Contracted routes beat one-off jobs
Signed annual or multi-year maintenance contracts are transferable revenue. A business built on residential one-offs and word of mouth is priced far closer to the value of its trucks.
El Paso Owner's Guide · Landscaping & Grounds Maintenance
How to Sell a Landscaping or Lawn Care Business in El Paso, Texas
There are two kinds of landscaping companies: a truck, a trailer, and an owner who cuts — and a business with contracted routes, crews, and a manager. The first one sells for equipment value. The second sells for a multiple. This guide is about becoming the second.
- 2×–3.5×
- Typical multiple of owner earnings with contracted revenue
- $5M
- SBA 7(a) financing available to qualified buyers
- 100%
- Confidential — crews and clients never know
The Local Market
What buyers pay for in an El Paso grounds business
Commercial property, HOAs, apartment complexes, schools, and municipal grounds all buy maintenance on contract, year after year. In a desert market, xeriscape design, irrigation expertise, and water-wise maintenance are specialized skills that command premium pricing — and premium pricing shows up in your multiple.
Commercial and HOA concentration
Commercial accounts stabilize revenue, but too much of it in one client is a risk buyers price down. A diversified commercial base is the sweet spot.
Crew leaders and route documentation
If your routes, pricing, and client preferences live in your head or on your phone, the buyer is buying uncertainty. Documented routes with trained crew leaders raise the price.
Equipment and irrigation capability
Owned, maintained equipment and licensed irrigation work are real assets. Aged fleets with deferred maintenance come off the price dollar for dollar.
Free Estimator · No Email Required
What is my El Paso landscaping business worth?
Move the slider. This uses owner's discretionary earnings (SDE) — your net profit plus your salary, personal expenses run through the business, interest, depreciation, and one-time costs — the number buyers and SBA lenders actually price.
$180,000 / year
$40K$1.2M
Which of these are true today?
Illustrative Range
Estimated enterprise value
$360,000 – $603,000
That’s roughly 2.0× to 3.4× your owner’s earnings, before any real estate you own.
Every box you check is a lever you can still pull before you list. Owners who fix the books and the lease first routinely land at the top of their range instead of the bottom.
Illustration only — not an appraisal or an offer.
Step by Step
The six steps that get a landscaping business sold — in that order.
- 01
Get contracts on paper and earnings reconciled
Three years of P&Ls and tax returns, plus a client schedule showing contract terms, renewal history, and revenue per account. Verbal arrangements need to become signed agreements before you list.
- 02
Commission an independent, certified valuation
Not a broker's opinion. We commission a certified valuation from an independent NACVA-credentialed appraiser — the caliber of report banks, buyers, the IRS, and courts rely on. It sets a defensible price and survives diligence.
- 03
Get out of the truck
Promote crew leaders, document routes and pricing, and hand off quoting. A business that runs a full season without the owner on a mower is a fundamentally different asset.
- 04
Fix what diligence will find
Vehicle titles and equipment leases, insurance and workers' compensation, licensing for irrigation or chemical application, labor classification, and unpaid taxes. We surface these on your terms.
- 05
Market it confidentially — never publicly
No word to your crews, your clients, or your competitors. We market blind to vetted, financially qualified buyers under NDA using market and financial profile only.
- 06
Negotiate, survive diligence, and close
Offers, escrow, contract assignments, equipment schedules, and funding. We stay on it through closing and through the transition that keeps your crews and accounts in place.
Costly Mistakes
Six mistakes that cost landscaping business owners real money.
Running on handshake agreements
Unsigned accounts are not transferable revenue. A buyer discounts every dollar that a client could walk away from the day after closing.
Owner as the top salesperson and crew lead
The more the business depends on you personally, the lower the multiple — no exceptions in this industry.
One anchor client carrying the company
Heavy concentration is the fastest way to turn a strong revenue number into a cautious offer. Diversify before you list.
Deferring equipment maintenance before a sale
Buyers inspect the fleet. Deferred maintenance reads as a repair bill they will inherit, and they price it accordingly.
Mixing personal and business spending without records
Legitimate add-backs only count when they are documented. Undocumented personal spending simply lowers your reported earnings.
Listing during your slowest quarter
Timing and trend matter. Prepare while the routes are full so the trailing numbers work in your favor.
Questions Owners Ask
Landscaping Business owners ask us these first.
Straight answers, no hedging. If yours isn’t here, call us and ask it directly.
Companies with contracted, recurring maintenance revenue commonly trade between roughly 2 and 3.5 times owner's discretionary earnings. Businesses built on one-off residential work and owner-performed labor often sell closer to the value of their equipment. Only a certified independent valuation survives a lender's underwriting.
Signed agreements generally can be assigned, subject to their own terms, which is exactly why getting accounts on paper before listing matters so much. Verbal accounts transfer only as goodwill, and buyers price goodwill cautiously.
The equipment needed to produce your earnings is generally included in the enterprise value rather than added on top. Excess, owned, and well-maintained assets strengthen your position; leased or financed equipment is accounted for separately in the deal structure.
Qualified buyers can access SBA 7(a) financing up to $5 million. It requires clean, reconciled financials and a defensible independent valuation. SBA pre-qualification is a preliminary, non-binding lender assessment, not a loan commitment.
Not from us. Your company is marketed blind — market, category, and financial profile only — to vetted buyers who sign a non-disclosure agreement before they learn who you are.
Get every account under a signed agreement, promote a crew leader who can run the operation, and clean up the books. Those three moves change your multiple more than anything a broker can do at the negotiating table.
Where we work
Landscaping Business owners we represent across El Paso, West Texas, and southern New Mexico
Whether your landscaping business sits on the east side, downtown, out in the valley, or across the state line in Doña Ana County, the sale process is the same: verified financials, an independent certified valuation, and a confidential, competitive market of qualified buyers. We meet owners at a time and place of their choosing.
- El Paso
- West El Paso & Upper Valley
- East El Paso
- Northeast El Paso
- Central & Downtown
- Horizon City
- Socorro
- San Elizario
- Clint & Fabens
- Canutillo
- Anthony, TX & NM
- Fort Bliss corridor
- Las Cruces, NM
- Sunland Park, NM
- Doña Ana County
- Alamogordo & Deming, NM
- Van Horn & Fort Hancock
- Midland & Odessa
Landscaping Business Owners · Confidential
Find out what your landscaping business is actually worth.
One confidential conversation with a partner — not a coordinator. We will tell you where your numbers put you today, what would move the multiple, and whether now is your moment.
- Confidential — nothing is shared or listed without your written consent.
- A reply within one business day, usually the same afternoon.
- No fee, no obligation, and no pressure for the first conversation.