A moving company in McHenry is priced on adjusted seller’s discretionary earnings after a buyer compares this book to Crystal Lake — not on a statewide rumor multiple. Illinois CBS-1 (10 business days). No Chicago 45-day city notice unless the business also operates in Chicago. The statewide moving companies playbook is on the industry hub; this page is the McHenry file. Confidential sale. No upfront listing fee.
Confidential • No upfront fees • Illinois statewide
McHenry market
Selling a moving company in McHenry
A moving company in McHenry is priced on adjusted seller’s discretionary earnings after a buyer compares this book to Crystal Lake — not on a statewide rumor multiple. Illinois CBS-1 (10 business days). No Chicago 45-day city notice unless the business also operates in Chicago. The statewide moving companies playbook is on the industry hub; this page is the McHenry file.
McHenry is a Fox River and Chain O’Lakes city in McHenry County — waterfront recreation plus a working downtown, not Crystal Lake’s larger commercial core.
Boating-season hospitality needs a winter story. Route density thins toward the Wisconsin line. Owner-operators from Crystal Lake and Wisconsin-border towns are more likely than Chicago PE. Seller financing is more common here than on the North Shore.
McHenry has about 26,992 residents in McHenry County, inside the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area. Nearby markets buyers already compare this book to include Crystal Lake, Algonquin, Woodstock. That comparison changes who shows up: a buyer who will drive from Crystal Lake is not the same buyer who will fly in from a coastal platform.
Planning facts
Typical multiple
2.5x–4x SDE
Typical timeline
4–9 months
SBA eligible
Often — confirm
County
McHenry County
Population
26,992
Metro
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Nearby comps
Crystal Lake, Algonquin, Woodstock
Closing clock
Illinois CBS-1 (10 business days). No Chicago 45-day city notice unless the business also operates in Chicago
DuPage, Lake, Kane, Will, McHenry, Kendall, and neighboring collar shops sell on household density and the I-88, I-90, I-94, and I-55 corridors.
There is no Chicago 45-day city notice unless the business also operates in Chicago. Buyers still compare this suburb to the next one on the same highway.
McHenry demand for moving companies is the customer list and the license path — not the Census population figure. About 26,992 residents is context for who already lives in the trade area. It is not a sale price.
Moving Company in McHenry
What a McHenry buyer will underwrite on this moving company
McHenry sits in an Illinois freight and labor map. Authority, insurance, and the yard lease are the business. A moving company that only works because the seller dispatches from a cell phone will get a haircut.
Moving Companies statewide typically plan around 2.5x–4x SDE and a 4–9 months process when books and the lease are ready. That is a planning range, not a price for this McHenry shop. Buyers here usually argue fleet condition, customer review profile, residential vs commercial mix, crew count.
Closing clock for this McHenry file: Illinois CBS-1 (10 business days). No Chicago 45-day city notice unless the business also operates in Chicago. License path: Interstate work needs USDOT/MC. The industry hub teaches the statewide rule. This URL is the McHenry application of it.
In a suburb like McHenry, owner-operators, regional moving companies, pe platforms are the names that usually appear on the NDA list. A buyer who will drive from Crystal Lake is not the same buyer who will fly in from a coastal platform.
Buyer pool
Who buys a moving company in McHenry
Owner-operators and neighboring DuPage/Lake strategics. PE is selective — they want enough EBITDA to justify the drive from the city. Seller financing is more common than on the North Shore.
Illustration: a local household mover in Schaumburg with four box trucks, ICC authority, a thin interstate broker book, and a seller who still runs the Saturday crew. Not a closed sale.
A moving company whose customers already sit in Crystal Lake, Algonquin, Woodstock is a larger business than one that stops at the McHenry city limit. Tell the truth about the route. Buyers will map it.
SDE recast
How a buyer will read the books on this McHenry moving company
Moving recasts on crew utilization and review-driven local volume, not a single corporate-relocation year. Add back owner-foreman hours, then isolate interstate brokered jobs and summer-only spikes. Truck capex and workers-comp on lifting crews are the costs. A 2.5x–4x SDE band assumes vans, a Google book, and crews that show up without the seller on the walkboard.
Illustration only — not a quote for any McHenry shop. A moving company whose tax return shows $83,000 of net profit is not worth $83,000 × a rumor multiple.
Add back the owner’s $67,000 W-2 and payroll tax, $24,000 of discretionary benefits, $17,500 of accepted one-time cost, and $12,000 of personal expenses that a buyer will not run. Then subtract $33,000 of replacement labor if the owner still diagnoses, sells, or closes the books.
Adjusted seller’s discretionary earnings are $170,000. At the planning range 2.5x–4.0x, enterprise value is $425,000 to $680,000. Mid-range 3.25x is $552,500 before debt, working capital, holdback, and tax. A McHenry buyer will argue the multiple after they ride with the staff and read the lease.
At 3.25 times $170,000 of seller’s discretionary earnings, enterprise value is $552,500 before debt, working capital, holdback, and tax. That is the planning conversation. It is not a listing-site guess.
SDE line items
Reported net profit (tax return, not the marketing P&L)
+ Interest expense
+ Income taxes (not payroll, sales, or property tax)
+ Depreciation and amortization
+ Owner W-2, bonuses, and payroll taxes on the owner
+ Discretionary owner benefits that a buyer will not keep (auto, personal travel, family on payroll with no role)
+ Accepted one-time or non-recurring expenses
− Market-rate replacement labor for owner work that will not transfer
= Seller’s Discretionary Earnings (SDE)
Illustration recast for a McHenry moving company — not a quote
Net profit
$83,000
Owner W-2
$67,000
Benefits
$24,000
One-time
$17,500
Personal
$12,000
Replacement labor (subtract)
−$33,000
Recast SDE
$170,000
Planning EV at 3.25x
$552,500
Recast Seller’s Discretionary Earnings, then apply a planning multiple for moving companies.
