Lease vs Buy for Physical Therapy Clinics: The $200K Decision Most Owners Get Wrong

Private practice physical therapy owners and clinic directors: your commercial lease negotiation could cost you $100,000–$300,000 if handled wrong. In this MBA for the DPT session, we break down lease vs buy decisions, landlord tactics, and how PTs can protect cash flow and long-term equity.

Most PTs negotiate 3–5 leases in their entire career. Landlords negotiate hundreds. That experience gap matters. If you don’t understand tenant improvement allowances, break-even points, build-out leverage, and when to start negotiations, you’re walking into a business decision that impacts profit for years.

This episode shows you how to approach commercial real estate like an operator — not just a clinician signing paperwork.

00:00 Real Estate Is A Game
06:45 Landlord Leverage Explained
14:20 Lease Vs Purchase Math
22:10 Build-Out Negotiation Strategy
31:40 Break-Even Point Tactics
38:45 Renewal Timing Rules

Guest:
Colin Carr
Website: https://carr.us