Dental Office Feasibility Study in New Hampshire

Cancellation sets New Hampshire apart

New Hampshire dental lending is distinctive for how often approvals fell away. Cancellation after approval took at least 27.0% of the FY2017 to FY2024 loans, and the strict count of unfunded loans is the same, which is far above what most classes show. Everything else in the cell is ordinary. The state posts 40 loans for FY2017 to FY2026 worth $22.1 million, a median of $412,250 that is 0.81x the national dental median, and a middle range from $100,000 to $790,250. The class ranks 39 of 54 among the states and 12 of 39 inside New Hampshire, and the location quotient of 0.52x is low.

Reading the floor

More than a quarter of approvals not funding should worry any lender or dentist counting on a quick start. In dentistry, practice purchases can stall over a seller, a lease or an associate's agreement, and a new-build office can stall on permits. For a borrower, the lesson is to line up every contingency before relying on an approval. A loss rate is held back; too few loans funded in the early window to support one.

Programs and places

SBA 7(a) made 34 loans and SBA 504 made 6, with no franchise brands at 0.00%. Eastern Bank is alone in the lender table, with 7 loans worth $1.2 million. Hillsborough County has 14 loans, Rockingham has 10, Carroll and Strafford have 5 each and Grafton 3.

The shape of the years

FY2017 had 9 loans and $3.6 million, FY2019 only 2, and FY2023 a single loan for $2.1 million. FY2024 recorded 7 loans worth $1.6 million, FY2025 none, and FY2026 closed with 3 worth $1.6 million.

What the study should test

Demand in a state with few dentists per square mile depends on drive time, so the study should measure patient supply inside a realistic radius, local insurance mix and competing practices. For an acquisition, test seller transition, patient retention and the chair count the building supports. For a start-up, test the ramp to full schedule and how many months of rent and payroll the loan must carry. Build-out and equipment need to be sized to a ticket near $412,250, and payment capacity run with a slow ramp. An appraiser will treat an owned office as special-purpose property, so the collateral may be worth less to a non-dental user.