COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE ACQUISITIONS, DEVELOPMENT & SALES ATTORNEY IN ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA
Whether you are developing, investing, starting a new business, looking for a new location, or selling an investment property, you want your transaction to go smoothly. Silvestri Law, P.A. can assist or guide you through your transaction so that you can focus on getting the best value for your investment from beginning to end and any point in between.
Acquisitions
Acquiring a commercial property is a multistep process that goes well beyond negotiating a purchase price and signing a sales agreement. In a commercial real estate sale, the seller does not have the disclosure obligations that a residential seller would, and proper and extensive due diligence must be performed. Additionally, if financing is involved, the lender will need to underwrite the property and the buyer. Managing the delivery of due diligence materials to the lender, answering any questions that arise (and they will arise), and promptly following up on all closing checklist items is essential for a smooth closing.
Development
The fact that a vacant property has commercial zoning does not mean that all commercial uses are permitted. Local zoning restrictions and building codes will limit a proposed project’s size and the type of business use that can be developed on the property. Projects falling outside of those requirements will either be required to go through an often lengthy and costly approval process or be modified to conform to existing restrictions. Consequently, it is critical that either the permissible uses of and changes to a property be independently verified before the closing or the closing be dependent upon any necessary approvals.
Sales
A seller of commercial real estate should limit the representations required of it in the purchase agreement and must take care to avoid any representations that the buyer could later claim were false or misleading. Usually, this is done by specifying that the sale is being made on an “as is, where is” basis, subject only to the specific representations the seller has made in the purchase agreement (representations that have been carefully vetted and confirmed prior to the execution of the agreement). The buyer should make the purchase conditional upon satisfactory completion of its due diligence. If there are other conditions to closing, such as governmental approvals, the purchase agreement should carefully detail these matters, including any deadlines and what, if any, compensation is due to the seller if the deal is not completed.
For legal assistance with commercial real estate acquisitions, development, or sales, contact Silvestri Law, P.A., today.