5 Investment Tips for Commercial Real Estate

An investment in commercial real estate is a great way of increasing your market worth. Also, by acquiring the asset you add a steady source of earnings to your portfolio. Commercial property that is strategically located can appreciate dramatically over a period of time, while rented commercial properties can procure a regular cash flow for other financial pursuits like investment or for comfortable retirement. The following are five useful tips that will help you while purchasing a commercial property.

• Learn from experiences 

It is always good to go with your instincts. Make use of personal knowledge as the best ideas for investment come from the investor's prior investment experiences and know-how. You should search for real estate in an area located close to your home or some place that is known to you. Investing in familiar markets is always a safer option and you can trust your instincts about what to buy where. Start going through blueprints and get a potential property evaluated. Remember to park your hard-earned money in a well-established locality, rather than an upcoming one even though it would cost more. It is going to be a more profitable investment eventually.

• Wait for the right opportunity 

If you have just seen the property once and have decided to seal the deal, probably you are rushing in a bit too soon. Do not make such a blunder just because you have the purchasing power or like the look of the place. That does not mean the property is ready to be acquired. You should be comfortable with the area and the property. Visit the real estate during all times of the day to see the amount of lighting and the noise in the vicinity. Recce of the real estate may probably even bring out a few flaws in the property that can later be used to negotiate the price.

• Build a real estate circle

An investor seeking to buy a commercial property cannot strike the best deal without a few suggestions and strategies from friends or experts from the real estate network. If you have a business associate from the legal, banking, contracting or property sales profession whose opinion you can trust, you should probably get some professional advice before taking the plunge. The person may also help you find a better deal.

• Plan for both short and long term prospects

As an investor of commercial property, you should be able to gauge the immediate outcome from your investment, while also understanding its long term effects. Cities and their suburbs consist of several run down properties that were once buzzing. Draw your plans and cross-check what you want with what is available. Sometimes, changes in infrastructure, transportation routes and arrival of big organizations in the vicinity can instantly boost the worth of real estate. If something like that is on the cards for the property you are considering, you may be in for success in the near future.

• Diversify your portfolio

Do not risk your money by parking all your funds at one place. You may be taking a huge risk by putting all your investment into a single commercial property. While buying commercial real estate and renting it out will ensure decent cash flow at a later stage, a market slowdown during retirement would be ruinous. Commercial property must not be the only one holding for an investor. To avoid getting stuck with a fruitless investment, it is advisable that you diversify by purchasing residential real estate or stock. If you are only inclined towards venturing into the realty sector, you can branch out by acquiring space in retail or office buildings, apartment buildings, condominiums, studio flats or by buying raw land.


This is a guest post by Devika Arora. The above piece of work talks about commercial properties in India.

Looking to rent your house or lease your property? Follow these steps to make sure your property is safe and the tenant follows the lease agreement.

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter Follow @sach_gupta

Leasing or renting out your property is a demanding job. Not only you need to maintain the property but at the same time you need to be careful in choosing the right tenant with good financials who can pay the monthly rent and other expenses on time.  There have been instances when tenant has refused to vacate the property even after the termination of rental agreement. Because of this, there is certain percentage of landlords who avoid renting out their property to prospective tenants. And it puts the pressure on housing market because on one hand there is demand for housing but rental market is not sufficiently catering to that demand. And therefore capital values of housing stock increases at a rapid rate. Had there been proper laws with respect to safeguarding the interest of landlords, the supply which would have then come into the market would have considerably eased the capital values.

The laws on landlord and tenants in India are outdated and needs complete reforms. However, the central government is encouraging local state governments to amend these laws to encourage investments in housing and construction sector. How fast will states in India will move to abolish its old system is still to be known.

In this environment, how can you as the landlord of residential property or commercial property such as office space, shops or warehouse lease/rent your property? We list down the steps which you should take before leasing or renting out your property:

• Background checks

First thing first! Since you are renting your property to a prospective tenant, make sure to check his/her background by asking tenant to provide a reference certificate from a colleague/friend or co-worker. At the same time, find out about tenant’s previous landlords and talk to at least one of them. Ask for tenant’s permanent address as well and permanent address can be known by asking tenant to show 2 photo ID cards such as a passport and driving license or a voter card. In most cases, these 2 photo ID cards will have the same permanent address.

• Police verification

As per the law, these days tenant verification at a local police station is required for landlords. Do not ignore this verification process before you rent out your property. This is a punishable offence under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code.

