Pre-Diligence: Home Services – Book Review
If you own a home services business and ever hope to sell it, Pre-Diligence: Home Services is the kind of book that could save you from learning some very expensive lessons too late.
Steven Gurley’s book is written for HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, and other home services business owners who want to prepare for a sale to a private equity firm or strategic buyer. But I think its value goes beyond people who are actively planning an exit. This is also a practical guide for anyone who wants to build a stronger, more organized company that does not rely entirely on the owner to keep moving.
So let’s take a look at why.
The central idea is simple and smart: buyers will investigate every part of your business before they buy it, so you should do that work yourself before they ever get the chance. Gurley calls this “Pre-Diligence,” and he compares it to a pilot’s pre-flight checklist. You do not wait until the plane is in the air to discover a problem. You catch what you can before takeoff.
That comparison works because this book never treats selling a business like a vague future possibility. It treats it like a serious process that needs preparation, documentation, honesty, and a clear understanding of where the risks are.
It sounds simple enough, but this is something a lot of people get wrong.
One thing I appreciated is that Gurley explains why a business can look successful from the outside but still lose value during a sale. Buyers are not just looking at revenue. They are looking at financial records, contracts, compliance, employee files, customer concentration, vendor relationships, systems, recurring revenue, and whether the business can realistically run without its owner making every decision. The book makes it clear that missing documentation and messy systems can create doubt, and doubt costs sellers money.
The financial sections are especially useful. Gurley breaks down the importance of clean financials, accurate add-backs, cash flow, margins, debt, leases, and transparent reporting. He also explains a point that feels important for any business owner to understand: valuation multiples are often tied to risk. Predictable revenue, documented systems, and strong recurring customer relationships can make a business more attractive. On the other hand, unclear numbers, declining margins, or too much dependence on one person can make buyers nervous.
I also liked that this is not just a book full of warnings. It gives readers a path forward. Each chapter encourages owners to gather the relevant records and build a data room as they go, rather than waiting until a buyer requests everything at once. By the end, the goal is not simply to understand due diligence better. It is to have real documentation in place.
The book covers a lot of ground, including operations, legal and compliance issues, sales and marketing, customer and lead concentration, technology, equipment, vendor management, valuation, red flags, earnouts, and the transition after a sale. That could have felt overwhelming, but the checklist-style approach keeps it grounded. It reads like a working guide, not something meant to sit untouched on a shelf.
I also appreciated Gurley’s straightforward tone. He does not pretend every business is perfectly prepared, and he does not suggest that every problem is fatal. Instead, he emphasizes finding issues early, fixing what can be fixed, and being able to clearly explain what cannot. That feels much more useful than generic business advice about simply “maximizing value.”
Pre-Diligence: Home Services is a strong resource for owners who want to sell with more confidence and fewer surprises. It is practical, specific to the home services industry, and refreshingly focused on the work that actually affects what a buyer may be willing to pay.
If you have spent years building your company, this book is a worthwhile reminder that preparation is part of protecting what you have built.
Available on Amazon in paperback, hardcover, Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.