Business and Real Estate Transactions
When a business sale involves real estate, the deal needs someone who understands both sides. We work with owners and buyers whose transactions have a real estate component, and we handle the operating business and the property together.
How These Deals Work
Business and real estate transactions require someone who understands both sides of the deal simultaneously. The value of the operating company affects how the property gets priced. The lease structure affects how the business gets financed. The ownership of the building changes what options the seller actually has.
When a business broker handles only the operating company, the real estate component gets treated as an afterthought. When a commercial real estate broker handles only the property, the business valuation and sale process fall outside their scope. Owners end up working with two firms that aren't coordinating, or getting advice from one firm that only sees half the picture.
We are a service line of First Capital Property Group / CORFAC International. We handle both disciplines in-house. For transactions where the business and the real estate overlap, we run the whole deal, which means the operating company and the asset are priced, positioned, and structured together from the start.
The result is a transaction process that accounts for everything the owner has built, not just the part that fits neatly into one category.
Common Deal Structures
Not every business-and-real-estate transaction looks the same. The structure depends on what the owner wants, what the property is worth, and what makes the business most attractive to buyers. These are the four most common deal structures we work with.
Sell the business and the real estate together.
The most straightforward option when both are going to the same buyer. We package and price them together, market the combined opportunity, and close both in a single transaction. For buyers who want to own the operation and the asset, this is the cleanest path.
Sell the business, retain the property.
The owner sells the operating business and becomes the landlord. The new owner signs a lease; the prior owner collects rent. This structure works when the property has meaningful value that the owner does not want to give up, or when the owner wants ongoing income rather than a single payout. We structure the lease terms as part of the transaction so the arrangement works for both sides.
Restructure the lease before going to market.
A bad lease is a deal killer. A lease that is too short, too expensive, or poorly structured will reduce your business's value before a buyer ever looks at it. We work with owners ahead of a sale to evaluate the existing lease, identify what needs to change, and negotiate the terms that make the business more attractive and easier to finance for a qualified buyer.
Acquire a business with real estate attached.
For buyers, acquiring a business that includes real estate adds a layer of complexity most brokers cannot navigate. We evaluate the business and the property together, help buyers understand what they are actually acquiring, and structure the transaction to reflect the full picture.
Who This Is For
These transactions come up across industries. The common thread is that the property is part of the picture.
We work regularly with restaurants and food service businesses with owned buildings, veterinary practices with the real estate, light industrial operations with a yard or warehouse, and trades businesses with shops and storage facilities. Owner-operated retail and service businesses where the owner has been paying themselves rent for years are also a consistent part of our deal flow.
Owners who lease their space have real estate considerations too. The terms of an existing lease, how much time remains, and how it's structured all affect what a buyer is willing to pay and whether they can get financing. We evaluate the lease as part of the pre-sale process and work with owners to address anything that could reduce value before going to market.
Owners who want to sell the business and retain the building have a different set of decisions to make. The lease they sign with the new owner will define their income as a landlord for years. Getting those terms right, before the business goes to market, is part of how we set clients up for the outcome they actually want. We structure that lease as part of the transaction, not as an afterthought.
If you own the building your business runs out of, or if you are acquiring a business where real estate is part of what you are buying, you need someone who understands the entire transaction. That is what we do.