# Buyer representation for owner-users

> Buying the building you operate from is an operating decision and a capital decision at the same time.

Source: https://brianperryadvisory.com/services/buyer-representation

## What this covers

Advisory for practices and businesses purchasing commercial property for their own occupancy, from first search through closing.

- Property identification and off market search
- Financial analysis, including own versus lease
- Offer strategy and structure
- Due diligence coordination
- Purchase negotiation

## Own or lease

The comparison is not simply mortgage against rent. It has to account for the down payment as capital that leaves the business, the cost of maintaining the asset, the flexibility given up, and what the property is likely to be worth when you outgrow it.

## Due diligence

Zoning and permitted use, condition and remaining life of the major systems, environmental review, parking ratios and access. For a practice, add whether the building can carry the clinical fit-out you have in mind. The purpose of diligence is to find the reasons not to buy while there is still time to act on them.

## Frequently asked questions

**Can a practice use SBA financing to buy its building?**

Owner-user buyers frequently do, and it is one of the structural advantages you hold over an investor bidding on the same building, because they cannot. It changes what you can afford and how your offer should be structured.

**How long does an owner-user purchase take?**

Owner-user deals in the region have tended to close faster than investment sales, in the region of six months against eight and a half, though property condition and financing drive most of the variance.

---

Brian Perry Advisory - Brian Perry, CCIM, Principal Advisor, eXp Commercial. Tenant and buyer representation for healthcare practices and office tenants in Tysons Corner, Northern Virginia, Washington DC and Maryland. (202) 869-1198 - brian.perry@expcommercial.com - https://brianperryadvisory.com