Quick Verdict · who it fits
CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE LLC 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
18+ yrs
Item 3 litigation
5 suits
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 Real Estate ranks against 77 Real Estate peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
31st pct · of 77 peers
Franchise fee
37th pct · of 77 peers
System size
93rd pct · of 77 peers
Real Estate industry averages
Avg investment
$148K - $372K
Avg franchise fee
$32K
Avg system size
2,811
Franchises analyzed
77
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Century 21 Real Estate | None | $25K | $36K - $286K | 6% | 1,685 |
| Sea GlassSimilar price | None | $10K | $34K - $273K | 6% | 3 |
| The Hometeam Inspection ServiceBiggest system | None | $65K | $65K - $92K | 6% | 191,200 |
| ItripTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $10K | $119K - $153K | 4–6.1% | 105 |
Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE LLC 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.
No. CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE LLC 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 REAL ESTATE LLC 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