Quick Verdict · who it fits
Era fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mid-scale real estate concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$34K - $267K
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$25K
Royalty (Item 6)
6% + 0.5–1.5% ad
System size (Item 20)
434 +23
Agreement term
10 yrs
Years in business
18+ yrs
Item 3 litigation
5 suits
Model Era'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 0.5–1.5% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$500,000
$100k$2M
Royalty (6%)
—
Ad fund (0.5–1.5%)
—
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.
434
Total units open
23
Units opened last year
28
Units closed last year
(5)
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
5
Risks to review
4
Strengths identified
5
Questions to ask
How Era ranks against 80 Real Estate peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
27th pct · of 80 peers
Franchise fee
35th pct · of 80 peers
System size
85th pct · of 80 peers
Real Estate industry averages
Avg investment
$149K - $369K
Avg franchise fee
$33K
Avg system size
252
Franchises analyzed
80
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Era | None | $25K | $34K - $267K | 6% | 434 |
| JparSimilar price | None | $10K | $27K - $267K | — | 39 |
| Re MaxBiggest system | None | $35K | $50K - $337K | — | 2,994 |
| 1st Class CompaniesTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $25K | $31K - $43K | — | 70 |
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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.
Era requires a $25,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $34,470–$266,900, per the most recent FDD on file.
Era franchises are sold by ERA FRANCHISE SYSTEMS LLC, the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the corporate structure, including any parent companies and predecessors.
No. Era 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 Revenues and an advertising fund contribution of 0.5% to 1.5% on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Era has 434 total locations, with 23 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
Per the FDD, Era discloses an initial agreement term of 10 years, a transfer fee of $5,000. Review Items 10 and 17 for the full renewal and termination provisions.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt