SBA 7(a) Dental Office Feasibility Study in Nevada

Nevada dentistry: low cancellation and a Las Vegas weighting

In Nevada's class table dental offices are 8 of 39; Nevada ranks 29th nationally in 7(a) dental lending. From FY2017 to FY2026 SBA approved 65 loans, worth $53.6 million. The median loan of $528,300 is 1.07x the national median, so size does not distinguish the state, but the central half is broad, from $170,000 to $1.2 million. Two figures are worth noting. Cancellation is only 3.8%, equal on the floor and ceiling, and Clark County alone has 43 of the 65 loans. Franchising is absent (0.00%).

A short lender table

At Live Oak Banking Company 13 loans add to $17.5 million, and at Wells Fargo Bank National Association 9 add to $10.7 million, so both carry averages well above the median. SBA lists current holders, which may differ from originators. After Clark, Washoe County has 9, Douglas 8, Elko 3 and Carson City 2. Annual dollars were $9.3 million in FY2018, $142,200 in FY2020 and $10.5 million in FY2024.

The loss figures split

Of Nevada's 36 funded early-cohort loans, 2.8% are charged off so far, but the five-year figure is 0.00%, so any loss came after year five. Open loans may still fail, so these are minimums, and the small cohort means a single failure moves the rate.

What a Nevada dental study must test

A practice purchase and a start-up are different cases. For a purchase, examine patient retention after transfer, the production tied to the selling dentist, insurance mix, equipment age and hygiene capacity. For a start-up, count dentists per resident around the site, new rooftops and the speed at which a schedule fills. Because most loans sit in the Las Vegas area, an application from Reno, Carson Valley or Elko should document its own market, since growth, payer mix and competition differ. The wide Nevada range means a request near $1.2 million should show real estate and an appraisal that treats dental improvements cautiously. Equipment, build-out and goodwill need separate lines, and owner equity should be visible. The payment should be shown covered through a lean first year. The low cancellation rate says funded projects usually close, which makes preparing the file on time all the more valuable.