If you are buying or selling a home to live in, including a house with a suite or a duplex, a residential realtor is the right fit. If the property earns income from tenants, is used by a business, has five or more rental units, combines shops with apartments, or comes with a business attached, you need a commercial realtor or a team that does both. In BC both hold the same trading services licence, so the difference is experience: commercial deals are priced on income, depend on zoning and leases, and use different contracts, financing and due diligence. This guide shows which kind of agent fits each type of deal in Metro Vancouver.
Is there a different licence for commercial realtors in BC?
No. Real estate professionals in BC are licensed by the BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA) to provide trading services, and the same licence covers homes and commercial property. The difference starts in training: new licensees complete an Applied Practice Course in either a residential or a commercial version, depending on where they plan to work.
After that, the gap comes from practice. An agent who sells forty townhomes a year knows that market well but may never have read a commercial lease, checked a rent roll or worked out a cap rate. An agent who works on warehouses and plazas may not be the right person to price a family home in Grandview Heights. Ask what each agent actually does day to day.
What does a commercial realtor know that a residential one may not?
Commercial work is built around income, use and risk. A commercial agent should be comfortable with:
- Valuing on income. Commercial buildings are priced mostly on net operating income and cap rate, not on what the house next door sold for. Our guide to cap rates in Surrey and BC explains the method.
- Leases. Who the tenants are, how long the leases run, what the tenants pay towards costs and what happens at renewal often decide what a building is worth.
- Zoning and permitted use. Whether your business can operate on the site, or whether a buyer can add density, depends on the municipal zoning bylaw and plans.
- Commercial due diligence. Environmental reports, building condition, tenant confirmations and financial statements are standard.
- Commercial financing. Lenders look at the property's income and the borrower's business, and terms differ from a home mortgage.
- Different laws. Commercial leases in BC are governed by the Commercial Tenancy Act and the lease itself, not the Residential Tenancy Act.
Which agent do you need for each type of deal?
| Your deal | Agent to look for |
|---|---|
| Buying or selling the home you live in | Residential |
| A house with a suite, a duplex or a rental condo | Residential, ideally one who works with investors |
| A rental building with five or more units | Commercial, or a team that does both |
| Shops with apartments above (mixed-use) | Commercial, or a team that does both |
| An office, retail unit, warehouse or plaza | Commercial |
| Buying the building your business uses | Commercial |
| Buying or selling a business | Commercial, with business sale experience |
| Leasing space for your business | Commercial |
| Development land or a land assembly | Commercial |
What about rental buildings with five or more units?
This is where many investors get caught. A fourplex is usually bought and financed much like a home. Once a building has five or more rental units, it is treated as a commercial asset: lenders underwrite it on its income, and CMHC's multi-unit mortgage loan insurance, including MLI Select, applies to rental projects with at least five units. The value of the building depends on its rents, expenses and the potential to improve them.
An agent buying a five-plex or an apartment building for you should be able to read the rent roll, compare current rents to market rents, check the operating costs and work with a lender on CMHC financing. See our page on CMHC MLI Select financing for how this works.
What about mixed-use buildings?
A building with a shop or office on the ground floor and apartments above has two kinds of income and two sets of rules. The commercial unit is let under a commercial lease and the apartments under the Residential Tenancy Act. Lenders also treat mixed-use differently depending on how much of the building is residential. You want an agent who can value both parts and knows how each lease works.
What if you are buying a business and the property?
When a business owner sells the company and the building together, you are really making two purchases: the business, valued on its earnings, and the real estate, valued on its rent or market value. They may be priced, financed and taxed separately. A commercial agent with business sale experience will help you separate them, review the financial records under a confidentiality agreement and set the right conditions in the offer. Our business acquisition page explains our process.
What about owner-users?
If you run a business and want to stop leasing, you are an owner-user. Your agent needs to match the space to how your business works: loading, ceiling height, power, parking, outdoor storage and whether the zoning allows your use. Financing is assessed on your business as well as the property. Our page on how to buy property for your business covers this in detail.
How can you tell your deal has become commercial?
Some deals start out looking residential and change along the way. Watch for these signs:
- The price depends on rent. If the seller or lender keeps talking about the income the property produces, you are in commercial territory.
- There are tenants you will inherit. Leases you take over with the building need to be read and checked against what the tenants actually pay.
- The use matters. If your plan depends on running a business, adding units or changing how the property is used, zoning becomes the first question.
- The lender asks for financial statements. When the bank wants your business records or the building's operating costs, the deal is being underwritten as commercial.
- The land is worth more than the building. A house on a lot that could hold townhomes or a mixed-use project is often valued as development land.
If any of these apply, bring in commercial experience early, before you write an offer. Changing agents halfway through a deal costs time and can weaken your position.
Can one realtor or team handle both?
Yes, and it helps when your plans cross over. A business owner may buy the warehouse their company uses and then sell the family home. An investor may start with a rental condo, move to a duplex and then a rental building. Working with a team that covers both means you do not have to start again with a new agent at each step.
The Oberoi Group works on both. Our residential realtors help buyers and sellers across Surrey, South Surrey, White Rock and Langley, and our commercial team ranked Top 3 across Canada at RE/MAX in 2025 by commission, with more than $900M in career sales. If you are looking for a residential agent, start with our Surrey realtor page. For income property, offices, retail and industrial, see commercial real estate in Metro Vancouver.
Questions to ask before you hire either kind of agent
- What share of your work is commercial and what share is residential?
- What deals like mine have you handled recently, and where?
- How will you value the property: comparable sales, income or both?
- Who will handle the leases, financial review and due diligence?
- How will you find buyers or properties that are not on the public market?
- How are you paid, and what will I receive in writing? Our guide to commercial realtor fees in BC explains the options.
Frequently asked questions
Do commercial realtors need a different licence in BC?
No. BCFSA licenses real estate professionals for trading services, and the same licence covers homes and commercial property. New licensees take either the residential or the commercial version of the Applied Practice Course.
Do I need a commercial realtor to buy a fourplex?
Usually not. Buildings with up to four units are generally bought and financed much like homes. From five rental units up, lenders and CMHC treat the building as a commercial rental property, so commercial experience matters.
Can a residential realtor sell my commercial property?
They are licensed to, but commercial property is priced on income and depends on leases, zoning and commercial due diligence. Ask any agent how many commercial deals like yours they have handled.
Which agent do I need to lease space for my business?
A commercial agent. Commercial leases in BC fall under the Commercial Tenancy Act and the lease itself, not the Residential Tenancy Act, and the terms are far more negotiable than a home rental.
Does The Oberoi Group handle both homes and commercial property?
Yes. Our residential realtors work across Surrey, South Surrey, White Rock and Langley, and our commercial team ranked Top 3 across Canada at RE/MAX in 2025 by commission.
Sources
Rates, thresholds and program rules in this article were checked against these official pages on October 14, 2026. Rules change, so confirm current details before you act.