Hire a commercial estate agent or sell yourself? How to make the decision

Only the notary is mandatory

For the transfer of real estate, a notarial deed of transfer is required; this is registered with the Kadaster. An estate agent is not legally required anywhere. You may therefore sell your business property directly to a buyer.

When selling yourself works out well

There is already a concrete buyer: your tenant, a neighbouring company or an investor you know.
The property is marketable and the price can be well-substantiated with comparable transactions.
You have time and experience with business negotiations yourself.
You have the purchase agreement drawn up or checked by a notary or real estate lawyer.

When an agent earns their keep

The property is unique: transformation potential, deviating zoning, mixed use.
There is a vacancy or an expiring lease, meaning the story needs to be told.
You have no insight into investors and developers active in your segment.
You want to sell discreetly without a sign and without publication.

The third route: selling directly to a buyer

Besides "yourself" and "via an agent", there is a third way: selling to a party that purchases for themselves. You then pay no commission, you know where you stand quickly and the sale is not dependent on financing from an unknown buyer. The downside: a direct buyer factors in risks and therefore rarely offers the highest theoretical market price.

Our honest rule of thumb: have the three routes calculated side by side. Compare the expected proceeds minus costs and minus lead time, instead of only looking at the commission percentage.

Sources

Kadaster on transfer of ownership and registration: kadaster.nl
Royal Notarial Association on the deed of transfer: knb.nl