How we sell commercial property
Selling a commercial property is a sequence of decisions, and the first one — what the property should bring — sets up every other. We start every disposition with a written broker opinion of value built from comparable sales, the property’s income and expenses, and the buyers we know are active for that property type. From there the engagement runs through an offering memorandum, a marketing period with a defined buyer list, offer negotiation, and the due-diligence and closing calendar.
Our practice is sales and acquisitions only. Every conversation is with a principal, and the principal who prices the property is the one who negotiates the contract and sits on the closing calls. Property types we sell: retail and net lease, industrial and flex, self-storage, multifamily, office and medical, hospitality and, through our land practice, land and development sites.
Who we represent
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Private owners and partnerships
Owners of freestanding retail, small centers, industrial and office buildings, often held for years by a family or a partnership. The work here is a clear valuation, a marketing plan the partners can agree on, and a buyer who can actually close.
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Estates, trusts and 1031 sellers
Fiduciaries who need a documented, defensible price and a clean process, and sellers who plan to exchange into replacement property and need the sale timed against the 45- and 180-day deadlines that start at closing.
How a sale runs
- Broker opinion of value A written opinion of probable selling price from comparable sales, income analysis and current buyer demand. A broker opinion of value is not an appraisal and may not be relied upon as one (s. 475.612, Fla. Stat.).
- Offering memorandum Property description, financial summary, site and zoning information, photographs and aerials, and the documents a buyer’s underwriter will ask for — assembled before the property goes to market, so questions get answered once.
- Buyer outreach The property is marketed on the commercial listing platforms and, in the same week, directly to the investors, exchange buyers, operators and developers we know are active for that property type. Off-market sales run the same outreach without the public listing.
- Offers and negotiation Offers are compared on price, deposit, contingencies, timing and the buyer’s ability to perform — not price alone. We negotiate the letter of intent and work with your attorney through the purchase contract.
- Due diligence and closing Survey, title, environmental review, inspections and the buyer’s financing run on a calendar we manage day by day, so a 30-day inspection period does not become sixty.
What we analyze
- In-place income, operating expenses and the trailing twelve months
- Rent roll: remaining term, escalations and the credit behind each rent stream
- Comparable sales and current cap rates for the property type
- Replacement cost and the land value under the building
- Zoning, future land use and any redevelopment potential
- Deferred maintenance and capital items a buyer will price in
- Existing debt: prepayment terms, assumability and the effect on timing
- Property-tax reassessment at sale and insurance costs in the buyer’s underwriting
- Your tax basis and 1031 timing, alongside your CPA and qualified intermediary
- The active buyer pool for this asset class and price point
Questions we hear
How is a broker opinion of value different from an appraisal?
A broker opinion of value is a licensee’s written opinion of a property’s probable selling price, prepared for the purpose of listing and marketing it. It draws on comparable sales, the property’s income and the buyers currently active for that property type. An appraisal is prepared by a state-certified or licensed appraiser and is what lenders, courts and estates usually require. By Florida law a broker opinion of value may not be referred to or relied upon as an appraisal (s. 475.612, Fla. Stat.).
Should I market the property with a price or unpriced?
It depends on the property and the buyer pool. Net-lease and stabilized income properties usually trade with a price, because buyers underwrite them on yield and expect one. Land, redevelopment sites and properties whose value depends on a buyer’s plan are sometimes marketed unpriced or with a call for offers. We make that recommendation in the broker opinion of value and explain the trade-offs before anything is published.
How long does a commercial sale take?
A marketing period of several weeks to a few months is typical, followed by an inspection period and a closing period that are set in the contract. The calendar depends on the property type, the price point, whether the buyer needs financing and how complete the due-diligence file is when the property goes to market, which is why we assemble it first.
Can you sell my property without listing it publicly?
Yes. An off-market sale uses the same broker opinion of value and offering memorandum, marketed under confidentiality to a defined list of buyers rather than on the public platforms. It suits owners who do not want the occupants, competitors or the wider market to know a sale is under way. In January 2026 the principals closed an off-market sale of a 7-Eleven and O’Reilly Auto Parts net-lease property on LPGA Blvd in Daytona Beach.
I plan to do a 1031 exchange. What changes?
The sale has to be set up with a qualified intermediary before closing, and the 45-day identification and 180-day exchange periods start the day your sale closes. We coordinate the sale calendar with your intermediary and CPA and can begin sourcing replacement property before you close. We are not a qualified intermediary and cannot hold exchange funds. An exchange defers tax; it does not eliminate it.
Educational information only — not tax, legal or investment advice. Lifestyle Group and Oceans Commercial are not qualified intermediaries and do not offer or sell securities. Consult your own tax advisor, attorney and qualified intermediary before you sell or contract to sell property you intend to exchange.