Connecting off-market commercial sellers to institutional acquirers

The best commercial real estate never touches a listing site. Owners quietly test the market through their broker, or wait for the right buyer to come to them. Institutional acquirers pay meaningful finder fees for direct access to owners who are open to a conversation.

01The two sides

Demand side. Owners of commercial property (industrial, multifamily, retail centers, self-storage) with a decade or more of tenure, who have quietly discussed selling with an advisor but have not listed publicly. Value bands from $2 million to $30 million.

Supply side. Institutional acquirers, family offices, and real estate syndicators actively deploying capital in a defined asset class and geography. They pay $10,000 to $50,000 per direct owner introduction that leads to an executed LOI, with structures varying by engagement.

02Why they cannot find each other

Owners do not want their tenants, employees, or competitors knowing the building is for sale, so they never list. They wait for the right buyer to arrive. Meanwhile brokers who represent the buyers cannot make cold calls to strangers offering their book of buyers without breaking relationships.

The result is billions of dollars of quiet supply meeting billions of dollars of quiet demand through personal networks that most institutional buyers cannot access.

03What Falah does

1. Build the ownership map. County recorder data, LLC ownership records, and title chains to identify long-tenure owners in the acquirer’s target asset class and geography.
2. Filter for exit signals. Cross-reference against estate planning filings, refinance activity, and property tax appeal records to identify owners showing quiet signs of considering a transition.
3. Warm the owner. Reach out respectfully, off-market, referencing the property by name, and confirm the owner is open to a serious conversation with a real buyer.
4. Deliver the introduction. A written intro to the acquirer’s principal with the property address, ownership structure, tenure, and owner’s preferred contact method.
5. Replace anything invalid. If a delivered owner turns out to not be seriously interested or already under contract, Falah replaces the intro at no extra cost.

04Timeline

Fee is set per engagement. Depending on the market and the specifics, Falah may charge the demand side, the supply side, or both. The amount and the party paying it are agreed in writing before payment.

05What success looks like

The acquirer’s principal walks into a conversation directly with an owner who is genuinely considering a sale, is not already in a bidding process, and is willing to negotiate off-market. LOI conversion is materially higher than public-listing pipelines. Falah does not participate in the transaction. The introduction fee is the whole compensation.