Advice on Niche Market Exit Planning

Selling a Temporary Housing Business

We hear from a lot of business owners who are timid about listing their temporary housing business. Despite the mood of the market, we think there are still opportunities to receive a good price for your temporary housing business. Here's what you need to know . . .

In any economy, there is a right way and a wrong way to sell a business.

But at Gaebler, we see temporary housing businesses still selling at a brisk pace. Like always, unprofitable and poorly positioned businesses struggle to find buyers while sellers who have invested time and effort to prepare their sale are being rewarded in the marketplace.

When Is the Right Time to Sell?

When is it the right time to sell your temporary housing business? If you're asking the question, now may be the time to put your business on the market. There are a lot of naysayers out there advising temporary housing business sellers to put their plans on hold until the economy fully rebounds. At Gaebler, we have a much more optimistic view of your chances in the temporary housing business-for-sale market. The inventory of what we consider to be quality temporary housing businesses is actually low right now and there is room for the right sellers to realize substantial gains with investment-conscious buyers.

The Case for Confidentiality

Highly publicized temporary housing business sales are risky temporary housing businesssales. If you are rigorous about maintaining a confidential sale, there is little risk in putting your temporary housing business on the market. But if word leaks out to the wrong people, your competitors can use that information to steal business and damage your credibility. Although it can be difficult, it's important to strike a balance between confidentiality and sale promotion. We recommend consulting a business broker to learn how you can simultaneously identify prospective buyers and maintain a confidential sale environment.

Leveraging Industry Connections

These days, temporary housing business buyers are an extremely diverse group with backgrounds in and outside of the industry. Online business-for-sale databases have value, although they appeal to an exceptionally wide base of prospects. For more targeted lead generation, consider tapping into your network of industry contacts. When leveraging industry relationships for sales prospects, you'll need to be cognizant of the potential for competitors to use knowledge of your sale against you in the marketplace. Use good sense in restricting the flow of information within the industry and focusing your efforts toward trusted industry allies.

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