Small business owners who sold their businesses in 2008 got out at a good time.  Most of 2008 was a great year to sell.  2009?...not so much, according tothis report from CNNMoney:

In the first quarter of 2009, the number of sold small businesses fell 36% compared to a year earlier, according to marketplace site BizBuySell.com.

The prices buyers paid also plunged. The median sale price dropped 17% for those transactions facilitated by the Web site, to $165,500. (The median asking price was $250,000.) Fewer entrepreneurs are even attempting to sell right now. In last year's first quarter, BizBuySell fielded 40,651 listings. This year, it had 37,277, an 8% drop.

"Those doing well enough to sell or want to sell are shying away," says Mike Handelsman, general manager of BizBuySell in San Francisco. "If they sell, it'll be based on cash flow and revenues, which are depressed now. In many cases, this is their nest egg, so they'll put off retirement to wait out these uncertain times."

Read the full article here.