Brokered vs. Private Sale: Which Path Is Right for Your Deal?

professional profile

April 14, 2025

by a professional in Cardiff, UK

One of the first decisions in any acquisition is how you want to approach the deal: go through a broker or try to source something off-market.
Each route has trade-offs. Brokered deals are typically cleaner and faster but come with more competition and less flexibility. Private deals offer more control and room for creativity – but also more uncertainty and effort upfront.
We just published a practical breakdown of what to expect with each path (whether you’re buying or selling). It covers:
- Key differences in process and negotiation dynamics - Pros and cons from both the buyer and seller side - When to consider one over the other (and how to hedge with both)
You can check out the full post here: https://rapiddiligence.com/2025/04/broker-vs-private-sale-what-to-expect-for-buyers-and-sellers/
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Reply by an investor
from Hofstra University in Tampa, FL, USA
In my experience ,if you're going buying a company from someone that is nor represented by a banker or broker, it is extremely important that you either encourage the seller or help the seller find an attorney that does transaction work for a living vs. a generalist. They need someone on their side to tell them what T's and C's are market, and generalists can't do that.
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Reply by a searcher
from Universidade do Porto in Matosinhos, Portugal
For me and the approachs I have been experiencing, I would say private search. At least in my country they tend to overprice 2 to 3 times the actually value of the business
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+5 more replies.
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