• Solid Lease agreement

Prepare a lease agreement which safeguards your interests and you should have the following in a typical lease agreement:

• Basic clauses

A typical lease agreement must list the parties to the agreement at a specified date, namely you and the tenant, along with the address of the property which is being leased out. In the basic clause, you should also state the lease term including the time length for which agreement is being made, renewal option, and rent appreciation method. The expenses such as electricity, gas, water bill, maintenance charges should also be mentioned clearly in the basic clause of a lease agreement.

• Security deposit clause

Your lease agreement should require the tenant to put up a security deposit equivalent to one month rent or more depending on the negotiation. The security deposits vary for commercial and residential properties. The security deposits also vary from state to state in India. For example, in Bangalore, for residential property, tenant pays 10 months’ rent as security deposit whereas in Delhi NCR the security deposit is about 2-3 months’ rent. For commercial property, the standard security deposit is around 6 months. Make sure that security deposits clause is clearly defined within the lease agreement.

• Maintenance of the property

The lease should tell the tenant that he is required to properly maintain the property. If you are renting out a furnished property, make a check list of the items which are being provided as part of the property such as furniture, appliances, etc.  Include this checklist in the lease agreement as an appendix. Whatever, you want from your tenant as part of his/her responsibilities, make sure it is part of lease and is not just conveyed orally. The maintenance clause should be included in the lease agreement because if a tenant leaves the property in bad shape then leasing the property again might become difficult or else you would have to spend considerable amount of money to make the property rent-able again. The idea is to make sure that tenant gives you the property back in same shape as you handed over to him/her.

• Concealed defects and responsibility for fixing it

If there is something that needs to be fixed in the property in coming 2-3 months, then clearly tell this to tenant. For example, if the roof of the property needs to be fixed in 6 months time, then it becomes your responsibility as an owner to include this fact in the agreement. A tenant will appreciate the fact that you have been forthcoming in your description of the property. If possible, try to fix all the things before letting it out.

• Sub-leasing clause

Sub leasing clause is extremely important and you as the owner of the property should pay attention to it. We have seen in past how a tenant has sub leased the property to another tenant or in some cases have shared the property space with his/her colleagues or friends. To avoid this situation, clearly mark out the condition that prior to sub-leasing the property space, the tenant will take permission from you. But with our experience, we encourage landlords to rather cancel the current lease agreement and make a new lease with the new tenant. In a nutshell, you should not allow your tenant to sublease the property. And get that condition in the agreement.

• Termination notice

The best practice is to know your jurisdiction’s rules on terminating a lease and include those details in your lease so your tenant will not be surprised. Clearly include the termination notice period as well in the lease agreement. For example, one month notice period is practiced in Delhi NCR for residential properties.

• Registering the lease agreement

Now that lease agreement has the above mentioned clauses, it’s time to register the lease agreement. If you are leasing or renting your property for a short time period in India, a lease agreement is not mandatory, but the agreement is required if the property is being rented out for over 11 months. The agreement is registered with the local registrar office.

So, as a landlord, did you follow the above process of renting your property??

Follow @sach_gupta

Have any Questions? Tweet to @sach_gupta

10 things to check when booking an apartment in a builder project

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter Follow @sach_gupta

Call it practices or malpractices; real estate in India is riddled with cases where buyers have been taken in for a ride. And in this environment, buying an apartment is not as easy as it may sound. Whether you are an end-user or an investor, you should pay attention to the following 10 items when booking a flat. These 10 items are categorized into two principal checklists namely Project details and Apartment details:

Project Details

• Land Titles

When making real estate investments, buyers of property typically want assurance that they will become the legal owner of the property and that the seller is lawfully possessed and has the right to convey title. When a real estate developer has “Title”, he is said to have all the elements, including the documents, records, and acts, which prove ownership. Therefore, a buyer should insist on documents that clearly demonstrate Land Titles.

Some of these builder projects are approved for home loans by banks or lending institutions. These lenders are also concerned about title assurance because the quality of title affects the collateral value of the property in which they have a secured interest. Therefore, if you as a buyer lack the capacity to verify Title certificates by yourself, you should at least check and verify with the list of banks that have approved the project for home loan grant.

• License Grant

The Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department grants license to private developers owing land for converting it into a colony or a group housing society. The license is granted upon fulfillment of parameters laid down by the TCP Department.

Ask for the License number from your developer and verify it at the TCP website.

• Intimation of Disapproval (IOD)

Check if the builder has received the IOD from relevant authorities (Town and County Planning Department). IOD lists out the conditions based on which the building should be constructed. It is usually valid for one year and has to be re-validated thereafter.

• Master Plan

A master plan typically demarcates city or region’s future development including residential, commercial, industrial, and recreational facilities. Visit the City Development Authority website and verify the claims made by the developer while selling the project.

