►EXECUTIVE SUMMARY  1) FOUR WEEKS INTO THE QOE, A SECOND SET OF BOOKS MATERIALIZED: Seller had three revenue lines consolidated into one QuickBooks. Felt incomplete. I asked the broker — "anything else?" No. My client asked the seller directly. "Oh yeah, we have a whole separate QuickBooks for entity three." Four weeks of work, instantly rewritten. 2) THEY DIDN'T FORGET — THEY DIDN'T WANT YOU TO SEE THE MESSY ONE: The second set of books added significant cost and complexity. That's exactly why it was hidden. Sellers and brokers will give you the cleanest version of reality and pray you don't ask about the rest. 3) ALWAYS GO AROUND THE BROKER TO THE SELLER — BROKERS PROTECT THEIR COMMISSION, NOT YOUR DEAL: When the broker says "that's everything," ask the seller directly. Different relationship, different incentives, different answers. In this case, one direct question uncovered the financial skeleton they'd been hiding.