Lenders and sellers' agents take prepared buyers seriously. Before you view anything: know your deposit, get a personal financial statement together, understand your borrowing capacity (dentistry borrows well — often at high loan-to-value), and decide roughly what kind of practice fits: NHS, private, mixed, size, geography, freehold or leasehold.
The sales pack shows adjusted earnings — EBITDA after add-backs — presented as favourably as the broker can manage. Before offering, rebuild the numbers: a realistic salary for the dentistry you'll personally do, a market rate for the dentistry you'll need associates for, honest staff costs, and scrutiny of every add-back. Then test the two questions that matter: will these profits exist when it's you in the chair, and how much of the goodwill walks out with the seller? Our valuation guide covers the multiples.
Offers are normally subject to due diligence and funding. Heads of terms feel informal but set the deal's shape — price, what's included, any deferred element, the seller's ongoing clinical role and restrictive covenants. Get advice before signing heads, not after; renegotiating agreed terms is far harder than negotiating them.
Specialist dental lenders actively compete for acquisitions; a clean, well-presented financial pack materially improves terms. In parallel, settle the structure — personal, partnership or limited company — with your income, the NHS contract mechanics and your eventual exit in mind. The right answer differs by deal; the wrong answer is expensive to unwind.
CQC registration (in England), NHS contract transfer arrangements, payroll moved over, systems live, and then the part people underestimate: your first year of ownership run on monthly numbers — cash flow, UDA delivery tracking, staff costs — until the practice is demonstrably settled.
Deadlines coming up, rule changes that affect dentists, and one number worth checking — once a month, no spam.
Often less than buyers expect — dentistry is a favoured lending sector and specialist lenders will commonly fund a high proportion of the purchase price for a strong applicant, sometimes most of it. The realistic constraint is usually serviceability and working capital, which is exactly what a proper financial pack demonstrates.
Typically six to twelve months from serious search to completion — with due diligence, funding, legals and (in England) CQC registration running in parallel once an offer is accepted. NHS contract arrangements can add time; build them into the plan early.
Rebuilt (not broker-adjusted) earnings, UDA delivery and clawback history, fee income by clinician, staff and associate cost sustainability, plan income attrition, lease terms and equipment condition — reported in plain English with the price implications made explicit.
A free, no-obligation conversation about your situation — associate, principal, buying or selling. If we can't add value, we'll say so.
One short email a month: deadlines coming up, rule changes that affect dentists, and one number worth checking in your practice. No spam, unsubscribe any time.