Replacement labor is subtracted. This is a planning tool, not an appraisal.
Recast SDE—
Planning enterprise value—
Before debt, working-capital peg, holdback, and tax. Educational only.
Enter your annual Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE) — your net profit plus owner's salary and any personal expenses run through the business — to estimate a range.
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Estimated Value Range—to—
This is an estimate for planning purposes only. Actual value depends on lease terms, asset quality, customer concentration, and current market conditions. Request a professional valuation for a precise number.
McHenry County uses state CBS-1 and municipal licenses in Crystal Lake, McHenry, Woodstock, and Algonquin. Rural and village zoning can restrict contractor yards and outdoor storage. No Chicago/Cook 45-day local bulk sale.
Interstate work needs USDOT/MC. Intrastate household-goods moving in Illinois is an Illinois Commerce Commission household-goods authority issue — not the same as a general trucking MC. Those authorities do not automatically follow a new LLC. CDLs and medical cards sit with drivers. A buyer who only buys trucks without ICC or FMCSA authority cannot legally haul the book.
Labor and lease
What has to keep working on Monday after close in McHenry
For a moving company in McHenry, the first labor question is: Local recurring commercial or storage-adjacent work.
Route density drops north and west of Crystal Lake. Winter home-services volume is real; summer landscaping books need snow or other off-season work or buyers will haircut. Huntley and Algonquin lean toward Kane/Cook overflow.
Northwest exurb: growing rooftops, still a farm-and-lake county in the western townships. Do not assume Chicagoland PE interest on a two-truck shop.
Diligence
What a serious moving company buyer will open
Levers that move the multiple in this vertical: Local recurring commercial or storage-adjacent work; Valid ICC and, if needed, FMCSA authority; Crews and a dispatcher who stay; Clean damage and workers-comp file; Fleet that does not need immediate replacement.
Have these ready before anyone hears the name of the McHenry business: Local vs long-distance vs commercial mix; ICC household-goods authority and any USDOT/MC if they cross state lines; Fleet condition, liftgates, and warehouse or storage relationships; Crew tenure, workers-comp, and claim/damage history; Review profile and whether leads are the seller’s face; Peak-season subcontracting that inflates the trailing twelve.
Buyer tool
SBA payment sketch for a McHenry moving company buyer
Most Illinois owner-operator acquisitions use SBA 7(a). This is a payment sketch, not an approval.
SBA 7(a) loans are the most common financing for business acquisitions. Estimate your monthly payment and required down payment based on the purchase price.
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Loan Amount—
Est. Monthly Payment—
This calculator provides estimates for planning purposes only. Actual SBA loan terms depend on your credit profile, the specific lender, and current market conditions. Contact us to connect with SBA-approved lenders in Illinois.
Sale steps
How to prepare a McHenry moving company for sale
Recast this McHenry moving company. Start with the tax return. Add owner pay. Subtract replacement labor if the seller still does the work a McHenry buyer must hire. Do not treat a spike year as the new normal.
Name who can operate on Monday. List every credential that lets this moving company pull a permit or see a patient in McHenry, and whether that person stays. Personal licenses do not transfer with the assets.
Tell the truth about the McHenry trade area. Map customers against neighboring towns. Buyers will. A book that already covers those towns is larger than a book that stops at the McHenry limit.
Open the lease and the labor file. Remaining term and assignment in McHenry County. Whether the crew can run without the seller living eight minutes away.
Calendar the notices that apply here. Illinois CBS-1 (10 business days). No Chicago 45-day city notice unless the business also operates in Chicago. Start them at letter of intent, not the week of funding.
Read the statewide playbook, then talk. The Illinois moving companies hub is the statute and recast teaching. This page is the McHenry file. Confidential consult — no upfront listing fee.
Answers for owners and buyers in McHenry County, including local closing steps.
Illinois moving companies typically sell for 2.5x–4x SDE. Fleet condition, customer reviews, and the mix of residential versus commercial moves are the primary value drivers.
Extremely important. Moving is a reputation-driven business. A strong Google rating with hundreds of reviews is a tangible asset that accelerates buyer interest. Buyers factor review profile quality into their valuation.
Buyers will review your FMCSA Safety Rating, DOT number, and carrier authority. A satisfactory safety rating and clean compliance record are prerequisites for most buyers and their lenders.
Yes, but agent agreements typically require van line approval of the new owner. We work with your van line's agent transfer process as part of managing the sale.
Yes. Moving companies are SBA-eligible businesses. SBA 7(a) loans are the standard financing structure for acquisitions in this space.
Most McHenry asset sales file Illinois Form CBS-1 at least 10 business days before closing. McHenry County does not use Chicago’s 45-day city notice unless the business also operates there. Municipal licenses and the lease still need their own calendar.
Buyers in McHenry are often SBA owner-operators and neighboring operators along the same corridor. Larger recurring books can draw a platform. They will compare this suburb to the next town in McHenry County.
No. The planning multiple for moving companies is a statewide starting point, not a McHenry appraisal. Buyers in McHenry County still adjust seller’s discretionary earnings, then argue the lease, licenses, labor, and owner dependency.
Service Area
Moving Company Brokerage Near McHenry
We serve moving companies owners and buyers across McHenry County and the surrounding region.