Should I buy a stucco contractor or start one?

Only you can decide this, and no outside answer fits every buyer. What helps is seeing what each route gives you and what it costs. Stucco and EIFS work is exterior, seasonal and often tied to a few builders, so the trade-offs differ from those of an indoor or retail business. Here are the main ones to weigh.

Accounts and crews

An existing contractor comes with builder relationships and a crew that already knows the work. Building those from nothing takes time, and the first season can be thin. Ask whether the accounts and the crew will stay after a sale, since both often rest on the current owner. Ask what happens to those relationships if the seller leaves.

Inherited exposure on past jobs

A new business starts with no history. A purchase may bring callbacks and warranty promises from earlier work, depending on how the deal is structured. Ask for a list of open complaints and past promises. Your lawyer can explain how the structure of the purchase affects who carries them, and what protections the agreement can include.

Seasons, equipment and financing

Exterior work slows in cold or wet months, so ask how an existing firm gets through them. Scaffolding, sprayers and trucks cost money either way, whether you buy them with a business or one at a time. Licensing for the trade is a question for the regulator that oversees it where you work.

• Do the builder accounts depend on the current owner?
• Can you lead a crew yourself, or must you hire a lead?
• What past-job obligations would come with a purchase?
• How would you cover the slow months?