THE QUESTION OF Due Diligence is an interesting one.
There are two schools of thought. Some people believe they should undertake all the due diligence investigations BEFORE actually making an offer and finalising the commercial terms of the deal.
There are a couple of issues here – number one is: Due diligence, done properly, costs money. Therefore, my approach has always been not to spend money until you have control of the property. [Read more…]
WHEN IT COMES to in-depth analysis of Commercial properties, it is obviously far more complicated than a simple rating system.
That’s because you actually need a sophisticated piece of software – of which there is a number out in the marketplace.
But you’ll find most of them seem overly complicated … are not very user-friendly … and tend to generate endless pages of output data.
So, let’s quickly run through these various items.
You have the purchase price, stamp duty and acquisition costs (things like your due diligence) all of which need to be included.
You also need to choose your loan-to-value ratio (LVR) and include any costs associated with the mortgage. Plus, your appropriate level of tax, which may vary – depending upon whether the “purchase vehicle” is an individual, a company, a unit trust or your super fund.
You must take into account the passing rental, the rental reviews, the un-recouped outgoings, ongoing management fees, and depreciation. Plus, you have to decide on the holding period and estimated selling yield down the track – which I will come back to in a moment.
Finally, you need to allow for the selling costs at that time; and also the capital gains tax – where you need to include things like your initial cost-base.
Without going into the intricacies of the specific software, what’s important is that you undertake your calculations within a fixed timeframe. And I generally tend to view everything over a 4-year period.
A lot of software packages like to stretch their calculations over 8-10 years. However, there are two problems with doing this:
And that tends to distort reality and make everything look unrealistically attractive.
Instead, you should stick to 4 years – because, if the property does not make sense over 4 years … then you are simply kidding yourself to view it over 10 years – in the hope of making a reasonable return.
As such, my yardstick is an after-tax return of 10% per annum (or better) on your equity, over a 4-year period. Otherwise, you simply don’t proceed with that property.
As you will appreciate, many people might well say: “But I am buying it for the long haul”. And that’s okay.
My reason for four years (and there’s no real magic here) … other than over that period, people can have a change of circumstances. They’ll get married, divorced, posted interstate or overseas – even have kids.
Somehow, there will often be a change in personal circumstances. Therefore, whether you plan to, or not … it is a good idea to have a mandatory 4-year review. That’s why I settled on this timeframe.
You may continue to hold the property longer-term, and that’s fine. But you need to know going into the deal that if (for whatever reason) you find yourself having to sell the property in four years’ time … it is still going to make economic sense. And over the longer term, it makes it a very good deal going forward.
To help with this, I developed my Final Judgement software – which is made available to everyone in my Mentor group. And by using this software, you can calculate what (in technical terms) is called the internal rate of return.
In other words, what annual return will the projected after-tax cash flow represent … as an annual percentage on the equity you invest in the property.
Being “after-tax” is important because that takes account of your relative tax position. And if you have negative gearing, that’s taken into account as well.
Bottom Line: If you are getting a 10% pa or better after-tax … this represents anywhere from 14% to 18% per annum pre-tax … depending on your tax level.
And I wouldn’t have thought that was too shabby.
UNDERSTANDING COMMERCIAL DEPRECIATION can sometimes be difficult, but luckily you are able to get some expert advice right here from the BMT team.
And the good news is … you don’t need to know everything. That’s why you engage a specialist – to help you claim the maximum deductions. [Read more…]
IT’S ALWAYS INTERESTING to discover some Commercial property investors still feel contracts there’s a need to include a “subject to finance” clause – so they can check whether or not funds will be available.
However, they are in fact approaching things from the wrong angle. You see, you don’t need your finance approved before entering into a deal. [Read more…]
AS IT IS WITH ANY INVESTMENT you make – be it shares, property or collectables … you need to know where you are heading. Plus, also ensure you have a solid foundation upon which to base all your decisions.
So, clearly, the answer to this question is: “Very important!” And probably more so, when you’re considering a commercial property. [Read more…]
AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, this is a question I often get asked.
So, let me perhaps start by saying that with all my properties … I, personally, engage a skilled property manager.
And people then ask … If you know so much about commercial property, why don’t you manage the properties yourself?
The answer’s fairly straightforward – as there are basically 4 reasons … [Read more…]
CHOOSING WHETHER TO buy or to rent a Commercial property can often be a difficult decision. When you buy commercial property, you’re purchasing it with cash or loan proceeds. And when you have paid off the loan, you own the property outright. [Read more…]
RECENT RESEARCH SUGGESTS we are going to need 490,000 m² of new warehouse space per annum over the next couple of years – just to keep up with the current rapid consumer demand. This is the equivalent of about 80 football fields!
But do these big sheds make a good investment for those looking to invest in commercial warehousing? [Read more…]
DESPITE THE RECENT new Omicron variant, consumer demand is surging against the backdrop of labour shortages, supply chain blockages and recent price increases.
All of this is causing confusion and some concern. And pundits around the world are detailing strong Inflationary pressure – which usually means interest rates are likely to increase, sooner rather than later. [Read more…]
CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE is a high priority for any commercial property owners or businesses.
Not only does it help achieve durability for property and assets, but it also improves the presentation and profitability of a commercial facility.
These costs can pile up quickly and squeeze money from bank accounts. But much needed relief can come in the form of tax deductions related to these cleaning and maintenance activities just in time for Spring.
Cleaning and maintenance can often work differently for commercial and residential owners. A commercial tenant tends to look after most cleaning and maintenance requirements necessary for their business operations.
However, as a commercial owner, You may find yourself in a situation where the cleaning and maintenance tasks have well and truly stacked up.
This could be for several reasons, such as a tenant not meeting their own responsibilities. Or maybe, you have purchased a property needy some TLC.
Whatever the case, commercial owners can claim any cleaning and maintenance costs as instant tax deductions, in the same financial year they are made.
Commercial tenants (the business owner operating from the property) undertakes cleaning and maintenance activities on a regular basis and they can claim any products purchased for this at tax time.
Sometimes, more detailed cleaning and maintenance activities must also be undertaken.
These are usually done by a professional external to the business, for example a handyman, machinery service technician or industrial cleaner.
Any costs associated with these types of services are 100 per cent tax deductible for the business.
Both commercial owners and tenants do need to be aware of the fine line between maintenance and improvements.
Maintenance can often be more extensive and turn into a repair. The good news is a repair is also instantly tax deductible. However, depending on the nature of the repair it could be an improvement.
For example, a damaged laminate bench top being replaced with a stone bench top. While the new bench top was a result of damage, it would be classed as an improvement – since the bench top was improved beyond its original state.
In this scenario, the bench top would need to be claimed over time using depreciation deductions. These are tax deductions for the natural wear and tear of property and assets over time.
Depreciation is claimed at tax time and the amount depends on the asset type and value.
This is why it’s essential to enlist a speciality quantity surveyor, such as BMT Tax Depreciation – to prepare a tax depreciation schedule, and ensure any depreciation is claimed correctly and to its full potential.
Bottom Line: A tax depreciation schedule is a report that outlines the deductions available for all depreciable assets held by the owner. If an improvement is made after the schedule has already been prepared, BMT can easily update the schedule to make the process of claiming ongoing depreciation easy.
JUST BECAUSE 30 JUNE has been and gone, commercial investors and businesses don’t need to wait another financial year to obtain a tax depreciation schedule. Even if a schedule is ordered after the end of a financial year (FY), depreciation can still be back-claimed. [Read more…]
