Can a small business in Marietta buy its own building?

Yes, and for many Cobb County businesses it is the better move once the lease is large enough that ownership becomes comparable in monthly cost. Owner-user purchases are a core part of Amy Mollohan's commercial practice, covering site selection, zoning verification, financing coordination, due diligence, and closing, generally in the $500,000 to $5 million range and above.

Cobb County is not one zoning authority. Marietta, Kennesaw, Acworth, Powder Springs, Smyrna, and Austell each set and administer their own zoning, and unincorporated Cobb County is governed by the county. Two properties a mile apart can sit under different codes, different permitted-use lists, different parking requirements, and different approval timelines.

So the first question about any property is not what it is zoned, it is who zones it. Confirm the governing jurisdiction and the current classification in writing before you rely on any assumption about what you can do there, and confirm it again if your use is anything other than the use the current occupant has. A property marketed as retail does not automatically accommodate a restaurant, a medical use, a daycare, or a shop with service bays.

The rest of the process runs in a familiar order. Put the operational requirements on paper. Talk to a lender before touring so you know the realistic range. Screen properties against the requirements list rather than the other way around. Agree price, timing, and the major terms in a letter of intent before anyone spends money on contracts. Then contract and due diligence: zoning and permitted use verification, survey, title, environmental review where the property type warrants it, building condition, roof and systems, and any existing leases that come with it. Financing underwriting and appraisal run in parallel. Closing and move-in planning come last, including build-out, permits, and the timing of the move out of your current space.

The due diligence period is the part worth protecting. It is the window where you can still walk away, and compressing it to win a deal is usually a worse trade than it looks.

Land is the hardest asset to price, because its value depends on what it can legally become rather than what sits on it today. Two ten acre tracts on the same road can differ in value by a factor of three based on sewer access, zoning, topography, and whether the jurisdiction is the City of Marietta, Kennesaw, Powder Springs, Austell, Acworth, or unincorporated Cobb County.

The questions that decide a land deal are specific. Is public sewer available at the property line, and if not, what does an extension or a septic solution cost. What is the current zoning, what does the future land use map show, and how far apart are those two. How much of the site is floodplain, stream buffer, wetland, or specimen tree. What is the road frontage, and will the county require a deceleration lane or a traffic study. Where does stormwater detention go, and how many usable acres does it consume.

I have personally entitled and sold raw land for subdivision development in Cobb County, and I have another entitlement project underway now. That changes how I underwrite a site. The purchase price is rarely the number that matters. The number that matters is price, plus entitlement cost, plus carrying cost over the months approvals take, measured against what a builder or an end user will pay for a finished, approved site.

If you are buying, structure the contract to protect the time you need. A due diligence period long enough to get a real answer from the jurisdiction, a rezoning contingency when the deal depends on a zoning change, and paid extension options are usually worth more than a slightly lower price. If you are selling, the reverse holds. Entitlement work completed before listing tends to return more than it costs, because it removes the risk a buyer is otherwise pricing into the offer.

How much do I need for a down payment on a commercial building? On a conventional commercial loan, plan on 20 to 30 percent down. An SBA 504 loan, which is built for owner occupants, can bring that closer to 10 percent if you will occupy at least 51 percent of the building. The tradeoff is a longer approval process and more documentation.

Can I buy a building through my business? Yes, and most owner occupants do. The common structure is a separate entity that owns the real estate and leases it back to the operating company. Talk to your CPA and your attorney about that structure before you are under contract, because it is far easier to set up at the start than to unwind later.

How long does a commercial purchase take? Thirty to ninety days from contract to closing is typical. Due diligence usually runs thirty to sixty days, and financing drives most of the rest. SBA financing generally takes longer than conventional.

What is a triple net lease? A lease where the tenant pays base rent plus a share of property taxes, insurance, and common area maintenance. The quoted rate is not the full cost, so always ask what the current additional charges run per square foot and how they have moved over the last three years.

Do you work outside Cobb County? Yes. Most of my work is in Cobb, but I handle transactions across metro Atlanta and represent Cobb business owners buying elsewhere in the region.

Do you handle residential too? Yes, typically residential from around $400,000 and up, and all types of commercial. Many clients come to me for one and stay for the other.