Precision in Disposition: Trinity’s Strategic Approach to Unlocking Commercial Property Value
Pete StoneManaging Partner, Trinity Real Estate
Navigating the Complexity of Selling CRE Assets
Unlike publicly traded stocks, commercial real estate is generally illiquid, typically taking 90 days or more from the decision to sell to the actual closing. Navigating a successful sale demands far more than simply hiring a licensed broker. It requires planning, discipline, and an experienced hand, especially when multimillion-dollar outcomes are at stake.
At Trinity Real Estate, we specialize in guiding high-net-worth families and family offices in their real estate holdings, including dispositions. We find that many families are overwhelmed by the sales process, often holding assets that should be sold due to a lack of familiarity with the sales process, uncertainty about pricing, and a lack of confidence in acquiring a replacement asset through a 1031 exchange. Our phased process allows investors to maximize property value, minimize execution risk, and align outcomes with long-term strategic goals.
Trinity’s Approach to Real Estate Disposition Management
Trinity does not replace a broker but rather functions as your disposition advisor, designing the strategy, selecting and managing the right broker team, shaping the narrative to target the best-fit buyer, and actively coordinating diligence and closing. In practice, this means conducting broker interviews, preparing assets for sale, guiding and confirming the marketing process, preparing documents for due diligence, and tracking milestones through to close. Hiring Trinity allows owners to have a seasoned advisor helping them navigate a sale, make sure it’s done for the right reasons, and select the brokerage team that is the best fit to meet owner objectives.
Trinity’s Phased CRE Disposition Framework
Trinity’s Phased Disposition Framework is a disciplined roadmap that optimizes sales proceeds through a strategic approach and focus on risk mitigation. This Framework emphasizes discovery, strategy, and execution, aiming for an on-time, no-surprises close.
Phase 1: Hold/Sell – Confirm Sale is the Right Decision
Begin with a structured hold/sell assessment to confirm that you are selling for the right reasons. Our analysis typically encompasses a complete review of the asset, including reviewing the rent roll and market, estimating asset value, and considering any capital needs of the property, and asks the following questions:
What are the long-term prospects for the property and the property’s trade area?
Is the property still meeting risk/return objectives for the asset, the portfolio, and ownership?
Does the property require more improvement/maintenance capital than what you want or could do?
Is it possible to make strategic capital investments to increase market value?
Is the market currently willing to pay you more than you would pay for the property if it were for sale today?
If sold, what are you going to do with the sale proceeds? What are the alternatives, and what are the financial implications and opportunities of each?
Phase 2: Investment Sales Broker Selection – Finding the Right Partner
Once the decision to sell is confirmed, Trinity leads the broker identification process to match you with a team that has a strong reputation and already knows your buyer pool. A qualified investment sales broker is crucial in terms of driving value and identifying qualified buyers. We typically interview three to five qualified brokers per property. Key considerations when hiring the right brokerage team include:
What is the team’s overall reputation?
What experience does the team have with the property type, deal size and submarket? In particular, have they sold similar assets, thereby gaining familiarity with qualified buyers?
What is the range of likely buyers and likely sales price?
What does the marketing process look like?
How professional/thorough is the packaging?
What is their compensation structure, and does it create appropriate alignment of interest?
Phase 3: Prepare Asset for Sale – Document Preparation and StrategicInvestments
Once an investment sales broker team is identified, the team should create a strategy that may include making selective improvements, lease and operating decisions to optimize proceeds, and preparing due diligence documents in advance. These moves can help to create a sales story for Buyers and optimize the time between going to market and closing by considering potential issues and addressing them in advance. For instance, an owner with an impending lease expiration on a commercial tenant may look to renew prior to marketing, which could improve pricing. Alternatively, an owner may make landscaping improvements and upgrade the entry to an apartment project to improve initial impressions. Trinity collaborates with the Seller and broker team to develop a plan that optimizes the result for the Seller.
