S4 EP 278: The Outlook for Industrial Real Estate with Joel Friedland

At the most basic level, Joel Friedland explains, industrial real estate is just made up of a bunch of boxes. You've got big boxes, small boxes, tall boxes, short boxes, and inside it's just open space.  However, after hearing Joel explain his business further, it's clear that industrial is about way more than just boxes. Joel has 40 year track record in industrial real estate. As an industrial real estate broker and owner, Joel has secured over 2,000 industrial property leases and sales. His greatest accomplishment is maintaining valued relationships spanning five decades. He explains how the industrial real estate industry has changed over the years. Decades ago, a small group of owners typically owned the assets - manufacturers and distributors who ran the business and owned the property. Today, Joel estimates that over 40% of properties are now owned by institutions. So how does he compete? First of all, he's developed a strong business model that lets him find opportunities that are generally under the radar of institutions. Rather than going after Class A assets, he focuses on Class B & C properties that may be a little older, and may not always have the curb appeal of Class A, but they bring returns that help Jeff & his team outperform the institutions. Secondly, Jeff emphasizes that the fabric of being able to grow any successful business will always come down to maintaining and building relationships. Out of over 100 deals that he's done, only 4 have come through brokers, the rest have come from strong building relationships over time. Key Takeaways: Relationships, relationships, relationships. Jeff maintains relationships with people he met over 40 years ago who have become his investors and they've invested over and over and over again. It's a relationship business Roll up your sleeves. Jeff started in the businesses going door to door looking to uncover deals, and today his son does the same thing. It's hard work but it helps start developing relationships and gives you a ground level view of what's happening in the market. Be conservative. Similar to what we're seeing in other sectors, Jeff describes a challenging market where things have gone up so much the past several years that sellers and other buyers may not have adjusted to the new realities yet. So Jeff's being conservative, getting into good deals but with a low LTV and, in some cases has even paid cash to avoid taking on too much debt. Contact Jeff: You can contact Jeff through the Brit Properties website: www.britproperties.com Are you REady2Scale Your Multifamily Investments? Learn more about growing your wealth, strengthening your portfolio, and scaling to the next level at www.bluelake-capital.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices