5 things to think about when investing in industrial warehouses

If you're looking to make a new Gold Coast commercial property investment, warehouse facilities could be a lucrative option. What facilities should you look for in your investment, to make it the most attractive option to potential tenants?

1) Location is everything

A warehouse facility needs to be close to transport hubs and networks. Look for opportunities close to shipping, road and rail links to make it as easy as possible for potential tenants to see how their supply chain could operate effectively from your warehouse. A great location could save them time and money.

2) Provide enough space

Not only do you need to provide a large room in terms of land area, there should also be sufficient height for your tenants to store upwards and get the most of the space. Lots of customers will want to install racking, so make sure there isn't anything preventing them from going vertical.

You'll also want to think about the space you can provide for loading and transport. Vehicles will need to be parked out of the way when not in use, but also stocked up and unloaded without getting in the way of other operations or causing a health and safety issue. 

Properly integrated loading docks are a good idea if you it's something you can easily implement, especially for companies who receive shipments throughout the day.

3) Special conditions

Some products require specialist conditions, such as those that need to be refrigerated or frozen. Depending on who you think your target tenants are, you may want to work out how you could factor this into your unit if asked for. Other potential specialist requirements could include items like flowers where humidity levels are important or food where cross-contamination issues could occur.

4) It's not just storage

If your investment is catering to big and busy companies, they'll likely need to do more than just store and load from your property. Office space inside can be really helpful, if only for the operations manager to organise the warehouse from. Having some space for this, or being able to demonstrate how an office could be installed could help you win tenants. Though make sure not to take up any more important storage space than necessary.

5) Security is important

This largely depends on where your investment is situated and what's around it. However, you may want to find somewhere with adequate fencing, or have it installed before leasing to give tenants peace of mind.

For Gold Coast commercial property of all descriptions, speak to the team at Ray White Surfers Paradise.