When you are renting out a property, try to be prepared for a vacancy. Having a vacancy in one of your properties can cost you a lot of money. If you have a vacancy, try to fill it as fast as possible. You should always remember that you may need to have some money set aside in case of a vacancy because you will probably experience one at some time.

In order to secure the very best available terms for escrow on a real estate deal, the escrow arrangements should be reviewed by a professional with experience in the field. A real estate agent, financier or investment professional can examine the paperwork in detail, and let a buyer or a seller know if they are being taken advantage of.

You should always consult an expert if you are interested in buying large amounts of real estate. There are many people out there that try to make plans to do large real estate deals alone and they inevitably fail. Have someone in your corner that knows what they are doing.

Build a network within the world of real estate. If you know other investors, contractors or private lenders, you have more chances of finding a good deal. A lot of commercial properties are sold between individuals without even being listed. Make the right friends in the right places to find good opportunities.

If you are thinking of selling off a large parcel of commercial real estate you might want to think about breaking it up into smaller pieces. Often smaller plots sell at higher prices per square foot. Also, offering smaller, more manageable pieces of real estate may expand the pool of potential buyers for your property.

Learn to be adaptable in your search for good commercial real estate deals. Look through many sources to find what you need such as online classified ads and hire bird dogs to help you spot the best deals. Bird dogs are great finding you proper deals. Make sure to wait around for the deal that's right for you.

If you know how to approach commercial real estate, you can have success. Remember the tips you have just learned and apply them. You don't want to stop here though. You want to continuously expand your brain with knowledge that you can use and apply. The more experience you gain, the more likely you will become successful.

Gene Phillips has served as the Oklahoma State president for the American Society of Civil Engineers, co-chairs the School of Civil Engineering & Environmental Science Visiting Council at the University of Oklahoma and serves on the Executive Committee for the OU College of Engineering Board of Visitors. He also serves on the NAIOP board and the board for the University of Oklahoma K20 Research Foundation.