Buying a Business in Virginia
The Numbers
FY2025 Acquisition Loans
149
$194M approved
Median Loan
$773k
FY2020 through FY2025
Loans Since FY2020
636
$838M in total approvals
Share of U.S. Activity
1.8%
Of change-of-ownership loans
What the Data Says
Virginia ranks 20th of 53 states and territories for change-of-ownership SBA 7(a) lending: 636 loans since FY2020, 2% of the national total.
The typical deal runs large: its $773k median loan sits above the $650k midpoint across states, so expect bigger checks and the larger injection and cash flow they need.
Activity is accelerating: FY2025's 149 loans ran ahead of the state's own ~106 a year pace since FY2020.
The most-financed target is hotels (except casino hotels) and motels (64 loans), and the 5 most active lenders wrote about 36% of the state's acquisitions, a broad lender field.
Most Active Acquisition Lenders in Virginia
- 1. Live Oak Banking Company100 loans
- 2. GBank38 loans
- 3. The Huntington National Bank34 loans
- 4. TowneBank30 loans
- 5. Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company26 loans
A lender being active in Virginia does not require a local branch; several top SBA lenders work nationally. Build a shortlist with Lenders.
What Gets Bought in Virginia
- Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels64 loans
- Limited-Service Restaurants34 loans
- Full-Service Restaurants34 loans
- General Automotive Repair22 loans
- All Other Specialty Trade Contractors18 loans
Industry-specific pricing and diligence live in the Guides. Where the buyable targets sit in Virginia, by county, is in the Virginia buying guide.
By Metro Area in Virginia
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
484 purchase loans, median $655k. Bought most: Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (66).
Richmond, VA
103 purchase loans, median $805k. Bought most: General Automotive Repair. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (19).
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
102 purchase loans, median $791k. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (11).
Roanoke, VA
25 purchase loans, median $830k. Bought most: Limited-Service Restaurants. Most active lender: Pinnacle Bank (TN) (9).
Lynchburg, VA
21 purchase loans, median $1.00M. Bought most: Machine Shops. Most active lender: Pinnacle Bank (TN) (3).
Every metro area that drew 20 purchase loans, with three lenders each, is in the metro table.
Method & Source
Computed from the SBA 7(a) FOIA loan-level dataset (FY2020 through FY2025), filtered to approvals flagged change of ownership with a Virginia project address. Approvals, not closings; excludes conventional and 504 financing.