Where are businesses for sale with real estate listed?

Some business listings include the property, but many such sales are listed as commercial real estate instead: hotels and motels, mixed-use and retail buildings with a business operating in them. Search both, and ask a broker about businesses whose owners would sell the property too.

Does owning the building make a business worth more?

It makes the total price higher, not the business worth more. A buyer should pay for the business on its earnings and for the property on its value; owning it removes the lease risk, which can make the business easier to finance and to sell later.

Buying a Business With the Real Estate

Some businesses sell with the property they operate from: gas stations, car washes, hotels and motels, auto shops, daycares, restaurants in their own building. Owning the real estate removes the lease risk, but it changes the price, the financing and the diligence.

Reviewed by Tyson E. Sam, Founder and Broker of Record, BreakThru Realty, Florida License 3565210

Two Things, Two Values

The business is valued on its earnings and the property on its own merits, by a commercial appraisal: what it would sell or lease for to another user. Ask the seller to split the price between them. A price that only works if the property is overvalued, or if the business pays itself a below-market rent, is a warning.

Financing Both

SBA loans can finance a business purchase together with its real estate, and loans that include real estate usually allow a longer repayment term than a business-only loan. Lenders will order a business valuation and a commercial appraisal and want both to support the price. Talk to a lender before you sign a letter of intent.

Environmental Review

Properties with fuel, solvents or chemicals (gas stations, auto shops, dry cleaners, car washes) need an environmental site assessment before a lender will close, and sometimes more testing after it. Budget the time and the cost, and make a clean report a condition of the purchase.

Buy the Property or Lease It

Sometimes the seller will sell the business and keep the building, leasing it to you. A long lease at market rent with options can cost less cash at closing; buying gives you control and the equity. Compare the two on total cost over the loan term, and make sure any lease from the seller is at market rent so a lender accepts it.

Zoning and Use

Confirm the zoning permits the current use and anything you plan to add, and whether the use is grandfathered: some special uses lose their status if the business closes for a period. A municipal zoning letter answers this before you commit.

Talk to a Business Broker

A licensed BreakThru Realty business broker can read the lease, the financials and the listing with you before you make an offer. Call or text (786) 914-1017.

Questions Buyers Ask

Where are businesses for sale with real estate listed?: Some business listings include the property, but many such sales are listed as commercial real estate instead: hotels and motels, mixed-use and retail buildings with a business operating in them. Search both, and ask a broker about businesses whose owners would sell the property too.
Does owning the building make a business worth more?: It makes the total price higher, not the business worth more. A buyer should pay for the business on its earnings and for the property on its value; owning it removes the lease risk, which can make the business easier to finance and to sell later.