Car Wash Feasibility Study in the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA Metro Area

Sacramento-area car washes: average in weight, above average in size

Car washes land at 16 of 39 around Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA, the area is 24 of 458 for the class, with a 0.93x location quotient close to the national share. The ticket is the difference: the median loan of $985,000 is 1.06x the nationwide median. Over FY2017 to FY2026, 29 approvals total $48.4 million, and Sacramento County carries 19 of them.

Range, years and the one holder

A span from $542,500 to $2.2 million holds the middle half of loans. FY2021 stands out with 7 loans and $17.1 million, while FY2026, a full year, shows no approvals ($0). All remaining years are held back, since a small count is not shown. SBA's data gives Plumas Bank 5 loans worth $3.4 million, and nothing here describes credit practice. Program counts and franchise share are hidden.

Coding and blanks

Mobile washes, truck washes and car washes use one code, so a tunnel cannot be separated from a mobile service in these totals. Sacramento omits cancellation and charge-off floors, as a rate from 29 loans misleads, so the blank carries no verdict.

What the single big year implies

FY2021 alone accounts for $17.1 million of $48.4 million. A reader should not assume that a typical year produces anything like that, and a lender should recognize that a few large approvals can shape the totals. The practical effect is that the average dollar per loan is pulled up by that year, so the study should use the median and its middle band as benchmarks for scale.

What a Sacramento-area wash study must test

A study should size the trade area by traffic counts at the site and count competing tunnels and self-service bays within reach. It should price land, building and equipment separately, and it should show membership share and wash counts per day on three cases. Water use and discharge approvals, along with utility connections, can decide timing and cost, so they belong in the schedule. A lender will test payment coverage if volume runs below plan, and the appraisal will weigh real estate value against the earnings of a specialized building with few alternative uses.