The commercial real estate business is definitely picking up, and now may be a good time to invest. In 2004, prices of commercial real estate properties rose exponentially 26 percent for apartment complexes, 21 percent for industrial properties, 14 percent for retail properties and six percent for office buildings.

If youre thinking about investing in commercial real estate, but you dont know where to start -- read on for some guidelines.

Commercial real estate defined

The first step to buying commercial real estate property is knowing what you are buying. Commercial real estate refers to any real property, excluding a dwelling, or property with one to four dwelling units used for residential purposes. The phrase commercial real estate"" consists of (but is not limited to) properties used for industrial, commercial, medical or educational purposes, and properties with four or more units used for residential purposes.

Find help buying commercial real estate properties

Buying commercial real estate can get very tricky, if you are not well versed in the real estate business. Do no t attempt to do it by yourself seek the help of professionals who can help you through the process of finding the perfect property, taking care of the paperwork and closing the deal.

A professional commercial real estate brokers are specially trained to handle commercial real estate transactions that are very different from regular real estate deals. A professional commercial real estate broker can also inform you of prime commercial real estate that are for sale. Institutional and private investors often secretly sell off parts of their commercial property portfolios, and a commercial property broker can let you in on this insider information.