RE: Investment Analysis

Ultimate goal of cash flow
- More is better than less
- Sooner is better than later
- Certain is better than uncertain

Pro-Forma Operating statement
Used to analyze annual operating cash flow of real estate investment

PGI - Potential Gross Income
- Total income a property might generate in a year in ideal circumstances

Commercial Property
Rent x SF = Total annual rent + Other Income

Residential
Rent per unit x units x 12 + Other income

Vacancy & Collection Allowance
Sometimes there is not a tenant or sometimes tenants don't pay
V&C <>10% Loose market

Effective Gross Income = PGI - V&C
Operating expenses
Net operating income = NOI = EGI - OE

PRO-FORMA OPERATING STATEMENT
Potential Gross Income - PGI
LESS Vacancy & Collection Allowance - V&C

= EFFECTIVE GROSS INCOME - EGI
LESS Operating Expenses - OE

= NET OPERATING INCOME - NOI
LESS Annual Debt Service - ADS

= BEFORE-TAX CASH FLOW - BTCF


Operating Expenses
Include
Property Taxes
Hazard Insurance
Utilities
Management Fee
Maintenance & Repairs
Bank & Legal Fees
Reserve for capital improvements

Exclude
Mortgage interest
Depreciation allowances
Actual capital improvement expenses

EG: Office building 15,840 sf GLA
10,800 rents for $12 psf
5,040 rents for $10 psf

V&C = 10% of PGI

OP Expenses
Prop Taxes 15,900
Insurance 12,000
Utilities 13,900
Cleaning 5,000
Repairs 6,000
Reserve 12,000
Mgmt 8,100
TOTAL 72,900

Purchase price 885,000
Mortgage: 75% ltv, 9% interest 30 yr ammortized

Pro Forma
PGI 10,800 x 12 + 5,040 x 10 180,000
V&C @ 10% 18,000
EGI 162,000
- Operating Expense 72,900

NOI 89,100
- Annual Debt Service 64,088

Total 25,012

Capitalization rate R = NOI/V
Measures the current income of a property relative to its value or purchase price

Cap rate is used to evaluate the quality of an investment
High cap rates good when you are BUYING

Eg: R = 89,100/885,000 = 10.07%

Cap rates are also used to estimate value V = NOI/R
If the market cap rate is 9% estimate property worth- V = 89,100/0.09 = 990,000

Cap rate limitations
Cap rates ignore income growth (and capital gains)
Cap rates ignore risk

Other ratios & multipliers

Cash-on-cash return
COCR = NOI - ADS / Purchase price - loan

eg: = 89,100 - 64,088 / 885,000 - 663,750 = 11.3%

Mortgage Constant
MC = ADS / Loan eg: 64,088 / 663,750 = 9.7%
The "cash" cost of the debt including both principal and interest

Financial Leverage
If R > MC the investment has positive financial leverage and added debt raises the COCR
MC < R < COCR

If R < MC the investment has negative financial leverage and added debt will lower the COCR
MC > R > COCR

Operating Expense Ratio - OER

OER = OE/EGI (Estimated Gross Income) = 72,900/162,000 = 45%

Breakeven Ratio - BER

BER = OE + ADS / EGI = 72,900 + 64,088 / 162,000 = 84.6%

Debt Coverage Ratio - DCR
DCR = NOI / ADS = 89,100 / 64,088 = 1.39

Small Property Investment
Key Rules
- You make all your money the day you purchase the property
- The bets real estate investments you make are the ones you don't

Research the market
- Pick a neighborhood and research it for 6-12 months
- Drive it several times a week
- Build a database (Every Property)
Asking & Selling prices
Size, BR, Bath etc
Quality and condition
How long on market
Rentals
Rental rates
How long vacant
Lease terms

RE: Property Management & Leases

Property management involves the leasing marketing managing and overall maintenance of real estate.

Residential Property Management
- High degree of tenant relations
- Short term leases = High tenant turnover
- Apartments, condo, coops & homeowner association
- Single family housing

Commercial Property Management
- More complex but less emotional
- Retail - traffic onsite
- Help tenants attract customers
- Industrial

Roles of property manager
Position the property in the market and advertise it to prospective tenants
To do this the property manager may start by developing a management plan that
- Analyzes current market conditions
- Evaluates the subject property and its positives
- Outlines the investor's objectives

The management plan is then used to make recommendations regarding the property, position it in the market and help determine appropriate rate schedules.
- Continue current use
- Conversion
- Rehabilitate
- Modernize

Select tenants and negotiate leases
The manager may act as his own leasing agent or may hire a broker to lease the property for him.

