These six are behemoths when it comes to transportation. All have revenues greater than $2.5 Billion per year and hold at least $4 Billion in fixed assets. The key to this investment is the asset allocation model.
The transportation sector of the United States economy is composed of nine industrial groups. One particular group moves more volume of tonnage based on ton miles than any other form of transportation – Railroads. In accordance with the Federal Department of Transportation, railroads move 39.5% of all freight in the US (based on ton miles which is the length freight travels).
There is one unique financial characteristic that is synonymous with the hospitality industry; that is high fixed costs. Or another way of stating the same financial attribute is to simply state that the hospitality industry has low variable costs.
Real estate syndication is how apartment or office complexes are financed? A typical complex will have 80 to 100 units and the cost of construction will approximate $7,000,000. Where does this money come from? Your average person will think it is financed by a mortgage of some sort. Well, this is partially true, but mortgage companies will not finance 100% of the cost of construction. More like 75% maximum financing is used in constructing complexes. The balance has to come from private money.
This is where the value of real estate syndication comes into play. The arrangement is usually a two tier relationship whereby an operating partnership is created that actually owns and operates the asset (the complex). The second tier is a silent partner in the operating partnership. The following sections explain these two tiers in more detail.
Real Estate Investment Trusts are corporations, trusts or associations that act as agencies in real estate and associated mortgages. This is a specialized tax segment and it requires recognition by the Internal Revenue Service to operate as a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT). In general, the REIT pays little to no income taxes and acts very similar to a pass-through entity for tax purposes. All REITs must comply with Code Section 856 which addresses compliance for this privileged tax advantage. Typically, REITs file Form 1120-REIT for tax purposes.
A secondary advantage for REIT status is the ability to raise capital via syndication. Section 856(a) and (b) require a minimum of 100 shareholders or owners of interest in the business entity. This allows for a more advantageous management situation by having a more formal elected board of trustees or directors. In addition, it allows for greater ease of transfer of ownership with the respective investors.
To fully appreciate the Real Estate Investment Trust, you should become acquainted with the history behind REITs. From there, there are unique advantages associated with REITs and an investment in one. As with all business situations, there are some disadvantages and you should be aware of them. The following sections cover these three topics and I’ll finish off with my own conclusion.
The hotel business has one tenet that stands above all other hospitality based business standards. Get heads on beds. Why does this one business standard have so much more value than any other? Well, it is simple, the fixed cost of operations for hotels are over 70% of all costs. Therefore any additional guest sleeping in one of the rooms adds significantly to the potential profit of the hotel.
In the hospitality industry, there is one financial tenet that takes precedence over any other business perspective. In this industry, it is about putting the maximum number of dollars (ABSOLUTE DOLLARS) in the register after each day. One of the most misunderstood business dynamics of this industry is the higher than average fixed cost to run the company.
