Education in Commercial Real Estate

[Stephen E.]

Hello BP! 

I have stumbled upon some commercial real estates deals in my area and want to  have a better grasp of the fundamentals prior to approaching a broker or private owner. I am seeking out advice on areas where i can find educational material (books, videos, audio)  to better grasp commercial real estate over all and specifically retail, office and multi-family.

Thoughts?

[Andrew Johnson]

Stephen E. Start with figuring out which of the categories you want. Do you want to deal with car counts? NNN leases? Good ol’ apartment buildings? Each has their own little area and I’d say it’s really tough for anyone to absorb all of it at once and be really competent in all of them.

Once you figure that out, the next step is financing. Search here for threads on commercial financing. The loan terms are different. The qualifications are different. And I’d posit that your local good brokers won’t give you much attention if you haven’t even approached a lender.