Best Real Estate Franchises
6 brands ranked by Health Score — our composite of growth, fees, scale, and data transparency.
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| # | Brand | Investment | Royalty | Units | Growth | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices | $43K–$88K | 6% | 268 | +1.87% | 59 |
| 2 | Century 21 Real Estate | $35K–$466K | 6% | 1,734 | -4% | 55 |
| 3 | Coldwell Banker Commercial | $36K–$734K | 6% | 136 | -2.2% | 52 |
| 4 | HomeVestors of America | $108K–$477K | 3% | 1,003 | -6.3% | 52 |
| 5 | RE/MAX | $45K–$246K | — | 3,150 | -6.6% | 34 |
| 6 | Keller Williams Realty | —–— | 6% | — | — | 33 |
Real estate franchises offer a fundamentally different model from most franchise categories — you are licensing a brand and technology platform, not a physical location buildout. Investment ranges from $25K (home-based agent teams) to $500K+ (full brokerage offices), and the economics depend entirely on agent recruitment and retention. The franchisors that dominate (Century 21, Coldwell Banker, RE/MAX) compete on brand recognition and lead generation tools. Franchise fees in this category often include per-transaction royalties rather than percentage-of-revenue, so your cost structure scales with deal volume rather than gross revenue.
All data is extracted from official Franchise Disclosure Documents filed with state regulators. Investment ranges come from FDD Item 7; royalties from Item 6; unit counts and growth from Item 20. See our guide to reading an FDD for methodology details.
Real Estate Category
All 6 brands with cost and growth data
Franchise Fees Explained
Understand every cost in the FDD
How to Buy a Franchise
Step-by-step buying process
Compare Real Estate Franchises
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