Manager must be concerned with long-term viability of property
A leasing agent may be primarily concerned with a commission

Tenants should complement one another
Retail properties often use percentage rent

A wide variety of issues must be incorporated into the lease itself
- Commercial leases can be very complex
- Residential leases are more standardized

Collect rent and maintain good tenant relationships

Oversee administrative tasks
Preparing budget
Maintaining property
Hiring and overseeing employees
Recordkeeping

Legal issues for property managers
Americans with Disabilities act (ADA)
Accessibility
Employment

Fair Housing Act (FHA)
Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, and national origin

Common Leasing Issues
Term of lease
Residential leases - max 1 year
Commercial leases - 99 years - 5 years or 10 years

Security deposit
Residential - 1 month rent
Commercial - Varies

Possesion of premises
Lessor grants the tenant an implied convenant of quiet enjoyment
Landlord may enter with notice or in emergency

Eviction
3 day notice for non payment
14/30 day notice for other lease violations

Use of premises - Any legal use unles restricted in the lease

Improvements to premises
Maintenance of premises

Assignment and subleasing - subleasing is allowed unless prohibited in lease

Recording a lease - typically only in long-term ground/mineral leases

Options: for renewal; for purchase

Types of leases
Ground lease
Net lease - double-net and triple-net lease
percentage lease
step or graduated lease
Indexed lease
ground lease
oil and gas lease

RE: Contracts and Closing

Elements of Contracts in Real Estate
Offer and acceptance - Only happens when both parties agree to exactly the same terms
Consideration - Something of value given up by each party
Capacity to contract - Legally competent, No undue influence
Legal purpose

Real estate sales contracts are subject to the statute of frauds meaning that they must be in writing to be enforceable.

Real Estate Contracts outline the following provisions:
Names of buyer and seller
Description of the property - Legal Description
Fixtures

Purchase price and terms of financing - Earnest money

Type of interest to be transferred and the type of deed to be conveyed
Date and time of closing and possession
Agency disclosure
Contingencies - Inspection, financing, selling other property, buying new property, entitlements

Seller obligations - maintain property, insurance, keep current on mortgage and taxes, title evidence, deliver deed

Escrow arrangements -for taxes and reserves
Provisions should the property be deestroyed or damaged prior to closing
Remedies incase of default
Broker's commission
Signature of all parties

From contract to closing
Truth in lending act (TILA) disclosure within 3 days
3 day right of recission
Good faith estimate of settlement costs - 3 business days
Appraisal - Lender "owns" the appraisal. Borrower has the right to a copy
Loan commitment - conditional on nothing major changing (eg: job loss, property condition, major purchases by borrower or change in credit worthiness)

Due Dilligence - whole house; pest; well and septic; radon and mold

Commercial property considerations
- Environmental value assessement
- Entitlements

Insurance commitments - Property, Mortgage, Title

Removal of contingencies

The Closing Process
Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA)
GFE
Prohibits kickbacks and referral fees
Allows borrower copy of appraisal
Limits $ to be held in escrow accounts
HUD-1 settlement statement

Signing paperwork and transferring deed
Transfer of possession

RE: Real Estate Agency

Agency: Relationship between a buyer or seller of real estate and the licensee who represents that person is an agency relationship

Agent: Individual who is authorized and consents to represents the interests of another person.

Fiduciary duty to the principal. Putting the principal's interests above your own.
Principal is the person on whose behalf the agency acts.

Distinguishing between Client and Customer
Client: Agent owes a fiduciary duty
Customer: Agent owes honesty and fair dealing

Single Agency; Dual Agency and Transaction Brokers
Single agency: Agent represents only one party in any single transaction

Subagency is created when one broker appoints other brokers or salespersons to help perform client-based functions on the principal's behalf.

MLS typically make participating brokers subagents of the seller unless a separate agency agreement has been set up.

