Sealey Business

Buy A Route

A Sealey Business Brokers Guide to Purchase a Pool Route

4 Easy Steps to Purchase a Pool Route!

1

Step 1

Contact us! You can either call/email us directly, or you can fill out one of our forms on each individual listing. We usually respond faster by through email.
2

Step 2

We'll send you an email with a few additional information and/or general information about the route you are inquiring about, as well as our NDA through Docusign.
3

Step 3

Once you review the additional information or the report that we sent, you will then have the option to move forward with the process by clicking on the Calendly invitation and schedule a call with our broker! Make sure to sign the NDA at this point. - Please also make sure that you ready your Proof of funds to show us that you're a serious buyer.
4

Step 4

Our broker will contact you on your scheduled appointment by either calling or emailing you(we usually call you at this point) and will discuss what the next steps are! Make sure you keep your lines open!
Buy A Route

Common FAQs when buying a pool route

Buyers have a lot of questions about buying a business. Sealey Business Brokers is here to assist you and answer your questions. Here are some of the typical questions we get from prospective buyers that are interested in purchasing a route or business:
It’s a group of accounts or a list of customers being sold by a pool company. It’s essentially going to be your customer base for your potential business. For instance, if a pool route for sale has 100 accounts, and if you decide to purchase it, those 100 accounts will be your customers as your starting point.

A pool company typically offers a wide range of services to ensure your pool is clean, safe, and well-maintained. Here are some common services they provide:

  1. Regular Pool Cleaning: This includes removing debris, brushing the walls and floor, and vacuuming dirt and algae.
  2. Chemical Balancing: They routinely check and balance the pool’s chemicals, such as pH levels, chlorine, and alkalinity, to keep the water safe and healthy.
  3. Equipment Maintenance: This involves inspecting and maintaining pool equipment like filters, pumps, and heaters to ensure everything is functioning properly.
  4. Pool Inspections: Regular inspections to identify any potential issues, such as leaks or equipment malfunctions.
  5. Opening and Closing Services: Preparing the pool for the swimming season and properly closing it down for the off-season.
  6. Repairs and Upgrades: Fixing any issues with the pool structure or equipment and offering upgrades like new pool covers or safety features.

These services help keep your pool in top condition, allowing you to enjoy it without the hassle of maintenance.

In most cases owners require cash for their route. We have a partner affiliate that loans for pool routes or vending routes. If you’re looking to obtain financing to buy a route give us a call or click on the link at the top of the page where it says "Need Financing?" and it will route you to our affiliate's page.
Every seller is required to sign a “non-compete” clause prohibiting them from contacting the customers.

Each account is guaranteed by the seller for at least 60 days from the date of the sale. In addition, we hold back 10% of the purchase price in an escrow fund in the event of a lost account.

Our sellers provide a year round service, so even in the wintertime they are still cleaning in the pools. The chemicals need to be adjusted, too.

(It rarely snows in Florida & Texas)
People lives change. They are selling because of those changes. It can be retirement, moving to a different location, another job, interest, and more.

Just like a car in general, you’re selling it not because it’s a bad car, but because you want a new car, or it no longer fits what you need. It’s like saying you sold your old sedan because your family grew from 2 people to 5, so you buy an SUV or a van. The same thing can be said towards houses
Yes, the new owner is free to do what they want to do with the pool route. Although, there are suggestions we provide to help the new owner be successful but ultimately it’s the owner’s choice how they want to operate their business.

The decision to hire employees for your pool cleaning service hinges on your business goals, workload, and the level of service you want to provide. Starting as a one-person operation is common, but as your business grows, so might the need for a team.

An SBA loan, which is designed to support small businesses, typically cannot be used to purchase a pool route because SBA loans are generally intended for business-related expenses such as working capital, equipment, or real estate. Purchasing a pool route is considered an acquisition of a business or a business asset, and while SBA loans can sometimes be used for business acquisitions, the specific nature of a pool route might not align with the SBA's criteria for eligible business types or the collateral requirements. Additionally, the SBA has specific guidelines and restrictions on the types of businesses and transactions it can finance, which might exclude pool routes depending on their classification and the lender's policies.

Yes, you will be trained on the accounts that you bought so that you’ll be familiar with the both the route, customer and equipment. Typically training is conducted over 30 days and include hands on repairs as well as weekly maintenance. Additional training can be included to ensure you’re comfortable with your new route.

Sellers are willing to assist you if you have questions after the sale. We highly recommend you join a local association like IPSSA (Independent Pool and Spa Service Association) to mingle with experienced professionals in your industry and build your network. It’s always great to be able to call on other professionals to bounce ideas and questions off of.

Sellers typically fall into one of three categories. Either they are retiring, have too many accounts, or looking to get into another industry.

It can be both. It can be an asset that an owner sells then the buyer turns it into business.

Example: You are selling tires (assets) and you would like to sell it to a company. Just like the pool accounts, they are transferred from one company to the next. The new company starts a new business with their own business name.
Yes and no. Some people may say that the customer may just cancel when they buy the route which is many buyers are afraid of. The only reason that the customers will cancel is not because the account has been transferred but because of bad service. Providing great service will keep your customers.
(Most of the customers just want their pool clean. They don’t care who cleans it)

Even if these sellers have a contract with their customers but they provide a bad service, their customers aren’t going to stay because of the contract.

When purchasing a pool route, you typically do not receive a profit and loss statement because you are not buying the entire business entity. Instead, you are acquiring a list of accounts or an income stream from the existing business. The main focus is on the payment history of these accounts rather than traditional financial statements.

The payment history provides insight into the reliability and consistency of the income you can expect. It reveals whether customers are paying on time or if there are issues with late payments or non-payments. This information is crucial for assessing the value of the pool route since it directly affects your potential earnings.

In essence, the sale of a pool route is more about transferring a set of service agreements rather than the complete operational structure of a business, which is why the financial documentation provided differs from that of a full business purchase.

Unfortunately, we only send the customer list during or after your appointment with our broker as it is usually only given during the due diligence period.
While there are several factors to take into consideration before even thinking about running the business as an absentee owner, the short answer is “yes,” but there are a few things to consider. For starters, you’ll want to make sure you have a solid team of reliable technicians who can handle the day-to-day cleaning and maintenance tasks as well as you would also need to consider the fact that if the technicians are out of the picture, will you still be able to run the business? Check out our blog for more information about running the business as an absentee owner.

To fund your pool route purchase, you typically have three primary options due to the nature of these businesses:

  1. Available Cash: Use your personal savings or liquid assets.

  2. Retirement Funds: Withdraw from your retirement account, keeping in mind potential penalties or taxes for early withdrawal.

  3. Lending Agencies: Below are some examples:

    • OrangeFi: A company known for assisting buyers in funding their pool routes. They have a history of successful collaborations. Learn more about them here.

    • Navy Federal Credit Union: They offer personal cash loans with minimal interest rates which could be suitable for your purchase. More information is available on their website here, and you can watch an informative video about their services here.

Remember that traditional bank loans are usually not an option for pool route purchases unless you use other collateral such as a cash-out refinance on your property or a home equity line of credit.

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