A Complimentary Learning Series

Three decisions business owners face.

For many business owners, commercial real estate is the single largest concentration of net worth they hold. Yet when it comes time to buy, hold, sell, or plan a transition, the real estate decision is often treated as an afterthought, addressed reactively rather than strategically.

This learning series exists to change that. Three complimentary sessions, each built around real case studies, led by Glenn Arnold, SIOR, with over 40 years of experience.

Attend the one that matches where you are today. No sequence required, no pitch, no selling.

See Upcoming Dates Which session is right for me?

Prefer the full schedule by email? Send me the list.

The Series

One decision at a time, across the life cycle of a business.

Before You Own

While You Own

After You Sell

Buy or Lease?

Deciding whether to own the building your business occupies

Should we own or lease the business facility? This module covers the full decision process, from understanding occupancy cost, financing, a buy versus lease analysis, tax considerations, and many more. It also looks at when and how ownership can make sense, and whether it is a good long-term wealth building strategy.

Who it is for: Any business owners who currently lease and are curious about the decision of purchasing.

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Transition and Exit Planning

Succession, transition, and exit strategy for family-owned real estate

For families whose commercial real estate represents a major concentration of net worth. Case studies on hold versus sell, vacant building versus leased investment value, sale-leasebacks, sequencing the business sale and the real estate sale, cap rates and valuation, multi-year tax and estate strategies, and the Discovery Process that prepares a family for a transaction.

Who it is for: Owners two to five years from a decision, and the advisors who serve them.

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After the Sale

Capital gains, 1031 exchanges, DSTs, 721s, and what comes next

A panel discussion covering paying capital gains, the traditional 1031 exchange, non-traditional 1031 strategies including DSTs and 721s, and charitable gift planning. The panel brings together a wealth advisor, a CPA with a tax focus, a traditional 1031 exchange specialist, and a non-traditional 1031 specialist.

Who it is for: Owners who have made the decision to sell and want to see what it looks like on the other side.

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Who Leads the Sessions

Glenn Arnold, SIOR

Glenn Arnold has spent over four decades advising San Diego families on commercial real estate decisions. Over roughly 1,500 sale and lease transactions, his practice has centered on one observation: the best outcomes are always planned in advance.

His focus is distinct within the industry. He works specifically with families who own commercial real estate and are approaching one of the most important financial decisions of their lifetime. Whether the real estate is owner-occupied, held as investment property, or intertwined with a business succession, the questions are rarely simple, and the stakes are rarely small.

Glenn earned the SIOR designation, one of the highest professional credentials in commercial real estate, and has spoken before estate planning councils, wealth advisory firms, banking institutions, and professional advisor groups across San Diego and Southern California. Early in his career Glenn spent years representing tenants and walking business owners through the decision to buy rather than lease, work that became the Buy or Lease? session.

Experience

40 Years

Transactions

1,500+ (+$1.5B)

Designation

SIOR

Focus

Family-Owned Commercial Real Estate

What You Will Learn

Each session is built around real case studies.

The goal is not to cover theory in the abstract, but to walk through the kind of strategic and financial analysis that owners and their advisors can apply directly to their own circumstances.

Buy or Lease?

Before You Own

Deciding whether to own the building your business occupies

Understanding occupancy cost, before and after tax. What your space actually costs once operating expenses, taxes, and deductions are accounted for, and why the rent number is only the starting point.
Top reasons to, and top reasons not to, consider purchasing. The situations where ownership genuinely serves the business, and the ones where staying a tenant is the better decision.
Own vs. lease financial analysis: looking at actual numbers. A side-by-side walkthrough of purchase price, down payment, debt service, tax treatment, and what you keep at the end.
SBA vs. conventional loan programs. How each is structured, what down payment each requires, and which tends to fit which kind of business.
Best practices and resources you can use. The checklists, timelines, and professionals to have in place before you start looking at buildings.

Transition and Exit Planning

While You Own

Succession, transition, and exit strategy for family-owned real estate

Hold vs. sell decision frameworks. What are the factors that actually drive this decision for families, and how should they be weighed against one another?
Vacant building vs. leased investment. When is a property worth more without a tenant in place, and why does that distinction matter so much at the point of transition?
Sale-leaseback structures. How do they work, when do they make sense, and what should families understand before entering one?
Cap rates and property valuation. What are the three main drivers behind how cap rates are assigned, and how do they affect the value of a family's real estate?
Sequencing a business sale and a real estate sale. For families that own both the business and the building, which transaction should come first, and how does the order affect the value of each?
Multi-year planning strategies. Many of the most impactful decisions, including 1031 exchanges, alternative investments, and charitable giving strategies, require two to three years of advance planning to execute well.
Appraisal vs. Broker Opinion of Value. What are the important differences, and when do families benefit from one, the other, or both?
The Discovery Process. A structured set of questions designed to help families and advisors identify what they need to know before any transaction begins.

