Buying a pressure washing or pool service business in Southwest Florida

• 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.

• 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.

• 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?

This region covers Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Sarasota and Manatee counties on the Gulf coast and Hendry, Glades and DeSoto inland: Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Bonita Springs, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte, Sarasota, Venice, Bradenton, LaBelle, Clewiston, Moore Haven and Arcadia. The coastal economy runs on people who choose to live or spend the winter here: retirees, seasonal residents, and the construction, real estate, health care, financial and home services that follow them. Tourism, golf and boating add to it.

Inland, the economy is agricultural: sugarcane around Clewiston, citrus, cattle and vegetables, with Immokalee in Collier County a center for farm work. The building trades, pool, landscaping and pest control companies, property managers, medical and dental practices, and marine businesses tend to do well along the coast.

This is one of Florida's most seasonal markets. From roughly January through April, restaurants, shops and service companies run at full speed. Summers are slower, so look at monthly revenue, not only the yearly total. The coast has taken two major hurricanes in recent years: Ian came ashore at Cayo Costa in Lee County in September 2022, and Milton at Siesta Key in Sarasota County in October 2024. Rebuilding brought a wave of work for contractors that won't last forever, so ask how much recent revenue came from storm repairs. Insurance costs and flood zones weigh on every property.

Housing costs near the coast make hiring hard, especially around Naples. New communities east of Interstate 75 in Lee, Collier, Charlotte and Manatee keep service companies busy.