The Commercial Property Podcast

Episode 99 – Buy Some Commercial Property Problems. Run a Mile From Others!
Some of the best commercial property investments have problems. But buy the wrong problem, and it could cost you a fortune.
Perhaps you've spotted a commercial property that's been sitting on the market for months. The rent is low, the building needs work or the tenant situation looks complicated.
Is that a fantastic investment opportunity that everyone else has overlooked? Or is there a very good reason nobody wants to buy it?
Knowing the difference is one of the most important skills you can develop as a commercial property investor.
In this episode of The Commercial Property Podcast, I explain why I actively look for properties with problems — but only the right sort of problems!
An under-rented building, a short lease, poor management or an opportunity to subdivide might be something we can solve, creating value in the process.
But what if the real problem isn't the building at all?
What if there's simply no tenant demand, the local economy is declining or the property is becoming obsolete?
You can often solve a problem with a building. But you probably can't solve a problem with the market in which it sits.
Drawing on over 30 years in commercial property, I'll share how I distinguish opportunities from expensive mistakes, the questions I ask before investing and why a cheap property isn't necessarily a good deal.
In This Episode, You'll Discover:
The problems I love buying. How under-rented properties, short leases, vacant units and poor asset management can create opportunities to add value.

The problems I'd run a mile from. Why declining occupational demand, structural oversupply and changing market fundamentals can be much harder to overcome.

Why cheap doesn't mean good value. How to distinguish a motivated seller and an attractive price from a genuinely sound commercial property investment.

Can you actually solve the problem? Why cost, timescale, control and the ability to deliver your strategy matter.

Will the market reward you? How to research tenant demand, rental values and future saleability before spending money improving a building.

The importance of having more than one exit. Why you should consider what happens if your original plan doesn't work.

And I'll share three questions I think every investor should ask before buying a commercial property with problems:
Can I actually solve this problem?

Can I solve it at a sensible cost and within a sensible timeframe?

Will the occupational and investment markets reward me for solving it?

Because the best opportunities aren't necessarily the prettiest buildings or the cheapest properties.
They're often properties with problems we can solve, in markets where the underlying demand is fundamentally sound.
Want to Find Better Commercial Property Opportunities?
Perhaps you're an experienced residential investor who understands property but isn't yet confident about what makes a good commercial deal.
Maybe you're a successful professional or business owner with capital to invest, but you're worried about making an expensive mistake in a market you don't fully understand.
Or perhaps you're already investing in commercial property and want to become better at recognising opportunities others miss.
You don't need to buy more properties. You need to know how to buy the right ones.
That's exactly what I help investors do through The Commercial Property Academy and my commercial property mentoring programmes.
From understanding tenant demand and choosing your niche to analysing leases, identifying value-add opportunities and assessing risk, I help you develop the knowledge and judgement to make better investment decisions.
 Visit www.suzicarter.com to discover how I can help you find and assess commercial property opportunities with greater confidence.
 Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to The Commercial Property Podcast, leave a review and share it with another investor who might be looking at a property with problems right now.

Episode 98 – Want to Park Your Money in Commercial Property? Here's What I'd Buy
You've worked hard to build your wealth. But how do you make that money work for you without creating another full-time job?
Perhaps you've built a successful business and have capital sitting in the bank. Maybe you're tired of the demands of residential property investing. Or perhaps you already own commercial property, but you're at a stage where you'd rather enjoy the income than take on another refurbishment or asset management project.
You want your money to work harder. You want more choice over how you spend your time. But you also don't want to make an expensive mistake with capital you've spent years building.
So, is commercial property a good place to park your money? And if it is, what would I actually buy?
In this episode of The Commercial Property Podcast, I explore how I approach buying commercial property for long-term rental income rather than actively creating value.
Because there's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting a relatively hands-off investment. But passive doesn't mean risk-free.
A long lease, a well-known tenant and an attractive yield might look reassuring on paper. But what happens if the tenant leaves? Is the rent sustainable? Will another business want the building in 10 or 15 years? And what happens if commercial property values fall?
Drawing on over 30 years in commercial property and my own investing experience, I'll explain what I'd look for, what would make me nervous and the questions I'd ask before committing my money.
In This Episode, You'll Discover:
Income or value creation? Why the right commercial property investment depends on what you actually want your money — and your life — to look like.

