Offices a more stable commercial investment than retail

Many investors just simply fall in love with retail property. This is probably because of familiarity — as it tends to influence so much of our daily lives.

Therefore, after investing in residential property for a while, you find people will gravitate naturally towards retail properly.

To them, it seems to be the next logical step. But is that actually the case?

Let's talk about the weather!

Surely, that only affects rural property — doesn't it? Well, just ask struggling retailers, and they'll tell you otherwise.

You see, in the run up to summer clothing retailers will be holding their breath. Any onset of wet weather will greatly affect the sale of thongs, board shorts and bikinis. And Coca-Cola blamed the fall in its soft-drink sales upon last summer's heavy rains.

Interestingly though, rain also tends to drive people indoors to regional shopping centres — but mostly to browse and eat, rather than buy specialty items.

Cinemas will also benefit from poor weather conditions, whereas, tourist and outdoor entertainment operators find the going tough.

What about interest rates?

The residential sector will always suffer first (and the most), whenever interest rates are on the rise. But as people need to spend more on their mortgage payments, they have less to spend on discretionary retail items. This is particularly when they also decided to boost their savings to near-record levels.

In this rising interest-rate sequence, industrial property will tend to follow retail — and begin to slow about six to nine months afterwards.

This is because Australia's industrial property is predominantly occupied by "distributors", rather than manufacturers. And these distributors are mainly supplying those struggling retailers.

So that only leaves offices!

According to an 80-year study by BIS Shrapnel, there appears to be little or no correlation between rising interest rates and the office sector.

Therefore, the rise and fall for offices is dictated by the prevailing supply and demand within the sector. And traditionally, that has tended to span a 16- to 18-year cycle.

Bottom Line: If you understand how to read the signs and can anticipate the cycles, you need not be caught out.

But clearly, the retail sector is delicately poised at the moment, whereas, offices are currently heading along a predictable upward path.