Unlock equity from owner-occupied real estate without selling your business.
If your company owns the building it operates from, a sale-leaseback turns that trapped equity into growth capital — at full property value — while you stay in place under a long-term lease you control. It is often the cheapest, least dilutive capital an owner-operator can raise.
The capital you already own is sitting in your walls
Most owner-operators have far more equity locked in their real estate than they realize, and it earns nothing while it sits there. A sale-leaseback monetizes it in full: you sell the property to an investor and simultaneously sign a long-term lease to keep operating from the exact same space, uninterrupted. Your business does not move, your customers notice nothing, and the proceeds are yours to deploy.
Unlike a mortgage, a sale-leaseback unlocks one hundred percent of the property's value rather than a lender's conservative loan-to-value. Unlike raising equity in the operating company, it does not dilute your ownership or hand a partner a vote. And because the buyer is acquiring a real asset backed by your lease, the implied cost of capital is frequently lower than mezzanine debt or an equity raise — particularly for businesses whose credit is stronger than their real estate financing terms suggest.
Owners use the proceeds to fund expansion, acquire a competitor, retire expensive debt, buy out a partner, invest in equipment, or simply take chips off the table after years of building. The transaction also converts an illiquid, undiversified asset — your single biggest concentration of net worth — into capital you can put to work or hold. The trade-off is straightforward: you give up future appreciation on the building and take on a long-term rent obligation. For most operating businesses, that is a good trade, because the return on capital reinvested in the business exceeds the appreciation on the real estate.
The structure is where outcomes are won or lost. Sale price, lease term, rent, escalations, renewal options, and the responsibilities split between landlord and tenant all move together, and a buyer will happily pay you more on price in exchange for terms that quietly cost you more over fifteen years. Our role is to run a competitive process and negotiate the whole package — not just the headline number — so the deal serves your business for the full life of the lease.
- Own the real estate your business operates from
- Have meaningful equity trapped in that property
- Want growth capital without diluting ownership
- Plan to stay in the location for years to come
- Would rather deploy capital into the business than hold a building
- Are planning an acquisition, expansion, recap, or partner buyout
What we negotiate on your behalf
In a sale-leaseback the price and the lease are inseparable. We optimize the whole package so a higher headline number never costs you more than it's worth over the term.
Full-value sale price
We position the property and your tenancy to draw competitive bids and capture the full market value of the real estate — not a lender's loan-to-value haircut.
Lease term and renewals
A primary term and renewal options that give you long-term certainty of occupancy and control over how long you stay, on your terms.
Rent and escalations
Initial rent and annual escalations set against market and your cash flow, because the cap rate the buyer pays and the rent you pay are two sides of the same number.
Lease structure and responsibilities
Net-lease obligations, maintenance, taxes, and insurance allocated deliberately so you know precisely what you carry over the life of the lease.
Cost of capital
We frame the transaction so the implied cost of the capital you raise competes with — and often beats — debt or an equity raise.
Buyer selection
Net-lease REITs, private investors, and funds vary widely on price, terms, certainty, and how they behave as a landlord. We choose for fit, not just the top bid.
How a sale-leaseback comes together
Valuation and feasibility
We establish what the real estate is worth, model the rent and proceeds, and show you the after-tax economics side by side with a refinance or equity raise — so you decide on facts.
Structure the lease
Before going to market we set the lease terms you want — term, rent, escalations, renewals, responsibilities — because the lease defines the asset every buyer is bidding on.
Run a competitive process
We market the opportunity to net-lease buyers and investors, create real competition, and compare offers on price, terms, and certainty of close together.
Negotiate and close
We negotiate the purchase agreement and lease in parallel and manage diligence to closing, so your operations never pause and the terms you agreed are the terms you get.
Why owner-operators choose sale-leaseback
- Unlocks 100% of property value, not a lender's loan-to-value
- No dilution of business ownership and no new equity partner
- Implied cost of capital often below mezzanine debt or an equity raise
- You stay in place — operations continue without interruption
- Converts an illiquid, concentrated asset into deployable capital
- Long-term occupancy certainty through the lease term and renewals
- Proceeds fund expansion, acquisitions, debt payoff, or a partner buyout
- Lease terms negotiated to serve the business for the full term
Find out what your real estate is worth
Tell us about the property and your business. We'll provide an initial valuation and a direct read on the proceeds, lease terms, and after-tax economics a sale-leaseback could deliver. Tax outcomes vary — we'll flag what to confirm with your own advisor.