Your four options
- Keep it and lease it. Rental income in retirement, but you become a landlord, with vacancies and repairs to manage.
- Sell with the next business owner as tenant. If someone is buying or taking over your business, they sign a lease and the building sells occupied.
- Sell now, lease back short-term. Close on the building, stay as a tenant while you wind down, then move out on a set date.
- Sell vacant after you close. Simplest timeline, but empty buildings are harder to value and finance, which narrows the buyer pool.
Don't let the building become an afterthought
Owners spend years planning the business exit and months on the building. Because the property can be the larger asset, deciding its path early — while the business is still operating and paying rent — protects most of your retirement value.
How a private sale works
Share the address, building size, how it's used today, and your timeline. We make a direct offer, buy as-is, and set a closing date that fits your wind-down. No listing, no signs, no employees or customers finding out early.
Retiring from your business? Get a private offer on the building — on your timeline.
Tell us about the property and we'll follow up discreetly. No public listing, no commissions, no pressure — or text us at 202-932-7527.
Prefer to read first? Browse the selling guides
Frequently asked questions
- I'm retiring and closing my business. What do I do with the building?
- You can lease it to a new tenant and stay a landlord, sell it vacant, or sell it before you close while your business is still the tenant. A building with an operating tenant is usually easier to value and sell than an empty one.
- Should I sell the building before or after I close the business?
- Often before. While your business is still operating, you can sign a short lease that gives you time to wind down, and the buyer gets an occupied building. After you close, the property is vacant and harder to price.
- My kids are taking over the business but don't want the building. What are the options?
- Sell the property and have the business sign a lease with the new owner. Your family keeps the business, you get the real estate equity, and nobody has to take on a mortgage for the building.
- What if the building needs work?
- Direct buyers purchase as-is. Deferred maintenance is priced in rather than repaired by you before closing.
- How do I lower the tax hit when I sell?
- Options like a 1031 exchange into other property or an installment sale may apply. The right answer depends on your situation — get your CPA involved early. Our capital gains and 1031 guide covers the basics.