Subagent has same obligations to the principal as the original agent

Dual Agency: Agent represents TWO principals in the same transaction

Eg: What does an agent do if a client wants to purchase or lease a property from another client. Agent may assume the role of a transaction broker and facilitate the sale without being an agent for either party

Larger office may assign Designated Agent to each principal to provide client-based services. The broker then functions as transaction broker

Duties of a seller's agent
Promote interests of the client with utmost good faith, loyalty and fidelity
Present all offers to the seller ina timely manner
Disclose all facts about the buyer or tenant
Advise the client to obtain outside expert advise regarding problems or questions which are present but outside the agent's expertise
Account in a timely manner for all money and property received
Protect the client's confidences, unless disclosure is required

Types of disclosures
- Environmental hazards
- Physical condition of property
- Material defects in property
- Material defects in the title to property
- Material limitation on the client's ability to perform under the terms of the contract

Duties of transaction broker
Same as above
Protect confidences of both parties to the transaction
Disclose material adverse facts that they know

Listing Agreements, MLS Systems and Commissions
Listing agreement is contract that creates agency relationship between seller and broker

Exclusive right to sell listing - Broker is paid commission regardless of how the sale is made
Exclusive-Agency listing - Seller works with only one agent but may sell property on his own
Open Listing - Any number of brokers. Only the one bringing a buyer is paid
Net listing - Fixed minimum price. Anything paid above that goes to the broker

MLS: Mechanism by which brokers make their listings available to one another
The amount of and who pays the commission are determined by the listing agreement

Commissions are split between the seller's agent the seller's broker the buyer's agent and buyer's broker. The amount of split is determined by the salesperson's contract with the broker and the MLS agreement.

RE: Real Estate Appraisal

Note: Competitive Market Analysis performed by a broker is not the same as an appraisal and does not serve the same purpose

Market Value: Most probable price that a property should bring in an open competitive market in which market participants have typical bargaining power and information

Other types of values for appraisers: Assessed value, Insurable value, rental value

Basic Principles of Value
Anticipation: Value affected by "what will be" in addition to "what is"
Change: Appraisals are only valid at a particular point in time
Substitution: The value of a parcel is affected by the value of the "next best alternative"
Contribution: The value of a part of the real estate depends on the value it adds to the whole

Appraisal Income Approach
Based on the principle that the property's value should be related to the cash flows that the property can generate for an investor

Approach is most useful for income producing properties or those that could be used to produce income

Gross Income Multiplier (GIM)
GIM = Value / Gross Income
Value = Gross Income x GIM

EG: GIM for warehouses in downtown is 8. Subject property is a warehouse withestimated effective gross income of 25k per year. Estimated value of property is

V=25k x 8 = 200k

Gross Rent Multiplier (GRM)
Used with residential properties
Uses monthly gross rents rather than annual gross income

Net Income Capitalization
capitalization rate = net income / value
value = net income / cap rate


EG: Cap rate for properties in an area is 12%. Subject property has expected first-year NOI of 240k Estimated value is V = 240k / 0.12 = 2,000,000

RE: Deeds and Title transfer

Title to real estate means the right to or ownership of real estate.
A person who holds title would if challenged in court be able to recover or retain ownership or possession of a parcel of real estate

Methods of transferring title
Voluntary Alienation
Involuntary Alienation - Escheat; Eminent Domain; Foreclosure; Adverse possession
Devise and descent

Voluntary Alienation and Deeds
Deed is a written instrument by which an owner of real estate intentionally conveys the right, title or interest in a parcel of real estate to someone else.

A GRANTOR is the person who is transferring title to the property to someone else
A GRANTEE is the person receiving title to the property

General warranty deeds: Provide the greatest protection of any deed and the grantor is legally bound by certain covenants or warranties

Covenant of seisin - Possession
Covenant against encumberances - free from liens or other encumberances
Covenant of quiet enjoyment - Title is good against 3rd party claims
Covenant of further assurance - I will provide any documents you need to defend your claim
Covenant of warranty forever - I'll do this forever

The guarantees extend back to the origin of the property. Grantor defends the title against anyone who may previously have had a claim on the property - including himself.

Special warranty deeds - Guarantees that the grantor received title and nothing bad happened during his ownership but makes no promises about what happened before

Bargain and sale deeds - I own it but make no guarantees

Quitclaim deeds - I don't know if I own anything but if I do - you can have it

Quitclaim deeds are frequently used to cure a defect - a cloud on the title

Good Title
Marketable title - sales contracts require the seller to provide the buyer with good and marketable title to the property

Marketable title
- Has no serious defects and does not depend on doubtful questions of law or fact to prove its validity

- Does not expose a purchaser to hazard of litigation

- Can convince a reasonably well-informed and prudent purchaser acting on business principles and with knowledge of the facts and their legal significance that he/she could sell or mortgage the property at a later time

Other types of good title
Insurable title - One that reputable title insurance company would insure
Title of perfect record - No defects of any kind in the public record

Title Searches & Public Records
public recorcds contain information about many of the claims that may exist with respect to a parcel of real estate.