What I'd buy for relatively passive income. The importance of good locations, strong tenants, sensible lease lengths and sustainable rents.

Why a high yield doesn't automatically mean a good deal. How to assess the return against the risks you're taking.

The tenant test. Why a strong covenant isn't enough if the building itself has limited future demand.

Will anybody want your property in 15 years? How technology, AI, changing business needs and occupational demand could affect your investment.

What happens if your tenant leaves tomorrow? The questions I'd ask about reletting, costs, market rents and alternative occupiers.

Borrowing, diversification and exit strategies. How to protect your capital, manage risk and retain options if circumstances change.

And I'll share one of my favourite tests for a long-term commercial property investment:
If the lease expired, the tenant handed back the keys and you were left with an empty building, would you still want to own it?
It's a question every commercial property investor should be able to answer.
Want to Make Your Money Work Harder Through Commercial Property?
You might have the capital to invest but feel uncertain about what to buy, where to look or how to judge whether a property is genuinely a good investment.
And when it's your own hard-earned money at stake, getting it wrong isn't something you want to contemplate.
That's where I can help.
At www.suzicarter.com, you'll find my commercial property training and mentoring programmes, designed to help you develop the knowledge, confidence and judgement to make better investment decisions.
Whether you're moving from residential into commercial property, investing alongside a demanding career or looking to improve an existing portfolio, the aim is the same: to build a property portfolio that supports the life you actually want to live.
 Visit www.suzicarter.com to explore how I can help you become a more confident commercial property investor.
 Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to The Commercial Property Podcast, leave a review and share it with someone who's worked hard to build their wealth and now wants to make that money work harder for them

Episode 97 – What REALLY Drives Property Performance? With Max Scott
What actually makes one property investment perform brilliantly over the long term while another struggles?
It isn't simply about buying at the right price or finding the highest yield.
In this episode of The Commercial Property Podcast, Suzi Carter is joined by award-winning property investor Max Scott to explore the forces that really drive long-term property performance — and how understanding them can help investors make better decisions.
Max has completed more than £120 million of property deals, investing across commercial property, mixed-use, residential, HMOs, blocks of flats and new-build developments in the South East of England and Dublin.
Drawing on that experience, Max shares his framework for understanding the five forces that influence property performance, together with real-world examples of commercial property deals, different approaches to property finance and the lessons he's learned from building and reviewing investment portfolios.
Suzi and Max also discuss the importance of looking beyond an individual deal and understanding the long-term trends shaping property markets.
Because a property that looks good on a spreadsheet today still needs to perform tomorrow.
The conversation also explores supported living property investment, portfolio strategy and why successful investors need to keep reviewing whether the properties they own are still delivering against their original objectives.
In This Episode, We Explore:
📌 The Five Forces That Drive Property Performance
The fundamental factors Max believes influence property values, demand and long-term investment performance.
📌 Real Commercial Property Deals
Practical examples from Max's own commercial property investments and some of the lessons he's learned along the way.
📌 Commercial Property Finance and Funding Strategies
Different ways property deals can be financed and why the funding structure can materially affect investment returns.
📌 Long-Term Property Trends
How understanding wider economic, demographic and property-market trends can help investors make better-informed decisions.
📌 Supported Living as a Property Investment Strategy
Max's experience of supported living, together with some of the opportunities and considerations investors need to understand.
📌 Why Your Portfolio Needs Reviewing
Why buying a good property isn't the end of the investment decision — and why investors should regularly question whether an asset still deserves its place in their portfolio.
📌 Income, Returns and Building a Portfolio With Purpose
Why your investment strategy should ultimately reflect what you want your property portfolio to achieve for you.
What Really Drives Long-Term Property Investment Performance?
One of the big themes running through this conversation is the importance of looking beyond the deal immediately in front of you.
What's happening to demand?
What are the longer-term trends?
How are you financing the property?
What could affect its future performance?
And does the investment still fit the objectives you originally bought it to achieve?
Whether you're considering your first commercial property investment, building a wider property portfolio or reviewing properties you already own, this episode will encourage you to step back from the individual deal and think about the bigger forces influencing your investment decisions.
🎧 Listen to Episode 97 of The Commercial Property Podcast: Why Some Properties Perform – And Others Don't: With Max Scott.
Want to Build Your Own Commercial Property Portfolio?
If this conversation has got you thinking about commercial property and you'd like help turning that interest into a clear investment strategy, Suzi can help.
Whether you're an experienced residential investor considering commercial property, a busy professional with capital to invest, or a business owner looking to build wealth through commercial property, the starting point is understanding what to buy, where to buy it, how to analyse it and how to recognise opportunities to create value.
At www.suzicarter.com, you'll find details of Suzi's commercial property training and mentoring, including the Commercial Property Academy, where investors learn how to understand occupational demand, choose their niche, source opportunities, analyse tenants and leases, assess deals, understand risk and identify opportunities to create value.
👉 Visit www.suzicarter.com to explore the different ways you can work with Suzi.
And if you'd like to discuss your own commercial property ambitions with Suzi and her team, get in touch through www.suzicarter.com and tell us a little about where you are now and what you're hoping to achieve.
🎧 Subscribe to The Commercial Property Podcast so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed this conversation, please leave a review and share it with another property investor who would find it useful.
Connect With Max Scott
Max Scott is an award-winning property investor who has completed more than £120 million of property deals.
Primarily investing across the South East of England and Dublin, Max has acquired and invested in single lets, blocks of flats, HMOs, commercial property, mixed-use property and new-build developments.
Max predominantly works with individuals and businesses with at least £500,000 available to invest, helping them build property portfolios designed to generate returns and passive income.
🌐 maxscottproperty.com
✉️ max@maxscottproperty.com

