Pros & Cons of Investing in Industrial Real Estate

Pros & Cons of Investing in Industrial Real Estate

Investing in real estate is nothing new. People have built fortunes on renting out properties to others. Traditionally, people consider properties like townhomes and apartments when it comes to investing. However, the industrial sector is one niche that can provide many benefits for the average investor.

The Pros

Industrial real estate means dealing with businesses instead of regular people. This translates to longer leases because businesses aren’t likely to change out their location too often. It’s not a surprise for industrial real estate investors to rent out to the same business for decades at a time. It’s much easier to only have to handle getting in one client every ten years than having to worry about a new tenant every year.

Industrial buildings are plain. This allows for any business to really come in and set up their processes and equipment with freedom. This is very much in contrast to a rental home where the main sections of the home, such as the kitchen and the bathroom, are already pre-built and can’t be changed. Businesses tend to pick their locations based on the square footage the property can offer them over traditional factors, like the set up of the building.

The Cons

With every good wealth-building strategy, there are always cons to the pros. When it comes to investing in industrial real estate, there are definitely some cons that everyone should know about before jumping on board. With industrial buildings, we’re talking larger real estate. Larger real estate translates to higher costs to purchase facilities. It’s also important to note that there are less industrial buildings for sale than traditional homes. So it’s going to require some extensive searching in a market or opt to expand out into other market areas to find the right properties.

When renting out an industrial building, it’s likely that the lease will only be renting out to one business at a time. This can have the pitfall of all or nothing income. If the tenant doesn’t pay their rent, then the property owner will be left footing the mortgage bill out of pocket. This can be a drawback for those who would rather have a property rented to multiple tenants.

Investing in industrial real estate is nothing new. People have been doing it for many years. However, investing in the industrial sector comes along with many pros and cons that any investor should be aware of before jumping in headfirst.