Phase 4 – Manage the Marketing
Trinity oversees and approves (along with the Seller) the marketing plan and package, and manages the marketing process to optimize price, certainty, and sales proceeds. With a strategy in place, we manage the broker to identify qualified buyers and oversee the buyer feedback loop that sharpens pricing while protecting deal momentum.
Trinity Oversees:
Offering Memorandum. We review the brokers’ offering memorandum to ensure accuracy and highlight the property’s strengths, enabling buyers to see its value proposition.
Document Room. Work with the broker to create a comprehensive data room (including rent roll, leases, historical financials, capital expenses, and third-party reports) to enhance the quality of buyer offers.
Weekly Meetings. We meet regularly with both ownership and brokers to review targeted buyers, tour schedules, ensure appropriate follow-up, and answer any buyer questions.
Buyer qualification. Interview bidder finalists to understand their capital availability, relevant track record, decision-making process, and underwriting questions to help qualify and select a buyer.
Phase 5: Closing Coordination – Managing Risk to the Finish Line
Once a buyer is selected, success now hinges on transforming agreed-upon terms into a successful sale through the disciplined coordination of lenders, lawyers, tenants, and third-party vendors, thereby reducing surprises that can erode pricing or delay closing.
Trinity Manages:
PSA Negotiation. We negotiate the PSA on behalf of ownership to ensure market-appropriate terms and minimize risks for the Owner.
Due Diligence Coordination. We collaborate with the brokerage and property management team to coordinate tours and transition protocols, ensuring seamless operations and maintaining goodwill.
Lender Communications. Communicate with the lender to prepare for the loan payoff.
1031 Exchange & Tax Timing. When applicable, coordinate with the Qualified Intermediary (QI) so that exchange rules are met.
Post-Close Handoff. Ensure the property manager coordinates the management transition, including delivering leases, vendor contracts, and warranties, to ensure a smooth handoff.
Why Trinity? Experience, Alignment, Results.
Since 2001, Trinity has completed over $8 billion in real estate transactions servicing family offices, HNW investors, and institutions nationwide. We don’t just set the strategy; we design, manage, and close the entire disposition, so value isn’t left in the gap between a pitch and a wire.
What sets Trinity apart:
Owner mindset. We think like owners because we are owners, offering seasoned insights.
Fiduciary mentality. We act in the best interests of our owners and help guide them based on their unique strategy.
Risk control. We focus on risk mitigation to help optimize results with the least amount of risk.
Alignment & transparency. We create a clear scope of work and offer fee structures designed to reward proceeds and certainty.
Real Outcomes from Trinity Clients
Optimizing Portfolio through the Strategic Use of a 1031 Exchange
Trinity oversaw the sale of a valuable piece of land and successfully completed a 1031 exchange into five core multifamily assets, generating significant cash flow for the family.
Outcomes: Oversaw the sale of assets of significant value, exponentially increased cash flow, and created a well-diversified multifamily portfolio spanning five high-quality assets.
Association Exit Optimization (Condo to Development Site)
Polynesia Condominiums — Trinity quantified the as-is value and redevelopment potential and worked with a local brokerage team to orchestrate a record sale.
Outcomes: Site valued nearly 2× individual sales; per-unit record; unanimous HOA approval.
Trinity repositioned a single-tenant industrial asset and oversaw a sale at a significant premium – and improved the family’s portfolio by turning those proceeds into 2 well-located multitenant assets.
Outcomes: The Family sold a functionally challenging single-tenant building and acquired two high-quality properties with over 30 tenants, thereby significantly improving the family’s portfolio diversification.
In today’s CRE landscape, process is power. Trinity’s CRE Disposition Framework provides the structure, expertise, and foresight necessary to drive premium outcomes in any cycle.
Whether you’re divesting a stabilized trophy asset or seeking liquidity on a holding, Trinity ensures your exit strategy delivers measurable value.
Key Takeaways
Decide before you sell. Complete a hold/sale analysis to confirm the sales decision.
Select the Right Broker. Select a suitable broker to maximize sales proceeds.
Prepare the Asset for Sale. Prepare documents and implement strategic improvements to ensure a smooth process and superior outcomes.