Episode 96 – If I Had £100k and a Full-Time Job, Here's What I'd Do to Invest in Commercial Property
You've got £100,000 to invest, a demanding full-time job and an interest in commercial property. What should you actually do first?
Suzi understands that position from firsthand experience — because only 11 years ago, she was there herself.
She had a demanding corporate career, a young family and very little spare time, but she knew she wanted to build something that would eventually give her more financial freedom, more control over her time and more choice over how she lived her life.
But this episode isn't about what Suzi did back then.
It's what she would do NOW if she were back in that position, knowing everything she's learned since and having built a property portfolio of her own.
And here's a clue: she wouldn't start by scrolling through commercial property listings looking for somewhere to spend the £100k!
Instead, she'd start by asking a much more important question:
What do I actually want my money to do for me?
Do you want to actively asset manage commercial property, solve problems, create value, refinance, recycle your capital and go again?
Or have you already worked hard to create capital through your career and simply want to park some of it into good-quality commercial property that can produce sustainable income?
Those two objectives could lead you towards very different investments.
Suzi also explains why knowledge is the key that unlocks the commercial property world. Once you understand the fundamentals, something that initially feels overwhelming can start to feel surprisingly doable.
And if time is your scarcest resource, you need leverage too.
With the right systems, technology, AI, a VA and a strong professional team, you don't need to spend every evening trawling property portals.
Leverage your time. Don't outsource your judgement.
In This Episode, You'll Discover:
What Suzi would do today with £100k, a full-time career and limited spare time

How to decide between creating value and recycling capital or investing for more passive income

What to look for in a commercial property if sustainable income and security are your priorities

Why gaining the right commercial property knowledge should come before rushing to buy

How choosing a niche can make finding opportunities far more manageable

Why understanding occupational demand is fundamental to making better investment decisions

How VAs, AI, systems and technology can help busy professionals leverage their time

Why building the right professional power team matters

How analysing lots of real deals develops the pattern recognition needed to spot opportunities

Why having £100k available doesn't mean you should be in a hurry to spend it

Ready to Take Your Next Step?
If you're in a corporate role with capital to invest but commercial property still feels overwhelming, Suzi has been where you are.
Visit www.suzicarter.com to explore Suzi's commercial property training and mentoring, including the Commercial Property Academy, and learn how to build the knowledge and confidence to make better-informed commercial property investment decisions.
 Visit www.suzicarter.com
And if you know somebody who's doing well in their career, has built up some capital and keeps saying "I'd love to invest in commercial property, but I just don't have the time", send them this episode.
Eleven years ago, Suzi was sitting on their side of the conversation too.
 Subscribe to The Commercial Property Podcast so you never miss an episode — and if you enjoyed this one, please leave a review and share it with someone who might find it useful.

