What happens to your building when you sell your company?

Many family-owned businesses face this reality at some point: you decide to sell your company.

Congratulations! It’s the culmination of years, maybe decades, of hard work. But if your business occupies real estate, whether owned by a related entity or leased from a third party – there’s another big question: what happens to the building?

The answer depends largely on whether your company owns the property through a related entity or simply leases space from an unrelated landlord. Each path requires a different strategy.

Owned real estate

If your operating business occupies a building owned by you or a related entity, several options emerge:

Sell the real estate before the business sale. You can sell the building to a future owner-occupant and arrange to vacate once the company transac