1998Practice founded3,969Feasibility studies1,283SBA studies823USDA studies$41.2BProject value evaluatedSince 1982Institutional underwritingMAI · ASA-GC · BCA · CMEAIn-house valuation designations
Wert-Berater, Inc.
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Service · Site Selection

Site Selection Services

Wert-Berater advises companies choosing where to build. The engagement compares candidate locations on the criteria that actually govern the decision — labour, utilities, logistics, land and entitlement, incentives, taxes and total operating cost — and documents the comparison so the recommendation can be defended to a board, a lender or an incentive authority.

What the engagement delivers

  • Criteria and weightings agreed in writing before any site is scored, so the ranking cannot be reverse-engineered to a preferred answer.
  • A profile for each candidate site — parcel, entitlement position, utility capacity confirmed with the providers, access, and the site work the ground implies.
  • A labour analysis for each commuting shed: the specific skills the operation needs, who else is hiring them, prevailing wages and turnover.
  • A total operating cost comparison combining labour, utilities, freight, taxes and occupancy — the figure the decision usually turns on.
  • An incentive inventory: what programmes each jurisdiction offers, what they are worth under stated assumptions, and what commitments they carry.
  • A comparative matrix and recommendation, with a sensitivity view showing which criteria would change the ranking.

The Site Selection Comparison Report

The standard deliverable compares up to five candidate sites on a single scoring framework. Larger searches usually run in two stages: a screening pass that reduces a long list to five, then the full comparison. The report is written to be read by people who were not in the process — a credit committee, a board, or a State authority reviewing an incentive application.

Utility capacity and incentives move site decisions more often than land price. Extending power, gas, water or sewer to a parcel can exceed the cost of the parcel, and an incentive package is far harder to negotiate once a location has been announced. Both belong in the analysis phase, in writing.

Who uses it

Manufacturers and processors choosing a plant location; logistics and distribution operators sizing a network; healthcare and senior-living operators picking a service area; developers testing whether a controlled parcel supports the intended use; and economic development organisations preparing a site to be competitive before it is marketed.

Projects that will be financed usually pair the site work with a feasibility study — see manufacturing feasibility and manufacturing plant financing.

Method and data

Federal statistical sources establish the labour shed, industry structure and regional economy. Everything site-specific is confirmed at source: utility capacity with the provider, zoning and entitlement with the jurisdiction, freight cost from routed distances, and construction cost from local contractors. Where a figure cannot be confirmed, the report labels it as an estimate rather than presenting it as fact.

Last reviewed September 2026.

Scope of practice. Wert-Berater, Inc. is an independent analysis firm. It does not broker real estate, does not arrange, broker or place debt or equity capital, and is not compensated on the outcome of a transaction. Engagements are fixed fee.

The method behind the comparison is described in site selection analysis. Where a single location is already chosen, location analysis is the right exercise. Where the question is what the surrounding market supports, see commercial real estate market analysis or order a packaged report from market reports.

Frequently asked questions

How many candidate sites does a comparison cover?
The standard report compares up to five. Longer lists are screened down first, so the detailed work is spent on sites that remain realistic.
Do you find the sites, or do we bring them?
Either. Many clients bring a short list; where the search is open, the engagement starts with screening criteria and builds the candidate list from them.
Do you negotiate incentives on our behalf?
No. The analysis quantifies the programmes and what they are worth under stated assumptions. The negotiation is conducted by the company and its counsel.
Is site selection included in a feasibility study?
It can be. Where no location has been chosen, the comparison normally runs first and its conclusion becomes an input to the feasibility study.
How is the fee set?
Fixed, quoted in one business day once the number of sites and the criteria are known. The fee does not depend on which site is chosen.
Choosing between locations?

Independent comparison of up to five candidate sites on labour, utilities, logistics, incentives and total operating cost.

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Wert-Berater, Inc. · 1968 South Coast Hwy, Ste 2382, Laguna Beach, CA 92651 · 111 Town Square Pl Ste 1238 PMB 657834, Jersey City, NJ 07310 · 539 W. Commerce St #8486, Dallas, TX 75208 · 66 W Flagler Street, Suite 900, PMB 12704, Miami, FL 33130 · +1 310-857-2443 ext. 800 · Site Map · Privacy

Legal disclosure. Wert-Berater, Inc. offices are mailing addresses only. Following the COVID-19 pandemic the firm has elected to work remotely; its office locations receive mail and are not staffed for visitors or in-person meetings. Headquarters mailing address: 1968 South Coast Hwy, Ste 2382, Laguna Beach, CA 92651.

Wert-Berater, Inc. is an independent provider of feasibility studies and other related services. The firm does not provide financing or equity investment advice, and does not arrange, broker, or place debt or equity capital of any kind.

All appraisal assignments are performed by Bruce E. Jones, MAI, ASA-GC, BCA, CMEA, a member of the Appraisal Institute since 2006, a staff member of Wert-Berater, Inc. and owner of Special Purpose Realty Valuation.

© 1998–2026 Wert-Berater, Inc. All rights reserved.