Sell your Roofing business.

Roofing M&A activity has picked up meaningfully, driven by hurricane and hail-storm cycle demand in the Southeast and Sun Belt. Multiples trend lower than HVAC or pest control (project-based revenue is harder to underwrite), but well-run operators with insurance-carrier relationships and non-retail-only revenue mix command premiums.

Beyond market conditions, three business-specific signals mean you're ready to go to market: (a) three years of clean accrual-basis financials, (b) reduced owner-dependence — either a GM in place or the operator working under 30 hours/week, and (c) meaningful recurring or contract revenue. When those three are true, buyers underwrite you confidently and multi-bidder processes clear at the top of the range.

The single biggest driver of sale price isn't the buyer you find — it's how prepped the business is when you go to market. Roofing businesses that show up well-prepped consistently trade at multiples 20–40% higher than unprepped competitors. The prep priorities for Roofing specifically:

Roofing businesses are priced on one of two earnings figures depending on size: SDE (Seller's Discretionary Earnings) below roughly $1M, transitioning to EBITDA above. Applied to Roofing specifically, the base multiple ranges are 2x–3.25x SDE and 3.5x–5.5x EBITDA. Where inside that range your business lands is decided by these metrics buyers actually diligence:

The single most useful thing to know before you engage a broker is who the buyers are. For Roofing, four archetypes dominate: Regional roofing holding companies, Storm-restoration platforms, Self-funded searchers, Adjacent-service strategic acquirers. Different buyers want different things and pay differently.

On the strategic / rollup side, the platforms most active in Roofing Main Street acquisitions right now include West Roofing Systems, Empire Roofing (regional), Southern Home Services, Restoration Renegades (adjacent). On the individual side, self-funded searchers backed by SBA financing are increasingly competitive for sub-$1M-EBITDA businesses. The right buyer type for you depends on your target check size, your post-close plans (walk away vs. roll equity), and your business's specific profile.

The single biggest mistake roofing owners make is accepting the first proactive offer that lands in their inbox. Strategic acquirers and PE-backed platforms actively source deals off-market at 15–30% below what a multi-bidder process would clear. If a platform is calling you unprompted, they're calling every Roofing operator your size in your region — they've done the math.

A real process means: (a) engage a vetted broker who specializes in Roofing, (b) run a targeted outreach to 20–40 curated buyers rather than a public listing, (c) collect multiple LOIs before choosing, (d) negotiate terms as hard as price — earnouts, rollover equity, transition period, and non-compete scope all move the effective deal value materially.

Roofing deals typically include warranty reserves, insurance-claim-pipeline adjustments, and often earnouts tied to storm-season revenue. Pure-retail books trade lower and faster; insurance-heavy books command higher multiples but longer diligence processes.

Closing timeline: signed LOI to signed purchase agreement is typically 90–120 days. Working capital target — how much cash/receivables/inventory transfers with the business — is negotiated during LOI and is a frequent source of last-minute deal friction. Have your CPA model the working capital baseline (average of last 12 months) BEFORE you sign the LOI so it doesn't become a negotiation lever mid-diligence.

Post-close transitions in roofing range from 30-day handoffs (walk-away sales to searchers) to 24-month consulting arrangements (rollup deals with rollover equity). Match the structure to your post-close life plan — a transition that fits your goals is more valuable than a headline number.

Tax planning: work with a CPA who has done Roofing sales before. Asset sale vs stock sale, seller financing, installment sales, and rollover-equity structures all carry different tax implications. Model them 6+ months before close.