Get your books buyer-ready

Buyers underwrite *what they can verify*. If your records are scattered, sophisticated buyers will discount your asking price by 10–25%, or walk. Unsophisticated buyers will pay your number, then sue you in month four when the math doesn't match.

Either outcome is bad. Spend a weekend cleaning up before you list.

The minimum financial package every serious buyer expects:

- Account list (CSV or spreadsheet) with: customer name (can be redacted to "Customer 001" pre-NDA), zip code, start date, monthly rate, billing method (CC, ACH, check, cash), service day, and notes on equipment.
- 24 months of monthly revenue, broken down by recurring vs one-time/repair. A simple monthly column chart makes this skimmable.
- Cancellation log for the past 12 months, date, account ID, stated reason. This is the document that builds (or kills) trust faster than any other.
- Tax returns or P&Ls for 2 years. Schedule C if sole prop, full return if S-corp or LLC. Buyers know what they're looking at.
- Bank deposit history for 24 months, they will reconcile this against your account list. If it doesn't match within 5%, expect a renegotiation.
- Merchant processor statements if you take cards, these are the easiest verification of recurring revenue.
- Equipment & vehicle list with year, model, condition, and any outstanding loans or liens.
- Insurance certificates and license copies (where applicable).

Add-back schedule. If you run personal expenses through the business (vehicle, phone, family on payroll), prepare a clean "seller's discretionary earnings" schedule that lists each add-back with a one-line justification. A buyer's accountant will scrutinize this; over-aggressive add-backs make you look like you're hiding something.

Reconcile before they ask. Pull your account list total monthly revenue and compare it to your 12-month average bank deposits. If there's a gap, find it before the buyer does. Common causes: discontinued accounts still on the list, billing errors, cash payments not deposited, or repair revenue mixed in.

Software exports. If you use Skimmer, Pool Office, Jobber, or similar, export raw reports, don't re-key them into Excel. The buyer wants to see the source of truth.

A note on taxes and structure. How you've reported income (and how the deal gets structured) has significant tax consequences for you. We're not CPAs, engage one before you sign anything to understand allocation of purchase price, capital gains treatment, and any depreciation recapture on equipment. Cleaning up your books also makes your tax return cleaner, which is a side benefit you'll appreciate even if you decide not to sell.

Every hour invested here adds dollars to the closing wire, and saves you from a deal that closes and then unravels.