Request reliable financial and operating records alongside the purchase agreement: revenue support, expenses, material contracts, staffing information and evidence of the assets or ownership being transferred. The precise set depends on the transaction.
Build a continuity record
Keep seller representations distinct from independently supported facts. Reconcile major differences between statements, bank records and the valuation narrative. Add lease and contract transfer terms, permissions where relevant, and the intended handover arrangements.
These records support the E-2 explanation while also helping identify unanswered commercial questions; they are not a substitute for legal and financial acquisition diligence. Assemble a record that lets a reader follow the business from the seller's hands into the buyer's. Beyond the purchase agreement, that generally includes filed tax returns for several years, financial statements and the bookkeeping behind them, bank statements, the premises lease with any assignment or consent, licences and permits, employee lists and terms, supplier and customer contracts, and the equipment or inventory schedules attached to the sale.
Keep the seller's representations and warranties, since they record what was asserted at the time. Where an item was verified during due diligence, note how. Continuity is the theme: a reader should be able to see that the enterprise which traded before closing is the enterprise operating afterwards, with the differences identified rather than discovered.