Episode 95 – Business Rates and Empty Property: Problem or Opportunity?
Would business rates put you off buying an empty commercial property?
For many investors — particularly those moving from residential into commercial property — the thought of owning a vacant building with no rent coming in AND business rates to pay can be enough to make them walk away.
But should it?
Suzi Carter certainly isn't frightened of vacant commercial property. In fact, sometimes an empty property can be exactly where the opportunity lies.
The key is understanding why the property is vacant, what it could cost you while you own it and, crucially, whether you have evidence that you can solve the problem.
In this episode of The Commercial Property Podcast, Suzi explains how business rates work on empty commercial properties in England, including Empty Property Relief, the longer relief period available to qualifying industrial properties, and some of the legitimate ways business rates may be mitigated.
She also looks at the recent Court of Appeal decision on so-called "box-shifting" business rates mitigation schemes, what it could mean for owners of vacant commercial property and why changes to rates mitigation could potentially create opportunities for informed investors.
Because if other buyers become nervous about empty properties — while existing owners face increasing holding costs — could that create less competition, more motivated sellers and better buying opportunities for investors who understand the numbers?
In this episode, you'll discover:
How business rates on empty commercial property actually work

Why most empty commercial properties receive an initial period of Empty Property Relief

Why qualifying industrial and warehouse properties can receive a longer rates-free period

Why buying a vacant property doesn't necessarily restart the Empty Property Relief clock

The importance of checking the current rateable value and business rates liability before you buy

How the April 2026 business rates revaluation affects the figures investors should be using

Legitimate circumstances where business rates may potentially be reduced or mitigated

How substantial refurbishment can affect the rating position where a property genuinely becomes incapable of occupation

What investors need to understand about charitable occupation and business rates relief

How the controversial "box-shifting" rates mitigation strategy worked

What the recent Court of Appeal decision could mean for business rates mitigation schemes

Why you shouldn't rely on a clever rates mitigation strategy to make a fundamentally poor property investment stack up

How to calculate the true cost of a commercial property void, including rates, finance, insurance, security, refurbishment and letting costs

Why understanding occupational supply and demand before you buy is one of your best protections against a prolonged void

How speaking to local commercial agents can help you establish whether genuine tenant demand exists

Why you may even be able to pre-let a vacant commercial property before you complete the purchase

How refurbishment, reconfiguration, subdivision and other asset-management strategies can turn vacancy into opportunity

Why having multiple exit strategies matters when buying vacant commercial property

How changes to business rates mitigation could potentially create motivated sellers and less competition for vacant properties

Empty Property: Risk or Opportunity?
Vacancy is a risk in commercial property — but that doesn't automatically make a vacant property a bad investment.
Sometimes the vacancy is the opportunity.
Perhaps the building needs refurbishing. Perhaps it's the wrong configuration for the local market. Perhaps it could be subdivided. Perhaps the previous landlord has been asking the wrong rent. Or perhaps there's plenty of occupational demand and the property simply hasn't been marketed effectively.
The important thing is not to guess.
Understand supply and demand, speak to local letting agents, investigate competing properties, establish realistic rents and void periods and, where possible, start looking for your tenant before you complete.
Then put the true cost of the void — including business rates — into your appraisal.
As Suzi says in this episode:
"Don't be frightened by the problem. Price the problem — and work out whether you can solve it."
Because if other investors see an empty building and a business rates bill and immediately walk away, while you've done the research and understand exactly how you're going to create value...
their problem could potentially become your opportunity.
Want to Learn How to Find and Analyse Commercial Property Opportunities?
Finding a good commercial property isn't simply about finding a high yield or buying whatever happens to be on the market.
It's about knowing what to look for, understanding the risks, analysing the occupational market and recognising problems you can profitably solve.
If you'd like to build your commercial property knowledge and learn how Suzi approaches real investment opportunities — including niching, sourcing, tenants, leases, deal analysis, asset management and creating value — visit www.suzicarter.com.
You'll find Suzi's commercial property training and mentoring, including the Commercial Property Academy, where investors can build their knowledge, analyse real deals and develop the confidence to make better-informed commercial property investment decisions.
 Visit www.suzicarter.com to take your next step.
And if you know a property investor who says "I'd never buy an empty commercial property", send them this episode.
It might just change the way they look at the next vacant building they find! 
 Subscribe to The Commercial Property Podcast so you never miss an episode.