Title searches are regularly done to ensure that each transfer of the property was completed properly and that each past lien has been removed

Title Insurance
Covers against any defects that could be found in the public records, forged documents, incompetent grantors, incorrect marital statements and improperly delivered deeds

Lenders require insurance coverage. The buyer may also obtain coverage of their own
In the event of a claim on the property, the insurance company will typically pay all your legal expenses to defend the title and to get any documents necessary to perfect title.

RE: Private Restrictions on Property

Even someone who holds a fee simple interest in real estate is restricted in what they can do with the property

- Private agreements and claims may restrict how property can be used
- Encumberance is a right or interest by someone other than the property owner that affects the title or use of real estate
- Public regulation and other governmental action may limit an owner's use of the property

LIENS
Lien is a claim or charge against a person's property made to enforce the payment of money

Types of Liens: Mortgage Liens; Tax Liens; Mechanics Liens

If the required bills are not paid, liens can be used to force the sale of the proerty
Often liens simply represent a claim on the proceeds from the sale of the property whenever it occurs

Liens "run with the property" and encumber future owners

EASEMENTS
Easement is the right of one person to use the property of another for a specified purpose and under certain conditions that specify the extent of allowable usage.

Easement in gross - individual interest in the property
Appurtenant easement - associated with another parcel. Runs iwth the land. Meaning if either party to the agreement sell the property - the easement is sold with it.

TERMINANTING EASEMENTS
- Agreement of the parties
- Merger of the properties
- Abandonment of the rights
- Purpose of easement ceases
- Excessive use

Other ways someone may use your property
- Encroachment is unauthorized inversion on intrusion of fixture, building or other improvement over property line

License is revocable permission to temporarily use the property for a specific purpose

Profit a Prendre is a non-possessory interest in real property that permits the holder to remove part of the soil or produce of the land.

Adverse Possession
If an individual takes possession and uses real estate as if it were his own, eventually he may file an action in court to claim title through adverse possession

To do this - the use must be
- Open and notorious (Someone looked or obvious to anyone who looks)
- Continuous and uninterrupted 10-15 years
- Actual and exclusive (not just one of many)
- Hostile and without the owner's consent
- Adverse to the true owner's possession

Restrictive Covenants
Designed to help mitigate spillover effects among properties (positive/negative)

Restrictive covenants set standards for all the parcels within a defined subdivision. They govern the type, height and size of buildings that individual owners can erect, as well as land use, architectural style, construction methods, setbacks and square footage.

Covenants require private actions by other landowners to enforce. If not enforced for a long period of time, the right can be lost.

Property Taxes & Specials

Property Tax Assessment
- Property taxes are levied on the owners of real estate based on the assessed value of the property owned (ad valorem tax)
- Types of taxes - state/city/school district/counties/townships

- Most states exempt certtain real estate from taxation and local jurisdictions often provide tax abatements for certain industries

Property taxes are based on ASSESSED VALUE of the property. Not its true market value.
Assessed value is often fixed fraction of market value

Eg: Residential - 11.5%; Non-Profit - 12%; Commercial - 25%; Vacant Land 12%
Farm land is assessed based on its use value

Levying property taxes
Tax process begins with adoption of a budget. After budget is approved, an appropriation is passed to authorize the expenditure. Tax Levy is formal action taken to impose the tax.

Tax Rate is calculated by dividing the total funds needed by the taxing authority by the total assessed value of taxable properties in the district.

A mill is 1/1000 of a dollar or 0.001

EG: Budget estimates it needs 85,103,450 in property tax revenues.
Estimated assessed value of property in city was 2,673,854,934

Resulting tax rate is 85,103,450/2,673,854,934 = 3.1828%
Resulting mill rate is 0.031828 x 1000 = 31.828 mills

You owned a 125,000 house. Assessed value is 11.5% of actual value = 14,375

Tax bill is
State - Assessed value 14,375 Mill rate 20.000 Taxes Due 287.50
USD Mill rate 36.850 Taxes Due 529.72
City Mill rate 32.142 Taxes Due 462.04
County Mill rate 29.868 Taxes Due 429.35
State Mill rate 1.500 Taxes Due 21.56
Total $1730.17

If you owned a commercial building worth 2.35 million
Assessed value 587,500 Tax bill 70,711.50

Special Assessements
Infrastructure improvements (streets, sewers, sidewalks, etc) in new developments and existing neighborhoods are financed using special assessements

City pays for improvements using general obligation bond
Princial and interest payments on the bond are asessed to the property owner on the tax bill

Pros - property owner gets to borrow at city's financing rate
Cons - City assumes default risk


Urban Planning & Comprehensive General Plan
Urban planning is necessary to ensure that required public services are available for urban growth as it occurs.

