differences between commercial and industrial real estate. By exploring the unique attributes and potential challenges associated with each property type, you can make informed investment decisions that align with your goals.

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Commercial Real Estate: A Tapestry of Business Brilliance

Commercial real estate is a vibrant asset class represented by the prowess of commerce and human ingenuity. Think towering office buildings, bustling retail centers, and thriving hospitality establishments with bright storefront windows, decorative facades, and attractive landscaping. The barber shop, your favorite restaurant, a doctor’s office, and even the hotel you stay in during business trips are valuable commercial properties.

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Commercial real estate investments offer the potential for substantial rental income and cash flow. They command high rental rates with steady income streams and opportunities for capital appreciation over time as the property value climbs. Leases are often long-term with periodic rent increases and can include provisions for tenants to cover insurance, property taxes, or maintenance costs.

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Market dynamics bring in your biggest risks. Economic downturns or shifts in consumer behavior can affect a tenant’s viability, leading to potential vacancies, while the nature of your tenants may require specialized property management to accommodate the wide spectrum of business needs.

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Industrial Real Estate: Where Power Meets Potential

Industrial real estate is a captivating asset class full of ceaseless activity embodying the art of production and cutting-edge hubs with seamless supply chains. Massive manufacturing plants, sprawling warehouses, and, our favorite, flex spaces rule the scene. Design is often secondary to functionality; however, there are exceptions to every rule. The flex spaces I develop are distinctive and more attractive to draw in tenants.

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Industrial real estate investments carry stable, consistent cash flow and long-term lease agreements that often withstand economic downturns. The current rise of e-commerce in a post-COVID world has bolstered the need for warehouse and storage space with efficient logistics and fulfillment centers. Online retail, while limiting the need for in-person storefronts, has increased the need for large-scale warehouses and strategically positioned distribution facilities. This is called the “Amazon effect”.

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Challenges for industrial real estate center around federal trade policies, technological advancements, and the specialization of your tenants. It requires some upfront research to understand what aspects will be needed and an understanding of the market.

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I work in a subset of industrial real estate called Light Industrial. While traditional industrial caters to businesses involving heavy machinery, light industrial strictly uses smaller, single-story facilities with an office making up only 20% or less of the building. The variety here is what makes this asset class exciting and attainable.

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Understanding the Key Differences

Both types of real estate touch commerce and e-commerce, but the similarities often end there. Design differences, tenant variety, and location needs must be considered when determining which asset class to invest in.

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Industrial properties are designed for the production and distribution of goods, with properties larger in scale and more utilitarian in design and practice. Commercial properties are designed for the provision of services, with properties that are typically smaller and more embellished.

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Perhaps the biggest, and most valuable, difference between the two centers around the influx of customers. Because industrial doesn’t often facilitate customers, the build out is much simpler in nature. Restrooms, waiting areas, office space, and viable sell space is dramatically smaller in industrial over commercial.

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Industrial properties are leased by businesses that require large spaces for manufacturing or storage, such as logistics companies, manufacturers, or wholesalers. Commercial properties, on the other hand, are often leased by businesses that provide services directly to consumers, such as retail shops, restaurants, or hotels.

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Commercial businesses are strategically located in areas with high foot traffic, accessibility to public transportation or major roadways, and proximity to key amenities. The value of commercial real estate is influenced by location, business demand, and economic conditions.

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Industrial businesses are found in areas with convenient access to transportation, including highways, railways, airports, and seaports, to handle the moving of materials. Proximity to major urban centers or key markets is advantageous for efficient supply chain management.

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If your interest in industrial real estate has been piqued, give my team a shout-out at Flex Space Untapped. Alongside an expert group of consultants, I’m teaching members everything I’ve learned about procuring, developing, and building office warehouses all over the country — and turning them into multimillion-dollar sources of passive income. I’ll see you there!