Retail ''one of the safest areas for small investors'' - commercial mortgages

19 March 2008

Retail is "probably one of the safest areas" for smaller investors to buy in the current financial climate, it has been suggested, in news which may be of interest to those looking for commercial mortgages.

Tom Entwistle, editor of Landlordzone.co.uk, said that retail may still hold some opportunities for investment.

At the same time, he advised these investors to do their research ahead of time and "be very careful" when choosing an area to purchase retail space.

Mr Entwistle explained that the market for office space may be affected by a trend for people to work from home, which means there could be less demand in this area.

However, he added that there are certain areas in which office space will always be a necessity, stating: "We will always need offices, especially the big ones in the cities".

In the past two decades, commercial property has performed well, with negative returns seen in only three years, according to 2005 statistics from the Investment Property Databank.