SBA and Certified Business Valuation in Seattle
In Puget Sound, the independent valuation is usually the document a deal waits on. Bridge delivers one in three to five business days, at a flat fee.
When a Seattle business is bought, sold, or financed, the conversation usually pauses on one question: what is it really worth, according to someone with no stake in the answer? A certified business valuation from Bridge answers that in a form banks, buyers, and courts accept, built from your own financials and what comparable businesses actually closed at, for a flat $1,999.
300+
Successful exits
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in M&A transactions
150+
Years of experience
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Talk to a Bridge advisor and get a clear picture of where your business stands. Learn what it takes to value, grow, or exit with confidence.
Trusted by Small Businesses
What SBA-compliant actually means
For most SBA 7(a) loans used to buy a business, the lender has to bring in an outside, qualified party to value it once the financed goodwill passes $250,000, or any time the buyer and seller are connected. The requirement is independence. The number cannot come from the buyer or the seller, and it has to be reached by accepted methods rather than a broker rule of thumb.
A Bridge certified valuation meets that standard, which is why Washington lenders take it without a second appraisal. Bridge also works with more than 50 SBA-approved lenders, so the report arrives in the format underwriters are already expecting to read.
When a deal needs a certified valuation
A free estimate is fine when you just want a range. These are the situations where a lender, a lawyer, or a court will ask for the certified version.
Financing a purchase
Most SBA-backed acquisitions require an independent valuation before the loan clears.
Buying out a partner
A number neither partner picked keeps the split fair and the working relationship intact.
Estate and succession planning
A formal value gives your attorney and accountant something solid to plan a transfer around.
Divorce or other legal matters
Courts want an unbiased opinion of value from someone with credentials behind it.
Raising money
Investors want to see how you arrived at your ask before they discuss the ask itself.
What your certified report includes
You receive a complete document you can hand straight to a lender or buyer, and your advisor walks you through every part of it: a clear value conclusion with the range and the methods used to reach it; normalized earnings that show what the business truly makes; market multiples and comparables tying your number to real, recent activity; and a read on risk and value drivers, so everyone understands what is behind the figure.
SBA lending in Seattle, and how it works with your valuation
The SBA Seattle district guaranteed 2,334 loans worth about $1.2 billion in fiscal year 2025, up roughly 15 percent in loan count and 12 percent in dollars over the prior year. It was the second consecutive billion-dollar year for the district. In King County alone, lenders backed 771 loans worth about $403 million, up from 657 loans and $381 million the year before.
For a Seattle business owner, those numbers describe the buyer pool. Most people who buy a business in this range are not writing a check. They are borrowing, usually through the 7(a) program, which means the loan rules decide what they can pay you. For loans issued an SBA loan number on or after October 1, 2026, total transaction debt cannot exceed the valuation that supports the deal.
Every acquisition now requires an independent valuation from a qualified source, requested by and prepared for the lender, and the old exception for businesses valued at $250,000 or less is gone. The lender must also see the debt covered by historical earnings at a coverage ratio of 1.25x, measured on the last fiscal year end or an average of the last two. Knowing the sequence below helps the deal move quickly.
- Agree on a price. Buyer and seller reach a deal, often using a Bridge valuation as the starting point.
- Lender orders the independent valuation. For larger SBA deals, an unbiased third-party valuation is required before the loan can be approved.
- Underwriting reviews the report. Because Bridge reports arrive in the format underwriters expect, this step goes smoothly.
- Financing is approved and the deal closes. A clean valuation keeps everyone moving toward closing.
The levers that move your number
A valuation is not just a snapshot. It also shows you what is driving your value up and what is holding it back. Across most deals, the same handful of factors decide whether a buyer pays a premium or asks for a discount.
A business that runs without you
An SBA lender is underwriting a business the buyer will run, not the one you run. The less the operation depends on you being there, the less the loan looks like a bet on a person who is leaving.
Cash flow that covers the loan payment
Around a 20% cash-flow margin is the floor most buyers and lenders look for. On an SBA deal the arithmetic is stricter than that: the cash flow has to cover the buyer’s debt service and still pay them a living, or the loan does not clear.
Financials that survive underwriting
Three years of statements that reconcile to the tax returns. An underwriter who has to ask what a line item means is an underwriter who slows your closing down.
No single customer carrying the revenue
In a region where one large employer can anchor a whole book of business, concentration is the risk lenders flag first. Losing one account should not change whether the loan gets repaid.
Revenue a lender can forecast
Contracted or repeat revenue is worth more per dollar than project work, because both a buyer and an underwriter can model it forward.
Systems written down, team in place
Written processes and a team that makes decisions without you let a buyer picture day one, and let a lender believe the business keeps performing after you hand over the keys.
Owner Stories
THE PROCESS
Getting your valuation in Seattle
Our straightforward process helps you successful without the guesswork.
Get your valuation report in just 3 days
1. Open your file
Tell Bridge about the business. It takes about 30 minutes.
2. Share your numbers
Upload three years of financial statements through a secure data room.
3. Get the certified report
Lender-ready and SBA-compliant, in 3 to 5 business days.
4. Walk through it
A walkthrough with your advisor is included, so you can explain the number to a lender in your own words.
Serving Seattle and the Puget Sound region
Bridge is headquartered in Lehi, Utah, and works with business owners across the United States, including Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Everett and the wider Puget Sound region. The small business base in Washington skews toward the companies that finance well: professional, scientific and technical services leads by company count at roughly 113,000 firms, with transportation and warehousing next at about 84,000. Your dedicated advisor meets with you by phone and video, so you get the same hands-on guidance without leaving your office. To talk with someone about your business, schedule a free consultation.
Order a certified, SBA-compliant valuation, or start with a free estimate to see your range. Questions about your deal? Talk to a Bridge advisor.