8 Helpful Tips on your gas station purchase in New York or New Jersey

• Find a good area of operation - make sure the area in which you are looking at property for your gas station at is in an area that is not isolated.  You want to make sure there is a good deal of traffic in the area you are considering for your location so that you can get a good amount of customers.  Also you will want check out the competition in the immediate area.
  
• Check out the competition - check out the nearby competitors to see what type of services and prices you are up against.  You want to make sure that you make your gas station more appealing and offer the same, if not more, services than the competition across the street or next door to you.
  
• Do your research - find out why the gas station you are considering buying is for sale... is it becuase it's in a bad location, is it because the competition is too intense or is it just because the owner needs to sell it? ... these are all things you should look into prior to moving forward with purchasing a gas station. 
  
• Decide if you will offer additional services - before you decide to open up a gas station you must also decide what type of additional services, if any, you will offer.  To increase your sales you can offer a small convienience store, car wash or mechanic shop within or attached to your gas station. 
  
• Pick what brand of gas you will sell - when you purchase a gas station you have to decide what type of oil products you will be offering at your gas station.  Some important things to remember about choosing what type of oil company you want to use to service your needs are that (a) the oil company you choose will also have to approve you so you will want to set up a meeting with the oil company for approval and (b) you will want to find out what franchise fees, such as brand name affiliation fees, are associated with offering the company's oil. 
• Start applying for licenses/permits - if you are going to sell alcohol, cigarettes or lottery tickets at your gas station you must apply for a license/permit in order to sell them. 
  
•  Have an environmental assessment done - an environmental assessment is a study that is done on the history of the property and will provide you with possible findings of contamination at the site of the property.  For more information on environmental assessments when purchasing a gas station in New York or New Jersey read Charles Internicola franchise lawyer / business lawyer's blog post "Buying a Car Wash or Gas Station: You Need a Phase I Environmental Study" and "Buying a Gas Station: Why Insurance Is not an Alternative to an Environmental Assessment for the Business Purchaser"
• The last tip but perhaps the most important tip on purchasing a gas station in New York or New Jersey is to find a good knowledgable lawyer to help you through the process of buying a gas station.