Do I have to sign an NDA before a seller will even tell me the business's name?

It's common, and reasonable, for a seller or their broker to require a signed confidentiality agreement before revealing the business's identity at all, even before any financial information changes hands. The name itself can be enough to let a competitor, employee, landlord, or customer connect the dots and figure out a business is quietly for sale, which is exactly the premature exposure most sellers are trying to prevent. Requiring an NDA at that early stage isn't excessive caution — it's standard practice for anyone treating the sale seriously.

As a buyer, this shouldn't be a red flag by itself; it's worth reading the agreement carefully before signing, though, since some NDAs are broader than they need to be. Check the definition of what's actually confidential, how long the obligations last, and whether the scope is proportionate to what you're actually being told at this early stage. You're generally entitled to negotiate reasonable terms rather than accepting an overly broad document as-is. If the terms seem unusual for an early-stage inquiry, a Treadstone business lawyer can review the agreement before you sign.