Billboards
A billboard lease produces income for years. We acquire it.
The transaction
Here is what changes, and what does not.
- What you sell
- You sell the ground lease beneath the billboard and the rent the billboard company pays, together with an easement over the footprint and the access to it. The rest of your parcel is outside the transaction.
- What you keep
- In most transactions you continue to own the land, and nothing changes at the billboard. The structure stays where it is, and the billboard company keeps operating under the same agreement it has today.
- How you are paid
- You are paid in immediately available funds at closing. Where it suits your estate or tax planning, the proceeds can instead be structured as a series of payments.
Points that matter
Billboards differ from towers in a few ways that shape the offer.
The lease is the asset
A billboard lease is often short, renews often, and sometimes includes a share of advertising revenue. The terms shape the offer more than the structure does, so we read them closely.
Permits stay with the billboard
Permits and the right to the location generally belong to the billboard company. Our acquisition does not disturb them, which is why the transaction is invisible from the highway.
Highway frontage
If you expect to develop or sell the frontage, tell us early, because the easement should be drafted around those plans rather than discovered when the land changes hands.
Does the billboard company have to agree?
Usually the lease allows the landowner to sell or assign the interest, and the billboard company simply pays the rent to the new owner. Some leases require notice or consent, and we will read yours to find out which applies.
Our lease pays a share of advertising revenue. Can you still make an offer?
Yes. Revenue-based rent is common for billboards. We base the offer on what the lease has produced and on its terms.
What if the billboard comes down?
The purchase is a sale rather than a loan, so we have no claim against you if the rent later falls or the tenant leaves. If the billboard company were ever to remove the structure, you would keep the full purchase price and would owe us nothing.
We have several billboards on different parcels. Can they close together?
Yes. We acquire single sites as well as groups of sites, and a group can close in one transaction.