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Marketing a Small-Town Commercial Building: What Buyers and Tenants Need to See

Writer: Jonathan G. Browning
Jonathan G. Browning
Oct 7
3 min read

Small towns across Middle Tennessee are full of commercial buildings with stories: brick storefronts on the square, old mills, garages, and offices. When one comes up for sale or lease, it does not always get the attention a house does. Sometimes the listing is a few exterior photos and a square footage number.

Commercial buyers and tenants are asking different questions than homebuyers. Good documentation answers them before the first phone call.


Think like the person on the other side

A buyer or tenant looking at a commercial building is usually thinking about:

  • Access. Parking, loading, street frontage, and how customers get in.

  • Condition. Roof, structure, mechanical systems, and what needs work.

  • Operating cost. What it takes to heat, cool, and light the space.

  • Use. Whether the layout fits their business, and what it would take to change it.

  • Story. Whether the building's history adds value.

A strong listing package shows all five.


Access and accessibility

Start outside. Photograph the street frontage, the entrance, parking, and any loading or rear access. An overhead image shows how the building sits on its lot and on the block, which ground photos cannot.

Accessibility deserves its own frames. The U.S. Department of Justice's ADA Update: A Primer for Small Business explains that public accommodations must remove architectural barriers when it is readily achievable to do so. It gives examples of readily achievable barrier removal, such as providing an accessible route from a parking lot to the entrance, installing an entrance ramp, widening a doorway, or installing accessible door hardware.

Documenting the entrance, route from parking, doorways, and restrooms helps a prospective tenant understand what they are walking into. It is information, not a compliance determination.


Condition, top to bottom

Commercial buyers want to see the parts of a building homebuyers rarely think about:

  • The roof, especially on flat or low-slope roofs that cannot be seen from the street.

  • Parapets, gutters, and drainage.

  • Mechanical units, electrical service, and water heaters.

  • Exterior walls, brick, and mortar.

  • Basements, crawl spaces, and the back alley side.

Aerial images are a practical way to show a roof without a ladder. Date every image, and show problems honestly.


Historic brick building with arched storefront windows and a corner tower

Energy and operating data

Energy cost is an operating cost, and commercial buyers notice. EPA's ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is an online tool for benchmarking a building's energy use. EPA describes benchmarking as measuring and comparing a building's energy to similar buildings, past consumption, or a reference performance level, and says all you need to get started are your bills and some basic information about the building. Many buildings can also receive a 1 to 100 ENERGY STAR score, where 50 represents median performance.

If the owner has benchmarked, include the results. If not, a summary of recent utility bills is still useful.


When the building is historic

Older downtown buildings may qualify for historic preservation incentives, which can matter a great deal to a buyer planning a renovation. The National Park Service's Historic Preservation Tax Incentives page says the federal program encourages private sector investment in the rehabilitation and re-use of historic buildings, and has leveraged $127.12 billion in private investment to preserve more than 50,000 historic properties since 1976. NPS and the Internal Revenue Service administer it in partnership with State Historic Preservation Offices.

Whether a specific building qualifies is a question for those offices and a qualified advisor. But documenting historic features like original storefronts, tin ceilings, and masonry helps a buyer see the possibility. Old photos of the building, if the owner has them, are worth including too.


Present it honestly

Commercial listings are still advertising. In Tennessee, Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1260-02-.12 says no real estate licensee shall advertise in a false, misleading, or deceptive manner. Do not crop out the vacant lot next door, retouch away roof damage, or call a space "move-in ready" if it is not.


Practical takeaways

  1. Document access, condition, operating cost, use, and history.

  2. Photograph the entrance, parking, and route in, including accessibility features.

  3. Show the roof and mechanical systems. Aerials help.

  4. Include energy data or recent utility summaries when available.

  5. Document historic features, and point buyers to the right offices for incentive questions.

If you have a commercial building that needs to be documented for sale or lease, contact 48 Pegasus, serving properties within 75 miles of Macon County, Tennessee, across Middle Tennessee and South Central Kentucky.


Sources

Photos: cover by Stephen Walker / Unsplash; inline by Oleg Bersenev / Unsplash. Free to use under the Unsplash License.

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