Buying commercial property off market means acquiring an office, practice, retail, warehouse or production property that is not offered publicly. On diskret.immo you describe your search in your own words, first see an anonymous profile and receive the exposé as a verified buyer after a confidentiality undertaking – and the address and leases after a conversation about your financing and a further release.
Which commercial properties are offered off market?
Properties offered off market are mainly those where a public listing could harm one of the parties involved. This applies to let investment properties as well as to properties the owner uses themselves.
| Property type | Typical reason for a quiet sale | Typical buyers |
|---|---|---|
| Office building | Tenants should not be unsettled | Investors, family offices |
| Commercial building, retail | Ongoing negotiations with anchor tenants | Long-term holders, investors |
| Medical practice and medical centre | Patients‘ trust, succession planning | Doctors, investors with a healthcare focus |
| Warehouse, logistics, hall | Operational restructuring | Entrepreneurs, logistics companies, investors |
| Production site and commercial yard | Employees, customers and competitors | Entrepreneurs, owner-occupiers |
| Hotel, hospitality | Business continues, staff should not be unsettled | Operators, investors |
We expressly list hotels, care properties, retail and petrol stations as separate property types in the search and in anonymous profiles.
Why do companies prefer to sell their property quietly?
With commercial property, a public listing sends a signal to the outside world. Employees ask whether the site is closing. Customers and suppliers become cautious. Competitors draw conclusions about the company’s situation. Tenants use a long-running listing as an argument in negotiations.
Common occasions are:
- Sale and leaseback: the company sells the property and leases it back to free up capital.
- Succession: the owner retires; business and property are sold separately.
- Portfolio clean-up: long-term holders part with individual properties.
- Relocation: the old premises are to be sold before the move becomes public.
How do you search for commercial property in your own words?
Describe use, location, size and price range in one sentence, for example: „Office building in the Frankfurt area, 2,000 to 5,000 m², fully let, up to €12 million“ or „Hall with office space near Potsdam, from 1,500 m², owner-occupation“. The search recognises location, property type, area, price and keywords according to fixed rules and shows each anonymous profile with a match score from 0 to 100 and a short explanation.
Helpful keywords for commercial property:
- „fully let“, „partly vacant“ or „owner-occupation“
- „single tenant“ or „multiple tenants“
- „clear height from 8 m“, „loading ramp“, „parking spaces“
- „sale and leaseback“
Save the search as a search profile; you will receive an email when new matching anonymous profiles appear. Owners only see how many profiles match – from three upwards and as a number, without your name.
What do you need to check in particular with commercial property?
With commercial property, the value depends more on the leases than on the building. A property with a tenant of strong credit standing and a long remaining term must be valued differently from the same building with short-term leases.
In the documents, check at least:
- Leases: remaining term, renewal options, special termination rights, indexation, allocation of service charges
- Tenants: creditworthiness, sector, dependence on a single tenant
- Vacancy: area, duration, letting prospects
- Building: condition of technical systems (heating, ventilation, lift, fire protection), maintenance backlog
- Planning law: development plan (Bebauungsplan), use permit, building encumbrances (Baulasten)
- Environment: possible contamination on commercial and industrial sites
As with residential buildings, the purchase price multiple (Kaufpreisfaktor) serves as a key figure. An official comparative figure: for commercial buildings in the state of Brandenburg (commercial rent share of 80% or more), the Higher Committee of Valuation Experts (Oberer Gutachterausschuss) determined an average gross rent multiplier (Rohertragsfaktor) of 15.3 (range 8.1 to 31.7; 24 sales 2023–2025). For other markets, the local market reports apply.
Note: This page gives a general overview and does not replace legal, tax or technical advice. Have leases and building professionally reviewed before buying.
Asset deal or share deal – which comes into question for commercial property?
Larger commercial properties often belong to a property company. You can then either buy the property itself (asset deal) or the shares in the company (share deal).
| Asset deal | Share deal | |
|---|---|---|
| You buy | the plot with the building | shares in the company that owns the plot |
| Liability | You enter into the leases (§§ 566, 578 German Civil Code, BGB), but do not take on the seller’s debts | Economically, you bear the company’s liabilities; in principle you are not personally liable (exceptions include § 16(2) GmbHG, § 176(2) HGB) |
| Review | Property, leases, land register | Additionally the company, contracts, taxes |
| Real estate transfer tax (Grunderwerbsteuer) | Payable | May be payable; threshold of 90% of shares within ten years (§ 1(2a), (2b), (3) GrEStG) |
The guide Share deal or asset deal explains in detail how the two routes compare in terms of tax, liability and costs. Which form is right is something you decide with your legal and tax advisers.
What does buying via diskret.immo cost?
Using diskret.immo is free for buyers: the buyer account, anonymous profiles and search profile cost nothing. For commercial property, the buyer’s commission is agreed per property; it is stated in every anonymous profile.
In Germany, the statutory split of the estate agent’s commission does not apply to commercial property; §§ 656c and 656d BGB only cover apartments and single-family houses bought by a consumer. Whether a buyer’s commission is payable, and how much, is stated in the anonymous profile.
You own a commercial property yourself and are thinking about selling? Read how to sell a commercial property without tenants, employees or competitors finding out.
Can I buy a commercial property off market for owner-occupation?
Yes. Enter „owner-occupation“ in the search. Many quiet sales of halls, commercial yards and practices are aimed precisely at entrepreneurs who want to move in themselves.
Do I get the leases before the address?
Documents are only released with the owner’s consent or on the instructions of their estate agent. The usual practice is: a tenant list with terms in the exposé (stage B, as a verified buyer after a confidentiality undertaking), the complete leases at stage C, handed over in person by our team.
What is sale and leaseback?
A company sells its property and immediately leases it back on a long-term basis. The buyer gains a tenant tied to the site, the seller fresh capital. Check the term, rent level and the company’s creditworthiness with particular care.
Do I have to pay real estate transfer tax on a share deal?
Possibly. In Germany, real estate transfer tax is payable for companies owning real estate if at least 90% of the shares change hands within ten years (§ 1 GrEStG). The details are complex – have the case reviewed by a tax adviser.
- Oberer Gutachterausschuss für Grundstückswerte im Land Brandenburg: Liegenschaftszinssätze 2025 Land Brandenburg, Abschnitt D (Geschäftshäuser), published April 2026 (German), https://gutachterausschuss.brandenburg.de/sixcms/media.php/9/LIZI_2025_OGA.pdf
- Bundesministerium der Justiz: Grunderwerbsteuergesetz, § 1, accessed 26.10.2026 (German), https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/grestg_1983/__1.html
- Bundesministerium der Justiz: Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, §§ 656c und 656d, accessed 26.10.2026 (German), https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/__656c.html