The sales rate for small and mid-sized Placer County businesses dropped last month to 7 deals, off by 78% from the 32 closed escrows recorded in April 2009, according to figures compiled by www.BizBen.com, which tracks and reports on small business sales in California on a monthly basis.
The transactions were recorded on Auburn, Roseville and Penryn businesses.
The company reported a smaller decline, about 38%, throughout California in the April-to-April comparison, where 1,095 deals closed last month, while there were 1,768 completed escrows on the states small businesses in the same month last year.
I think there are several explanations for the slowdown in small business sales in the county, said Peter Siegel, MBA, Founder and CEO of BizBen.com.
There are the macroeconomic reasons: Buyers and sellers are hesitant to move forward because of their uncertainty about the stability of the economy. And the limited access to funds from business lenders means a number of entrepreneurs arent able to complete their deals.
I also hear that people were involved more than usual with the tasks of getting tax returns completed on time and taking the kids out of town for spring break.
Siegel called the longer-term outlook for small business sales activity in the state and the county very promising.
We have to ask our representatives to keep the pressure on in Congress to maintain financial support for the SBAs lending guarantee activities.
The agency needs the steady funding so it can retain incentives for lenders and borrowers to participate in the SBA 7(a) and 504 loan programs.
Healthy loan activity according to Siegel, is a major factor leading to more completed transactions between buyers and sellers of small and mid-sized companies.
BizBen.com reported there currently are about 44 business opportunities being marketed in Placer County. The countys listings are found at the BizBen.com Placer County listings page.
The company also pointed out that a total of 4,334 transactions have been completed in the state so far this year, a figure lagging behind the 4,948 deals on California businesses sold during the first four months of 2009.
BizBen.com, founded in 1994, is one of the nations leading online marketplaces for small businesses and resources. Since the mid-Nineties, the company has collected and reported monthly sales statistics, broken down by city and by county. The site also is popular for its ideas, industry news and a blog page with advice for those planning to sell or purchase a business opportunity. And the site is a key resource for business brokers and the other professionals assisting entrepreneurs who buy and sell small California businesses.
April 2010 sales results by California County (available at the BizBen.com April statistics page) are as follows:
Alameda: 30, Butte: 10, Calaveras: 1, Contra Costa: 24, El Dorado: 4, Fresno: 32, Humboldt: 2, Kern: 22, Los Angeles: 341, Marin: 3, Mendocino: 3, Merced: 4, Monterey: 18, Napa: 8, Orange: 114, Placer: 7, Riverside: 13, Sacramento: 40, San Bernardino: 35, San Diego: 116, San Francisco: 30, San Joaquin: 27, San Luis Obispo: 9, San Mateo: 19, Santa Barbara: 11, Santa Clara: 65, Santa Cruz: 3, Shasta: 6, Solano: 7, Sonoma: 33, Stanislaus: 16, Tehama: 2, Tulare: 11, Tuolumne: 1, Ventura: 25, Yolo: 2, Yuba: 1.
*BizBen.com
