BreakThru Realty

Sell an Auto Repair Shop or Automotive Business in Florida

Auto repair and body shops, tire and transmission shops, car washes, detailing and dealers. Zoning, environmental history, equipment and licences decide whether a buyer can finance and operate the business, so they are dealt with before the business is marketed, not after.

A car raised on a lift inside an auto repair shop

Reviewed by Tyson E. Sam, Founder and Broker of Record, BreakThru Realty, Florida License 3565210

Find Buyers for My Automotive Business · (786) 914-1017

Your first step: Confidential Business Exit Review

Start With a Confidential Business Exit Review

Your business represents years of decisions, relationships and work. Before anyone hears it might be for sale, know what it would sell for, whether a buyer already working with BreakThru Realty is looking for a business like yours, what a buyer's lender will accept, and what you would take home. A licensed business broker prepares it and walks you through it privately.

What you receive

  • A private check of your business against the criteria registered buyers have given us, with no buyer named and nothing about you shared
  • A recast of your earnings into seller's discretionary earnings, or EBITDA for a larger company, with the add backs documented
  • A price range from closed sales of comparable Florida businesses, with the reasoning
  • The lease, staffing and financing issues that would move the price, and what to fix first
  • What a buyer's SBA lender is likely to accept; consult a lender for terms
  • How buyers are screened for funds and experience, and the confidentiality agreement each signs before learning your name
  • An estimate of what you would take home after the fee and any payoff, and how the transition to a new owner would run

What happens next

  1. Answer a few questions about the business. Revenue and what you take home are enough to start.
  2. A business broker checks the buyer criteria on file and prepares the review from comparable sales.
  3. We call within one business day to walk through it, privately.
  4. Nothing is listed, and nobody is contacted, unless you decide to sell.

Free and confidential. The details you give us are seen only by the broker preparing the review. We do not contact your landlord, staff or customers, and no buyer learns who you are without your consent and a signed confidentiality agreement.

Find Out If We Have a Buyer · How a business sale works

Zoning and Permits

A buyer's lender and the city will ask whether the property is zoned and permitted for the work done there: repair, body and paint, tyre storage, car washing or vehicle sales. A use that has been tolerated for years can become a problem when the business changes hands. We confirm the zoning and certificate of use before listing.

Environmental Records

Used oil, solvents, paint and tyres create records a buyer will want to see: disposal contracts, manifests and any past inspections or violations. If the property has in-ground lifts or ever held underground tanks, a lender may require an environmental site assessment. Having the records ready keeps a buyer from walking away over a surprise.

Equipment and Technicians

Lifts, alignment machines, diagnostic scanners, paint booths and tyre machines are listed with their age, ownership and any finance still owed. Certified technicians who stay are worth a great deal, because a shop without them has no capacity to sell.

Licences That Do Not Transfer

In Florida a motor vehicle repair shop registers with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and a dealer is licensed by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles; a new owner generally registers or applies in its own name. Confirm the current rules with each agency and build the time into the closing.

Questions you may be asking

Do you already have a buyer for my business?
We say so only after a specific buyer has reviewed a blind profile, signed a confidentiality agreement and confirmed interest. The review first checks your business against the criteria registered buyers have given us and tells you privately whether anything fits. If nothing does, it explains how a confidential campaign reaches more buyers.
Will my employees, customers or landlord find out?
Not from us. The review itself involves nobody but you and the broker. If you later sell, the business is marketed without its name or address, buyers sign a nondisclosure agreement and prove their funds before they learn who you are, and the landlord is approached only once there is an accepted offer.
What does a business broker charge?
A success fee paid from the proceeds at closing, set out in writing in the listing agreement before you sign anything. The review costs nothing.
My books are not perfect.
Few are. The review shows which add backs a lender will accept and which records to tidy before a buyer looks, so the price holds through due diligence.
I only know my revenue.
Tell us the revenue and what you take home, even roughly. We work out the rest with you and ask for tax returns later, only if you want a firm range.

Find Buyers for My Automotive Business

Tell us the type of business, the city, how long it has operated, annual revenue, owner benefit or seller's discretionary earnings, EBITDA if you track it, monthly rent and lease expiry, number of employees, how involved you are, why you are selling, your timeline and whether you would consider seller financing. A licensed BreakThru business broker prepares a confidential valuation from comparable sales and replies within one business day. Everything you tell us is confidential, the valuation is free, and nothing is listed or announced unless you decide to sell. Prefer to talk now? Call (786) 914-1017.

Questions Owners Ask

What is my auto repair shop worth?
A multiple of seller's discretionary earnings, adjusted for the equipment, the technicians who stay, the car count and average repair order, and the lease or real estate. A confidential valuation gives you the range for yours.
Can I sell the business and keep the property?
Yes. Many owners sell the business and lease the property to the buyer, which gives them rent after the sale. The lease has to be long enough for the buyer's loan, and the rent has to be at market for the lender to accept it.
Will a buyer need an environmental report?
A lender may require one, especially where the property has in-ground lifts, a paint booth or a history of tanks. Having disposal records and past inspections ready makes it faster and cheaper.
What does a business broker charge?
Brokers selling small businesses usually charge a success fee paid from the proceeds at closing, commonly quoted in the market at around ten percent of the price, often with a minimum fee; larger sales are usually priced on a sliding scale. BreakThru's fee is set out in writing in the listing agreement before you sign anything, and the valuation costs nothing.

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