Selling a Boarding or Training Facility in Gilbert

A boarding or training facility in Gilbert is one of the rarest properties in the East Valley. Gilbert has very little large acreage left, and only a fraction of it is set up to house other people's horses. That rarity is valuable. It also means every buyer will look hard at one question before anything else: can a horse business legally keep operating on this property?

The answer depends on where the facility sits and what was approved. A facility inside the Town of Gilbert runs under the Town's zoning and approvals. A facility outside Town limits in unincorporated Maricopa County runs under the County's rules, which do not treat boarding six or more horses as a permitted accessory use in its Rural zoning districts. Knowing which applies, and having the paperwork, is what separates a facility sale from a large-lot sale.

• Jurisdiction and approvals. Town of Gilbert or unincorporated county, the zoning, and every approval the operation relies on. I confirm with the right office what the use allows, rather than assuming it carries over.
• Animal capacity. For a facility inside the Town, Gilbert's rule of 10,000 square feet of lot per large animal is the starting point for how many horses the property can hold, subject to any approvals that allow more.
• Structure permits. Barns, shade rows, covered arenas and living quarters, with permits. Gaps here are what a buyer's attorney finds first.
• Tax classification. Arizona's agricultural classification can include commercial boarding or training of equine. It generally depends on active production in three of the last five years and an expectation of operating profit, so it does not transfer automatically.
• Water and manure. Irrigation rights and history, domestic water, and how manure leaves the property. On a facility surrounded by subdivisions, neighbors notice both.
• The business side. Contracts, equipment and the business name are separate from the real estate. Your attorney and accountant handle them, and I keep the real estate side in step.

Marketing goes to trainers, breeders and equestrian business owners through the targeted reach part of my process, often privately first.

If you own a boarding or training facility in Gilbert and are weighing a sale, contact me privately. We will start with what the approvals and records show and what that means for price. More on selling boarding and training facilities.