Offices and shops for sale in Sousse

Buying premises in Sousse rarely follows a single logic. There is the established shopkeeper who wants to stop paying rent and buy the building, the doctor or lawyer who would rather own the practice, and the investor, often living abroad, who is looking for a let ground floor to earn a steady income. The three look neither at the same properties nor in the same neighbourhoods.

This page brings together the shops, offices, depots and business premises for sale in the governorate, published by private sellers and Sahel agencies that you contact directly. The supply is thinner than for rentals and changes from week to week: many owners prefer to keep their premises and let them.

Sousse Jawhara and the centre: the neighbourhood shop

In Sousse city, the premises for sale are mostly ground floor shops in family buildings, sold separately from the upper floors. In the shopping streets of Sousse Jawhara, near the faculties and the Farhat Hached hospital, these are shops of 20 to 60 m² that suit a pharmacy, a bookshop or a small food outlet. The premises for sale in Sousse Jawhara give the measure of this market.

Around the medina, commercial premises rarely change hands, and when they do, it is often with a tenant who has been in place for a long time. The price then depends more on the rent collected than on the floor area. For an investor, the right reflex is to compare the asking price with the annual rent: premises that yield little relative to their price are only worthwhile if the lease is due to expire soon and can be reviewed.

Sahloul, Hammam Sousse and Akouda: recent offices and busy roads

Office floors in recent buildings are mainly found in Sahloul, Khezama and along the main roads of Hammam Sousse. They appeal to professionals and small companies that want accessible premises with parking. The premises for sale in Hammam Sousse mix these offices with shops in the tourist zone, whose trade depends on the season.

Akouda, between Hammam Sousse and Chott Mariem, has seen shops spring up along its main roads, keeping pace with the new neighbourhoods. A well placed shop costs less there than in Sahloul, with a stable local clientele. The premises for sale in Akouda show what this area offers.

Msaken and the interior: shops and depots

Msaken is the large trading town of the governorate's interior. There you buy shops on the central avenues and depots or sheds on the outskirts, at prices out of all proportion to those in Sousse. The premises for sale in Msaken interest wholesalers, craftsmen and investors betting on a mid sized town clientele. In Kalaa Kebira or Kalaa Seghira, the supply is scarcer but exists, mostly on the ground floor of houses.

In these towns, resale takes longer than in Sousse, because there are fewer buyers. So buy premises you intend to occupy or let for a long time, and look at the street on a market day as well as on an ordinary day before you decide.

Premises, business and sitting tenant

The first question is what exactly is being sold. The premises alone, the business alone, or both? A listing for a "shop for sale" can refer to a business with a lease, without ownership of the premises. Have this clarified before any viewing, and ask whether the seller agrees to go through a notary from the preliminary agreement onwards.

If the premises are let, ask for the commercial lease, its expiry date, the actual rent and the payment history. A tenant who has paid reliably for years makes the value of the property; an old lease at a very low rent, on the other hand, is hard to renegotiate. Also check the land title, the commercial use of the premises in the building permit, especially for an apartment converted into an office, and the building's co-ownership rules.

For a depot or a workshop, check lorry access, electrical power and compliance with the zone's rules. If you are still torn between buying and renting, the premises for rent in the Sousse governorate let you compare the monthly cost of equivalent premises.