Comprehensive Plan is used as a guide when making specific land-use and other urban policy decisions. It presents a vision for what the community will look like in coming decades.

Comprehensive plan should be used to anticipate and prepare for growth and the infrastructure needs that will come with that growth.

Comprehensive Plan projects
- Population & Employment
- Land use requirements
- Housing needs
- Community facilities & utilities
- Transportation needs

ZONING CODES
Zoning ordinances are local laws that divide land in the jurisdiction into zones each with its own restrictions on the type of permitte use and the maximum intensity of that use

RE: Legal Property Descriptions

A proper description of real estate is essential for legal documents relating to real estate.

A LEGALLY SUFFICIENT description is one that would: Allow a competent surveyor to define the exact boundaries of the property. An address is insufficient.

Three methods are typically used to legally describle real estate
- Metes & Bounds Descriptions
- Rectangular survey system
- Recorded plat system

METES & BOUNDS DESCRIPTION
Property is described by starting at a designated place on the parcel - the Point of Beginning (POB). It proceeds around the property's boundaries following the description given. The description MUST always end at the POB.


METES: Distances used in the description
BOUNDS: Directions of the boundaries that enclose the land
MONUMENTS: Identifying landmarks

RECTANGULAR SURVEY SYSTEM
Created after the revolutionary war. System is based on two sets of intersecting lines
Principal Meridians run North & South
Base Lines run East & West

Each principal meridian is its own base line
- Both principal meridians and base lines are located by reference to degrees of longitude and latitude

- Each area is assigned to a particular meridian and base line.

Township lines are SIX miles apart - running EAST & WEST
- Define strips of land called township tiers
- Township tiers are designated by consecutive numbers north or south of base line

Range Lines are SIX miles apart running NORTH & SOUTH
- Define strips of land called ranges which are designated by consecutive numbers east and west of the principal meridian

Township Squares: Are 36 SQ Mile squares formed by intersections of the township lines and range lines.

Sections - Each township square is divided up into 36 sq mile sections

Subdivision of a section - Each section is divided into halves (320 acres) and quarters (160 acres)
- In turn, each of these parts is further divided into halves and quarters. Each is defined in relation to its position in the section.

1 Section = 1 SQ Mile
1 SQ mile = 640 Acres
43,560 SF = 1 Acre
66'x 660' = 43,560 SQ Ft

One Chain = 66 Feet
One rod = 4 Chains = 264 Feet
One furlong = 660 Feet = 10 Chains
One Acre = 1 Chain x 10 Chains = 66 Feet x 660 Feet = 43,560 SQ Feet

Correction Lines:
The curvature of Earth means that range lines are not strictly parallel. Few townships are exactly six miles square.

To adjust for this, every FIFTH township line (both north and south of the base line) are termed CORRECTION LINES

On each correction line, the range lines are measured to the full distance of six miles apart. Thus the correction lines are exactly 30 miles apart from each other at each point in line.

Similarly every FIFTH range line is a guide meridian. Thus the guide meridians are exactly 30 miles apart from each other.

30 Mile square area bounded by two guide meridians and two correction lines is called a GOVERNMENT CHECK

RECORDED PLAT SYSTEM
Under recorded plat system a subdivision plat is prepared by a licensed surveyor or engineer

The plat divides the land into numbered or lettered lots and blocks.

Other characteristics of the area are outlined in the platting documents - eg streets, easements etc

Legal description then refers to the plat records:
LOT & BLOCK NUMBER
NAME or NUMBER of subdivision plat
Name of county & state

MEASURING ELEVATIONS
Elevations can also be part of legal property descriptions.
DATUM is a point line or surface from which elevations are measured or indicated

REIT - IRR

Real estate investments can generally be put into three classes: Core, Value-added, or
Opportunistic.

Core investments are safe, stabilized properties that generally produce steady
income streams and have low risk.
For core assets, investors generally seek an internal rate of
return (IRR) of between 8 percent and 12 percent.

Core-plus or value-added properties generally
require direct equity participation and operational expertise. This may include renovating or
repositioning a property to create a stable cash flow that generates property appreciation.

