Your business and your building are two different assets
A business is valued on its earnings, its customers, and how much it depends on you. A building is valued on its location, condition, and the rent it can produce. Different buyers pay for each, and they finance them differently. Many owners hold the property in its own LLC for exactly this reason.
Three ways to sell
- Sell both to one buyer. Simple on paper, but it shrinks your buyer pool to people who can afford and finance both.
- Sell them separately. The business buyer signs a lease; the building sells as a tenanted property to a real estate buyer. Two smaller, easier deals.
- Keep the business, sell the building. A sale-leaseback: you get the equity out and keep operating in the same place.
Why the lease matters most
For the real estate side, the lease is the product. Rent level, term, and who pays taxes, insurance, and maintenance decide what the building is worth. Setting a fair, market-rate lease before the sale protects the business buyer and gives you a building a real estate buyer can price with confidence.
What we need to make an offer on the property
The address, building size, current or planned lease terms, and your price expectation. If other tenants share the building, add the rent roll. Everything stays private — your employees, customers, and competitors don't need to know.
Own the building your business runs in? Get a private offer on the real estate.
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
- Do I have to sell my business and my building to the same buyer?
- No. The business and the real estate are separate assets, often held in separate entities. You can sell the business to one buyer and the property to another, sell only the property and keep operating, or sell the business and keep the building as a landlord.
- Why would I sell the building separately?
- Buyers for operating businesses usually have less capital and tighter financing than buyers for real estate. Bundling the building into the price makes the deal bigger and harder to finance. Separating them lets each asset go to the buyer best suited to it — and often gets both done faster.
- What if the business buyer wants to stay in the building?
- That's common and it helps you. The new business owner signs a lease, and the property sells as a tenanted building. A signed lease with an operating business is exactly what a real estate buyer values.
- Can I keep running my business and just sell the property?
- Yes — that's a sale-leaseback. You sell the building, sign a lease, and keep operating in the same location with the equity in cash instead of in the walls.
- Do you buy the business too?
- No. We buy the real estate only. If you're also selling the business, we can work alongside whoever buys it, with a lease that fits their plans.
- Are there tax differences between selling the business and the building?
- Usually yes — how the total price is allocated between business assets and real estate changes how it's taxed. Talk to your CPA before you agree to a structure. Our guide on capital gains and 1031 options covers the real estate side.