Best Platforms to Buy a Business With Real Estate Included

Buying a business with the building included is really two purchases in one: an operating business and a piece of commercial real estate. Each has its own price, its own financing, and its own due diligence.

That’s why the platform you search on needs to show both sides clearly. Here’s what to look for.

The Short Answer

The best platforms for buying a business with real estate:

• Say clearly whether the real estate is included or leased
• Show the business’s revenue and cash flow
• Split the asking price between the business and the property, or let you ask for it
• Describe the building: size, lot, and condition
• Note whether the seller will finance part of the deal

Business Only vs. Business With Real Estate

Business only: you buy the operations and take over the lease. Less cash up front, but you have a landlord, and your rent can go up when the lease renews.

Business with real estate: you own the building. No landlord and more control, but a bigger purchase and more to inspect.

Neither is better in general. It depends on how long you plan to run the business and how important that location is to it.

What a Good Listing Shows

• Asking price, ideally split between business and real estate
• Annual revenue
• Cash flow, usually shown as seller’s discretionary earnings (SDE) or EBITDA
• Why the owner is selling
• Building size, lot size, and age
• What’s included: equipment, inventory, fixtures
• Whether seller financing is available

If a listing hides the financials until you sign a confidentiality agreement, that’s normal. If it hides whether the real estate is included, ask right away.

How These Deals Get Financed

A few common structures:

• SBA 7(a) loans can fund up to $5 million and can cover the business and the real estate together
• SBA 504 loans are built for owner-occupied commercial real estate. For an existing building, your business generally has to occupy at least 51% of it.
• Seller financing often covers part of the price, which also shows the seller believes in the business

Talk to an SBA lender early. They’ll tell you how much of the deal they can fund before you make an offer.

Due Diligence: Two Sets of Questions

For the business:

• Three years of tax returns and financial statements
• How much revenue depends on a few customers
• Which staff will stay after the sale
• Which licenses and permits transfer to you

For the real estate:

• An appraisal of the property on its own
• A Phase I environmental site assessment, which is essential for gas stations, dry cleaners, car washes, and auto repair shops
• A building inspection
• Zoning that allows the current use
• A title search

Business Types Where Real Estate Is Often Included

• Gas stations and convenience stores
• Car washes
• Motels
• Restaurants
• Self-storage
• Auto repair shops
• Child care centers

These businesses are tied to their location, so owners often sell the building along with the business.

Where Hutfin Fits

Hutfin has a business-for-sale search alongside commercial property for sale and for lease. That makes it easy to compare two paths in one place: buying a business with its building, or buying a building and starting your own. Sellers can list for free, and AI drafts the listing from a flyer in under a minute.

Recap

• A business with real estate is two purchases: price, finance, and inspect both
• Make sure the listing says whether the real estate is included
• SBA 7(a), SBA 504, and seller financing are the common structures
• Run business diligence and property diligence separately
• Location-tied businesses are the most likely to include the building

Final Word

Owning the building can make a business more durable, but only if both halves check out. Use a platform that shows you the business and the property clearly, and run each one through its own checklist.

Looking for a business with real estate? Browse businesses for sale at hutfin.com.