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or it may be in his possession to sell on pcrccntngc,
which is not at all unusual. If it has been paid for,
the receipted bills will readily show and prove it.
A complete inventory should be taken which would
include every asset about the place, from furniture
to curtains, as well as the bills for the same, to show
they have not been bought on the instalment plan
and are still unpaid for. Consider both the quality
and quantity of everything
The aggregate amount of bills paid for goods con
sumed ought to figure up about 50 per cent, of liie
total annual business for the year and if the man
who wants to sell has a good reason for doing so,
and he really has a paying business, his statement
can be very easily verified.
There are many ways of booming a business so it
will look good to the prospective buyer, but a wise
man will not be caught by any such thinly veiled
tricks, and it is not a bad idea to consult with the
people in the neighborhood.
If the business is a very extensive one it will be
just as well for you to take counsel with some expert
appraiser, but it is not wise to be guided by any one
person, no matter what the circumstances are.
Ill an old place the question of condition is im
portant—by that meaning the floors, windows, walls
&c., and at whose expense they are to be repaired
landlord's or tenant's. The making of repairs is
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