Frequently Asked Questions for Dental Sellers
By Do I have to pay out my staff vacation and sick time at closing?
Yes, after the sale has closed, you will write a check for accrued vacation time to your staff members. The staff will then start accruing vacation and sick time under the new practice owner.
Paying out sick time depends on your individual state laws. Some states have recently implemented mandatory sick time. Some of the new state laws may require the employer to pay out accrued sick time to terminated employees. Selling doctors may feel generous and go ahead and pay their staff accrued sick time at closing even though the law doesn’t require it. That is the personal preference of the seller.
Be sure to check your employee handbook and if it states that an employee is paid out for accrued vacation or sick time, then you must pay it out no matter what the law says. Employees can file a court action against you to get their accrued and earned time paid.
When should I tell my staff and patients about selling my practice?
In general, you do not want to tell your staff about selling your practice until the documents are signed. People are averse to change and if you have staff members that are already thinking about another job opportunity, then you may lose them if you tell them that you are selling your practice.
However, that being said, if you’ve had the same staff for 30 years and they are like family to you and would be upset if you didn’t tell them, then it is really up to you if you’d like to tell them or not. If you trust they will be loyal and stay on, then it may make sense to tell them.
When to tell also applies to your patients. About the same time as you tell your team, a letter approved by the buyer should be ready to go out to your patients. We have examples of these letters for your use. Patients want to know a little bit about the new dentist and that you and your team all trust and respect the new dentist. Depending on what you desire, you may want to host an open house at the office, invite your staff and patients, and as additional marketing, invite local residents or businesses.
If my family member also works in the practice and wants to retire at the same time, will that be a problem?
It’s not a major problem but expect the potential buyer to ask your family member to at least stay on for a transition to a new employee. For example, if your wife is the front desk person, the buyer may want your wife to help train a front desk person for three to six months to ensure the success of the new person.
Will I be required to stay on and work on patients as part of the transition process?
Every transition and every buyer are different. Larger transitioning practices with higher volume production may ask you to stay on and work in the practice. Especially if there is enough production for another part or full-time doctor. For smaller transitions under $800,000 or so, the buyer may ask you to stay on for a couple of months, or at least to be available via phone or e-mail to answer questions about patients, staff, etc. We have found that after a couple of weeks, buyers typically realize they have things under control and will then let sellers know that they are free to fully leave and enjoy whatever their next chapter brings.
Do I shut down my corporation at closing?
There will be some bills to pay after closing and some other “clean up” of the books, so we recommend you leave your corporation open for six months to make sure everything is taken care of. If you have an accountant, let them take care of closing out your corporation.
What are the taxes owed at closing?
It depends on the state, but there will be a final personal property tax bill that you will need to pay. If you are using escrow, they will take care of that. If not, you can contact your tax authority or accountant and they can help you calculate what is owed. There may also be a proration where you pay part of the personal property tax and the buyer pays the balance.
For income tax, there is a final income tax bill to pay. It’s due on April 15 and paid as normal. Your accountant will fill out a “Final” tax return and inform the IRS that you are dissolving your corporation. The state you live in will also need to be notified that you have sold your assets and dissolved your corporation.
Can I slow down the production the last few months before the sale?
Argh No! Keep your production up and going — business as usual. One of the worst things you can do is to have production go way down the last few months and have the lender come back and ask for current reports. They’ll see the drop in production and question if the practice is now worth what they valued it at. They may ask you to lower the price. You can relax after the sale closes.
What is included in the sale – Equipment, Goodwill, Accounts Receivable, Cash in the bank, all my personal possessions in the office?
What you are selling is the goodwill of the practice and the equipment used to produce the dentistry you have been doing over the years. Standard protocol is 75% to 80% of the purchase price is allocated to goodwill, $5,000 to $10,000 towards the non-compete, and the remaining to equipment. Accounts Receivable are typically sold in addition to the practice assets as a separate sale. Personal possessions are excluded from the sale, as long as they are listed in the exhibit in the Purchase Agreement.
Should I sell my Accounts Receivable to the Purchaser, or keep it? At what discount is the Accounts Receivable sold?
The majority of the time, we recommend that you sell the accounts receivable. The sales price for the accounts receivable, which is in addition to the practice sales price, is 85% of the accounts receivable balance less insurance and other discounts and less any credit balances on accounts. Another method is 90% of the accounts less than 30 days old, 75% in the 30 to 60-day-old bucket, 50% for the amount that is 60 to 90 days old, and 5% for anything over 90 days old. If there are patients on payment plans, then those may be excluded from the sale, or may be included depending on what is negotiated.
If for some reason you decide to keep the accounts receivable and collect the balances yourself, you will pay a collection fee to the purchaser of 5% to 10% depending on what you have negotiated.
Note: Attorneys state that accounts receivable disputes when the A/R is not sold is the number one cause for potential litigation. It’s simply cleaner and easier if the seller sells their A/R.
How long does the sale of my practice take?
