What is a home services business worth?

Main Street HVAC, plumbing, pest control and electrical companies sold for median multiples of roughly 2.4x-2.9x SDE on BizBuySell (2021-2025), while PE-backed platforms pay far higher EBITDA multiples for larger companies with recurring maintenance revenue. Pick your trade in the calculator for a sourced range.

Updated 2026-09-23 · 17 sources · By the TradeExit Guide team

Estimate your home services company's value

Applies the cited SDE multiple band for your trade, then positions you inside it using recurring revenue, customer concentration, owner dependence, years operating and trend. Educational estimate, not an appraisal.

Pre-tax profit + one owner's pay and perks + interest + depreciation + one-time costs. Not sure? Use the SDE calculator.

Educational estimate, not an appraisal or an offer. Ranges come from published closed-sale data and broker/adviser reports cited on each trade page; the adjustment weights are our own documented heuristic (see Editorial policy). Real estate, inventory and working capital are excluded.

Get the full valuation brief (printable)

Your inputs and range, the cited multiples behind it, the buyer type active at your size, three changes that move the multiple, and next steps - on this page, ready to print or save as a PDF.

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Valuation brief: -

Prepared with the TradeExit Guide valuation calculator (tradeexitguide.com). Educational estimate, not an appraisal or an offer.

Your inputs

Annual revenue-
SDE / owner cash flow-
Recurring / contract revenue-
Largest customer share-
Owner hours per week in the work-
Years in business-
3-year trend-

Result

Estimated value range-
Implied SDE multiple-
Cited SDE multiple band for this trade- to -
Full cited range in dollars-
Implied multiple of revenue-
Most likely buyer type-
Pricing basis-
Source of the band-

What moves your multiple

  • Recurring revenue (you: -). At 25%+ the calculator moves you up the band; at 50%+ further. Maintenance agreements, contracts and memberships count.
  • Owner dependence (you: -). Under 20 hours a week in the field or chair helps; under 10 helps most. Buyers pay for a business that runs without you.
  • Customer concentration (you: -). Keep any single customer under about 15% of revenue.

Next steps

  1. Recast your earnings line by line with the SDE calculator (tradeexitguide.com/tools/sde-calculator/).
  2. See what you would keep after taxes and fees with the after-tax proceeds calculator (tradeexitguide.com/tools/after-tax-proceeds-calculator/).
  3. Read your trade's valuation page for the sources behind the band and the drivers buyers cite.
  4. If you have an offer, compare it on guaranteed cash, not headline price (tradeexitguide.com/guides/unsolicited-pe-offer/).
  5. Before you sell, get a formal valuation from a credentialed appraiser or an experienced intermediary.

Ranges come from published closed-sale data and broker/adviser reports; adjustment weights are our own documented heuristic. Real estate, inventory, working capital, debt and taxes are excluded.

Home services multiples by trade

Closed-sale figures: BizBuySell Valuation Benchmarks, sold 2021-2025 (roofing uses all construction as a proxy). Larger-deal figures: dated sources linked. Accessed 2026-09-23.
TradeSDE multiple: median (middle half)Median sale priceLarger dealsSource
HVAC2.58x (1.99x-3.33x)$750,0004.6x median / 5.1x mean EBITDA

BizBuySell Valuation Benchmarks - HVAC

Plumbing2.24x (1.66x-3.15x)$699,0003.0-4.5x EBITDA

BizBuySell Valuation Benchmarks - Plumbing

Pest control2.04x (1.69x-3x)$250,0003.5-5x EBITDA

BizBuySell Valuation Benchmarks - Pest Control

Roofing2.43x (1.81x-3.13x)$750,0003-5x EBITDA

BizBuySell Valuation Benchmarks - Construction (all building & construction)

Electrical2.56x (1.96x-3.15x)$1,009,0004.1x median / 5.0x mean EBITDA

BizBuySell Valuation Benchmarks - Electrical & Mechanical Contractor

Landscaping2.3x (1.7x-3.01x)$450,0007-15x EBITDA

BizBuySell Valuation Benchmarks - Landscaping & Yard Service

HVAC: what moves the multiple

Buyers ask for: Share of revenue from maintenance agreements and number of active members; residential replacement vs new-construction mix; technician count.

Up: A maintenance-agreement base that produces recurring visits and replacement leads; Residential service and replacement work rather than new-construction bids; Technicians and a service manager who run the day without the owner

Down: New-construction heavy revenue tied to a few builders; The owner is still the lead technician or the only estimator; Seasonal cash swings with no maintenance base to smooth them

Full detail: HVAC valuation.

Plumbing: what moves the multiple

Buyers ask for: Service and repair share vs new construction; drain/sewer and water-heater replacement mix; service agreements; technician count.

Up: Recurring maintenance or service-plan revenue; A dispatcher or service manager who schedules crews without the owner; Documented systems and field-service software

Down: The owner writes every estimate and holds every customer relationship; One customer above ~20% of revenue; Aging trucks and equipment, inconsistent records, or lapsed licenses

Full detail: Plumbing valuation.

