I will be specifically dealing with office, retail and office/warehouse buildings in this brief article.

All buildings have the same basic systems, namely: Electrical, plumbing, HVAC, structure and roofing. Which component is the most important or has the most attention of our client depends on the type of site and its intended use. Here are 3 important questions you should get answered during an inspection of a commercial property:

1.

What is the condition of the roof? This is, by far, the greatest area of concern for most buyers and rightfully so. A roof can be costly to replace and if leaks aren’t immediately and accurately attended to they can cause all kinds of expensive havoc. Knowing the true condition and then keeping it in proper repair is vital to your bottom line. In an inspection of a commercial property we not only judge the current condition of the roofing system but also determine if the standard repairs/maintenance have been done. This helps predict the expected useful life and potential problems you could be facing down the line.

2.

For retail space or office buildings, the condition of the HVAC is the next important concern. What should be considered is not only if the system is working at the time of the inspection but how old it is and if the system is adequate to the demand on it. The typical roof mounted unit has approximately 15 – 20 years of expected useful life. If the building was built in 1995 and the HVAC units are original and about 17 years old then they are near the end of their expected useful life per industry standards. This means that in the next five years you will most likely need extensive repairs or replacement of the units. That should be budgeted for.

3.

What will the site be used for? Make sure your inspector understands what you intend to do with the property. Only then can he determine if the current electrical & plumbing systems, specialty accesses, parking, etc. are up to the demand you will be putting on them.

To give you perspective, the general order of importance for commercial real estate, other than major structural aspects, is from the top down. This means the condition the roofing is usually considered the most important. Next in line is the HVAC system which is most often on the roof and exposed to the elements. Once these two areas are covered the next is to determine how the building is going to be used. This makes all the difference in the world as far as whether it has the right amount of parking, electrical and plumbing service, specialty accesses, etc.

How long the building and its systems will last, what you need to get done now and what should you expect to pay over the next five years for each aspect of the building, per industry standards, is what we answer in our unique RISK Assessment®.

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Bob Pace, Certified CREIA Inspector, General Contractor #461030
Commercial Real Estate Inspectors 800-931-2734
Go to our website at: www.commercialrealestateinspectors.com
and see examples of our RISK Assessment®.
Get results with the RISK Assessment!
Contact us today! 800-931-2734 or e-mail at info@creillc.com