Monday, October 20, 2008

Deciding Commercial Property Market Value

Even though we are currently in a buyer's market, many land owners are looking to sell it to potential buyers. Before an individual can sell it, they must know how much to value their own property in order to attract potential buyers. Most individuals appraise property before they sell it.

Valuing commercial property is very important for an investor. If an individual values it at a price that is too high, then it can prevent the sale from taking place. If a piece of a property is valued too low then the seller will lose out on a potential profit. The best way to evaluate commercial land is by an appraisal.

There are many ways of appraising and deciding commercial property market value for a piece of property. Many owners will usually pay for one or two appraisers and compare each individual's evaluations. Most professionals appraise a piece of land by developing an opinion of the value of property. An appraisal of a land occurs because no two properties are identical and the value of all of them differs based on location. Because estimating a property's value does not always utilize a market-based pricing mechanism, an expert appraisal of the real estate is needed.

Usually appraisals are performed by a licensed appraiser. Many times the appraiser bases his or her opinion on market assessment and the Highest and Best use of real property. An appraisal is most often reported on a standardized report form. If the appraisal is for a complex piece of property with many unusual characteristics, the appraiser will typically report their findings in a narrative report.

An appraiser will determine a cost approach, a sales comparison or salary-based approach when assessing your property. The cost approach suggests that the value of the property is equal to adding up the value of the land minus any needed improvements. This approach is usually used on newer structures and less on older structures. The sales comparison approach evaluates the price per unit area of land similar to other appraisal amounts of similar properties in the marketplace. This approach is the most objective of the three approaches and allows the appraiser very little wiggle room. The salary-based approach is used to value commercial and investment properties, because it evaluates an income stream.

Since these techniques vary greatly amongst each other, the technique used will depend on what type of asset you have. For example, appraisals of investment property such as skyscrapers may be subject to the income approach, whereas retail or office buildings may be subjected to the sales comparison approach. An apartment building may be more subjected to the sales comparison. Before you sell your property, make sure you appraise it with an expert.

UK Property Market

There have been reports that the property market in the UK is heading for a downturn, with claims that the market will be gaining its healthy shape in a couple or so years. Jones LaSalle, a property expert, states that the decline of residential and commercial prices over the past nine months has created a "yield gap between prime and secondary assets back into the market." The guru claims that this situation poses an advantage for cash-rich investors. While the unrelenting tight supply of credit is deemed to have an absolute impact on the property market in the UK as a whole, the firm insists that there is still a demand for quality assets.

This recent report comes amid the general consensus that the housing explosion is over. Recently, the media has reported that most areas in England have listed price declines, with homes located in Greater London taking the sharpest decline of all. These reports may be causing some people in the UK to question if it is still indeed a good time to invest in property.

Stories of a property crash in the UK have been consistently in the news for quite some time now. But many experts are of the belief that the property market will remain solid. The reason is that the supply of property is insufficient to meet demands not to mention the fact the property is still affordable.

When the prices soften or when there is a decrease in asking price, there is always a group of ready-buyers that are willing to pick up bargains. These include would-be first time buyers, family movers, or property investors looking for deals. The reason why there is a ready supply of buyers is because there is a fundamental undersupply of property, as the current number of completed establishments is running below demand.

The increasing demand for a diminishing supply of property will cause prices to remain firm. Even though unsold properties have been reported to increase, the unsold stock levels are expected to stay below the long-term trend. One of the reasons is the growth in population. Inward migration has risen significantly due to the attraction of the UK as an excellent place to work and live in.

In addition to this, there are also two worthy circles that make the decision to invest in property a sound one. Seemingly, no matter which way the UK economy turns, property is still expected to stand out, most especially over the long term. First, when the economies of the world enter another recession or depreciation, then interest rates could come down, further decreasing property investors' expenses, while retaining the rental revenue. Second, if the capital values of property take a fall, then people will cease buying properties, and rent instead. The increase in rental demand will then spur a rise in property income.

All these point to the fact that property remains one of the best long term investments you can make. The only thing that investors need to seriously take into consideration is the location and choosing the right property at the right time. After they get that down pat, they can expect to take part in the substantial growth of the property investment market that has been consistently performing well over the last decade.