Choose your buyer wisely. Conduct interviews to ensure buyer qualification and the strength of the bid.
Manage Closing. Collaborate with the buyer on due diligence and remain closely involved in the process to address any issues that arise.
About the Author: Pete Stone
Pete Stone oversees Trinity’s Investments and Business Development efforts. Pete has advised/closed, and overseen numerous transactions across multiple asset classes across the US, helping Trinity’s clients achieve their financial goals. His expertise in investment, development, asset management, and consulting has consistently helped complex and often challenging projects deliver improved returns for owners. Pete’s experience encompasses a wide range of commercial and multifamily properties, including hospitality, office, multifamily, industrial, and retail. Whether approaching a distressed portfolio or competing for a coveted redevelopment challenge, Pete is skilled at matching opportunities with client goals while aligning the needs of investors with each project’s complex web of stakeholders. Prior to joining Trinity Real Estate in 2010, Pete was an acquisitions officer for ING Clarion Partners, where he was responsible for western US acquisitions and joint venture investments. During his tenure with ING, Pete closed over $2 billion in real estate investments. An active member of the Urban Land Institute, Pete is an advisory board member for the Pacific Northwest chapter, as well as an active member of both the Pacific Real Estate Institute and the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties.
About Trinity Real Estate
Founded in 2001, Trinity Real Estate provides full-service, personalized real estate services and investment solutions to family offices and institutional investors nationwide. Trinity’s hands-on, high-touch, and full-service approach has led to the acquisition, management, development, and repositioning of more than $8 billion in assets. These assets span all sectors of the real estate market, including office, industrial, multifamily, hospitality, and mixed-use. TRE’s objective is to create, enhance, and preserve real estate assets that produce strong long-term returns for its clients.
Ready to Strengthen Your Real Estate Legacy?
We offer a clearly defined process for qualified co-investors, from initial indication to deal close.
Because it confirms the sales decision and helps protect both price and certainty of close. A disciplined process validates the decision to sell, optimizes the asset to achieve best prices, targets the right buyer pool, and actively manages risks so the deal crosses the finish line on intended terms.
What are the important factors to consider to get the best results in a CRE sale?
Start with a hold/sell analysis; select a broker with proven expertise in the submarket/product; prepare the asset for sale; identify a quality buyer and conduct thorough diligence/closing coordination.
Why don’t I just hire a broker directly?
A listing broker’s mandate is to market the asset. A disposition advisor designs and manages the outcome: confirms the sales decision (hold/sell), oversees broker vetting and selection, confirms buyer qualification, organizes pre-diligence data room, and works to mitigate closing risks. That broader mandate maximizes proceeds and closing probability versus a list-and-wait approach, especially when timelines, tax (1031), financing, tenant documents, and estoppels/SNDAs can derail value without hands-on coordination.
Is there any additional cost to hire a disposition advisor vs a traditional broker?
Fees vary by assignment. The goal is ROI: the advisor’s strategy, buyer qualification, and closing rigor are designed to lift pricing, reduce retrades/delays, and offer the Seller peace of mind by working with a seasoned professional that they are selling for the right reasons and getting market value for their sale; benefits that typically outweigh any incremental advisory cost. We scope transparently, align incentives to proceeds and certainty, and integrate with the listing broker so you gain value without unnecessary complexity.
How long does the complete CRE disposition process take?
Most engagements are completed within four to six months, from start to finish. Expect one to two months for sale-readiness and strategy, one to two months for market execution and negotiations, and 60–75 days for diligence and closing. Complexity, lender requirements, estoppels/SNDAs, and 1031exchange timing can lengthen or compress the schedule; disciplined coordination keeps momentum and protects value.
Can you help coordinate a 1031 exchange?
Yes. We coordinate with a qualified intermediary to align marketing, PSA dates, and closing with identification and exchange windows. We help identify suitable replacement property profiles early, manage timelines, and find, analyze, gain control, and close suitable replacement properties so the exchange meets IRS rules without jeopardizing the close. The goal is to protect deferred benefits while preserving proceeds and ensuring certainty of execution.
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