In A Down Economy - Commercial Property

In A Down Economy - Commercial Property

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One of the most important steps in evaluating a property is to visit or call the county assessors office. From our experience, they are usually helpful and friendly. If you are only interested in one or two properties, a phone call is probably fine. If you are really serious about this type of investing, plan on visiting the county assessors office and doing some research. The assessors office will often have a real estate division or a person responsible for real estate. Find out who that person is. Take along your list of properties that you have narrowed down and ask that person to either show you how to look up information by parcel number, or have them look up the properties for you. In many cases, the county assessors database will be online.

You may be able to do much of your research from your own computer. Find out if the property has any improvements (e.g., a building, utilities, landscaping, curbs and gutters, etc.) or is just land. Also find out the assessors appraised value for both the land and any improvements. Note the taxes due and how much you may be required to pay should you take possession. If the property is located in a development, you may need to look up the original developers lot description. Legal descriptions are not street addresses, but you will often be able to find a street address through the county records. For your purposes a street address is the easiest method of finding a property. Ask the assessor how you can obtain a county plat map or plat booklet. You will
need this to do your drive by and locate the property. A street map may also be helpful, and can usually be purchased at a local gas station, drug store, or retail department store such as Wal-Mart.

During the site visit or drive by, take note of
the following items:
Overhead utilities or lack thereof
Underground utilities or lack thereof
Property accessible or landlocked
Adjacent property conditions
Trees, vegetation, landscaping
Soil/subsurface conditions and, clay, shallow bedrock
Presence of disturbed areas or fill material
Dead or stressed vegetation
Discolored soil.

Be sure to drive around the area and note any major industries that might affect the real or perceived value of the property. For example, a nearby landfill, power plant or heavy industrial area could limit the value of the property for residential use. Next, find similar properties for sale and call the owner or real estate agent/broker and find out the cost and details. Ask him/her about the area and any problems. Ask about the schools, crime, nearby parks, malls and grocery stores.


About the Author:
commerical real estate Special offer to help you make it in the commercial real estate world right now.http://www.commercialprofitblueprint.com



Jacquelyn Donner



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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