We Paid Out $18M to 27 PM Owners in 2025 (Here's How)

In 2025, 27 property management owners split $18 million. Here's how the year actually happened — and why 2026 could be even bigger.In Episode 7 of Manage to Exit, Aaron McElhiney and Hunter Goodall go hosts-only for a transparent 2025 year-in-review. No spin, just the real numbers: 27 transactions across 25 buyers for $18 million, an average deal of $880,000, a record close of just under $3 million in South Florida, and a smallest deal of $66,000. They set out to hit a $20 million stretch goal, came within a whisker, and are now leaning into 2026 with $7 million already under contract and a $50 million target.Along the way they unpack what actually drove the year: a model where 500 local franchisees do the buying, a consolidation trend producing larger regional companies, why nearly every buyer is a local operator (which makes for a faster, cleaner transition), and how the right SBA lender and creative seller financing got deals done. Most of all, they make the case that selling a PM business is not the finish line. It is the capital and the confidence to go buy something bigger.If you own a property management business and have ever wondered what it is really worth, who is buying, and what you would do next, this is the episode.Chapters:00:00:00 — Cold open: sell this, go buy something bigger00:00:23 — Introducing the hosts and the 2025 recap00:00:57 — The stretch goal: how aiming for $20M produced an $18M year00:03:06 — Setting the 2026 goal: from $18M to $50M00:04:32 — The franchisee model: how 500 local operators close so many deals00:05:08 — 2025 by the numbers: 27 deals, $18M, and a record $3M close00:08:23 — Consolidation and the rise of larger PM companies00:13:24 — Why buyers are local and increasingly experienced00:16:42 — Why selling to an operator means a faster, cleaner transition00:18:56 — Financing the year: SBA, Live Oak Bank, and creative seller terms00:23:38 — Seller financing works best on a foundation of trust00:25:07 — The bigger vision: $50M, 326,000 companies, and no broker fees00:27:32 — The seller's next chapter: from PM to bigger venturesReady to know what your business is worth?Book a free, confidential valuation call with Hunter ➔No broker fees. NDA-protected. Only you, Aaron, and Hunter until you decide to move forward.