You do not think about dirt when you price a civil tender or a fabrication contract. You think about site coverage, heavy logistics and machinery yards. So do we.
Fisher & Fisher sequence the exit for retiring heavy-trades and civil founders aged 50–70 — optimising the industrial freehold and its lease first, then unbundling the operating company — so you leave with both assets sold well, not one sold cheap.
Our co-founder David Fisher spent 46 years in commercial construction and civil development — including a $1.2 billion hospital build. Bulk earthworks, structural steel, hardstand, three-phase power — he has managed the trades you run.
When you unbundle an industrial asset with Fisher & Fisher, you are not talking to a generalist broker. You are talking to a builder who has stood in the mud.
Many contractors undercharge rent to their own operating company — it keeps tender overheads low and tax simple. At exit, it cuts both ways.
A contracting business typically sells on a modest multiple of its profit — volatile tender cycles and plant depreciation see to that. But a well-structured industrial freehold is valued on a far larger multiple of its rental income — so every undercharged dollar strips much more from the depot than it adds to the company.
Slide to see the arithmetic on your own numbers:
Illustrative arithmetic only, using an assumed 3× company profit multiple and a 6.5% capitalisation rate. Multiples and capitalisation rates vary with asset quality, lease covenant and market conditions. General information only — not financial, valuation or tax advice.
At an assumed 3× profit multiple on the flattered earnings.
The same rent capitalised at an assumed 6.5% on the depot.
Restructuring the yard lease to market rates before sale is usually the single largest value lever a contractor holds.
Strategy and transactions are deliberately separated under two corporate structures, so the advice and the licensed selling never blur.
Buyers do not pay premium multiples for your personal network or your field supervision. They pay for systems that keep working when you stop. Five questions tell us most of what we need to know:
If you took next Tuesday off with your phone switched off, would your company still estimate and submit live tenders?
Does a site variation or emergency plant hire over $5,000 still require your personal say-so?
Are steel, materials and machinery-hire agreements contracted to your company — or managed by handshake on your personal mobile?
Are site safety, plant maintenance and project pipelines written down in living SOPs — or do they live entirely in your head?
Is your heavy fleet financed in a way a buyer can step into — or does the balance sheet frighten them off?
Industrial depots, workshops and hardstand are specialised assets with their own buyer pool. Well-leased assets in these corridors consistently attract stronger pricing than generic commercial stock — indicatively, capitalisation rates in the high-5 to mid-6 per cent range, though every asset is different.
Persistent industrial undersupply and deep investor demand for securely leased depots and workshops close to the motorway network.
Crestmead, Berrinba and Loganholme — infrastructure investment and scarce serviced land make established yards and hardstand prized by owner-occupiers and funds alike.
One of the tightest heavy-industrial corridors in the country, where genuine hardstand and high-clearance workshops command premium rents.
“A residential agent cannot price three-phase power, gantry cranes or compacted hardstand. Do not ask a generalist to value your depot.”
Handing over the keys to the yard is not the end of your story. Many of our clients keep the freehold, mentor the incoming management team, and collect secure rental income from the depot they built. A short private call maps what a complete exit could look like for you. No pitch. No obligation.
Book a confidential callAll strategic advisory services described on this page are provided by Orange International Corporation Pty Ltd (ABN 58 160 401 874) trading as Fisher & Fisher Dual Asset Advisory. All real estate sales and leasing services are provided by Meccano Investments Pty Ltd (ABN 67 676 604 498) trading as Fisher & Fisher Commercial Realty under QLD Real Estate Licence 4899955. Asset First System™ is the subject of Australian trade mark application no. 2644364. Content on this page is general information only and is not financial, valuation, legal or tax advice; figures shown are illustrative. Obtain advice on your own circumstances before acting.