CLOSED-SALE TIMELINES · FULL YEAR 2025
How long does it take to sell a business?
The typical supported business category had a 169-day median time on market. The real category spread ran from 85 to 250 days.
FASTEST TO SLOWEST
Median days on market, by business type.
Search or sort the official category aggregates. The supported view excludes categories with fewer than 10 reported sales.
| Business type | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Websites & ecommerce businesses | 85 daysmedian days on market | 339meets 10+ threshold | 99%average transaction-level ratio | $950,000category median |
| Pest control businesses | 108 daysmedian days on market | 28meets 10+ threshold | 92%average transaction-level ratio | $237,500category median |
| Nail salons | 118 daysmedian days on market | 73meets 10+ threshold | 86%average transaction-level ratio | $152,500category median |
| Staffing agencies | 127 daysmedian days on market | 20meets 10+ threshold | 90%average transaction-level ratio | $650,000category median |
| Property management businesses | 129 daysmedian days on market | 59meets 10+ threshold | 95%average transaction-level ratio | $452,000category median |
| Laundromats & coin laundries | 138 daysmedian days on market | 169meets 10+ threshold | 91%average transaction-level ratio | $287,000category median |
| Cleaning businesses | 153 daysmedian days on market | 154meets 10+ threshold | 91%average transaction-level ratio | $325,000category median |
| Coffee shops & cafes | 154 daysmedian days on market | 253meets 10+ threshold | 90%average transaction-level ratio | $176,500category median |
| Home health care businesses | 160 daysmedian days on market | 92meets 10+ threshold | 90%average transaction-level ratio | $667,000category median |
| Gyms & fitness centers | 166 daysmedian days on market | 79meets 10+ threshold | 87%average transaction-level ratio | $175,000category median |
| Hair salons & barbershops | 167 daysmedian days on market | 181meets 10+ threshold | 92%average transaction-level ratio | $165,000category median |
| IT & software service businesses | 168 daysmedian days on market | 44meets 10+ threshold | 93%average transaction-level ratio | $775,000category median |
| Accounting & tax practices | 169 daysmedian days on market | 194meets 10+ threshold | 99%average transaction-level ratio | $500,000category median |
| Landscaping & yard services | 173 daysmedian days on market | 211meets 10+ threshold | 94%average transaction-level ratio | $480,000category median |
| Car washes | 174 daysmedian days on market | 32meets 10+ threshold | 87%average transaction-level ratio | $700,000category median |
| Daycare & child care centers | 178 daysmedian days on market | 78meets 10+ threshold | 101%average transaction-level ratio | $390,000category median |
| HVAC businesses | 181 daysmedian days on market | 123meets 10+ threshold | 93%average transaction-level ratio | $800,000category median |
| Insurance agencies | 184 daysmedian days on market | 50meets 10+ threshold | 87%average transaction-level ratio | $650,000category median |
| Moving & shipping businesses | 189 daysmedian days on market | 62meets 10+ threshold | 90%average transaction-level ratio | $372,500category median |
| Restaurants | 189 daysmedian days on market | 1.8Kmeets 10+ threshold | 88%average transaction-level ratio | $225,000category median |
| Dental practices | 199 daysmedian days on market | 22meets 10+ threshold | 82%average transaction-level ratio | $500,000category median |
| Auto repair shops | 207 daysmedian days on market | 247meets 10+ threshold | 98%average transaction-level ratio | $399,000category median |
| Plumbing businesses | 209 daysmedian days on market | 61meets 10+ threshold | 93%average transaction-level ratio | $837,500category median |
| Trucking companies | 231 daysmedian days on market | 34meets 10+ threshold | 89%average transaction-level ratio | $1,300,000category median |
| Electrical & mechanical contractors | 250 daysmedian days on market | 57meets 10+ threshold | 96%average transaction-level ratio | $845,000category median |
Swipe table to compare →
BizBuySell's full-year 2025 closed-transaction table. These figures are category medians for transactions reported as sold. They do not include the time before a listing reaches the market, do not measure every sale stage, and exclude listings that did not close.
THE CATEGORY SPREAD
One timeline does not fit every market.
Industry is context, not destiny. Pricing, readiness, financing, buyer fit, and deal terms can move an individual sale away from its category median.
Websites & ecommerce businesses
339 reported sales
See the valuation benchmarkElectrical & mechanical contractors
57 reported sales
See the valuation benchmarkbusiness types
Supported category medians below 120 days
business types
Supported category medians of at least 180 days
READ THE CLOCK CORRECTLY
Days on market is not the whole exit.
Preparation comes first.
Normalizing earnings, organizing records, setting expectations, and preparing materials can happen before the market clock begins.
Prepare the value driversOnly completed sales appear.
The figures describe reported closed transactions. They do not reveal how many listings were withdrawn, expired, or remained unsold.
Your structure changes the path.
Financing, diligence, leases, licenses, customer concentration, owner dependence, and deal terms can all add friction.
Compare price outcomesYOUR BUSINESS · PRIVATE
Start with a defensible valuation.
Create a private account, enter your actual financials, and compare your result with the closest available market evidence. Rich anonymized comparables remain contribution-gated.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Planning a business-sale timeline
How long does it take to sell a small business?
The median of the 25 category-level median days-on-market figures was 169 days in the 2025 source data. This describes sold listings in those categories, not every business that went to market and not the preparation period before listing.
Which business type sold fastest in the reported data?
Websites & ecommerce businesses had the shortest supported category median at 85 days, based on 339 reported sales. That is a category benchmark, not a guaranteed timeline for an individual sale.
Which business type took the longest to sell?
Electrical & mechanical contractors had the longest supported category median at 250 days, based on 57 reported sales.
Does days on market include preparation before the business is listed?
No. The source reports median days on market for completed transactions. It should not be read as a complete engagement-to-close timeline that includes valuation, document preparation, or work performed before marketing begins.
Does this data include businesses that never sold?
No. The table describes transactions reported as closed during 2025. Listings that expired, were withdrawn, or remained unsold are not represented in the closed-sale category medians, so the results should not be interpreted as a probability of selling.
Why is the food-truck category excluded from the headline?
It has only five reported sales. The row remains available under “All · 26,” but headline comparisons require at least 10 reported sales per category.