Quick Verdict · who it fits
Decorate With Lights fits owner-operators looking for a mid-scale home services concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$36K - $70K
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$10K
Royalty (Item 6)
8% + 2% ad
Item 19 median rev
$32k population not disclosed in this filing
System size (Item 20)
105 +1
Years in business
5+ yrs
Company-owned units
23
Model Decorate With Lights's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
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 8% + ad fund 2% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$100,000
$100k$2M
Royalty (8%)
—
Ad fund (2%)
—
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.
128
Total units open
7 net increase
Units opened last year
1 new franchised, 23 new company-owned, 16 franchised closures
16 franchised units ceased operations
Units closed last year
7 units
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
5
Risks to review
4
Strengths identified
5
Questions to ask
How Decorate With Lights ranks against 254 Home Services peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
2nd pct · of 254 peers
Franchise fee
2nd pct · of 254 peers
System size
65th pct · of 254 peers
Home Services industry averages
Avg investment
$156K - $287K
Avg franchise fee
$52K
Avg system size
150
Franchises analyzed
254
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decorate With Lights | Disclosed | $10K | $36K - $70K | 8% | 105 |
| Bee Organized EnterprisesSimilar price | Disclosed | $30K | $40K - $69K | 8% | 43 |
| BranchesBiggest system | Disclosed | $68K | $80K - $114K | 6% | 8,086 |
| CBDTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $20K | $154K - $511K | 7.25% | 84 |
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Brand Analysis
Home Instead's most recent Item 19 reports a $2.26M median across 603 franchised territories — among the highest senior-care AUVs disclosed. The low investment ($91K-$270K) makes the AUV-to-investment ratio one of the strongest in any franchise category.
Brand Analysis
Home service franchises offer lower overhead than restaurants and strong recession resistance. Compare investment costs, royalties, and territory sizes across plumbing, cleaning, restoration, lawn care, HVAC, and handyman brands.
Brand Analysis
HomeVestors' 2026 FDD reports a $287K median across 898 franchised territories — but the unit-economics story is unique: the franchisee buys houses, renovates, and resells. Revenue is one metric; capital deployment and inventory cycle are the real ones.
Decorate With Lights requires a $10,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $36,200–$70,450, per the most recent FDD on file.
Decorate With Lights is franchised by DWL Corp., the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the franchisor's corporate history, parents, and predecessors.
Yes. Decorate With Lights discloses Item 19 financial performance representations with reported revenue around $31,934. See the financials sub-page for the full distribution.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 8% and an advertising fund contribution of 2% of Gross Sales on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Decorate With Lights has 105 total locations, with 1 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