Dallas–Fort Worth · Valuation
Who can help me sell a construction company in Fort Worth?
What buyers check in any contractor sale, which kinds of contractors MDR represents, and how to judge an advisor.
By Michael D. Rubin, CEO & Founder · September 2026 · 876 words
It depends on what kind of construction company you own. MDR & Associates does not represent general contractors or project-bid construction companies, but it does sell Texas home-services and trade companies, such as HVAC, plumbing, roofing, landscaping, garage door and pest control companies with repeat customers and crews, and it works with owners across Fort Worth. If your company fits that description, we are a DFW firm to talk to.
If you run a general contracting or bid-based firm, this answer still explains what buyers look for in a contractor sale, so you can prepare and judge any advisor who says they can help.
What buyers look for in any contractor sale
Contractor sales are judged on how believable future revenue is, and on whether the people who win and run the work will stay. These are the points buyers examine.
- Backlog. Signed work not yet completed, and how profitable it is. A thin backlog makes next year's revenue hard to believe.
- Project versus recurring revenue. Bid-by-bid project work is valued lower than service agreements, maintenance contracts and repeat customers, because it has to be won again every year.
- Work-in-progress (WIP) schedules. A report showing each open job's contract value, costs to date, billings and expected margin. Buyers use it to check whether revenue and profit have been recognized honestly.
- Bonding capacity. For bonded work, the buyer needs to know whether the surety relationship and bonding limits can carry over or be replaced.
- Key estimators and project managers. The people who price and run the work. If they leave, so does the ability to win profitable jobs.
- Customer concentration. A few general contractors or developers providing most of the work is a risk.
- Licenses, safety record and insurance history. Buyers check which licenses belong to the company and which to individuals.
Why trade and service companies sell differently
A Fort Worth HVAC, plumbing or roofing company that serves homeowners and businesses directly usually has something bid-based contractors do not: repeat customers, service agreements and a steady flow of calls. Buyers can forecast that revenue, which supports a higher multiple of adjusted EBITDA. EBITDA is earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization; adjusted means owner-specific and one-time costs are added back.
For companies in the $3 million to $100 million revenue range, MDR most often sees values of three to seven times adjusted EBITDA, and recurring service revenue is one of the strongest drivers toward the upper end. The comparison below shows why buyers treat the two kinds of company so differently.
| What buyers check | Project-bid contractor | Home-services or trade company |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue source | Won job by job through bids | Repeat customers, service agreements, maintenance |
| Evidence of future revenue | Backlog and WIP schedule | Service agreements, call volume, repeat customers |
| Key people | Estimators and project managers | Technicians, crew leads, dispatch and office staff |
| Main financial risks | Cost overruns, retainage, bonding | Seasonality, technician turnover |
| Represented by MDR | No | Yes |
The kinds of companies MDR sells
MDR's home services practice covers trade companies with crews, trucks and repeat customers. Recent closed transactions include companies such as Alliance Mechanical Services, Apple Garage Doors and Blooms Landcare, and named sales are on our results page.
What those companies have in common is revenue that comes back: maintenance plans, seasonal service, repeat residential and commercial customers. If your company does both kinds of work, for example service calls alongside larger installation projects, we will look at how much of the revenue is repeat work before deciding whether we are the right firm. If most of it is bid work for general contractors or developers, we will tell you so plainly and suggest what kind of advisor to look for instead.
If you own a general contractor or bid-based firm
Look for an advisor who can show closed sales of companies like yours, understands WIP schedules and bonding, and can reach buyers who acquire contractors. Ask how they will treat backlog in the price, whether part of the price will depend on completing current jobs, and how they will keep your bid clients and subcontractors from learning about the sale. Expect buyers of bid-based firms to ask for several years of WIP history, not only the current schedule, and to look closely at jobs that lost money.
Whoever you hire, prepare before you go to market: clean WIP schedules, three years of financials that reconcile to tax returns, a list of key staff and their roles, and documented bonding and insurance history. The general preparation steps that apply to any company are in prepare your business for sale.
What we do for Fort Worth trade and service owners
For HVAC, plumbing, roofing, landscaping, garage door, pest control and similar companies, we offer a free, confidential discovery meeting and opinion of value, and run the sale on a 100 percent performance-based success fee. Since 2008 we have closed more than 250 transactions, and a principal of the firm is in every negotiation. We work alongside your own transaction attorney and CPA, and a sale typically takes three to nine months from engagement to funds wired.
We are based in Frisco and meet Fort Worth owners at their office or somewhere discreet; see the Fort Worth page. If your company fits, start with the free valuation snapshot.
Where this fitsFort Worth business brokers and M&A advisors →