The IRR target for value-added properties is 12 percent to 16 percent. Opportunistic investments generally involve a major capital injection into a failing property and are furthest along in the risk spectrum
.
For opportunistic deals, the IRR goal is 20 percent or higher.

Simple Underwriting for Commercial Loans

Multi Family

Total potential income for all units, including rent, laundry, pet fees etc.
Number of units
Deduct 5% or actual vacancy or actual vacancy
EGI or Effective Gross Income
Deduct 5% or market cost from EGI for management fees
Deduct total of all expenses. Property taxes, insurance, maintenance, labor, legal/accounting etc.
Deduct $270 per unit per year for reserves
Result is NOI or net operating income
Enter the DSCR required Debt Service Coverage Ratio.
Divide the NOI by the DSCR for the maximum amount available to pay the mortgage.

Commercial

Total potential income for all commercial space, including common area reimbursements, percentage rents, property tax reimbursement etc.
Total gross interior square feet
Deduct 5% or actual vacancy or actual vacancy
EGI or Effective Gross Income
Deduct 5% or market cost from EGI for management fees
Deduct total of all expenses. Property taxes, insurance, maintenance, labor, legal/accounting etc.
Deduct $0.20 per square foot for reserves
Deduct $0.90 per square foot for Tenant Improvements and Leasing costs
Result is NOI or net operating income
Enter the DSCR required Debt Service Coverage Ratio.
Divide the NOI by the DSCR for the maximum amount available to pay the mortgage.

Commercial vs. Residential Mortgages

There is one fundamental difference between commercial and residential mortgages.

With commercial mortgages it is primarily the building and the cash flow it produces that qualifies the mortgage for funding not the borrower.

Commercial lenders originating long term commercial mortgages, as against short term hard money mortgages, are very concerned about the following:

	What is the net operating income of the property (NOI)?
	What is the debt service coverage? (DSC.)
	What is the occupancy rate of the property?
	How long are the leases?
	Who are the tenants?

Lets look at each of these in turn.

Net Operating Income (NOI)

This is the income produced by the property excluding interest payments, capital repayments and depreciation.

Debt Service Coverage (DSC)

What is the ratio by which the NOI exceeds the Principal and Interest payment.
If the NOI is $130,000 per year and the P and I is $100,000 per year, the DSC is 1.3 (130,000/100,000).

Lenders look for a DSC usually around 1.25 but it could range from 1.00 to 1.40. The lower number can occur when there is a triple-net leased property to a very financially strong tenant, like a Walgreens, where 100% of the income goes to service the loan.

Occupancy rate

Even if the property is 100% occupied, lenders will allow a notional vacancy factor of 5% or more. Some lenders refuse to lend on properties below a certain occupancy factor, like 70% for instance.

Lease terms

The longer the leases, other things being equal, the more financiable is the property.

The tenants

It doesn't take a genius to figure out why Microsoft or Bank of America is a stronger and more "bankable" tenant than Joe's Pizza Place.

How are buildings classified?

Office buildings can be classified by a combination of factors, the foremost being size, amenities and surroundings.

Class “A” Office Buildings

An ideal size for Class “A” office buildings is approximately 150,000 square feet, but they can be as small as 120,000 square feet. This square footage can be within one building or a group of buildings under joint ownership. Class “A” buildings should have the capacity to provide a reliable business environment. This means that they should be large enough to afford a full-time property manager, a full-time maintenance person, and a full-time cleaning person or building steward.
In Atlanta, Class “A” buildings always have covered parking.
Construction is also a major defining point in the classification of buildings. A tenant typically wants a “state of the art” building.In defining a Class “A” building, we must also look at the surroundings of that building. It must be located in a clean and protected environment; if the surrounding neighborhood is undesirable, the building can not be rated Class “A”. Amenities also play a large role in defining a building; parking is a critical element. Inadequate parking can kill a building. Quality and quantity of convenient amenities (banks, hotels, sandwich shops, restaurants and health clubs) serve to differentiate the higher Class “A” buildings from the lower Class “A” buildings.

Class “B” Office Buildings

Class “B” office buildings are very similar to Class “A” buildings. Usually, the only characteristic that differentiates a Class “B” building from a Class “A” building is the absence of covered parking.

Class “C” Office Buildings

Class “C” typically lack the size, quality or location to qualify as Class “A” or “B”

Non-Classified Buildings

There is a market for smaller office facilities in the 1,500 to 5,000 sq.ft. range. Where these buildings can function as office facilities, they are not office buildings. These buildings can never guarantee a good long term, hastle free, office environment for the office user.