SAN DIEGO—One of the primary advantages of acquiring small existing buildings as opposed to developing them is cost, RAF Pacifica's founder and principal Adam Robinson tells GlobeSt.com. The firm has been actively acquiring small industrial properties throughout San Diego County, including most recently, La Costa Meadows, a 31,246-square-foot industrial building in San Marcos for $3.75 million and a 20,586-square-foot warehouse in Oceanside for $2.2 million. We spoke with Robinson about why this strategy works and the opportunities it is targeting.
GlobeSt.com: What are the advantages of pursuing smaller office and industrial product, and why now?
Robinson: One of the primary advantages of acquiring small, existing buildings (as opposed to developing them) is cost. Because of the new storm-water, greenhouse-gas and Title 24 regulations, which require new developments to implement storm-water and energy-efficient measures, it is often very expensive to develop a small building. By acquiring existing assets well-below replacement cost, we can implement strategic capital improvements, complete aggressive lease-ups and hold these small assets within a large, cash-flowing portfolio that delivers strong long-term value.
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Carrie Rossenfeld
Carrie Rossenfeld is a reporter for the San Diego and Orange County markets on GlobeSt.com and a contributor to Real Estate Forum. She was a trade-magazine and newsletter editor in New York City before moving to Southern California to become a freelance writer and editor for magazines, books and websites. Rossenfeld has written extensively on topics including commercial real estate, running a medical practice, intellectual-property licensing and giftware. She has edited books about profiting from real estate and has ghostwritten a book about starting a home-based business.
