What is my dental practice worth in California?
Value comes from documented earnings, not a rule of thumb off a message board. A broker rebuilds your net income into seller’s discretionary earnings with a written add-back schedule, then tests that number the way a dental lender will underwrite it — because the buyer’s bank is the party that ultimately has to agree with it. Collections, hygiene retention, PPO versus fee-for-service mix, equipment age, and the remaining term of your lease all move the result.
No honest broker can price a California practice without reading your returns first. Anyone who gives you a number over the phone is guessing, and a guess that is too high costs you a year on the market.
Will my staff and patients find out?
Not unless you decide they should. A confidential listing shows only the general area and the practice type in public. Full financials sit behind a signed non-disclosure agreement in a secure document vault, and they are released only to buyers who have already demonstrated they can finance the purchase. Your front desk does not find out from a listing site.
How long does it take?
Four to nine months from signed listing agreement to close is the normal California range. Practices with clean books, a lease with real remaining term, and a landlord who will assign move at the fast end. The delays are almost always documentary rather than about price: incomplete tax returns, a month-to-month lease, or a landlord who will not consent to assignment. A lease audit before you go to market is the cheapest month you will ever buy back.
Should I sell to a DSO or to a private buyer?
It depends entirely on what you want the day after closing. A DSO transaction often carries a higher headline number but frequently includes an earnout, a required post-sale work commitment, and equity rollover rather than cash at close. A private buyer — usually an associate ready for ownership — typically means a clean exit on a schedule you set. Neither is right in the abstract. It should be decided before the practice goes to market, not after an offer is already sitting on the table.
Does a California practice broker need a license?
Yes, where the transaction touches real property or a lease assignment. Brokering a business opportunity in California is licensed activity, and any solicitation a licensee sends must carry their name and eight-digit DRE license number. Ours is on every page of this site, including the bottom of this one. Ask any broker you speak with for theirs, and verify it with the Department of Real Estate before you sign anything.