The Commercial Due Diligence Checklist
The same 60+ point checklist we run on every multifamily and shopping center acquisition in Northeast Ohio. Miss one line item and it can cost you six figures after closing.
What's inside
This isn't a generic inspection list. It's the working document our team uses with buyers — split into what the seller owes you under the purchase agreement, and what you must independently verify before your due diligence period expires.
29 seller document requests
T-12s, rent rolls, security deposit ledgers, CapEx history, estoppels, HVAC and lead certifications, title, survey, loss runs — written the way they should appear in your purchase agreement.
The public-records digging most buyers skip
Police calls-for-service history, code enforcement, UCC and bankruptcy searches on the seller entity, easement review, pending rezoning and eminent domain checks.
Verify the numbers, don't just read them
Reconcile the T-12 to actual bank deposits, spot-check tenants directly, confirm deposits are truly escrowed, and model post-sale tax reassessment before you're locked in.
Protect your contingency deadlines
Insurance quotes, C.L.U.E. reports, flood-zone confirmation, and lender rate locks sequenced so nothing expires while you're still waiting on the seller.
Investors underwriting multifamily, retail, or mixed-use assets — and the agents who represent them. Written for Ohio buyers, but the framework travels.