Structured Criteria
The full Buy Box as a clean list – asset class, markets, price, size, vacancy, role, strategies, CapEx, renovation, hold period and avoid list.
CRE Buy Box Generator
Build Your Commercial Real Estate Buy Box
A Buy Box is your clear set of deal criteria – what you buy, where, at what size and price. Brokers send you the right deals, lenders and partners understand your plan in one read.
Takes about 3 minutes. No account required.
Example Buy Box – Structured Criteria
- Asset Class
- Industrial (small-bay industrial)
- Markets
- Ohio, Indiana
- Purchase Price
- Between $1M and $3M
- Property Size
- 10,000–30,000 SF
- Current Vacancy
- Light (5–10%)
- Preferred Role
- Lead Sponsor / Owner-Operator
- Value-Add Strategies
- Below-Market Rents, Lease-Up Opportunity
- Maximum Initial CapEx
- $100K–$250K
- Renovation Level
- Moderate
- Hold Period
- 3–5 Years
- Avoid
- Major Environmental Issues, Short-Term Leases
What a Buy Box Is
A Buy Box is the written set of criteria behind the deal you buy: asset class, markets, purchase price, property size, vacancy, value-add plan, CapEx and available equity. Brokers, lenders and partners all work from that list. When the list is specific, the deals you are sent get specific too.
How the Generator Works
- Property FocusAsset classes and subtypes, plus the role you want to play in the deal.
- Market & Deal SizeTarget markets, purchase price range, property size and current vacancy.
- Value-Add ProfileValue-add strategies, maximum initial CapEx and the renovation level you are comfortable with.
- CapitalAvailable equity, hold period and the property traits you want to avoid.
Each answer writes into the live draft, so you watch your Buy Box take shape as you go.
Three Versions You Can Send
Broker Version
A short paragraph you can paste into an email or a message to a broker before your next call.
Lender / Partner Version
The same criteria written for a capital conversation, with equity and hold period in the wording.
Copy any version, edit the wording, or download it as a text file.
Who Uses It
Owner-operators and lead sponsors use it to brief brokers on what to send. Co-GPs and equity partners use it to say what they want to partner on. Passive investors use it to tell operators where they want to deploy capital. The four sections stay the same – only the wording of the final version changes.
Common Questions
- Do I need an account?
- No. The generator runs in your browser and your answers are saved on this device, so you can close the tab and finish later.
- How long does it take?
- About three minutes. Four short sections, with presets for price, size, CapEx and hold period.
- Can I change my Buy Box later?
- Yes. Edit any answer and generate again – all three versions rebuild from your latest answers.
- Should the criteria be wide or narrow?
- Start focused: one or two asset classes, up to five markets and one price band. Tighten or widen them after you have seen what the market offers.
Put It to Work
A Buy Box earns its keep once other people read it. Send the broker version to brokers you are building a pipeline with, and the lender / partner version to the people who fund or co-invest with you.