An asset sale is a common method for transferring business ownership. A stock purchase is a complete purchase of a company, including all the assets and liabilities.Stock purchases thus have different tax outcomes. In an asset sale, only a list of the assets being transferred is required. The two most common ways to transfer ownership of a business are a stock sale and an asset purchase. Sales may be asset sales or entity sales. A structured installment sale allows the seller to defer capital gains taxes over an extended period of time, while providing a guaranteed income stream. An asset sale is the purchase of individual assets and liabilities, whereas a stock sale is the purchase of the owner's shares of a corporation.