Frequently Asked Questions

The following questions are among the most commonly asked by those who want to sell or buy a dental practice in Los Angeles, Orange County, and other locations throughout Southern California. If you have any questions not addressed here, please feel free to contact California Practice Sales at any time, and we will respond to your inquiry as soon as possible.

FAQs for Sellers

1. What is my first step if I think I might want to sell my dental practice in Southern California?

The first step is to fill out the Confidential Seller Interview Form on this website, and the data will be forwarded to John Knipf, President of California Practice Sales. He will review the information and make a confidential phone call to request certain further information to develop a pricing model.

You can also call him directly at 866-377-0446. He would be pleased to answer any questions you might have about how CPS can help you sell your dental practice in Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, or any other location in Southern California.

2. How much does it cost for me to get an idea of the value of my dental practice?

There is no cost to develop a pricing model.

You will be asked to provide current financial information and participate in a short telephone interview to provide basic information about your dental practice. Full appraisals are available upon request for estate issues or other needs, but are not required in order to give you a practice sale value.

If you think you might like to sell your dental practice in Southern California, please contact California Practice Sales today for your complimentary pricing model.

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3. What happens if I agree with the pricing model and want to move forward?

If you find the pricing model acceptable once the analysis is complete, Mr. Knipf will arrange a time to meet with you to review and video tape your dental practice, as well as to go over the listing agreement. In addition, Mr. Knipf will answer any questions you might have about our strategy to sell your dental practice in Southern California.

Once you have signed an agreement, our brokers and agents will personally visit your office so that we can be better equipped to answer questions from potential buyers. At this point, your dental practice will be "placed on the market."

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4. If you sell my dental practice in Los Angeles, Orange County, or elsewhere in Southern California, what is the cost to me? How much is your commission?

Our commission is 10% of the sale price.

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5. What is the advantage of working with California Practice Sales in relationship to other dental brokerage firms?

At California Practice Sales, we provide full exposure of your dental practice to the market through our website, through our ads in Dental Economics and the CDA Journal, as well as through the Dental Trader.

CPS employs a full-time Transition Coordinator who assists in moving the transactions to completion from acceptance of the offer until you are funded. From start to finish, everything is monitored and guided. This allows you to focus your attention on practicing dentistry rather than having to handle each and every aspect of your sale.

Unlike some dental brokerage firms that operate with one individual responsible for finding a buyer, there are currently five individual brokers and agents who have a working relationship with over 11,000 potential purchasers who want to buy a dental practice in Southern California. As each agent and broker operates independently, you really have four "mini-brokerages" in competition to find you a purchaser.

We also maintain working relationships with every major banking and financial institution involved in financing dental practice acquisitions. These one-on-one relationships with the decision makers in these institutions allow us the broadest access to methods of funding your sale. We have no financial ties with any of our lenders – the only thing we receive from them is excellent service.

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6. How long will it take to sell my dental practice in Southern California?

This is a very active market, and our goal is to provide qualified individuals for you to interview. Each office is different in its composition - we believe that we have the best sales methods in place to bring the most qualified participants to your dental practice in the shortest period of time. Once you have selected your candidates, the entire process, on average, takes 45 to 60 days to complete.

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7. When do I pay California Practice Sales?

We are paid through the proceeds of the loan or the financing when the dental practice actually sells. All terms are outlined in the Authorization and Right to Sell Agreement.

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FAQs for Buyers

1. If I would like to buy a dental practice in Los Angeles, Orange County, or some other location in Southern California, what services can I expect from California Practice Sales?

Our goal is to train a potential buyer on the proper method of moving through the purchasing process. When you first contact California Practice Sales, you will be paired with a trained and licensed real estate agent or broker who will guide you through a brief telephone interview.

The interview is customized not only to obtain basic contact information, but also to determine your wants and needs. This person will be your personal contact with CPS.

You will be asked to sign a confidentiality form, as we will be sharing privileged information with you regarding our listings.

If you think you might want to buy a dental practice in Los Angeles, Orange County, or anywhere else in Southern California, we would be pleased to keep you advised of your options on an ongoing basis. There is no cost or obligation to be added to our lists or to be kept informed of what is on the market.

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2. Is it necessary for me to physically visit the CPS office in the City of Orange?

While not absolutely necessary, we do encourage you to visit your agent or broker in our Orange County office. The purpose of the visit is to develop the personal relationship side of the process. It also allows the agent or broker to spend one-on-one time with you to go over what to look for in a dental practice and how CPS develops and provides the information presented to buyers, as well as to answer any and all of your questions.

If you think you might like to buy a dental practice in Southern California, there is absolutely no cost or obligation to meet with us, call us with questions, or secure our services to act as your agent or broker on our transactions.

We realize that some of our clients are prohibited by scheduling or distance from physically meeting with us. We are as close as your computer or phone, always available to answer your questions and assist you in your search.

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3. How do you keep clients informed on your listings?

The quickest and most common way to be alerted to new listings is to provide your agent or broker with an e-mail address. With the busy market for dental practices in Southern California, e-mail has become the best way to keep you advised of new listings. If you do not have an e-mail address to provide your agent or broker, fax numbers or direct phone calls will be the alternative choices.

We also maintain a complete listing of all current dental practices for sale on this website.

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4. What expenses will I need to be prepared for in the purchasing process?

When you have placed an offer through your agent or broker, you will more than likely want to hire an accountant to review the books and records of the practice. You may also want to have a consultant trained on reviewing the business aspects of the office and an attorney to review legal documents.

Your agent or broker will work with your tax and legal representatives or can provide names of professionals in each area who are in tune with the transaction process. You can talk to your personal agent or broker about the current costs for each of these entities.

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