Quick Verdict · who it fits
CENTURY 21 fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mature real estate concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$36K - $286K
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$25K
Royalty (Item 6)
6% + 0.5% ad
System size (Item 20)
1,685 +68
Years in business
54+ yrs
Item 3 litigation
5 suits
Model CENTURY 21's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
Buyer qualifications
Data extracted from the 2026 FDD filed with state regulators. Fees and terms may have changed since filing — request the current FDD from the franchisor before deciding. Not legal, financial, or investment advice. Full disclaimer.
Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 6% + ad fund 0.5% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$500,000
$100k$2M
Royalty (6%)
—
Ad fund (0.5%)
—
Total / year
—
▪ Of-sales fees only · excludes rent, labor, COGS, and one-time costs · for illustration
Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.
1,685
Total units open
as of December 31, 2025
68
Units opened last year
117
Units closed last year
11 ceased operations + 95 non-renewed/other reasons
−49
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
4
Risks to review
3
Strengths identified
4
Questions to ask
How CENTURY 21 ranks against 81 Real Estate peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
30th pct · of 81 peers
Franchise fee
37th pct · of 81 peers
System size
94th pct · of 81 peers
Real Estate industry averages
Avg investment
$146K - $363K
Avg franchise fee
$32K
Avg system size
273
Franchises analyzed
81
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CENTURY 21 | None | $25K | $36K - $286K | 6% | 1,685 |
| Sea GlassSimilar price | None | $10K | $34K - $273K | 6% | 3 |
| Re MaxBiggest system | None | $35K | $50K - $337K | — | 2,994 |
| ItripTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $10K | $119K - $153K | 4–6.1% | 105 |
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Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
Brand Analysis
Item 7 of AFC's 2026 FDD prices one American Family Care center at $948,250 to $1,514,000, and Item 19 puts median franchised revenue at $1,699,854 across 291 centers. The same Item 19 also shows the bottom quarter of affiliate-owned centers running negative 4-wall EBITDA, which is the number that decides whether this deal works.
Brand Analysis
The 2026 FDD prices an Anytime Fitness franchise at $539,329 to $905,482 and charges a flat $842 monthly royalty, not a percentage. Every Item 7 line item, the four revenue quartiles, and the fee clause most cost pages have never read.
Brand Analysis
Item 7 of the 2026 Dunkin' FDD prices four build formats, not one. A freestanding restaurant runs $532,400 to $1,832,500 and posts a $1,522,154 median AUV. A non-traditional kiosk runs $142,000 to $862,500 and posts $747,043. Here is what each format actually costs and earns.
CENTURY 21 requires a $25,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $35,770–$286,100, per the most recent FDD on file.
CENTURY 21 is franchised by CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE LLC, the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the franchisor's corporate history, parents, and predecessors.
No. CENTURY 21 does not include a financial performance representation in its FDD. Prospective buyers should rely on validation calls with existing franchisees and benchmark against industry medians.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 6% of Gross Revenue and an advertising fund contribution of 0.50% on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, CENTURY 21 has 1,685 total locations, with 68 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt