Is it normal for the seller to start updating public profiles and socials during DD?

searcher profile

March 02, 2026

by a searcher in Idaho Falls, ID, USA

So I'm working on an off market deal with a retiring owner. Sub 1mm revenue. One of the attractions, amongst many, was that invoicing is done on paper first, google reviews are intermitent and low for a 4 decade old business, advertising is either null or old school, etc etc. All the low hanging fruit you could immediatly start improving. I noticed some new activity on google reviews. He started posting "from the owner" pictures/posts with descrtiptions from chatgpt I can tell. Maybe a child or grandchild helping them out look better in the final stages here? They also went back and responded to the last 5 reviews. Or, am I overthinking it and he's just trying to help me out. It's possible, he's a really nice guy and part of the transition is staying on as a consultant for 9-12 weeks. So maybe he's just trying to help out? Is this normal behavior in a situation like this?
1
6
108
Replies
6
commentor profile
Reply by a searcher
in Sacramento, CA, USA
^redacted‌ Thanks. ^redacted‌ If there’s nothing in those activities that harms the company’s reputation, I wouldn’t worry about it at this stage. The priority is the due diligence findings.
commentor profile
Reply by a searcher
from Princeton University in Washington, DC, USA
It's hard to know for sure, but I wouldn't overthink it. It's possible it's a last ditch effort to make himself/the business appear more attractive to get some leverage, but you can always let him know (politely, in good faith) that you noticed the recent cosmetic updates.
commentor profile
+4 more replies.
Join the discussion