What Buying a Business Actually Looks Like: Inside a 13-Month Off-Market Search
A behind-the-scenes look at buying a business: how one executive spent 13 months cold-calling owners to buy a 45-year-old sheet metal shop, step by step.
The fastest growing way to find and buy a business.
Accredited is the secret weapon used by the best searchers and buyers.
- Off-market deal sourcing
- Direct mail outreach to owners
- Every on-market listing across 12 marketplaces
- Deal alerts
- Valuation benchmarks
- Acquisition CRM
- Every Accredited analyzed deal
4.8/5 average rating
Stop scrolling BizBuySell.
There are 104,000+ businesses for sale at any given time. Most are noise and for the good deals you compete with 20+ buyers.
Accredited gives you the edge surfacing the best businesses for sale, giving you PE level off-market sourcing tools, custom alerts, valuation benchmarks, and much more.
See why thousands of the best buyers trust Accredited with their search.
An example off-market search for HVAC businesses in Oregon, finding 312 businesses that are not listed for sale, each with the owner’s name and a way to reach them.
Deal breakdowns, in 60 seconds or less.
We break down the most interesting deals from our daily catalog on YouTube Shorts. Subscribe for new deal commentary every weekday.
Who Pays $9.5M for a 12% Margin Business?
Is This Cleaning Company Worth $2.75 Million?
Who Keeps Hospitals From Going Dark?
The Business Where Customers Have No Choice?
Five deals we sourced using Accredited Off-market
28 Years Fixing Sprinklers. Is It Worth $1.26M?
Two People. $1.4M a Year. What's the Catch?
What Body Shop Keeps 45 Cents of Every Dollar?
What our members say
“Accredited Pro saved me hours of sifting through junk listings.”
“We've sent out 2 LOIs in the last 30 days. Accredited Pro made this easy.”
“Worth every penny. The deal analysis is insanely helpful from the Accredited team.”
This Week's On-market Catalog
Accredited analyzed deals that are worth your time.
Staffing & Recruiting
Physician & Nurse Recruiting Firm, Remote Permanent-Placement Staffing, Est. 2006
This is a remote, home-based healthcare recruiting firm founded in 2006 that places physicians and nurses into permanent roles at hospitals
$816K
$575K
2.7x
Home Services
Multi-Trade Commercial Plumbing & Mechanical Contractor, 20-Year Detroit Operator
This is a 20-year-old commercial plumbing and mechanical contractor serving Southeast Michigan out of a leased shop in Livonia. The company
$5.4M
$1.3M
5.3x
Construction
Specialty Fueling-Site Electrical Contractor, Atlanta Metro
This is a specialty commercial and industrial electrical contractor based in the greater Atlanta metro, delivering projects across the South
$5.2M
$1.1M
5.4x
Construction
Municipal Wall & Ceiling Subcontractor, 70-Year Western US Specialty Contractor
This is a 70-year-old specialty subcontractor in the Western US that does wall and ceiling scopes for commercial and institutional construct
$125.8M
$25.4M
Home Services
Leading HVAC Service Company, 40-Year Northern Utah Contractor
This is a 40-year-old HVAC services company operating across the Wasatch Front in Northern Utah, serving residential and commercial customer
$5.7M
$574K
1.0x
Healthcare
Established Behavioral Health Hospital, New York
This is an established behavioral health hospital in New York with roughly $5 million in annual cash flow, a professional management team, a
$5.0M
Want unlimited access and the full toolkit?
- 70,000+ on market deals: Scanning 12 marketplaces takes forever. Now every deal is at your fingertips in one easy search. Never miss a deal.
- Off-market deal sourcing: Find owners who haven't listed yet, by industry and location.
- Direct mail outreach: Send personalized, first-class letters to every owner on your list. Your first 5 are free.
- Deal pipeline: Track every deal from watching to LOI to close.
- Unlimited deal access: The full daily catalog, not one deal a day.
- Valuation and comps: Know what a business is worth before you make an offer.
- Custom alerts: Get notified the moment a deal matches your criteria.
Property Management · Statewide OR0
Rent Portland Homes
LongStreet Property Management
Touchstone Property Management
Real Property Management
CNB Property Group
Cascade Rentals & Management
Two ways to use Accredited
Free access
Free
- Daily newsletter
- 1 deal per day (full access)
- Public catalog browsing
- One on-market alert
7 days freePro membership
$33
- 70,000+ on market deals
- Off-market deal sourcing
- Direct mail outreach
- Deal pipeline
- Unlimited deal access
- Valuation and comps
- Custom alerts
Accredited Investors Only
Join an exclusive group of Accredited Members.
We keep Accredited exclusive to the folks that can make deals happen.
The best opportunities. The best buyers.
Apply for Free AccessNotes from the deal floor
What Is a PPM? Private Placement Memorandums Explained for Investors and Searchers
Why We Think Security and Alarm Companies Are a Great Acquisition for Accredited Investors
Why We Still Like SaaS: Regulated Vertical Software as an Acquisition Target
Where to Find Businesses for Sale: All 12 Marketplaces Compared
Introducing Outreach: Send Personalized Letters to Business Owners in a Few Clicks
Frequently asked questions
What do I get for free?
A free account gets the daily newsletter, one full deal writeup a day from the catalog, one on-market alert, and browsing of the public catalog. No card, and nothing expires.
What does Accredited cost?
Free to join. Accredited Pro, which lifts the one deal a day limit and adds the sourcing and outreach tools, is $33 a month billed annually at $399, or $59 a month.
Who qualifies as an accredited investor?
You must meet the SEC definition, typically $200K or more in annual income, or $1M or more in net worth excluding your primary residence. We collect a self-certification during signup.
What is the Accredited Filter?
Our screening criteria. A listing has to clear three thresholds to enter the database: SDE (Seller's Discretionary Earnings) of at least $500K, 10 or more years in business, and verified financials. It is why you see established, profitable businesses rather than everything on the market.
Where do the deals come from?
We scan 12 business-for-sale marketplaces plus broker networks. Every source is checked daily and deduped, so you get one view of the whole market rather than 12 tabs and the same listing three times.
How many deals are added each day?
On average 20 to 50 new qualifying deals a day. Volume moves with the market, but the catalog is reviewed daily either way.
What is included in Accredited Pro?
Unlimited deal access instead of one a day, every on-market listing in one search, off-market sourcing to find owners who have not listed, direct mail outreach to those owners, valuation benchmarks, custom alerts and saved searches, and a pipeline to track deals from first look to close.
What is off-market sourcing?
A search for businesses that are not for sale. You pick a category and a geography, we build the list of real businesses that match, score them, and find the owner and their contact details. It is how you reach a seller before a listing exists and 20 other buyers see it.
How does the Pro trial work?
Seven days free. You enter a card to start it, you are not charged until the trial ends, and cancelling before then costs nothing.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes, from your account settings. Access runs to the end of the billing period you have already paid for.