How Long Should The Due Diligence Period Be During A Commercial Sale? 

06/22/2026 02:47 PM       Mark Goodman

After a commercial offer has been accepted, the buyer and seller will enter a stage known as the due diligence period. This period between when an offer is accepted and before the official closing date is a crucial period where a number of critical investigations and reviews are conducted to ensure the buyer doesn’t encounter any unwelcome surprises once they take over as owner. 

This due diligence period can be as little as a couple of weeks or be longer than six months, and while short and longer due diligence periods have their own benefits and drawbacks, how can you know what is the right due diligence period for you? We discuss how long the due diligence period should be in today’s blog. 

The truth of the matter is that there is no set time period for how long due diligence should be. For some experienced sellers who take it upon themselves to ensure their property is in good standing, due diligence may only take a few weeks. For more complex transactions involving bigger industrial spaces with a larger environmental impact, getting it done in 180 days may turn out to be too lofty of a goal. At the end of the day, the due diligence period needs to be crafted to the scale of the property. 

When evaluating the scale of the property to determine how long a due diligence period should be, some factors you’ll want to consider include: 

• Property value 

• Likelihood that issues will be found with the property 

• Property size/number of buildings on the property 

• Complexity of previous sales records 

• Scale of surveys, permits and inspections that need to be performed 

• Loan terms 

• Financial impact of extended due diligence period 

Fortunately, you’ll understand most of these factors prior to getting an accepted offer, since a number of the terms of due diligence will be laid out in your purchase offer. This will help you understand how long you should reasonably ask for with a due diligence period, and it will spell out who is paying for certain inspections or any issues that are discovered that need to be addressed prior to closing. 

To ensure everything goes as expected with your due diligence period and your purchase agreement, we highly recommend bringing a professional into the mix. The team at Commercial Partners can ensure your interests are protected when drafting a purchase agreement and can lean on our industry contacts to connect you with professionals who can perform these inspections and surveys at an affordable price. We tell all our clients that our goal is to help them buy or sell the property of their dreams while also protecting their financial interests, and one of the biggest potential threats to your financial security is not performing all the necessary tasks during the due diligence period. Let us take the reins and ensure you’re not rushed during due diligence or unnecessarily delayed by an overly extended due diligence period. 

We’ll work with you to hit your timelines while also protecting your best interests behind the scenes. To learn more about how we’ll do this, give the team at Commercial Partners a call today at (612) 337-2470.