Why do I need a commercial real estate agent?

[Prithvi Sri]

I am a real estate broker in CA and have been investing in residential RE for over two decades. Bought and sold a couple of dozen properties over the years using my own real estate license. Now I am planning to buy a commercial real estate (of approx value 2 million). It is a single tenant, absolute net, lease contract of a standalone building. The tenant is a retail establishment owned by a very large profitable listed company.  The tenant is at the property for 20 years, and three months ago signed an extension for 5 more years. In all likelihood, tenant may extend it beyond 5 years too. 

My question is, do I need a real estate agent? The commission seems to be over 60K so it is not exactly chump change. Since I found the property myself and have reviewed all the financial statements of the tenant store as well as the parent company to be satisfactory, what exactly would be the benefit that I get from the broker instead of my self representation? I did all the paperwork for my residential purchases in the past and kept the commission for myself. What are the risks that I will be exposed to, if I were to do the same for the commercial property too? If there are any risks, is there a way I can mitigate the risks (say by hiring a real estate attorney or an agent who will work for an hourly / flat fee? I want to be frugal and save money on commissions, but I also don't want to be stupid and expose myself to a risk that a broker/attorney can help save me from when I am risking 2M). 

Any commercial real estate investor who tried going solo and lived to tell the story? Any inputs are greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Prithvi.

[Ajay Sharma]

We have purchased from listing agents with no buyer agent. We have a go-to real estate, high experienced lawyer. Most deals we work on industrials we only rely on our lawyer to draft paperwork. We use a standard LOI we have developed over time. If you don't have one, the lawyer can draft one for you.

I agree with you. I only got a broker's license to receive split commissions; however, if we find a property on our own, we have not felt a need for an agent.