Someone Wants to Buy Your Home Care Agency — Now What?
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
By Cory Mertz, Managing Partner — Mertz Taggart | Updated March 2026
Executive Summary: Owners of home health, hospice, and home care agencies are often approached by buyers before they are actively planning a sale. While those inquiries can be useful, they should be handled carefully. A buyer-led conversation rarely produces the best possible outcome for the seller. Agency owners should prepare before responding, understand how professional buyers approach acquisitions, and consider working with an experienced healthcare M&A advisory firm if they are seriously considering a sale now or in the future. |
If you own a home health, home care, or hospice agency, you already know the feeling. The emails. The LinkedIn messages. The phone calls from people you’ve never met, saying they want to buy your company.
It’s flattering. It’s a little overwhelming. And if you’re at a point in your career where you’ve thought about what’s next, it can be tempting to engage.
But here’s what most agency owners don’t realize: an unsolicited offer isn’t really an offer. It’s an opening move.
The buyer doesn’t know your financials, your payer mix, your retention numbers, or what makes your agency special. If they’re quoting a “multiple of X” or telling you they paid “Y for a company just like yours,” they’re working with assumptions, not information.
When a buyer contacts you about purchasing your home care agency, don’t ignore the inquiry, but don’t rush into it either. Take time to research the buyer, understand your agency’s true value, and consider engaging a healthcare M&A advisor who can help you evaluate whether it’s the right time and the right opportunity.
That doesn’t mean you should ignore these inquiries. They can actually be useful. But how you respond matters a great deal. Here’s how to approach it thoughtfully.
How Should You Respond to an Unsolicited Offer for Your Agency?
The most important thing is not to rush.
You don’t need to respond the same day, and you certainly don’t need to share any confidential information in an initial conversation.
Before you reply, take a few steps to understand who you’re dealing with.
Look at their LinkedIn profile and company website. If it’s a buyer (not a broker), check whether they’ve completed previous acquisitions in home care, hospice, or home health. If the identity of the buyer is vague or hard to verify, that’s a reason to proceed carefully.
If someone claims to be a broker representing a buyer, a credible one will share the buyer’s name early in the conversation and be clear about who’s paying their fee. Be cautious of brokers who initially claim to have a buyer, then pivot to pitching themselves as your sell-side representative.
When you do respond, keep it simple.
Ask how they plan to finance the acquisition and what drew them to your agency specifically. A serious buyer will have clear answers. Then let them know you’ll want to consult with an advisor before moving forward. Any credible buyer or investor will respect that, and in fact, most of them appreciate having a professional intermediary in the process because it sets clear expectations on both sides.
Should You Sell Your Home Care Agency to the First Buyer Who Reaches Out?
We understand the appeal. When someone puts a number on the table, especially if it sounds reasonable, it’s natural to want to explore it.
But in our experience, negotiating with a single buyer almost always results in a lower price and less favorable terms than a structured process with multiple qualified parties.
Think about it from the buyer’s perspective. If they know they’re the only one at the table, there’s no urgency to put forward their strongest offer. They can take their time, ask for more concessions, and renegotiate after due diligence. When there are multiple interested parties, the dynamic changes. Buyers who know others are interested tend to move more decisively and submit more competitive terms.
This is exactly how private equity firms handle every one of their exits. They hire an investment bank or M&A advisory firm to run a competitive process with a curated group of qualified buyers and investors. They believe, and we’ve seen it confirmed over and over, that this is the most reliable path to the best possible outcome for the seller.
What Makes a Buyer “Qualified” to Acquire a Home Care Agency?
Not every buyer who reaches out is the ideal buyer for your agency.
Whether you’re working with an advisor or evaluating interest on your own, it helps to understand what separates serious acquirers from casual shoppers.
A qualified buyer generally meets three criteria:
They have the financial resources to complete the transaction, including access to sufficient cash or a committed fund. A professional buyer won’t hesitate to share this information with you or your advisor.
They understand the home-based care industry. Strategic buyers will naturally have this knowledge, but if you’re speaking with a financial buyer or PE firm, you want to make sure they’re well-educated on the sector before you invest time in the process.
They have meaningful transaction experience. Most serious strategic acquirers have dedicated M&A teams. Smaller or newer buyers may struggle to execute efficiently, which can extend timelines and introduce risk.
Building an “A-list” of buyers who meet all three of these criteria is one of the most valuable things an M&A advisor does. It’s also one of the hardest to do on your own, because it requires knowing who’s actively acquiring, what they’re looking for, and how to approach them confidentially.
Why Does Confidentiality Matter When Selling a Home Care Agency?
This is something that weighs heavily on owners, and rightly so. If word gets out that you’re exploring a sale, it can unsettle your employees, your referral sources, and even your patients. In some cases, it can disrupt the sale itself.
An experienced healthcare M&A firm protects confidentiality by controlling what is shared, with whom, and when. The right information is shared with the right buyer at the right time, so you can create interest without exposing details too early or disrupting the business.
This is one of the key reasons we encourage owners not to engage deeply with unsolicited buyers on their own. One conversation with the wrong person, at the wrong time, can create problems that are difficult to walk back.
What Does a Healthcare M&A Advisor Actually Do?
One of the main benefits of working with a healthcare M&A advisory firm is that it lets you stay focused on what you do best, running your agency, while your representatives handle the details of the transaction.
A good advisor takes the time-intensive work off your plate:
preparing and updating the financial data book and Confidential Information Memorandum,
curating the buyer list,
running the competitive bid process,
coordinating with attorneys and accountants,
and addressing potential roadblocks before they become deal-breakers.
They also bring perspective on what’s considered “market” for both value and terms, so you can negotiate from a position of knowledge rather than guesswork.
For home health, home care, and hospice owners, working with an advisor who specializes in healthcare M&A is especially important. A healthcare-focused advisor understands how buyers in this space evaluate agencies, what they are willing to pay for, and how to position the business credibly in the market. They can also spot issues early, help resolve them before going to market, and bring added credibility with buyers because they understand the industry and can speak their language.
→ See how Mertz Taggart has guided agency owners through successful transactions on our Transactions page.
It’s Never Too Early to Understand Your Options
Receiving an inquiry about your agency can be the start of an important conversation, even if you’re not ready to sell today.
The best way to respond from a position of strength is to understand what your agency is worth, what the current market looks like, and what a well-run process can deliver.
For most home care owners, 80–95% of their net worth is tied up in their business. That’s reason enough to treat the sale like the significant financial event it is, with the right preparation, the right team, and the right process behind you.
Curious about what your agency is worth? Mertz Taggart provides confidential, complimentary valuations for home health, home care, and hospice agency owners. Whether you’re considering a sale now or just want to understand your options, we’re happy to have the conversation. Request a confidential valuation →
About the Author
Cory Mertz, M&AMI, is a managing partner at Mertz Taggart, where he advises home health, home care, and hospice owners on selling their businesses. With nearly two decades in healthcare M&A and more than 160 completed transactions across the firm, Cory brings firsthand experience to every conversation.
Comments