Short answer: on every warehouse tour I check four things before I think about price. Clear height, dock-high doors, grade-level doors and the truck court. Together they tell me which tenants can actually use the building, and that list is what you are really buying.
A warehouse can look great from the street and still be wrong for half the tenants in the market. I tour industrial buildings across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach for buyers and tenants, and these four items decide most of the conversation before we ever get to numbers.
1. Clear height
Clear height is measured inside, from the floor to the lowest thing hanging from the ceiling. That is usually a beam, a joist or the sprinkler line. It is not the height of the roof, and it is not the number painted on the outside of the building.
Clear height decides how many levels of racking a tenant can stack, so it decides how much they can store in the same footprint. Two buildings with the same square footage can hold very different amounts of product. Older buildings tend to have less of it, and that changes who will lease them and what they will pay.
When I walk a building, I look up and find the lowest point, not the highest. One low beam or a sprinkler main running across the bay can set the limit for the whole space.
2. Dock-high doors
With dock-high doors, the warehouse floor sits at about the height of a trailer bed. A forklift drives pallets straight from the floor onto the trailer and back. Distribution, wholesale and logistics users want these.
I look at how many docks there are for the size of the building, whether they have levelers and seals, and what shape they are in. Too few docks for the square footage and a busy distribution user will move on.
3. Grade-level doors
Grade-level doors, sometimes called drive-in doors, sit at ground level. Vans, box trucks and forklifts drive right in. Contractors, service companies and a lot of small businesses prefer them because their vehicles come and go all day.
A building with both dock-high and grade-level doors can lease to a wider range of tenants. That flexibility matters when a space comes up for lease and you want it filled fast.
4. The truck court
The truck court is the paved area in front of the docks. It has to be deep enough for a full size trailer to back in and swing around. If it is too shallow, some users will walk away no matter how nice the inside is.
I also look at where trucks enter the property, whether cars and trucks share the same lane, and whether there is room to park trailers. A tight site in a dense part of Broward or Miami-Dade can limit the building as much as a low ceiling.
What comes after the big four
After those four come power, sprinklers, office space, parking and zoning. Each one can rule a tenant in or out. But the first four tell me fast who the building is really for.
Why this matters when you buy
When you buy a warehouse, you are really buying the list of tenants who can use it. A building that works for distribution, contractors and small users has more ways to stay leased. A building that only works for one kind of user carries more risk between tenants. That is the lens I use to match buildings to buyers and tenants. If you also look at retail, here is my take on why South Florida retail is so tight right now.
FAQ
Q: What is clear height in a warehouse?
It is the distance inside the building from the floor to the lowest overhead obstruction, usually a beam, joist or sprinkler line. It sets how high a tenant can rack product.
Q: What is the difference between dock-high and grade-level doors?
Dock-high doors put the floor at trailer bed height so pallets roll straight onto a truck. Grade-level doors sit at ground level so vans, box trucks and forklifts can drive inside.
Q: Why does the truck court matter?
If the paved area in front of the docks is too shallow, a full size trailer cannot back in and turn. Many distribution users will pass on a building for that reason alone.
Q: What areas do you cover?
I work with warehouse buyers, sellers and tenants across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Looking for a warehouse or thinking about selling one in Miami-Dade, Broward or Palm Beach? Reach out to me directly, browse my current listings, or ask about off-market opportunities.
Igor Presman
Commercial Broker · Trybal Group
