Quick Verdict · who it fits
Sotheby's International Realty 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)
$47K - $332K
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$25K
Royalty (Item 6)
6% + 2% ad
System size (Item 20)
672 +27
Agreement term
10 yrs
Years in business
18+ yrs
Company-owned units
37
Item 3 litigation
11 suits
Model Sotheby's International Realty'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 2% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$500,000
$100k$2M
Royalty (6%)
—
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.
709
Total units open
27 franchised outlets; 0 company-owned outlets
Units opened last year
21 franchised outlets ceased operations; 7 company-owned outlets closed
Units closed last year
(1) for total system
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
5
Risks to review
4
Strengths identified
5
Questions to ask
How Sotheby's International Realty ranks against 80 Real Estate peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
41st pct · of 80 peers
Franchise fee
35th pct · of 80 peers
System size
90th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sotheby's International Realty | None | $25K | $47K - $332K | 6% | 672 |
| Keller Williams RealtySimilar price | None | $35K | $184K - $336K | 6% | 1,217 |
| 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.
Sotheby's International Realty requires a $25,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $47,250–$331,950, per the most recent FDD on file.
Sotheby's International Realty is franchised by SOTHEBYS INTERNATIONAL REALTY AFFILIATES 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. Sotheby's International Realty 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% and an advertising fund contribution of 2% of Gross Revenue on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Sotheby's International Realty has 672 total locations, with 27 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
Per the FDD, Sotheby's International Realty 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