Executive summary

Not all commercial real estate is created equal and the sector you choose matters just as much as the deal itself. This reference guide is a companion to The AAA Storage Podcast's three-part master class on commercial real estate, developed with veteran CRE investor Paul Bennett. It maps seven asset classes across five critical investment factors: cap rates, primary demand drivers, liquidity and hold period, key risks, and investment grade characteristics. The goal isn't simply to show what returns look like on paper — it's to help you understand why they look that way, and whether a sector's embedded risk profile actually fits your return objectives and portfolio strategy. A higher return doesn't always mean a better deal. It means a different risk. Before you invest, know what you're getting into.

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