At least in my area, San Francisco Peninsula, what you said is rule of thumb, though I hear some people are asking 4 months plus cost of equipment. <br>If your thinking of doing this, keep in mind these few things<br>You're going to loose some clients that you buy<br>It's legal to buy a business, but illegal to buy a route.---no way to really go to court if the seller steals the clients back unless you take this next step.<br>Make up a contract that specifically states that the seller cannot get back into your area and or within 200 miles of your location.<p>I had a good friend of mine get burned real badly because he did not take this last step. After an extended vacation from Europe, the seller called or visited his old clients and asked them to hire him back. Out of 246 clients, my friend lost 230 to the original seller.<br>John<br><p>----------<br>J-LC Landscaping & Maintenance Gardening<br>C-27 Ca Contr# 770044