Use case
For search funds, self-funded searchers, private equity, family offices, and roll-ups. Build an off-market pipeline of acquisition targets by industry and metro, then reach the owner directly.
Whether you are running a self-funded search, deploying committed capital, or rolling up a fragmented industry, the constraint is the same: finding enough businesses that actually fit your thesis, and getting to the owner before a broker turns the deal into an auction. Listed inventory is thin and over-bid. The businesses worth buying are usually owner-operated, profitable, and not for sale yet. ScraperCity gives you one pay-per-use account to pull the on-market baseline, build the off-market target universe, resolve the owner's direct line, and vet the principals before you sign.
Start with what is listed, then go find what is not, resolve the owner, and run diligence, all from one account.
Pull businesses actively listed for sale with asking prices, sectors, and broker details. This is your on-market baseline: what comparable businesses ask, so your off-market offers are anchored to real numbers.
Pull commercial and owner-operator real estate assets when the acquisition includes the property, or when you buy the building alongside the operating business.
Build the off-market universe. Run your target category across each metro to pull every owner-operated business that fits, with name, address, phone, website, and rating. This is where the majority of good deals live, before anything is listed.
Skip the scrape when you want the off-market universe fast. Query 67.6M+ local businesses by category, city, and rating, with phone, website, and a named contact where available, then scrape a metro for the freshest shortlist.
Turn an owner name into a direct line and personal email from public records, so your approach reaches the decision-maker instead of a front desk.
Pull a verified cell number for the owner when you need to call or text directly, drawn from a base of 250M+ people.
Run the principal against nationwide court, arrest, and corrections records before an LOI. You only pay when something is on file. A factual pre-LOI check, not a consumer report or a hiring decision.
Read a target's digital footprint from its domain: platform, analytics, ad pixels, and marketing tools. A quick gauge of how modern the operation is and where you could add value.
The buyers who close on good terms treat listed businesses as a starting point, not the whole market. The sequence they run is consistent:
Say your thesis is commercial landscaping and grounds maintenance, a fragmented industry full of owner-operated companies with aging founders. Here is the run from thesis to a first conversation.
Run the BizBuySell Scraper for landscaping and grounds businesses to see what is listed, at what asking prices, and in which regions. Add the Crexi Scraper if the deals include yards or depots. This anchors your valuation before you approach anyone.
Run the Google Maps Scraper for commercial landscaping across your target metros at $0.0099 per business. You get back the full field, each with name, address, phone, website, and rating. Filter to companies of the size you can acquire, and you have a ranked target list, none of which are for sale yet.
For the top targets, run each domain through BuiltWith at $4.99 per technology to see how the business operates online. A company running no scheduling software or a dated site is often a founder near retirement, exactly the profile a roll-up wants.
Skip trace the owner names at $0.0199 per result (searches with 0 matches are billed as 1 result), or pull a verified cell through Mobile Finder at $0.25 per number found (FREE if not found). Now the target list carries a direct line to the person who can actually say yes, not a receptionist.
Once a conversation turns serious, run the principal through Criminal Background Check at $1.00 per search (only charged if records found). You only pay when records are on file, so it is a cheap step that keeps a promising deal from becoming a problem after you have signed.
A CSV of acquisition targets, each row carrying the business, its metro, a quick read on scale, the owner, and a direct line ready to work. Instead of a stack of listings everyone else is bidding on, you have an off-market call sheet matched to your thesis.
| Business | Metro | Scale signal | Owner | Direct line |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Grounds Care | Columbus, OH | Commercial fleet | Owner-operator | (614) 555-0142 |
| Ridgeline Landscaping | Columbus, OH | Established, dated site | Owner-operator | (614) 555-0188 |
Listed businesses are a small, visible slice of the market, and every buyer sees the same ones. The durable advantage in acquisitions is proprietary flow: a list of owners you found yourself, reached first, and know something about before anyone else is in the room.