“There is nothing more secure than land and a building.” Commercial real estate expert Dale Willerton says that is the bottom line when it comes to property, but it doesn’t mean that leasing isn’t appropriate. Willerton makes a living at it; he’s a commercial lease consultant known as The Lease Coach and author of books on the topic, such as Negotiating Commercial Leases & Renewals For Dummies.

“I really advocate buying and building if you can,” he says. “The less important location is to you, the more you should try to own the property. Buying a property and paying a mortgage is better than paying a lease. Eventually, you pay off the mortgage.” 

Leasing may be right for some, and it is easier to accomplish. “For every 99 locations for lease, there’s only one location for sale,” he says. “There are more than 10 million companies leasing space in North America. The vast majority of those need to be in a retail store front, in a shopping mall — a place where someone has already bought the land and built a building.” 

Willerton, who has been coaching and negotiating for business owners since 1993, also points out that borrowing money to buy property is cheaper than ever right now. Still, there are pros and cons to owning property:

Many people use real estate agents to help find property for either sale or lease. Willerton warns that agents generally work for the person providing the commission, which is normally the property owner. “Just because someone says they’re representing you, if you’re not paying them, you’re probably not being represented properly.” He suggests making the investment by paying for that expertise, such as by hiring a buyer’s agent who is paid to represent you.

As he points out in his book about commercial leasing, your building and location is the platform for your entire business. “Your business may be able to change its products, services, pricing, and marketing, but you’ve got to make the location work.”