• No Objection Certificates (NOC)

In addition to the License number granted by the TCP department, a builder should also possess NOC from environment, fire fighting, electricity, water, airport departments. Check these NOCs.


Apartment Details

• Location

First thing first, location is the key differential in selecting or rejecting a project. Make sure, you book an apartment in a project which is well connected by road to city’s CBD (Central Business District). In addition to that, look around for the presence of social infrastructure such as schools, shopping malls, college, etc.

• Floor Plan

You are going to live in this apartment. Therefore, pay attention to the floor and unit plan. In one particular project, we noticed there were about 14 apartments on one single floor and that was a big dampener in otherwise a good project. In an under construction project, it is very difficult to assess the floor plan and unit plan. Ask for the approved floor plan and unit plan from the developer and analyze these plans for open spaces, lobbies, lifts, etc.

• Amenities

After a long and hard day at office, one would like to relax and rejuvenate. Buy an apartment in a project which offers state of the art amenities such as park, jogging track, swimming pool, clubhouse, etc.

• Kitchen

Many people overlook the Kitchen; however, make sure Kitchen is not only spacious but also properly planned. Many developers in Gurgaon offer the option of Modular Kitchen, however, check if the same can be developed from outside suppliers at lower prices. There are numerous vendors of Modular Kitchen in Gurgaon, visit them and inquire about the quality and total price. Thereafter, one can compare and take a final decision on the modular kitchen offered by the builder with the one offered by outside vendors.

• Apartment specifications

Specifications comprise of kitchen fittings, bath fittings, flooring, electric work, walls, etc. Visit the sample flat prepared by the developer and assess the specifications first hand. Make sure that specifications provided in the brochure and shown in the sample flat are part of the builder buyer agreement.

• Carpet Area/Sale-able Area Ratio

Most builders would charge you on the basis of sale-able area. Ask for the efficiency of the apartment or in other words carpet area of the apartment. In most cases, ratio of carpet area to sale-able area is 75 to 80%. If possible, get that included in the builder buyer agreement.

We are sure you will have your own stories to tell, your own issues with real estate projects, your own experiences of buying an apartment with a builder, and your own follow-ups? Share them here with the larger audience and let’s help each other.

Follow @sach_gupta

Have any Questions? Tweet to @sach_gupta

Why Home insurance is extremely important in India?

Author: Sachin Gupta | Find me on Twitter Follow @sach_gupta

Jammu and Kashmir floods have been devastating to say the least. Many people have lost their lives. Businesses including restaurants, Shikaras, tourism, small workshops have been razed. Agricultural land has been eroded. Houses including the contents of a household have been damaged. The floods in Jammu and Kashmir have been the worst in over half a century.

Well, there could be man-made reasons such as aggressive construction, & lax regulations for this great disaster, however, one cannot take away the fact that it was a horrendous natural disaster partly assisted by man-made actions.

The focus of the state and central government is to rescue the people and then focus on relief work. We must congratulate Armed forces for their stupendous work for saving Thousands of lives. Food is being provided to the flood victims, Medicare facilities have been augmented.

However, to bring back the normalcy would take months, maybe year or two. The government has announced relief packages including financial assistance. However, one wonders, what will happen to the damaged houses and the contents of the houses? Will these be recovered? In such a scenario, home insurance would have been of great help. We are not sure, if home insurance was a common practice in Jammu and Kashmir.

Home insurance is extremely useful for people living in areas that are prone to the risks of floods, earthquakes or burglaries?

Home insurance can cover losses to the structure and contents of one’s home from any natural or man-made calamity. The disasters that can be insured against are fire, earthquakes, storms, cyclones, tempests, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods or inundation, lightning strike, explosion, landslides, impact by vehicles or aircraft, and bursting or overflowing of water tanks and pipes. However, care needs to be taken that only the cost of structure is insured and not the cost of land.

Mainly two types of home insurance policies are available in India:

• Buildings Insurance

Insuring the building or building structure is important since it protects the policy holder against inevitable losses in case the insured building is destroyed or debilitated in any natural or man-made calamities.

• Content Insurance

Contents insurance under home insurance plans includes protection to movable goods, possessions or contents in the house; anything that is not a fixed part of the home, for example appliances, electronic goods, furniture and clothing etc.


Home Insurance can be extremely useful for an NRI who is living far away from his/her property. In case of an NRI, his/her property is usually managed by a Property Management Company who specializes in NRI Property Management Services and such companies can advise an NRI to opt for home insurance.

Find below the detailed info about Home insurance in India including the claim process, benefits of home insurance, and companies that offer home insurance in India.

Home insurance in india from Green Realtech Projects Pvt. Ltd

Follow @sach_gupta

Have any Questions? Tweet to @sach_gupta