SellingJuly 20, 2026 · 5 min read
How Long Does Selling a Business Really Take?
The honest numbers
Most Main Street sales take 6–12 months from listing to closing. Preparation takes 2–4 weeks. Marketing and buyer qualification take 2–4 months. LOI to close takes another 60–90 days.
Where deals get stuck
Three classic stalls: (1) inflated recasts that fall apart under lender scrutiny, (2) unqualified buyers who can't produce funds, and (3) owner dependence that spooks buyers and lenders.
How to move faster
Prepare before you market: clean recast, organized diligence documents, and a lender introduced early. Qualify buyers hard. Momentum is oxygen — silence is the deal killer.
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