The Gold Standard for Seller Finance.
Standards, education, and certification for the professionals behind America’s seller-financed business sales.
What We Do
Three Pillars of Industry Leadership
SFSB brings institutional rigor to seller financing through standards, credentials, and professional community.
Industry Standards
SFSB publishes authoritative form agreements, disclosure templates, and best practice guidelines that define professional conduct across the seller finance industry. Our six published standards set the benchmark.
View StandardsProfessional Certification
The SFA® — Certified Seller Finance Advisor — is the industry's definitive credential. Our 100-hour, 10-module curriculum and proctored exam establish measurable professional competency.
Earn Your SFA®Trade Association
SFSB unites note brokers, note investors, business brokers, attorneys, servicers, and lenders under a shared commitment to professional standards, advocacy, and industry advancement.
Become a MemberMembership
Who We Serve
SFSB membership is open to all professionals involved in seller-financed small business transactions.
Note Brokers
Professionals who originate and place seller-financed transactions in the secondary market.
Note Investors
Funds, family offices, and individual buyers who acquire performing and non-performing notes.
Business Brokers
M&A intermediaries who facilitate seller-financed business sales and acquisitions.
Attorneys & CPAs
Legal and accounting professionals advising on seller finance structuring, tax, and compliance.
Servicers
Loan servicing companies that manage payments, escrow, and default on seller-financed notes.
Lenders
SBA lenders, community banks, and institutional platforms originating seller-financed structures.
Industry Standards
Six Published Standards. One Industry Foundation.
From the Standard Seller Finance Purchase Agreement (SFSB-1) to Underwriting & Credit Best Practices (SFSB-6), our form library represents the collective expertise of practitioners, attorneys, and financial professionals across the country.
Members receive full access to all SFSB form agreements, updated annually to reflect regulatory changes and evolving industry best practices.
View All StandardsReady to establish your expertise?
Join the SFSB member network, earn your SFA® designation, and access the industry's definitive form library and best practice standards.
The Problem We Solve
An Industry Without Standards.
Until Now.
Seller financing powers the transfer of thousands of small businesses every year. Yet for decades, the industry has operated without a single authoritative body setting professional standards, publishing form agreements, or credentialing the practitioners who facilitate these transactions. Note brokers, business brokers, and note investors have worked from inconsistent forms, informal practices, and fragmented legal guidance — with no clear benchmark for professional competency.
The result is predictable: unqualified participants entering complex transactions, buyers and sellers relying on documents that may not be enforceable, and investors acquiring notes without adequate disclosure of material risks. The absence of standards does not mean the industry lacks complexity — it means that complexity goes unmanaged.
SFSB exists to change that. We publish the form agreements, best practice guidelines, and professional credentials that give every participant in a seller-financed transaction a reliable, defensible foundation. The same institutional infrastructure that supports commercial real estate finance, securities markets, and banking — that infrastructure now exists for seller finance.
SFSB Published Standards
The complete lifecycle — from purchase agreement to servicing — covered by authoritative form documents.
SFA® Course Modules
A structured curriculum covering every dimension of seller finance — from deal structuring to credit analysis to note servicing.
Hours of Professional Training
The SFA® requires completing 100 hours of coursework and passing a proctored exam — not attendance alone.
Latest from SFSB
Founding Announcements
Inaugural releases — June 2026
SFSB Publishes Six Foundational Standards for Seller Finance Industry
The Seller Finance Standards Board has released SFSB-1 through SFSB-6, establishing the first-ever industry-wide form agreements and best practice guidelines for seller-financed small business transactions.
Read moreSFA® Certification Program Announced — Enrollment Opening 2026
The Certified Seller Finance Advisor (SFA®) designation establishes a rigorous 100-hour curriculum and proctored exam as the professional standard for seller finance expertise.
Read moreSFSB Opens Charter Membership — Five Tiers for Industry Participants
Note brokers, investors, business brokers, attorneys, servicers, and lenders are invited to join as charter members of the newly formed Seller Finance Standards Board.
Read moreWhy SFSB
What Sets SFSB Apart
There is no competing organization doing what SFSB does. These are the facts.
The Only Dedicated Standards Body
SFSB is the first and only trade association exclusively focused on seller financing in small business transactions. No competing organization exists in this space.
Published Form Agreements
Our six published standards (SFSB-1 through SFSB-6) provide ready-to-use form agreements developed through legal review and practitioner input — covering every stage of a transaction.
The Industry's First Certification
The SFA® is the first nationally recognized credential for seller finance professionals — establishing a measurable benchmark of expertise that the market can rely on.
No Certificates for Attendance
SFSB does not award certificates for watching a webinar. The SFA® requires completing 100 hours of structured coursework and passing a proctored exam — full stop.