SALE EVIDENCE · FULL YEAR 2025
24 of 25 business types averaged below asking.
Compare what owners asked, what deals closed for, and how long each market took—across 4,436 reported US small-business sales.
ASKING VS. CLOSED SALE
The negotiation reality, by business type.
Search and sort the official category aggregates. The supported view excludes categories with fewer than 10 reported sales.
| Business type | Median asking | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dental practices | 82%18 points below ask | $750,000category median | $500,000category median | 199days | 22meets 10+ threshold |
| Nail salons | 86%14 points below ask | $210,000category median | $152,500category median | 118days | 73meets 10+ threshold |
| Car washes | 87%13 points below ask | $750,000category median | $700,000category median | 174days | 32meets 10+ threshold |
| Gyms & fitness centers | 87%13 points below ask | $207,500category median | $175,000category median | 166days | 79meets 10+ threshold |
| Insurance agencies | 87%13 points below ask | $650,000category median | $650,000category median | 184days | 50meets 10+ threshold |
| Restaurants | 88%12 points below ask | $265,000category median | $225,000category median | 189days | 1.8Kmeets 10+ threshold |
| Trucking companies | 89%11 points below ask | $1,475,000category median | $1,300,000category median | 231days | 34meets 10+ threshold |
| Coffee shops & cafes | 90%10 points below ask | $199,750category median | $176,500category median | 154days | 253meets 10+ threshold |
| Home health care businesses | 90%10 points below ask | $700,000category median | $667,000category median | 160days | 92meets 10+ threshold |
| Moving & shipping businesses | 90%10 points below ask | $382,212category median | $372,500category median | 189days | 62meets 10+ threshold |
| Staffing agencies | 90%10 points below ask | $750,000category median | $650,000category median | 127days | 20meets 10+ threshold |
| Cleaning businesses | 91%9 points below ask | $334,000category median | $325,000category median | 153days | 154meets 10+ threshold |
| Laundromats & coin laundries | 91%9 points below ask | $300,000category median | $287,000category median | 138days | 169meets 10+ threshold |
| Hair salons & barbershops | 92%8 points below ask | $179,000category median | $165,000category median | 167days | 181meets 10+ threshold |
| Pest control businesses | 92%8 points below ask | $262,500category median | $237,500category median | 108days | 28meets 10+ threshold |
| HVAC businesses | 93%7 points below ask | $899,500category median | $800,000category median | 181days | 123meets 10+ threshold |
| IT & software service businesses | 93%7 points below ask | $870,000category median | $775,000category median | 168days | 44meets 10+ threshold |
| Plumbing businesses | 93%7 points below ask | $1,000,000category median | $837,500category median | 209days | 61meets 10+ threshold |
| Landscaping & yard services | 94%6 points below ask | $499,450category median | $480,000category median | 173days | 211meets 10+ threshold |
| Property management businesses | 95%5 points below ask | $459,800category median | $452,000category median | 129days | 59meets 10+ threshold |
| Electrical & mechanical contractors | 96%4 points below ask | $807,498category median | $845,000category median | 250days | 57meets 10+ threshold |
| Auto repair shops | 98%2 points below ask | $412,500category median | $399,000category median | 207days | 247meets 10+ threshold |
| Accounting & tax practices | 99%1 points below ask | $500,000category median | $500,000category median | 169days | 194meets 10+ threshold |
| Websites & ecommerce businesses | 99%1 points below ask | $995,000category median | $950,000category median | 85days | 339meets 10+ threshold |
| Daycare & child care centers | 101%1 point above ask | $390,000category median | $390,000category median | 178days | 78meets 10+ threshold |
Swipe table to compare →
BizBuySell's full year 2025 closed-transaction table. “Avg sale / ask” is the source's average sale-to-asking-price ratio. Asking and sold prices are separate category medians; subtracting them would invent a deal-level discount the aggregate data does not support.
FOUR MARKET EXTREMES
Price pressure and time move differently.
A faster market does not automatically mean a higher sale-to-ask ratio. These are category signals, not forecasts for a particular company. Compare the full timeline ranking →
Dental practices
22 reported sales · 199 median days
See the valuation benchmarkDaycare & child care centers
78 reported sales · 178 median days
See the valuation benchmarkWebsites & ecommerce businesses
99% average sale-to-ask · 339 sales
See the valuation benchmarkElectrical & mechanical contractors
96% average sale-to-ask · 57 sales
See the valuation benchmarkFROM ASKING PRICE TO VALUE
An asking price starts a conversation. Evidence supports the number.
Normalize earnings.
Reconstruct the cash flow a buyer can reasonably expect after ownership transfers.
Calculate SDEMatch real sale multiples.
Use the closest business model and more than one valuation method.
Compare multiplesPrice company-specific risk.
Growth, concentration, recurring revenue, owner dependence, assets, and terms shape the outcome.
Check value driversYOUR BUSINESS · PRIVATE
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COMMON QUESTIONS
Reading asking and sale prices
How much of the asking price do businesses actually sell for?
Across the 25 reported business types with at least 10 sales, the median category-level average sale-to-ask ratio was 91% in 2025. That is a median of category averages, not a single ratio calculated from every transaction.
Does a 91% sale-to-ask ratio mean every seller discounted 9%?
No. It summarizes how one category's average transaction-level sale-to-ask ratio compares with other category averages. Individual deals may close above, at, or below asking, and terms other than headline price can change the economics.
Can I subtract median sale price from median asking price to estimate the discount?
No. The reported median asking price and median sale price are separate distribution statistics and may not describe the same transaction. Use the source's average transaction-level sale-to-ask ratio when comparing negotiation outcomes.
Why is the food-truck category excluded from the headline?
It has only five reported sales in the source period. It remains visible for completeness, but the headline comparison requires at least 10 reported sales per category.
Does asking price determine what my business is worth?
No. Asking price is a seller's starting position. A useful valuation also examines normalized earnings, market multiples, growth, recurring revenue, customer concentration, owner dependence, assets, working capital, and deal terms.