The amount of time it takes to sell your practice is dependent on a number of factors. The first factor is how much you are producing. Higher producing practices tend to sell faster than lower producing practices. The second factor is what type of practice you have. General dentistry, endodontic, orthodontic, and pediatric practices all tend to sell consistently faster. Periodontal, cosmetic, and prosthodontic practices tend to take a while to sell. Oral surgery practices take the longest to sell. Sometimes several years. The third factor is whether you are in a small rural location or an urban setting. Practices located in small, remote towns tend to take a while to sell. They can take anywhere from one to two years to sell. If production is low, they may not sell at all. The more urban the practice, the higher the likelihood of the practice selling quickly. Lately, we have seen that practices within 30 minutes of a metropolitan area are selling better than practices directly in a metropolitan area. The final factor is how many operatories you have. A three operatory practice will take longer to sell than a four operatory practice. For some reason, young buyers seem to think they need six to eight operatories to run a practice. We try to educate them that four is plenty, but they listen to people on Dentaltown, or consultants, or other forums that make blanket statements that you need six to eight operatories. They don’t realize that the more operatories you have, the more rent you will be paying. Three and four operatories are just fine.
With those factors in mind, here are some general “rules of thumb” time frames. A practice in a metropolitan area, or within 30 minutes of a metropolitan area will sell in approximately six to nine months. Some sell faster, some sell slower. Again, size of the practice matters. A rural practice will take between twelve months to twenty-four months to sell.
Should I sell my building?
Do you want to be a landlord? Can you get a better return on the proceeds somewhere else? Is the current real estate market hot? Can the buyer afford to buy the building now? These are the questions to ask yourself. In the current market, we have been getting higher than market prices on real estate because a building is worth more to an owner-user than to an investor. Owner-users would rather pay themselves rent than pay rent to someone else. Thus, they would pay a premium to purchase the building they will be occupying. The final thought is do you want to take the risk of tenants leaving the building to go buy their own building and rendering your building vacant?
Selling empty dental buildings can be nearly impossible and it is worth more to the buying dentist. Perhaps if your space is right on the coast or downtown you may have options, but potentially still difficult and you may be offered less because any other business will need to do considerable remodeling. It can take up to twelve months or longer to lease a commercial building. If you have a specialized building like a dental office, you more than likely need to find a dentist to fill the space again. That might be a challenge. In a nutshell, if it’s a good market, I would suggest selling the building.
What if I want to stay on and work a day or two a week?
This may be possible if there is enough production/collection for both of you. The buyer and the lender will need the buyer to get the production in order to pay the loan and everyday life expenses. You may be able to stay on if you perform procedures that the buyer does not perform. You can talk about and make a plan for ways to increase collections. If you work back you will need to have a compensation and employment agreement negotiated and in place.
How is the sale price determined to market my practice (and real estate)?
We work with you to gather the last three years’ practice financial information and then have our certified CVA’s put together a valuation of the practice using three different methods, which are weighted and averaged to determine the market value of your practice. The valuation is then reviewed with you to gain a final agreement on a listing price.
The real estate price is determined somewhat like a home or any commercial real estate by reviewing comparable real estate in your area. Once we determine the potential listing prices for your practice and real estate, we consult with you and set a final price.
What if I run personal expenses through my office and pay my kids who don’t hold a position?
The cleaner your books are the easier they are to understand and if they are too convoluted, some banks won’t trust the numbers and won’t lend the money. We expect some “adjustments” to expenses and income, you just need to let us know what these are.
Should I remodel or get new equipment before selling?
If your office looks like 1975, consider updated paint, flooring, and décor, but nothing over the top that is expensive or makes it unsettling to the average person. If your equipment is really old, talk with us and we can help you determine if anything needs to be updated or replaced.
What do I do with all of the proceeds from the sale of my practice and building?
Please remember that anything you owe on either the practice or the building will have to be paid at closing. Talk with your CPA and financial planner to help you determine the best investment options. You may have a retirement plan in place that allows you to sock away a lot of money and is tax-free. If you have another business or like being a landlord, you can discuss a 1031 exchange with your CPA. You will have to pay taxes, but perhaps you can reduce them by strategizing with your advisors.
How can I increase the value of my practice?
If you are thinking about selling your practice in the next three to five years, you can review and make strategic decisions to increase the bottom line to increase the value. Some basic improvements would be to increase the number of new patients and production, and hold off on any major purchases unless necessary to maintain the current day-to-day operations. Enhance the appearance of the office and clean out any old clutter. If you are ready to sell within the next twelve months, it is hard to increase the value of the practice because the value is based on the last three years of practice financials. The most important thing if you’re ready to sell now or in the next twelve months is to maintain or increase the practice’s production. New buyers and banks will be reviewing the practice reports to verify if the practice is holding steady or if the numbers are declining.
Are non-compete clauses in a purchase and sale agreement enforceable?
Yes, when written correctly they are. Always consult with your legal professional on any enforceable non-compete questions.
Should the Seller and Buyer have an attorney or an accountant/CPA involved?
We strongly recommend that seller and buyer each have their own professional attorney and accountant/CPA for advice on legal, financial, and taxation matters. Typically, the broker involved can make a recommendation of a dental professional if you don’t have one.
Should I use a Dental Broker?
After many years of hard work and investment into building a dental practice, you’re now thinking about selling the practice. It is easy to assume that the practice will sell quickly and for a great price when you are ready to sell. Selling a dental practice is not like selling a home, it is a complicated process. Determining the market value of the practice, showing the practice, finding the right buyer, negotiating the purchase price, drafting the asset purchase agreement, formulating the transition plan, negotiating the lease assignment, and obtaining practice financing are just a few of the key areas where a potential practice sale could become derailed. The expertise, experience, and guidance of the Omni Practice Group brokers can prove to be invaluable. Using a broker will typically save you a lot of time and money in selling your practice.