Buying an appliance or equipment repair business in Treasure Coast

• Commercial maintenance contracts that renew, with service on a schedule. A restaurant or warehouse that can't run without its equipment rarely shops on price.
• Factory authorizations (approval from equipment makers to service their brands), which bring warranty work, parts access, technical support and training.
• Technicians with deep experience on the equipment the company services, and a plan to train new ones. Experienced technicians are the hardest part of this business to replace.
• Fast response times that customers can count on, which is what keeps maintenance contracts renewing.
• Customers spread across many businesses and homes, not one large account.
• An accurate parts inventory with little obsolete stock.
• Little reliance on low-paying home warranty and other third-party warranty work.
• Dispatch, service history and parts usage tracked in software.

• Revenue by type: service calls, shop repair, maintenance contracts, warranty work and parts.
• Maintenance contracts: customers, terms, pricing and renewal history.
• Manufacturer authorizations, and whether they pass to a new owner. Some may require the maker's approval.
• Technician experience, certifications, pay and turnover.
• Parts inventory: count it, check its age, and value it at what it can actually be sold or used for.
• How much revenue comes from the largest customers, especially big commercial accounts.
• How often repairs have to be redone, and warranty claims on the company's own work.
• Vans, tools and diagnostic equipment, including software subscriptions some makers require.
• Pricing: trip charges and labor rates compared with local competitors, and when they last went up.
• Who answers the phone and schedules calls, and how quickly customers get a technician.

• What kinds of equipment do you service most, and which brands?
• How much of your revenue comes from maintenance contracts, and how many renewed last year?
• Which manufacturers have authorized you, and would those authorizations pass to a new owner?
• How long have your technicians been with you, and how are they trained?
• How much of your work comes from home warranty companies or other third-party warranty programs?
• How do you keep track of parts inventory?
• Which licenses or certifications does your work depend on?

This region covers Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River counties on the Atlantic coast and Okeechobee and Highlands counties inland: Stuart, Palm City, Port St. Lucie, Fort Pierce, Vero Beach, Sebastian, Okeechobee, Sebring and Avon Park. Port St. Lucie is the largest city and has grown quickly as a suburb within reach of Palm Beach County to the south.

The coast draws retirees and winter residents, and health care, construction, real estate, boating and sport fishing are big parts of the economy. The coast lies in the Indian River citrus district, named for the lagoon. Inland, Okeechobee and Highlands are cattle, dairy and citrus country around Lake Okeechobee and along the ridge near Sebring, with many retirees of their own. Home service companies, the building trades, marine businesses and medical practices find steady customers here.

The coast is seasonal, with winter residents filling restaurants, golf courses and service schedules, and summer is quieter. Hurricane Nicole came ashore near Vero Beach in November 2022, and the region has a long history of storms, so check insurance, flood zones and how a business came through recent ones.

Water quality in the St. Lucie River and the Indian River Lagoon is a recurring problem, and in a bad year it can hurt fishing, boating and tourism businesses. Inland, distances are longer and the labor pool thinner. A company in Sebring or Okeechobee may be one of very few of its kind nearby, which can mean loyal customers and little competition, but also few people to hire. Most new homes on the coast are going up in and around Port St. Lucie.