Pest control: what moves the multiple

Buyers ask for: Recurring (contracted) revenue share, route density, customer count and churn, termite vs general pest mix, commercial accounts.

Up: 80%+ of revenue on recurring service contracts; Dense routes and technicians who stay; Licenses held by the team, not only the owner

Down: Owner dependency - the owner is the licensed operator and the salesperson; One commercial client above ~10-15% of revenue; Seasonal or termite-heavy revenue, or paper-based records

Full detail: Pest control valuation.

Roofing: what moves the multiple

Buyers ask for: Retail reroof and repair share vs storm/insurance work; residential vs commercial; backlog; W-2 crews vs subcontractors; gross margin.

Up: Retail reroof, repair and maintenance work rather than storm chasing; W-2 crews with a production manager and visible backlog; EBITDA margins in the mid-teens or better with clean, traceable numbers

Down: Storm or insurance-claim dependent revenue (buyers haircut it); The owner is the salesman and the brand - the business stalls without them; All-subcontractor crews, no production manager, thin gross margin

Full detail: Roofing valuation.

Electrical: what moves the multiple

Buyers ask for: Service and maintenance share vs bid work; residential vs commercial/industrial; backlog; master electricians on staff.

Up: Recurring service and preventive maintenance revenue; Upgrade and retrofit work rather than low-margin new-construction bids; A management bench and diversified repeat customers

Down: Customer concentration and uneven margins; Bonding requirements or union obligations that narrow the buyer pool; The owner is the only master electrician

Full detail: Electrical valuation.

Landscaping: what moves the multiple

Buyers ask for: Maintenance contract revenue vs one-off installs; commercial vs residential; crew retention; equipment age.

Up: Recurring maintenance contracts, especially commercial; A manager and crew leads who run routes without the owner; Workforce retention and modern equipment

Down: Install/enhancement-heavy revenue that has to be resold every year; Thin margins and heavy owner involvement; Dependence on a seasonal workforce that may not stay

Full detail: Landscaping valuation.

Why platforms pay more for recurring revenue

Across every home-service trade the same factors separate the top of the range from the bottom: maintenance agreements or service contracts (recurring revenue), technicians who run jobs without the owner, a clean split between residential service and one-off construction work, and no single customer or builder above ~15% of revenue. PE-backed platforms price larger companies on EBITDA, which is why the “larger deals” column is so much higher than the SDE medians.

Selling a home services company?

License transfer rules by trade, documents buyers ask for and a printable checklist.

How to sell a home services business

Frequently asked questions

What multiple do HVAC companies sell for?

BizBuySell’s closed-sale data puts the median HVAC sale at 2.58x SDE (middle half 1.99x-3.33x). Larger companies bought by PE platforms are priced on EBITDA; see the table for the cited middle-market range.

Why are pest control companies valued so highly?

Recurring service contracts. Buyers value route density and contract revenue, which is why pest control shows some of the highest multiples among home services; see the table and the pest control page.

Is this an appraisal?

No. It is an educational estimate from published data. See appraisal vs estimate.

Sources

  1. BizBuySell Valuation Benchmarks - HVAC (accessed 2026-09-23)
  2. BizBuySell - Business valuation multiples by industry (sold Q3 2021-Q2 2026) (accessed 2026-09-23)
  3. BizBuySell Insight Report data tables (FY2025 closed transactions by industry) (accessed 2026-09-23)
  4. BMI Mergers & Acquisitions - Construction industry valuations and EBITDA multiples (2024-12) (accessed 2026-09-23)
  5. Capstone Partners - HVAC services M&A update (2026-07) (accessed 2026-09-23)
  6. BizBuySell Insight Report (Q2 2026) (accessed 2026-09-23)
  7. BizBuySell Valuation Benchmarks - Plumbing (accessed 2026-09-23)
  8. Sofer Advisors - How much is a plumbing business worth (2026-06) (accessed 2026-09-23)
  9. BizBuySell Valuation Benchmarks - Pest Control (accessed 2026-09-23)
  10. Breakwater M&A - Pest control company valuation multiples 2026 (accessed 2026-09-23)
  11. BizBuySell Valuation Benchmarks - Construction (all building & construction) (accessed 2026-09-23)
  12. Profitability Partners - Roofing company valuation (2026-06) (accessed 2026-09-23)
  13. AXIA Advisors - Private equity in roofing (2025-03) (accessed 2026-09-23)
  14. BizBuySell Valuation Benchmarks - Electrical & Mechanical Contractor (accessed 2026-09-23)
  15. BMI Mergers & Acquisitions - Electrical contractors 2024 recap (citing GF Data) (accessed 2026-09-23)
  16. BizBuySell Valuation Benchmarks - Landscaping & Yard Service (accessed 2026-09-23)
  17. Livingstone Partners - Commercial landscaping: private equity activity and valuation (2024-11) (accessed 2026-09-23)