Christmas morning 1990. 
A younger me was unwrapping gifts in my mind, while shaking and prodding them under the tree.
One of the addressed boxes was too small to be lego (hopefully) and too big to be money.
It was quite heavy and solid.
Were my parents playing a joke, was it a rock or dirt or maybe a gluestick?
Unwrapping time was finally here, and I peeled back the paper (purposely ripping it so mum couldn’t reuse it) and this small box opened upward, revealing a heavy bright red object with a cross on it.
A Swiss Army Knife!
The stuff of dreams for a 12-year-old boy. I was now prepared for whatever life could throw at me!
Swiss Army Knives are not the biggest, not the fanciest, not the sharpest, not the smallest and not the prettiest.
Crocodile Dundee didn’t pull one out on the streets of New York.
They are not usually the first thing you think of if someone says the word, Knife.
But they are super practical, always resourceful, efficiently packaged and well designed. They are used by a range of people in a myriad of situations on this planet and beyond. (yes, the astronauts have been known to use them in space)
They are the unsung heroes of the knife world, providing versatility when you need it most.
And I think industrial sheds are the Swiss Army Knife of the property market.
In the past 20 years Industrial sheds have moved from being metal sheds for mechanics and manufacturing, to so much more. Now, they are sought after and desired by a large range of businesses and personal buyers.
The word shed probably needs to be ‘redefined’. These concrete buildings are not flimsy in any way and provide good insulation from heat and sound. Security is good too as your walls are concrete!
As land lots have become smaller, tradies have moved from a shed in the back yard to their own tiltslab office, out of the home environment. Industrial Sheds provide a clean, safe and workable area for them to store goods and make noise. This man cave has been super popular.
The aftermath of the Corona Virus Event, has meant some readjustment in the property market, due to adjustments in behaviours in the economic markets. More businesses went online or increased their online presence, and this meant their physical retail presence could decrease.
Office space too, has copped a hit, as more people ‘hot desk’ and offices downsize or divest from the CBD. Many businesses have gone back to a regional model with smaller local hubs rather than one big central office.
Both of these actions have compounded the uptake of industrial sheds in just about all locations, especially regional and non-CBD sites.
Think about it, if you do not need retail space or CBD office, then industrial sheds are great options.
You get more bang for your buck (lower per square meter rates) and much more versatility. The zoning is more open to a variety of uses and you generally have wider streets and better parking then retail or CBD sites. The front of the building has large areas for signage, if your visitors want to come see you, they will not miss you.
A Blank Canvas
With such a blank canvass the industrial shed is now a better rentable option in the commercial space, than many other property types. The usual conditions of location and conditions still apply to your research, however.
If you want to know just how far the design of industrial sheds have come, then check out this video of one of our sites near Newcastle in NSW.
3D walk-through of Industrial Sheds at Beresfield
As you can see, the design considers the aspect from the road, the usability and functionality of the site. It looks pretty decent too. Nothing like the shed in my back yard!
Swiss army knives don’t excite me as much anymore; Industrial Property opportunities do.
Many businesses are now looking hard at basing themselves from industrial parks due to all the reasons above, and I am sure the fact you can have big office parties out the back on a Friday has something to do with it!
So, with business at the front, and party at the back, Industrial Sheds can be likened to a Property Mullet.
But Swiss Army Knife sounds better!
If you want more information about buying property, need help at auction or our buyers agency service, then contact us here or call now on 1 300 66 77 89.
Since 2004, Scotty North has been helping people buy the best properties for their needs at prices that simply speak for themselves.
Scotty has been instrumental in bridging the gap between financial planning and traditional real estate transactions through his property advice model.
Scotty North is a Qualified Property Investment Advisor (QPIA), with accreditation’s in financial planning, mortgage broking and real estate.
By carefully considering his clients’ goals and planning for market changes via demographics and trends, Scotty designs a future proof outcome not only specific to the client’s needs but dynamic in its execution with performance indicators and exit strategies built in.