Commercial real estate (CRE) has experienced a significant uptrend over the past several years. Although interest rates are on the rise and commercial building may decrease in 2019, there is an abundance of CRE opportunities on the market. With box stores closing and industrial businesses increasing, companies are starting to get creative with the buildings that already exist. According to a report from Deloitte, staying ahead in CRE will require a fresh approach to already-built spaces.
The key to finding the best CRE investments, however, is knowing how to identify who owns a business, or in some cases, a building. Gaining the edge on commercial investments or property sales means making direct contact with the owner. Many real estate agents or investors lose time with outdated or incorrect business information. Finding the most up-to-date information on business ownership can be as simple as knowing where to look.
Find Out Who Owns a Business
Business ownership is a matter of public record. The manner in which those records are kept, however, varies from state to state. There are several ways to track down the name of a business owner, but we’ve outlined the most effective methods.
Look up the business license
Some states require businesses to file for a business license in order to operate in that state. These records can often be found through the Business Licensing Services office. If you aren’t sure if your state requires business licenses, a quick Google search will resolve that matter, or you can search using one of the other options below.
Search state business records
Business owners must file paperwork for their assumed name, or DBA (doing business as), with local state officials. This allows a business to function under a name other than the name of the owner or owners. Business ownership data can either be found with the Secretary of State, the Register of deeds, or the County Clerk.
Check websites and social media
Another option for discovering an owner’s name is to review the company’s website and social media pages. Some businesses will readily share this information on their “about” page or through posts and tagged photos on social media.
Call the business directly
While this method isn’t recommended if you are trying to be discreet in your search, it can produce the quickest results. A simple phone call to the company can produce the information you need in a matter of seconds.
Use an online database
All of these search methods are helpful, but only up to a point. When it comes to finding business owners for commercial real estate, you are also trying to find the building owner, and the two don’t always go hand in hand. Buildings are most often leased to other businesses, and finding the business name and owner of the actual building is more ambiguous.
Using an online database like ProspectNow allows you to search for business ownership details based on a number of criteria, rather than just the business name. Finding ownership details for specific properties only requires that you know where the property is located.
Not only does the database include the name of either the business owner or a decision maker within the company, but it also provides email addresses and phone numbers, making contact with owners easy and straightforward.
Connect With More Businesses and CRE Opportunities
Determining who owns a business is just one step in pursuing great commercial real estate opportunities. With an online database, prospecting for deals is made easy with predictive analytics that help establish if a property is likely to sell, refinance, or nearing foreclosure.
ProspectNow offers access to over 40 million commercial real estate leads. On top of predictive data, the platform provides information for 14 million businesses and 15 million LLCs and corporations. CRE that is both listed and off market, as well as business ownership details, is incredibly accessible through these online tools.
As we mentioned previously, in their annual report on commercial real estate, Deloitte pointed out the importance of creativity and a fresh approach to CRE for the coming years. ProspectNow’s fresh approach uses analytics to uncover timely opportunities and the information needed to turn each opportunity into a deal.
Instead of just finding out who owns a business, search the most accurate collection of ownership details and properties and make direct contact with business owners and decision makers to close more CRE deals and leads this year.