After the Sale

After You Sell

Capital gains, 1031 exchanges, DSTs, 721s, and what comes next

Paying capital gains versus deferring. How to compare the two honestly, including what deferral actually costs you in flexibility.
The traditional 1031 exchange. Identification timelines, replacement property requirements, and the points where exchanges most often fail.
Non-traditional 1031 strategies. Delaware Statutory Trusts and 721 UPREITs as passive alternatives, and what to examine before committing.
Charitable gift planning. When gifting can serve as both a tax strategy and a legacy decision.
Fitting the proceeds into the broader plan. How the money interacts with income needs, estate planning, and the rest of the family balance sheet.
Coordinating your advisors before close. Why the CPA, the exchange accommodator, and the wealth advisor need to be aligned ahead of closing rather than after.
Case studies of sellers who chose each path. Real situations, with names and identifying details changed, and how each decision played out.

Who This Is For

Two audiences. One conversation.

Business & Property Owners

If this is you

Business owners deciding whether to buy the building they occupy. Families who own commercial real estate and are years away from a decision but know it deserves strategic attention. Owners who have sold and are weighing what to do next.

Some still operate the business that runs from the building. Others sold the business years ago and retained the real estate, now serving as landlord to the buyer or to unrelated tenants. The specific arrangement varies, but the underlying question is the same: what is the right thing to do with this property given where the family is headed?

For many, real estate was acquired decades ago, and the assumptions that made sense at the time may no longer apply. Market conditions have shifted. Family dynamics have evolved. Successors may or may not be interested, capable, or aligned. Tax implications have grown more complex. And yet, in many cases, no one has stepped back to look at the full picture with the kind of rigor applied to the business itself, or to the family's broader financial plan.

These sessions are designed for owners who want to understand the range of strategies available to them before the pressure of a timeline or transaction narrows their options.

Trusted Advisors

If this is your client

CPAs, attorneys, wealth advisors, estate planners, fiduciaries, bankers, SBA and commercial lenders, and other professionals who serve high-net-worth families will recognize a familiar pattern: a client mentions, often in passing, that they own a commercial building, that a family business is winding down, or that they are starting to think about what comes next. The conversation is rarely about real estate specifically. But real estate is frequently the largest and most complex asset on the table.

These sessions offer a structured framework for understanding how commercial real estate intersects with the broader planning work advisors are already doing. The case studies illustrate how the sequencing of decisions, the interplay between a business sale and a property sale, and the tax and estate planning implications of different strategies can materially affect client outcomes.

The goal is not to turn advisors into real estate experts, but to give them a sharper lens for recognizing when the real estate component of a client's situation deserves earlier and more deliberate attention. Attendees consistently report that the Discovery Process framework, in particular, gives them a practical tool for opening better conversations with their clients.

The Session

90 minutes. Real case studies. No pitch, no selling.

Each session walks through real case studies: owners and families Glenn or Miles has worked with, with names and identifying details changed. The cases are chosen because each demonstrates a different decision point. The format is deliberately conversational. Questions are welcome throughout, not saved for the end. Owners and advisors often reach different conclusions in the same room, which is usually the most valuable part of the session.

Format

Morning or evening session, food and refreshments provided

Location

Voit Real Estate Services
9530 Towne Centre Dr, Suite 100
San Diego, CA 92121

Cost

Complimentary

Buy or Lease? and Transition and Exit Planning are presentations by Glenn Arnold. After the Sale is a moderated panel of outside specialists.

Presented by Glenn Arnold, SIOR, and Miles Arnold, Voit Real Estate Services, San Diego.

Upcoming Dates

Schedule

Each session stands alone. Attend the one that matches where you are today, in whichever month suits your calendar.

Buy or Lease?

