October 2026

Thinking About Selling in 2027? Why the Work Starts Now

October marks the start of the final quarter of the year. For many dental practice owners, it is a point where attention naturally begins to shift forward. The summer is behind you, the year end is in sight, and thoughts turn to what the next twelve months should look like.

For those considering a sale, this is a more significant moment than it may appear. Owners often tell us they are thinking about selling next year. What frequently surprises them is that, in practical terms, next year has already started.

A sale is a process, not an event

It is easy to think of a practice sale as a single transaction. In reality it is a sequence of stages, each with its own timescale, and several of them depend on third parties whose pace you cannot control.

From the decision to sell through to completion and funds arriving in your account, a straightforward transaction commonly takes somewhere between six to nine months.

If your intention is to complete during 2027, the groundwork realistically belongs in the closing months of 2026.

Where the time actually goes

Valuation and preparation come first. Gathering accounts, understanding how your practice is likely to be viewed, and agreeing a realistic asking price are crucial first steps that can take some time, particularly if financial information is spread across different advisers and systems.

Marketing and viewings follow. The aim is not simply to find a buyer but to find the right one for your practice, and viewings usually have to be arranged discreetly around clinical commitments to help protect the confidentiality of the sale.

Once terms are agreed, the buyer needs formal credit approval from their leander. Legal work and due diligence then begin, and this is usually the longest phase of all. Solicitors will examine accounts, associate and employment contracts, the lease, equipment finance, compliance history and any outstanding liabilities. In our experience, delays at this stage are far more often caused by information being incomplete or difficult to locate than by genuine problems within the business.

Alongside the legal process sit the regulatory and contractual elements. CQC registration for the incoming owner, arrangements for the transfer of any NHS contract, and landlord consent to an assignment all run to institutional timetables rather than yours. These stages cannot be rushed, but they can be anticipated.

The final quarter still counts

There is a second reason October matters. Whichever accounts a buyer eventually reviews, they will also want recent management information alongside them. Trading in the closing months of this year will form part of the picture presented next year.

It is understandable for owners who are contemplating an exit to begin easing back, reducing hours, deferring investment or leaving associate vacancies unfilled. The difficulty is that buyers and lenders see the result in the figures, and a softening trend invites questions about sustainability at precisely the moment you want confidence. Maintaining diary utilisation, keeping associate cover in place and continuing with planned maintenance and compliance work protects the value you have already built.

Where owners most often lose time and value

Certain issues appear repeatedly during transactions. Associate arrangements that have never been documented. Signed employment contracts that cannot be found. A lease with a short remaining term or restrictive assignment provisions. Equipment finance that had been forgotten. Compliance evidence that exists in practice but not on paper. A business that depends heavily on the owner personally.

None of these are unusual and all are capable of being addressed. The difference is timing. Resolved quietly over several months, they are simply administration. Discovered midway through due diligence, they become negotiating points, and negotiating points tend to move price in one direction only.

What you can usefully do before the year ends

• Locate the last three years of accounts and ensure up to date management figures are available
• Check your lease, including the remaining term, any break clauses and the provisions governing assignment
• Review associate and employment contracts and confirm that signed copies exist for everyone
• Confirm your NHS contract position, including any performance or recovery arrangements
• Review your CQC registration and the evidence supporting your compliance systems
• List which equipment is owned outright and which is subject to finance agreements
• Consider honestly how reliant the practice is on you, and what would change if you reduced your clinical hours

Very little on that list is difficult. What it requires is time, which is exactly what is available now and exactly what disappears once a buyer is in front of you.

Clarity first, decisions later

Beginning to prepare is not the same as committing to sell. An early valuation and an honest assessment of how your practice would be viewed in the current market simply gives you options. You may decide to go to market in the spring, wait another year or two, or conclude that continued growth is the better route for now. What you cannot do is create time retrospectively.

At Frank Taylor & Associates, we consistently find that the smoothest sales are those where the preparation began long before the practice was marketed. Owners who start early are not under pressure. They can choose their moment, respond to questions with confidence, and negotiate from a position of strength.

Starting the conversation

If a sale is somewhere on your horizon for 2027, the final quarter of this year is a sensible time to establish where you stand. We can provide a confidential valuation of your practice in today’s market, together with a straightforward view of what would need to happen, and in what order, to achieve the outcome you are looking for.

There is no obligation and no pressure. Just a conversation that puts you in control of the timetable rather than reacting to it.