Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Dental Case Study: Selling the Real Estate with the Charts

Here is a guest blog from Ellen Dorner, Managing Director of Dental Practice Sales

Dr. A is a 62 year-old GP that is in the process of transitioning out of his practice.  Dr. A owns his own building in a small office park with good parking, good visibility and in a very stable area.

When Dr. A decided he was ready to transition out of practice, he also decided that he would sell the building at the same time.  With all the good things about his building location, the sale has not gone as easily as he thought it would.  He has had several interested buyers for his practice, all of which are young dentists just starting out.  And while they would love to eventually own their own building, the decision to do so now has been a difficult one.  With @ $200,000 in school loans still outstanding, the additional cost of a building purchase along with the practice has become too daunting.

This seems to be the situation with many dentists who own their real estate.  The buildings were purchased with the notion that real estate always goes up and is a great investment.  And while commercial real estate has taken a hit over the last few years, the decision to own was not necessarily a bad one at the time.  The glitch is that in transitioning a practice with the real estate to a young dentist just starting out is proving to be too much for them to handle at this point in their career.

A better idea may be to lease the building with an option to buy the real estate at a later date.  The critical piece to this situation is to be sure that all terms are in the lease – who will value the real estate, the terms of the eventual purchase and the timing of the purchase.


As in any part of the transition, it is critical to have trusted advisors to walk you through this process.  You are the dental expert, don’t hesitate to rely on other experts for this important transition in your life.

To discuss your situation, email Ellen or call her at (800) 772-1065.

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