Buying a pressure washing or pool service business in South Florida
South Florida has 44 established pressure washing and pool service businesses by our count: companies in business at least 15 years that still file with the state every year and aren't part of a larger group. Of those, 80% have been in business 20 years or more. Most will never be listed for sale, and many of their owners have never been asked.
What it takes to own one
Pressure washing and pool service businesses in South Florida come in every size. Here's what owning one could look like at three levels, from a solid company to one of the leaders, with a small business loan covering most of the price.
- Earns about
- $126,000 a year
- Price about
- $348,000
- Your cash
- $49,000
- Could pay you
- up to $64,000 a year
- Earns about
- $219,000 a year
- Price about
- $602,000
- Your cash
- $84,000
- Could pay you
- up to $110,000 a year
- Earns about
- $372,000 a year
- Price about
- $1 million
- Your cash
- $143,000
- Could pay you
- up to $188,000 a year
Earnings are owner earnings: profit plus what the owner pays themselves, before loan payments and taxes. They and the prices are our estimates from public records, not the owners' figures, and we value companies like these at about 2.8 times a year's owner earnings. Your cash covers the down payment and closing costs, and what the business could pay you is what's left after the loan payments and the cushion lenders require. The more cash you bring, the further up you can go.
Age, size and location
Revenue is our estimate from public records, grouped into wide ranges.
| In business | Companies |
|---|---|
| Under 20 years | 9 |
| 20 to 29 years | 27 |
| 30 to 39 years | 6 |
| 40 years or more | 2 |
| Estimated yearly revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| Under $1M | 12 |
| $1M to $2M | 3 |
| $2M to $4M | 2 |
| County | Companies |
|---|---|
| Palm Beach | 24 |
| Miami-Dade | 10 |
| Broward | 7 |
| Other counties | 3 |
| Town | Companies |
|---|---|
| Miami | 8 |
What the best pressure washing and pool service businesses have in common
- Regular, repeat work: a dense pool route or commercial accounts on a set schedule, not just one-time jobs. One-time washing work has to be found again every week.
- Few cancellations, and customers who have stayed for years and pay automatically.
- Customers clustered close together, so more stops fit in a day.
- Technicians who can run a route or a job alone and keep customers happy.
- Equipment in good shape, with spare pumps and engines so a breakdown doesn't stop work.
- Repairs (for pools) or add-on services (for washing) sold to existing customers.
- Careful chemical handling and a clean record on property damage claims.
- Reviews and referrals that bring in new customers steadily.
What to check before you buy
- For pool routes: the account list with each customer's monthly price, service day, years as a customer, and cancellations. Route sales often include the seller's promise that accounts will stay for a set period; consider asking for one.
- For washing: how revenue splits between regular commercial accounts and one-time jobs at homes.
- Whether pool equipment repairs, and any duct cleaning that opens up an air conditioning system, are done under the right license.
- How chemicals are stored, handled and carried, and any spills.
- Damage claims: etched glass, stripped paint, damaged roofs or plants from chemicals or pressure.
- Equipment age, the condition of trucks and trailers, and spare parts.
- How much of the work depends on the owner personally.
- Insurance: general liability that covers chemical and pressure damage, auto coverage for the trucks, and workers' compensation. Florida requires it from the first employee for construction work and from the fourth for most other businesses. Pressure washing isn't named among the state's construction classes, but ask an insurance agent how this company is classed.
Questions to ask the owner
- How many regular accounts do you have, and how many left in the last year?
- How are your routes laid out, and how many stops does a technician make in a day?
- Do you repair or replace pool equipment or clean air ducts, and under whose license?
- What chemicals do you use on roofs and siding, and have you had any damage claims?
- Which commercial customers are on a regular schedule, and do you have those agreements in writing?
- How much of the work do you still do yourself?
- If you were staying, what would you buy or replace?
To learn what these companies do, which licenses they need and how ownership works, read our full guide to buying a pressure washing or pool service business in Florida.
Owning a company in South Florida
The local economy
South Florida covers Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties: Miami, Hialeah, Doral, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Pompano Beach, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Jupiter, and the Florida Keys down to Key West. It's the state's largest metro area and its most international. PortMiami, Port Everglades and Miami International Airport tie the region to Latin America and the Caribbean, which supports a deep base of wholesalers, freight forwarders and logistics firms, many of them near the airport. Tourism and cruises, finance and wealth management, health care, real estate and construction carry much of the rest. Palm Beach County adds wealthy seasonal residents and, out west near Lake Okeechobee, sugarcane and vegetable farms. In the Keys, nearly everything turns on visitors, fishing and boating.
Companies that serve homes, condo buildings and other businesses do well here: the building trades, property services, insurance agencies, medical and dental practices, and professional firms.
What's different about owning a company here
Costs run high: commercial rent, wages and, above all, property and windstorm insurance. Price the insurance before you make an offer, not after. Miami-Dade and Broward make up the Florida Building Code's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, with stricter rules for roofs, windows and structures. That raises building costs, and it also gives steady work to the contractors who know those rules well.
Much of the workforce and many customers speak Spanish as well as English, and a company that works well in both languages has an edge. The winter season matters more in Palm Beach County and the Keys than in Miami. In the Keys, the cost of housing makes hiring and keeping staff one of the hardest parts of running a company. Ask any seller there how they find workers and where those workers live.