Coldwell Banker Commercial® Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Coldwell Banker Commercial is a commercial real-estate brokerage franchise handling sales, leasing, and property management. Franchisees run offices recruiting and supporting commercial agents, earning from transaction commissions.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Coldwell Banker Commercial® franchise requires a total initial investment of $37K – $554K, including a $20K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 13 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $37K – $554K
- 21st pct Real Estate
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 21st pct Real Estate
- Units
- 135
- 58th pct Real Estate
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Real Estate · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Real Estate avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $37K – $554K including a $20K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 21 includes only the audited consolidated financial statements of the parent/guarantor companies Anywhere Real Estate Inc. and Anywhere Real Estate Group LLC (in millions) for years ended Dec 31, 2025/2024/2023; standalone statements of the franchisor (Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC) are not included. FY2025 net revenues $5,960M (Gross commission income $4,849M, Service revenue $607M, Franchise fees $372M, Other $132M); net loss $(89)M. Auditor CPA firm name not captured in extracted text (report signed in Florham Park, NJ, Feb 25, 2026).
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 61/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 13 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- LEGAL13 litigation matters disclosed in Item 3, higher than typical. Review the summary for patterns (franchisor-initiated vs. franchisee-initiated).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC
- Parent company
- Anywhere Real Estate Group LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Compass, Inc.
- CEO title
- President and Chief Executive Officer, Compass International Holdings Franchise Brands
- Elisabeth Gehringer
- Incorporated in
- CA
- HQ
- 175 Park Avenue, Madison, New Jersey 07940
- Auditor
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $6.0B
- vs $5.7B prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Elisabeth Gehringer
- Headquarters
- NJ
- Founded
- 1981
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 39
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 38% above the typical real estate franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $20K | $20K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $15K | $100K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $2K | $434K |
| Total initial investment | $37K | $554K |
Source: Coldwell Banker Commercial® 2024 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $37K – $554K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $100K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $20K – $20K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- tiered · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Coldwell Banker Commercial® did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Coldwell Banker Commercial® unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
32%
Within the 30–60% "attractive franchise" band
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 21 includes only the audited consolidated financial statements of the parent/guarantor companies Anywhere Real Estate Inc. and Anywhere Real Estate Group LLC (in millions) for years ended Dec 31, 2025/2024/2023; standalone statements of the franchisor (Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC) are not included. FY2025 net revenues $5,960M (Gross commission income $4,849M, Service revenue $607M, Franchise fees $372M, Other $132M); net loss $(89)M. Auditor CPA firm name not captured in extracted text (report signed in Florham Park, NJ, Feb 25, 2026).
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% (near the Real Estate average).
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
System contracting at -2.2% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
Multi-unit rate
Only 8% of franchisees own multiple units. Could indicate challenging economics or a young system where operators haven't had time to expand.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Real Estate averages
How Coldwell Banker Commercial® Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 135
- Opened
- 25
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 10
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 10
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 3.7%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 8.3%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -2.2%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -2.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 4
- Closed (3yr)
- 2
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 3
- Transfers (3yr)
- 5
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 39 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 13
- Loan volume
- $6.8M
- Median loan
- $235K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 7
- Defaults
- 0
- Typical loan rate
- 7.2%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 14.8%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 174
- 2.6 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 31%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 8% went to startups / new businesses, 92% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in offices of real estate agents and brokers, franchised businesses charge off at 14.8% vs 29.6% for independents — franchising is associated with 50% lower SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing Coldwell Banker Commercial® franchisees
Showing 3 of 7 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Coldwell Banker Commercial®'s SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 7 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 7 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 6-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 13 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 0.0% — 100% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Coldwell Banker Commercial presents moderate-to-high risk due to absent financial disclosures, significant pending litigation (antitrust/commission disputes), slow unit growth, unprotected territory, and regulatory scrutiny—making it difficult to validate ROI or franchisee viability.
Litigation (Item 3)
Franchisor as plaintiff in trademark/collection actions against former franchisees; franchisor and parent (Anywhere) as defendants in antitrust commission class actions (Moehrl, Burnett, Nosalek, Batton, Homie), TCPA class action (Chinitz), merger-related shareholder suits, and resolved RESPA/HUD regulatory proceedings. Anywhere entered $83.5M settlement (Moehrl/Burnett) and $9.6M opt-in settlement (Tuccori/Batton).
Largest disclosed settlement: $83,500,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 61 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNo Item 19 financial performance disclosure—cannot validate average revenue or profitability claims
- 02MEDFive pending class actions involving antitrust and buyer-broker commission disputes create systemic legal uncertainty and potential regulatory liability
- 03MINORSlow unit growth (6.2% YoY) with only 139 locations suggests market saturation, franchisee underperformance, or brand weakness in commercial real estate segment
- 04MINORUnprotected territory means franchisees compete directly with other CBC franchisees and company-owned offices for the same clients
- 05MINORTiered royalty structure (6% up to $1M, then 3%) incentivizes franchisees to cap growth artificially to avoid higher tax burden
- 06MINORMultiple trademark infringement cases and regulatory proceedings (HUD, FTC, Washington AG) indicate compliance and brand integrity risks
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 0 |
| Territory type | none |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 120 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | NJ |
| Litigation count | 13 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Franchisor as plaintiff in trademark/collection actions against former franchisees; franchisor and parent (Anywhere) as defendants in antitrust commission class actions (Moehrl, Burnett, Nosalek, Batton, Homie), TCPA class action (Chinitz), merger-related shareholder suits, and resolved RESPA/HUD regulatory proceedings. Anywhere entered $83.5M settlement (Moehrl/Burnett) and $9.6M opt-in settlement (Tuccori/Batton).
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 15 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Virtually / franchisee location or near headquarters in New Jersey
- Ongoing training
- Optional
- Time to open
- 1 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects; franchisor must approve
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- CBCDesk
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: CBCDesk
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
142 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Coldwell Banker Commercial® · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Coldwell Banker Commercial® franchise?
The total investment to open a Coldwell Banker Commercial® franchise ranges from $37K – $554K, with an initial franchise fee of $20K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Coldwell Banker Commercial® franchise owners earn?
Coldwell Banker Commercial® does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the Coldwell Banker Commercial® FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Coldwell Banker Commercial® FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Coldwell Banker Commercial®'s franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Coldwell Banker Commercial® has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 13 loans, meaning 0.0% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Coldwell Banker Commercial® franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Coldwell Banker Commercial® has 135 total units in the United States, including 134 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 25 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Coldwell Banker Commercial® a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Coldwell Banker Commercial® as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 61 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.