Dublin, CA (February 4, 2013)—The count of 129 small and mid-sized business for sale offerings that were sold in Orange County last month was about 10% higher than the 117 transactions completed in the same month last year, it was reported by the BizBen Index. The county’s improvement was not matched by the statewide sales performance which shows a decline to 1,179 completed deals last month, compared to the 1,223 transactions that closed in January 2012.
"In some parts of the state there was quite a rush to complete sales during the last few days of December because sellers were concerned their capital gains taxes could go up starting in 2013. It would leave them with a lower net sale price for their companies," said Peter Siegel, MBA, Founder and President of BizBen.com, parent of the BizBen Index. "A transaction-heavy month like December 2012, often results in a drop in sales the following month."
Siegel said, "That’s what happened in Orange County, where sellers closed 171 transactions during the last month of last year, more market activity than last month." But, he said, the county didn’t experience the kind of month-to-month drop in deal volume from December that was seen in other counties such as Riverside (down 42.5%), Santa Barbara (40.9%) and San Francisco, (36.7%).
Among Orange County’s busiest markets last month were the city of Anaheim with 13 sales, Costa Mesa and Huntington Beach with 12 each, and 10 deals each in Fullerton, Irvine and Santa Ana.
Here is Orange County’s 2013 business sales statistics, reported by city (found at http://www.bizben.com/stats/orange-county.php):
Anaheim: 13, Brea: 3, Buena Park: 4, Costa Mesa: 12, Dana Point: 1, Fullerton: 10, Garden Grove: 9, Huntington Beach: 12, Irvine: 10, La Habra: 4, Laguna Beach: 3, Lake Forest: 6, Mission Viejo: 3, Newport Beach: 1, Orange: 7, Placentia: 3, San Clemente: 6, Santa Ana: 10, Tustin: 6, Westminster: 6
"Although California is off to a slightly slower start in business transactions compared to last year, we remain optimistic that we’ll see more activity in the market this year than in 2012," said Siegel.
"Easier access to funds from financial institutions will be an important factor in a busier business for sale marketplace throughout the state. And we’re noticing more innovative strategies being used by smart California entrepreneurs. Fresh approaches are needed to overcome some of the deal killers we’ve had to cope with in the past few years. This is a New Economy for participants in the small business for sale market in California. It comes with some new imperatives. People who know how to navigate in this environment are at an advantage.
"The long term picture for the California small business transfer market looks very promising," said Siegel. "More businesses are starting to become available for sale because the members of the large population of baby boomer business owners are starting to retire. And simultaneously, the demand curve is rising as more Californians are disenchanted with the chances of continuous and high paying employment. They’re deciding to purchase fast food franchises, auto service shops, retail stores and other small companies so they can control their financial futures."
Siegel said a small business is a company that sells for $2 million or less.
The California business sales totals for January 2013, by county, are noted below and available at: http://www.bizben.com/stats/stats-monthly-jan.php.
Alameda: 32, Amador: 7, Butte: 4, Contra Costa: 36, El Dorado: 3, Fresno: 43, Glenn: 1, Imperial: 3, Kern: 27, Los Angeles: 289, Madera: 2, Marin: 4, Mariposa: 1, Merced: 6, Monterey: 14, Nevada: 5, Orange: 129, Placer: 11, Riverside: 50, Sacramento: 36, San Bernardino: 55, San Diego: 132, San Francisco: 31, San Joaquin: 16, San Luis Obispo: 24, San Mateo: 25, Santa Barbara: 13, Santa Clara: 47, Santa Cruz: 9, Solano: 7, Sonoma: 28, Stanislaus: 27, Sutter: 4, Tehama: 7, Trinity: 1, Tulare: 11, Tuolumne: 4, Ventura: 23, Yolo: 7
The BizBen Index figures, showing the sales rates by city and county throughout the state for the past four years are accessed http://www.bizben.com/stats/stats-total.php.
The BizBen.com website features more than 8,000 California businesses for sale and businesses wanted postings, along with offerings of new franchises and business opportunities. Since 1994 this niche online network and service has proved a valuable tool for thousands of California business buyers, small business owners/sellers, intermediaries, and advisors. The site also includes articles, resources, news and tips, and a daily blog. For the past 16 years, its BizBen Index has collected and reported on business sales statistics, by county and city, throughout the state.
