San Diego County's business sale market spans biotech-corridor B2B services, North County coastal lifestyle businesses, South County family-owned operations, and East County trades and automotive. This report covers what's trading and at what multiples in 2026.
What's hot in San Diego right now
Home-service consolidators are aggressively acquiring HVAC, plumbing, and pool service across SD County. Dental practice consolidation continues with DSO acquisition activity. SaaS deals accelerating in the Sorrento Valley / UTC corridor. Restaurant deals strong in North Park, La Jolla, and Encinitas.
Segment multiples
Service trades: 3.5x–5.5x SDE / 4.5x–7.0x EBITDA. Restaurants: 2.0x–3.5x SDE. Dental: 60–85% TTM individual buyer / 70–110% DSO. SaaS: 3x–6x ARR. Marketing agencies: 3x–5x EBITDA. Auto repair: 2.5x–4.0x SDE.
Buyer pool trends
Strong individual SBA buyer demand from professionals exiting biotech and defense corporate roles. Active PE consolidators in home services and dental. Bilingual buyer outreach important for South Bay (Chula Vista) and East County (El Cajon) deals. Military-veteran SBA buyer pool active across North County.
Submarket dynamics
Coastal North County (Carlsbad, Encinitas, Del Mar) commands lifestyle premium for restaurants, wellness, and retail. La Jolla businesses trade at 10–20% premium to comparable inland SD operations. Chula Vista family-owned operations trade through community networks plus SBA outreach.
What's NOT trading well
Tourism-only operations (Mission Bay, Coronado) without local customer diversification. Restaurants on short or unassignable leases. Owner-dependent businesses. Operations with unaddressed compliance issues (employment, ABC, BAR).
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