In this week's episode of the Property Planner, Buyer and Professor Podcast, the team explore the commercial property sector in part two and share with you how to determine the value of a commercial property, what to look for in a tenant, investing in real estate investment trusts and the ins and outs of warehouses - and more! David Johnston, Cate Bakos and Peter Koulizos discuss: •How to determine the value of commercial property when buying. The Property Professor explains what determines the value of a commercial property and what to look for in a quality commercial investment. •Land tax. Due to the higher cost of getting in and out of commercial real estate, land tax must be considered as part of the ongoing costs and factored into your decision making. For most states and territories, land tax is grouped with residential property. Be sure to do the sums on your land tax bill because the costs grow proportionately to total aggregated land value. Take a listen to Ep#43 "Diversification 101 - How and why to plan for diversification within your property portfolio" for more on this topic. •What should you look for in an ideal tenant? Long-term lease agreements and stable companies or government organisations can be your best friend! •Unpacking warehouses (pun intended!) Everything you need to know about investing in warehouses and logistics. This category has outstripped office and retail for popularity and overall returns with the advent of online shopping, and Covid has only hastened this transition. However, there are some traps for new players! •Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) - The pro's and con's, and everything in between. REITs are a great way to gain exposure to commercial property without having to outlay millions of dollars on a single asset, which brings huge concentration risk. REIT's offer instant exposure to commercial real estate in a bite size chunk that suits your investment profile. No need to buy the whole shopping centre or office. You also can get exposure to various properties across office, retail and logistics providing diversification. REIT's are a great way to provide cash flow as part of your transition to retirement as a trust must distribute all profits, unlike companies. •Publicly listed V unlisted/private Real Estate Investment Trust's (REIT's). Unlisted property funds are the closest proxy to direct property investment - but with the benefit of professional management. A major con is that your capital is locked in for the duration of the trust as private units cannot be bought and sold on the ASX in the open market, which usually ensures greater liquidity. If you are selling, you may be required to sell to someone within the private REIT. If you are worried about liquidity, this is not the asset class for you and you would be better off in a listed REIT. •Flexibility of the property to mitigate risk. Investing in commercial property comes with higher risk than residential for many reasons, but you can mitigate that risk by purchasing a property that allows for flexibility of tenant types. •Let's go in reverse, beep, beep, beep, how about converting a warehouse into a residential property?! The 'latest' craze in modern living, well actually this has been happening for two decades as industrial property in inner cities cease being used for their original purpose and transition to residential property. Warehouse conversions can pay off from a lifestyle and financial perspective, but often do not. They are high risk, and are not for the faint hearted (or those with a tight budget). So go in with your eyes open and be sure that the property really is your dream home, or the investment will get a sustainable long-term financial return. Enter at own risk! Caveat emptor! •And of course, our 'gol...