About Our Data
Everything on LegacyVector is built from three underlying datasets: live on-market business listings, SBA 7(a) loan records, and the valuation multiples we compute from those listings. Here's what each one is, where it comes from, and how to read it.
Live Market Snapshot
What this is
A live snapshot of every active business-for-sale listing we track across major marketplaces nationwide. Unlike a monthly report, these numbers update continuously as listings are added, price-changed, or sold — so they reflect the market right now, not a stale average from last quarter.
Active Listings
58,013
Currently on-market across sources
New Listings (7d)
3,074
Added in the last 7 days
Median Asking Price
$273,175
Across all active listings
Median SDE Multiple
2.97x
Asking ÷ cash flow
Most active industries
| Industry | Active Listings | Median Asking | Median Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurant | 2,436 | $249,000 | 2.76x |
| Dental | 962 | $625,000 | 2.03x |
| Construction | 675 | $1,100,000 | 3.09x |
| Retail | 652 | $375,000 | 3.09x |
| Food and Beverage | 624 | $285,000 | 2.9x |
Median EBITDA multiple across all active listings: 3.6x. Updated continuously.
How it's calculated
We group every active listing by its reported industry and take the median, not the average, so a handful of outlier listings can't skew the numbers. “Asking ÷ cash flow” is the seller's list price relative to reported cash flow — a starting point for negotiation, not necessarily the final sale price.
Industry Valuation Multiples
What this is
For each industry, we calculate the median SDE, EBITDA, and revenue multiple implied by every active listing's asking price. It's a real-time pricing benchmark drawn from what sellers are actually asking today — not a lagging academic study — so you can gauge whether a listing in your target industry is priced in line with the rest of the market.
| Industry | SDE Median↓ | SDE Range | EBITDA↕ | Revenue↕ | Listings↕ | Med Price↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | 3.09x | 2.23x - 4.28x | 3.79x | 0.63x | 675 | $1100k |
| Retail | 3.09x | 2.12x - 5.01x | 3.33x | 0.60x | 652 | $375k |
| Food and Beverage | 2.90x | 2.12x - 4.23x | 3.65x | 0.54x | 624 | $285k |
| Restaurant | 2.76x | 2.16x - 3.88x | 3.39x | 0.44x | 2436 | $249k |
| Dental | 2.03x | 1.14x - 2.66x | 1.85x | 0.76x | 962 | $625k |
Why two different multiples? Main Street businesses (typically under $1M in earnings) are usually valued on a multiple of Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE), since the owner is often still working full-time in the business. Once a business clears roughly $1M in earnings and runs with professional management in place, buyers typically switch to an EBITDA multiple instead. Revenue multiples are a rougher stand-in, mostly used for high-growth or pre-profit businesses where earnings don't yet tell the full story.
- SDE Median: Typical price for Main Street businesses (under $1M earnings)
- SDE Range: 25th-75th percentile — where the middle 50% of deals fall
- EBITDA Multiple: Used for larger businesses ($1M+ earnings)
- Revenue Multiple: Alternative valuation method, typically for high-growth businesses
- Listings: Number of active business listings behind each row
SBA 7(a) Lending Data
What this is
The U.S. Small Business Administration publishes loan-level records for every 7(a) loan it guarantees, released under FOIA. We aggregate that federal dataset by state — total loans, average size — and pair it with our live listing prices, so you can see how financing activity compares to what's actually for sale in that market right now.
Total SBA Loans (YTD)
144,178
Across all states
National Average Loan
$522,423
Mean across states
States Tracked
5
Major markets
State-by-State Data
| State | SBA 7(a) Loans | Average Loan Size | Median Listing Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 43,459 | $629,848 | $313,000 |
| Texas | 28,501 | $731,242 | $360,000 |
| Florida | 27,759 | $557,928 | $335,000 |
| New York | 23,225 | $370,825 | $500,000 |
| Ohio | 21,234 | $322,273 | $360,000 |
How SBA 7(a) Financing Works
The numbers above show how much SBA financing is flowing and where. Here's what the loan program itself involves for a buyer using it to fund an acquisition.
Who Qualifies?
- ✓U.S. Citizens/Residents: You must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- ✓Business Ownership: You must have 20%+ ownership stake
- ✓Good Credit: Typically 700+ credit score required
- ✓Collateral: Lenders require personal guarantee and business assets as collateral
Key Terms
Loan Amount
Up to $5 million
Repayment Terms
5-10 years typical for acquisitions
Down Payment
10-20% of purchase price
SBA Guarantee
75-90% of loan amount
SBA Loan Uses for Acquisition
Allowed Uses
- Purchase of business assets
- Owner's equity injection (down payment)
- Working capital for acquired business
- Equipment and inventory
- Assumption of seller financing
Not Allowed
- Paying off personal debt
- Real estate (unless used in business)
- Refinancing other business debt
- Margin accounts or securities
- Charitable contributions
Timeline Expectations
- Application: 1-2 weeks
- SBA Review: 2-3 weeks
- Underwriting: 1-2 weeks
- Closing & Funding: 1-2 weeks
- Total: 30-45 days typical
Document Requirements
- Personal tax returns (3 years)
- Business tax returns & financials
- Personal financial statement
- Business purchase agreement
- Detailed business plan
- Credit report authorization
How to Use This Data
Benchmark Valuations
Compare asking prices against industry median multiples. Understand if a deal is priced fairly relative to SDE, EBITDA, or revenue.
Track Market Trends
Monitor weekly changes in listings, multiples, and prices. Identify seasonal patterns and market movements in your target industries.
Analyze Financing
Review SBA lending statistics and rates by state. Understand financing availability and costs for your target acquisition region.
Important Caveats
- ⚠Past data doesn't predict future results. Market conditions change rapidly based on economic factors, interest rates, and industry trends.
- ⚠Each business is unique. Multiples vary significantly based on growth, profitability, customer concentration, and management quality.
- ⚠Multiple factors affect valuation. This data shows asking prices, not appraised valuations. Actual deals involve add-backs, adjustments, and deal structures.
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