What should I look at in an architecture firm’s portfolio before I buy?
Look past the images to who designed each project, when it was completed, who the client was and whether similar work keeps coming. A portfolio shows what the firm has done, not what it will win. Ask which pieces the departing owner personally led.
A portfolio is a marketing document, so read it as one. Choose several projects and ask the seller what the firm’s role was in each. Was it the full design, only part of it, or work done jointly with another team? Which people did the work, and are they staying?
Check the pattern. Are the projects recent, or does the best work sit far in the past? Do they cluster in one type of building or client? A narrow focus can be a strength or a risk, depending on where demand is heading. Ask how each project was won, and whether any client has come back.
Visit a few finished projects if you can, and ask the clients for their view with the seller’s consent. Then ask about rights to the images and drawings, since you will want to keep showing them. Your lawyer can advise on ownership and use. Finally, ask what the firm turned down or lost. That tells you more than the highlights do. If the seller can describe a lost bid candidly and what was learned, you are likely dealing with someone who reviews their own work honestly.
Key takeaways
- Ask who actually designed each featured project and whether they are staying.
- Look at how recent the work is and whether the clients return.
- Confirm you can keep using the images and drawings after the sale.
Related reading
15 pages on the same subject, grouped by topic.
Buying
- Expert answerHow do I assess a website portfolio that has many small sites in it?
- Expert answerHow do I confirm a seller actually controls the domains in a portfolio?
- GuideBuying an architecture practice in Canada
- Expert answerWhat should I ask about an architecture firm’s model-making shop and large-format plotters?
- Expert answerHow do I see how an architecture firm tracks revisions on its drawing sets?
- Expert answerWhat should I ask about an architecture firm’s rendering and visualization staff?
Selling
- Expert answerHow do I organize my domain portfolio’s registrar accounts for a smooth transfer?
- Expert answerHow do I present my portfolio of websites so a buyer sees each one clearly?
- Expert answerHow do I sell a business with a portfolio of leases at multiple locations?
- Expert answerHow do I show a buyer my cabinet installation company’s photo portfolio?
- Expert answerHow do I show a buyer my deck company’s finished-project portfolio?
- Expert answerWhat portfolio materials should I prepare before selling my event planning company?
- GuideSelling an architecture practice in Canada
Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are the steps to buying a business?
- 03Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentAfter buying a business, what is the next step?
Deavo is an advertising and listings platform, not a brokerage, law firm or valuation firm. This page is general information, not legal, tax, accounting or valuation advice, and rules differ by province. Confirm anything you rely on with a qualified professional before you act on it.