Offices and shops for sale in La Goulette

In La Goulette, commercial premises are rarely sold: they are handed down. The walls of the shops in the centre, the cafés on the corniche and the fish restaurants often pass from one generation to the next, and sales happen through connections before ever reaching a listing. When a property is published, it is usually a private owner selling the ground floor of their building, an heir leaving a joint ownership, or a shopkeeper retiring.

The supply of commercial property for sale in La Goulette is therefore thin, and each listing deserves a careful read. On Houni, you deal directly with the seller. To compare prices and floor areas with Le Kram, Les Berges du Lac or central Tunis, all the offices and shops for sale in Tunis governorate fit on a single page.

What sells, and where

The centre of La Goulette concentrates the most coveted locations: avenue Franklin Roosevelt and its restaurants, the streets running down to the beach, the area around the TGM station and the ferry terminal. The walls of a well-placed restaurant or café are expensive there, because summer footfall more than makes up for the quiet months. A restaurant for sale in La Goulette often comes as the sale of a business, separate from the sale of the walls: make sure it is clear what is being sold.

Around the port, a few offices in old buildings are used by freight forwarders, shipping agencies or travel agencies. They sell like apartments, at comparable prices, and can be resold or let as housing if the business stops. In Khereddine, Taieb Mhiri and Cité Essalama, supply consists mostly of neighbourhood shops on house ground floors, at more accessible prices, for a grocer, a pharmacy or a small craftsman.

Buying let premises: yield and sitting tenant

Some of the premises put up for sale are occupied by a commercial tenant. It is a common investment among Goulettois and Tunisians abroad: buy the walls and collect the rent. Before making an offer, ask for the commercial lease, its start date, the rent actually paid and the planned reviews. A long-established tenant with a commercial lease has strong rights, and an old rent may be well below the market.

Also check the regularity of payments and whether there is any dispute. Vacant premises generally sell more easily, but you then have to count the months without income before finding a new occupant, especially out of season.

The season also weighs on the sale price. A seller who lists in spring hopes for a summer buyer, often a Tunisian from abroad on a visit, and holds the price until September. A local buyer who can wait has more room between November and February, when listings that went unanswered are easier to renegotiate.

Title, permitted use, compliance

The land title must state the commercial use of the premises, or at the very least the building permit must provide for it. A garage converted into a shop without authorisation can cause problems at registration or when applying for an operating licence. For catering, check the extraction, the grease-water drainage and the available electrical power.

Near the sea, damp and corrosion quickly damage metal shutters, signs and electrical installations: budget for repairs. In the old buildings of the centre, ask who maintains the façade and the roof, often with no building management.

For a business that is starting out and would rather not tie up capital, the offices and shops for rent in La Goulette are an alternative. The rare land for sale in La Goulette interests those who want to build their own premises.