Underwrite the opportunity
We review sponsorship, property performance, business plan, and priorities before approaching the market.
Sale-Leaseback financing
CRE Sale-Leaseback Financing for Corporate Real Estate Owners
Quick answer: Sale-leaseback financing allows businesses and property owners to sell their commercial real estate to an investor and lease it back under a long-term net lease, unlocking 100% of the property equity while retaining full operational use. Commercial Lending Solutions structures sale-leaseback transactions and arranges acquisition financing for NNN investors purchasing corporate-occupied properties. Minimum transaction size is $2 million.
NationwideMarket coverage
1,000+Capital relationships
$2MM+CLS engagement floor
24 hoursInitial response
When it fits
When Sale-Leaseback financing fits.
Sale-leaseback transactions have surged as corporate real estate owners prioritize capital efficiency over property ownership. Businesses free up equity trapped in owned facilities to fund operations, acquisitions, or debt paydown, while investors acquire credit-tenant NNN assets backed by corporate guarantees. The financing structure on the investor side is typically NNN acquisition debt: CMBS, life company, or bank financing secured by the long-term lease and corporate guarantor. Commercial Lending Solutions works on both sides: advising sellers on optimal lease structures and arranging investor acquisition financing at the most competitive rates for the resulting NNN asset.
Structure before pricing: leverage, recourse, reserves, prepayment, and closing certainty can matter as much as the headline coupon. We test those trade-offs before recommending a path.
01
Business owners unlocking equity from owner-occupied commercial real estate
02
Corporate real estate monetization for manufacturing, distribution, and office facilities
03
Investors acquiring corporate NNN assets with long-term lease guarantees
04
Restaurant and QSR operators converting owned locations to sale-leaseback NNN
05
Healthcare and medical businesses monetizing owned clinic and medical office real estate
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Industrial and logistics companies freeing warehouse equity for business reinvestment
Lender selection
How We Source Sale-Leaseback Capital
We do not treat the lender list as a directory. We target the desks whose current appetite fits the asset, sponsorship, market, and business plan, then compare the full execution, not only the rate.
| Capital source | Where it may fit |
|---|---|
| Life Insurance Companies | Long-duration fixed-rate capital for high-quality assets and experienced sponsors, generally with conservative leverage. |
| CMBS Conduits | Non-recourse execution with broad property appetite, balanced against more standardized servicing and prepayment provisions. |
| Banks with STNL Programs | Relationship-oriented capital that can offer local market knowledge and structural flexibility, with recourse often considered. |
| Debt Funds | Flexible capital for transitional, complex, leveraged, or time-sensitive executions where conventional credit boxes may not fit. |
| Institutional NNN Lenders | Program-specific capital evaluated for current appetite, proceeds, pricing, recourse, flexibility, and certainty of close. |
How we work
One process. Multiple capital sources.
We position the transaction, identify the lenders most likely to compete, and compare proposals on economics and execution risk, not just headline rate.
A well-structured financing process should create real choices for the borrower, not simply deliver the first term sheet.
Target the right lender desks
The transaction is matched to lenders whose current appetite fits the property, market, and structure.
Create a comparable field
Proposals are evaluated across rate, proceeds, recourse, reserves, prepayment, and closing certainty.
Manage execution through closing
We coordinate lender diligence, third-party reports, and issue resolution until the loan funds.
National reach
Market knowledge where the deal requires it.
We arrange sale-leaseback financing nationwide while matching each transaction to capital sources active in that market and property type.
Atlanta, GABoston, MAChicago, ILDallas, TXDenver, COHouston, TXLos Angeles, CAMiami, FLNashville, TNNew York, NYPhoenix, AZSan Diego, CASan Francisco, CASeattle, WATampa, FL
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Questions
Sale-Leaseback financing, clarified.
The final structure depends on the asset, sponsorship, and market. These are the starting parameters we discuss most often.
Working out equity? Our commercial property down payment guide covers typical requirements by loan type: 20% to 30% conventional, 10% for SBA owner occupied.
In a sale-leaseback, a business sells the real estate it occupies to an investor and simultaneously signs a long-term net lease to stay in the building. The seller keeps full operational use of the facility and converts trapped equity into cash. The buyer acquires a net-leased asset backed by the operating company's lease and corporate guarantee.
A sale-leaseback monetizes essentially 100% of the property's value, while a mortgage on the same asset typically advances 65% to 75% of value. The tradeoff is that the business gives up ownership and future appreciation, and takes on a long-term rent obligation in place of amortizing debt service.
NNN acquisition debt on sale-leaseback assets prices from 5.25% to 7.50%, with terms of 10 to 25 years and leverage up to 75% LTV. Life insurance companies and CMBS conduits are the deepest capital sources, non-recourse is available at institutional size, and closings generally run 45 to 90 days from application.
Lenders test three things: remaining lease term relative to loan maturity, the financial strength of the operating company guaranteeing the lease, and rent coverage measured against the tenant's earnings at that location. Investment-grade or audited private guarantors with 15 or more years of remaining lease term draw the best pricing and the highest proceeds.
Setting rent above market. A seller can raise the sale price by agreeing to inflated rent, but appraisers and lenders underwrite to market rent, so the buyer's financing shrinks and the deal reprices or dies at the closing table. Rent set at a defensible market level, with modest annual escalations, keeps the transaction financeable. Commercial Lending Solutions arranges both sides of these transactions.
Let's evaluate the right sale-leaseback structure.
Share the property and financing request. We will respond within 24 hours with an initial view.