Springtree Group review: agency valuation, M&A advice and fees
Springtree Group helps owners of smaller insurance agencies sell, helps buyers find and pay for agencies and arranges acquisition loans. It lists agencies for sale by state and sends buyers a monthly alert.
It works with agencies earning $300,000 to $5 million a year and gives sellers a free valuation quote. Sale, search and loan fees are quoted.
- Best for
- Owners of agencies earning $300,000 to $5 million who plan to sell within a few years
- Works for
- Sellers and buyers. It also finances and invests
- Services
- Agency listings, sale advice, buyer searches and acquisition loans
- Agency size
- $300,000 to $5 million in yearly revenue
- Valuation fee
- Free valuation quote for owners thinking about selling
Our take
Springtree fits a small agency owner planning to sell in the next one to three years. It lists the agency without its name, screens buyers under NDA and can line up the buyer's loan.
That financing is also its biggest conflict. Springtree arranges loans for buyers of agencies it markets, and it invests in and buys insurance businesses itself.
If you want an advisor who works only for you, ask how it handles a deal where it also finances or represents the buyer.
Pros
- Built for agencies earning $300,000 to $5 million
- Free valuation quote for owners thinking about selling
- Arranges Small Business Administration (SBA), commission-based and other loans for buyers
- Listings hide the agency's name behind a tracking code
- Handles partial sales and recapitalizations as well as full exits
Cons
- Arranges loans for buyers of the agencies it sells
- Buys and invests in insurance businesses itself
- Sale and loan fees are quoted
- No closed deals listed on its site
Who they work for
Sellers
Springtree gets the agency ready, lists it without its name, pre-qualifies buyers and handles negotiation, diligence, financing and closing.
Buyers
Buyer clients get a search for targets, negotiation, analysis and funding through closing, plus a monthly alert of agencies for sale.
Seller, buyer and lender. Springtree can represent the seller, find and finance the buyer and invest in insurance businesses, and its referral page says partners get 10% of what it collects when a referred deal closes. Ask in writing whose interest it serves in your sale.
Services
| Service | What you get |
|---|---|
| Selling an agency | Preparation, a confidential listing, buyer screening, negotiation, diligence, financing and closing |
| Buying an agency | Target sourcing, negotiation, analysis, funding and closing |
| Listings and Sales Alert | Agencies for sale by state, and a monthly email of new listings for buyers |
| Financing | Equity, asset-based, commission-based and SBA loans for purchases, buyouts, books, perpetuation and growth |
| Free valuation quote | A valuation interview and quote for owners thinking about selling |
| Partial sales | Advice on selling part of the agency or recapitalizing instead of a full exit |
Agencies they work with
- Agency size
- $300,000 to $5 million in yearly revenue
- Types
- Independent agencies with personal and commercial lines, plus health and benefits books
- Where
- United States
How they value an agency
- Method
- Springtree says it uses a multiple of revenue or a multiple of EBITDA
- Earnings measure
- Adjusted EBITDA: the owner's total earnings from the agency, minus the cost of replacing or keeping the owner
- What adjusts the value
- Renewal income and retention, client and carrier concentration, owner dependence, clean books, efficiency, a succession plan, fit with a buyer and the buyer's access to loans
Springtree says buyers also weigh expected savings, retention risk and the gains from combining offices.
Terms on this page in plain words
- EBITDA
- Profit for the year before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization
- Multiple
- What a buyer pays for each dollar of yearly revenue or profit
- Earn-out
- Money paid after closing that depends on the agency reaching growth or profit goals
- Perpetuation
- Handing the agency to people inside it, such as producers, partners or family
- Success fee
- The advisor's fee that comes due only when a deal closes
- Retainer
- An advance or monthly fee for the advisor's time
- Tail
- A set period after the agreement ends when you still owe the fee if you sell to a buyer the advisor introduced
Valuation reports, cost and timing
- What you get
- A valuation interview and quote
- Price
- Free for owners thinking about selling
Selling your agency with them
Valuation quote
Springtree interviews you and quotes a value.
Listing
The agency goes on its site by state, with revenue, asking price and a tracking code instead of its name.
NDA and screening
Every buyer signs an NDA and is pre-qualified before seeing client lists or financials.
Letter of intent and deposit
Once both sides sign and the buyer posts a refundable deposit, the listing comes down.
Diligence, loan and closing
Springtree handles diligence and can arrange the buyer's loan. If the deal fails, the agency goes back on the market.
Springtree says negotiating the purchase agreement alone can take more than a month.
Deal structure advice
Springtree negotiates down payments, earn-outs, seller notes, asset transfers and keeping key staff. Owners who want a clean exit are matched with buyers who can run the agency without them, and owners who want to stay on are matched with buyers who value that.
- Buyer loans
- Its financing brochure says most loans are 10-year notes with no prepayment penalty
- Employment terms
- A transition role or a clean exit, depending on the buyer
Succession and after the sale
Springtree lends for perpetuation and partner buyouts as well as outside sales. It also advises on selling part of the agency now and the rest later.
Credentials and transactions
- Affiliations
- American Association of Insurance Management Consultants
Confidentiality
- NDA
- Every buyer signs one before seeing client lists, financials or other private information
- Listings
- Shown by state with a five-letter tracking code instead of the agency's name
Fees and engagement terms
Springtree hands over its engagement agreement and fees during the sales process. Retainer, success fee, expenses, exclusivity and tail are quoted then.
Ask Springtree to spell out
- Your fee as the seller, and any fee the buyer or lender pays it
- Whether it earns anything on the buyer's loan
- Whether a referral partner gets a share of your deal
- Exclusivity length and the tail
Springtree Group alternatives
- Agency Brokerage ConsultantsOffer review $7,500Seller auctions for agencies up to $10 million in revenue
- Legacy AdvisorsFree first valuationSeller-only advisor paid only when the sale closes
- IA ValuationsValuation from $2,500Association valuations priced for smaller agencies
- M&A ServicesQuote onlyControlled auctions and acquisition financing
- Agency Consulting GroupDIY valuation software $750Valuations and inside handoffs, no listings
See every option in insurance agency valuation.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Springtree charge?
The valuation quote is free for owners thinking about selling. Sale, buyer search and loan fees come with the engagement agreement during the sales process.
Does Springtree represent buyers or sellers?
Both. It also arranges loans for buyers, including buyers of agencies it lists, and invests in insurance businesses.
What size agencies does Springtree work with?
Agencies earning $300,000 to $5 million a year.
How does Springtree keep a listing confidential?
Listings show the state and a tracking code instead of the name, and every buyer signs an NDA before seeing details.
Can Springtree help finance a purchase?
Yes. It arranges equity, asset-based, commission-based and Small Business Administration loans, and its brochure says most are 10-year notes with no prepayment penalty.
How we researched this review. We based this review on the terms and product pages published by Springtree Group, reviewed in October 2026, together with our team's experience working with insurance agents and agency owners since 2008.
Corrections
Vendors change their pricing all the time and they don't email us when they do. So if you see a price on here that's gone up, a plan Springtree Group quit selling or a contract term that reads different now, let us know and send the link to the page where Springtree Group has it. Somebody here pulls up that page and checks it before we change anything on ours.