Deciding whether to own the building your business occupies

2027

Tuesday, January 12

7:30 to 9:00 AM

Reserve a Seat

Wednesday, July 21

4:00 to 5:30 PM

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Transition and Exit Planning

Succession, transition, and exit strategy for family-owned real estate

2026

Thursday, October 1

4:00 to 5:30 PM

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Wednesday, December 16

7:30 to 9:00 AM

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2027

Thursday, February 11

4:00 to 5:30 PM

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Thursday, April 22

7:30 to 9:00 AM

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Thursday, June 24

4:00 to 5:30 PM

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Wednesday, August 18

7:30 to 9:00 AM

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Thursday, October 21

4:00 to 5:30 PM

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Monday, December 13

7:30 to 9:00 AM

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After the Sale

Capital gains, 1031 exchanges, DSTs, 721s, and what comes next

2026

Tuesday, November 10

4:00 to 5:30 PM

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2027

Tuesday, March 16

7:30 to 9:00 AM

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Monday, May 31

4:00 to 5:30 PM

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Tuesday, September 21

4:00 to 5:30 PM

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Friday, November 19

4:00 to 5:30 PM

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Not sure about a date? Get the full schedule by email. Reach out to Miles directly at marnold@voitco.com.

What Attendees Are Saying

Property Owners

"I have had the privilege of attending Glenn's learning events for business owners and trusted advisors. They provided valuable insight and thought-provoking conversations that ultimately resulted in a recent family decision to exit our business and complete a very successful sale of our commercial real estate. I highly recommend attending."

Christophe J. Freed, President and CEO, J.H. Freed and Sons

"Expecting a networking event, I was pleasantly surprised it covered highly insightful content. Particularly intriguing were the case studies, how lack of early planning causes costly mistakes and unrealized value in real estate decisions. I highly recommend property owners attend."

Anthony Bortz, Owner, Discount Glass and Mirror

"As a property and business owner, you presented some relevant case studies that provoked forward thinking regarding our retirement and planning for our industrial building. I especially appreciate that you addressed ways to maximizing cash flow and minimizing taxation and inheritance issues."

Melanie Spiegelman, Owner, Rasirc Manufacturing, Inc.

Trusted Advisors

"That was hands down the best and most informative presentation that I have seen in the last ten years. Seriously, a great use of our time."

John Van Deusen, FRS Executive Search, ProVisors Group Leader

"Your presentation was compelling and full of deep wisdom. The inclusion of real-life stories was such a helpful way to learn and retain tried and true lessons and best practices of real estate management, trends, investing, and succession planning."

Lauren Humphrey, VP Trust Administrator, First Foundation Bank

"Your slides on Discovery questions were fantastic. His case studies really demonstrate the comprehensiveness of his planning. Every professional that deals with the sale of a business that uses real estate owned and occupied by business owners should hear Glenn's presentation."

William Super, President, North County Estate Planning Council

Common questions

The event is genuinely complimentary. Our practice works because some percentage of attendees eventually become clients. But that is months or years later, and only if the engagement makes sense for both sides. There is no pitch at the event, and no follow-up sales outreach unless you ask for it.

Yes, and we encourage it. Register them separately so they receive their own event details. Advisors often find the most value because they can compare notes with peers after the session.

That is the right time to attend. Most of the strategic options we cover require two to three years of advance planning. The families who attend early tend to use the tools well. The ones who wait tend to find their options narrowed.

The event is designed for owners and advisors. If you are a professional in a related field, including estate planning attorneys, CPAs, wealth advisors, trust officers, and bankers, you are welcome on your own.

No. Each session stands alone. Attend the one that matches your situation today. Many owners attend Buy or Lease? and return years later for Transition and Exit Planning.

Yes. Start with Buy or Lease?. It was built for business owners who lease today and want a clear, honest way to evaluate ownership.

Buy or Lease? and Transition and Exit Planning are presentations by Glenn Arnold built around case studies. After the Sale is a moderated panel with a wealth advisor, a CPA with a tax focus, a traditional 1031 exchange specialist, and a non-traditional 1031 specialist covering DSTs and 721s.

Yes. The case studies rotate. Several of our attendees come once a year to keep the framework fresh.

Three decisions business owners face.

One decision at a time, across the life cycle of a business.

Buy or Lease?

Transition and Exit Planning

After the Sale

Which session is right for me?

Glenn Arnold, SIOR

Each session is built around real case studies.

Buy or Lease?

Transition and Exit Planning

After the Sale

Two audiences. One conversation.

If this is you

If this is your client

90 minutes. Real case studies. No pitch, no selling.

Glenn has presented this session for estate planning councils, wealth advisory firms, banks, and professional advisor groups across San Diego.

Schedule

Buy or Lease?

Transition and Exit Planning

After the Sale

Property Owners

Trusted Advisors

Common questions

Reserve your seat.