In California, commercial due diligence is the investigative process that a company goes through to determine the benefit of completing a commercial real estate transaction. Due diligence is common in high-cost mergers and acquisitions. It prevents a buyer from paying unnecessary expenses they would incur by accepting a deal that is more disadvantageous than advantageous.
Documents needed
During the process of due diligence, a prospective buyer needs to have specific documents on hand. These documents include task checklists, business licenses and permits, tax registration documents, power of attorney documents, bank statements, sales reports and other forms of information to help you make a major business transaction.
Market research
After gathering the documents, the next step is to research the industry and the company. Market research is necessary to determine if there is enough demand for the company’s products and services.
Legal issues
A long list of legal problems could affect commercial real estate transactions. A typical real estate transaction often involves complications with zoning and land use laws. There are also concerns about liability insurance for accidents that occur on the property.
Before taking any step further, any commercial buyer of real estate has to research the title and resolve any problems with the title. If a title problem is not fixed from the start, the purchase could become illegitimate and plagued with legal complications.
Protecting your purchase before it’s made
There are many questions to ask when completing a commercial real estate transaction. The due diligence process is a thorough review of a company’s history, profits, sales and future goals before it is considered for purchase. Anyone who is interested in business has to understand the importance of commercial due diligence.