Sell or lease your building
Own an office, a shop, a mixed-use or multi-unit building in Flagler, Volusia, St. Johns or Putnam? Here's how buyers will value it, what to gather, and an estimate of your cash at closing.
Prefer to talk? Call or text 386-627-3182
How commercial property gets valued
Three ways, and a good price opinion uses more than one.
The income approach
Net operating income (rent minus vacancy and operating expenses, before the loan) divided by a cap rate. This drives most investment property.
Comparable sales
What similar buildings nearby really sold for, by price per square foot and by cap rate. For buildings a business will use itself, like a small office or shop, this often matters most.
Cost and land
What it would cost to build new, less wear, plus the land. Useful for newer or special-use buildings and for land with a better use.
What is it worth on its income?
Investors buy income. Divide the net operating income by a cap rate and you have the starting point for value. Example numbers; change them to yours.
Half a point of cap rate moves the price a lot. That's why I start with what similar property here really sold for.
What to gather before we list
Buyers and their lenders will ask for all of it. Having it ready up front makes for a faster sale and fewer surprises.
The money
- Rent roll: every tenant, size, rent, lease dates and deposits
- Two to three years of operating statements, plus this year so far
- Property tax bills and insurance policies
- CAM reconciliations, if tenants pay shared costs
- Utility bills and service contracts (landscaping, elevator, fire, pest)
The property
- Every lease and amendment
- Survey and site plan
- Permits, certificates of occupancy, and any open permits or code cases
- Roof and A/C ages, repairs and warranties
- Any environmental reports, and the flood zone and elevation certificate
Your cash at closing
Show me the cash: your estimated proceeds
Same idea as the home calculator on /cash/, with the lines a commercial sale adds: tenant deposits, prepaid rent and payoff penalties.
Estimate only, not a net sheet. Title fees follow Ocean Blue Title's quick quote and Florida's state-set title rate (Dave is a co-owner of Ocean Blue Title; you can use any title company). Ask your lender for the payoff and any prepayment penalty. Ask me for a real net sheet.
Lease it or sell it?
Leasing it out
- Keeps the building and its income; you keep the upside
- An empty space costs you every month it sits. Priced right, spaces lease
- A signed lease with a good tenant can raise what the building is worth when you do sell
- What would it rent for? Try the Rent Estimator
- Since October 1, 2025, Florida no longer charges sales tax on most commercial rent; if a lease still has you collecting it, ask your accountant (Florida DOR, TIP 25A01-04)
Selling it
- Turns the equity into cash, and ends the repairs, tenants and insurance bills
- Buying another investment property? A 1031 exchange may put off the tax. See the 1031 basics and talk to your tax advisor before you list
- Vacant or leased? A leased building sells to investors on its income; a vacant one sells to businesses that will use it and to investors, on price per foot
Not sure? I'll show you both numbers, what it would lease for and what it would sell for, before you decide.
Tell me about your property
I'll call you, usually the same day. No obligation. Here's what you get:
- A price that gets it doneI'll show you what has really leased and sold nearby before we pick a number.
- Your property in front of the right peopleThe MLS, the national commercial sites, its own page on FlaglerDave.com, social posts and a sign.
- Showings and the paperwork handledWe set up the showings, screen the interest and walk you through the lease or the sale contract.
Prefer to talk? Call or text 386-627-3182.
Talk to Dave
Common questions
How do you price a commercial property?
I look at its income (net operating income and the cap rates similar property sold at), at comparable sales by price per square foot, and at the cost and land value when that matters. Then I show you the numbers before we pick a price.
What is net operating income?
The rent you collect, less an allowance for vacancy and the operating expenses (taxes, insurance, repairs, management and shared costs you pay), before any mortgage payment. Buyers and lenders start there.
What do I need to have ready to sell?
A rent roll, every lease, two to three years of operating statements, tax and insurance bills, a survey, and the permit history. The full list is above.
Should I lease my building or sell it?
Lease it if you want to keep the income and the upside, and the space will rent at a fair price. Sell it if you want the cash or are done with tenants and repairs. I'll show you what it would lease for and what it would sell for.
What will I pay at closing?
Usually the commission (negotiable), Florida's deed doc stamps of 70 cents per $100 of the price, your share of this year's property taxes, title costs, and credits to the buyer for tenant deposits and prepaid rent. The calculator above adds it up.
Where the numbers come from
- Ocean Blue Title quick quote and Florida's state-set owner's title insurance rate, checked October 12, 2026 (Dave Petkovsek is a co-owner of Ocean Blue Title; you can use any title company) source
- Florida Department of Revenue, Documentary Stamp Tax source
- Florida Department of Revenue, Tax Information Publication 25A01-04, "Sales Tax on Commercial Rentals Repealed Effective October 1, 2025" source
- FlaglerDave.com Rent Estimator: 170 office, retail and industrial spaces leased since October 2023 (Stellar MLS) link
- IRS, Instructions for Form 8824, Like-Kind Exchanges source
Checked October 26, 2026. Laws and rates change; confirm before you rely on them.
Dave Petkovsek, Real Estate Broker & Instructor, Realty Exchange, 300 Palm Coast Pkwy NE, Palm Coast, FL 32137, 386-627-3182. Realty Exchange LLC, licensed Florida real estate brokerage. The listings on these pages are listings of Realty Exchange. Calculators and checklists are estimates and general information, not legal, tax, lending, appraisal or engineering advice; talk to your attorney, accountant and lender before you rely on them. Sizes are approximate, and prices, terms and availability can change. We welcome every business and every person, and we follow all fair housing and equal opportunity laws.