Commission ExpressFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A COMMISSION EXPRESS franchise requires a total initial investment of $108K – $299K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 9.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: F. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $108K – $299K
- 57th pct Real Estate
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 25th pct Real Estate
- Royalty
- 9.0%
- 46th pct Real Estate
- Units
- 38
- 23rd pct Real Estate
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Real Estate · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Real Estate avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchising since 1996. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Franchised units fell from 38 to 37 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $108K – $299K including a $50K franchise fee, 9.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict F (Bottom Quintile) with a risk score of 100/100.
- No Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- COMMISSION EXPRESS NATIONAL, INC.
- Incorporated in
- VA
- HQ
- 8306 Professional Hill Drive, Fairfax, Virginia 22031
- Auditor
- Gross, Mendelsohn & Associates, P.A.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $609K
- vs $560K prior year
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchisee Advisory Board
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Affiliated brands
- that is also a franchisee
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Commission Express franchisees operate as independent sales commission processors or financial services intermediaries. Day-to-day operations likely involve managing client accounts, processing transactions, handling customer inquiries, and maintaining administrative compliance. This appears to be a service-based business model reliant on recurring client relationships and transaction volume.
- CEO
- John L. Stedman
- Headquarters
- VA
- Founded
- 1994
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 21
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 19 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feenot refundable | $10K | $50K | |
| Leasehold improvementsnot refundable | $0 | $2K | |
| Leasehold depositnot refundable | $0 | $500 | |
| 1st month's rentnot refundable | $0 | $500 | |
| Office equipmentnot refundable | $0 | $500 | |
| Furniturenot refundable | $0 | $5K | |
| Opening inventory (capital pool)not refundable | $150K | $200K | |
| 1 computer accounting package (QUICKBOOKS)not refundable | $420 | $1K | |
| 1 computer systemnot refundable | $0 | $3K | |
| 1 telephone systemnot refundable | $0 | $1K | |
| 1 copiernot refundable | $0 | $3K | |
| Travel, lodging and meals for initial trainingnot refundable | $800 | $2K | |
| Supplies (stationery, brochures, banners, etc.)not refundable | $1K | $1K | |
| Business licenses, permits, etc.not refundable | $200 | $400 | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $500 | $800 | |
| Pre-opening advertisingnot refundable | $2K | $3K | |
| Local real estate association membershipnot refundable | $100 | $200 | |
| Professional feesnot refundable | $1K | $1K | |
| Additional fundsnot refundable | $7K | $25K | |
| Total initial investment | $173K | $299K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $108K – $299K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $7K – $25K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $10K – $50K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 9.0%
- Gross Income · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 9.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $587 |
| Training fee | $1K |
| Transfer fee | $13K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Real Estate averages
How Commission Express Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 38
- Opened
- 4
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 6
- Turnover rate
- 15.8%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 97%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 16.7%
- Net growth (yr3)
- -5.1%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -2.6%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
- Transfer rate
- 2.6%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Ceased ops
- 13.2%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 19 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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- North Dakota
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Washington
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Shrinking unit base, missing financial disclosure, and declining royalty tiers indicate a maturing franchise in contraction with insufficient transparency for ROI validation.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Gross, Mendelsohn & Associates, P.A.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 100 / 100 rating
- 01MEDUnit count declined 5.1% YoY (38 units) — shrinking franchise system indicates market saturation or franchisee dissatisfaction
- 02MEDNo average revenue or net income disclosed in FDD Item 19 — impossible to validate ROI or payback period on $107,800–$299,300 investment
- 03MINORDeclining tiered royalty structure (9% down to 1%) suggests franchisor relies on volume incentives rather than proven unit profitability
- 04HIGHGoing Concern flag = False but paired with unit contraction raises sustainability questions about franchisor financial health
- 05MINOR10-year term with $50,000 upfront fee locks franchisee into relationship with shrinking brand
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | MLS or real estate association boundaries |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Virginia |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 30 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Fairfax, Virginia area
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Commission Express proprietary software
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Commission Express proprietary software
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
27 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
COMMISSION EXPRESS · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a COMMISSION EXPRESS franchise?
The total investment to open a COMMISSION EXPRESS franchise ranges from $108K – $299K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do COMMISSION EXPRESS franchise owners earn?
COMMISSION EXPRESS 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 COMMISSION EXPRESS's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for COMMISSION EXPRESS (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many COMMISSION EXPRESS franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, COMMISSION EXPRESS has 38 total units in the United States, including 38 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 4 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is COMMISSION EXPRESS a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates COMMISSION EXPRESS as a F-grade franchise with a risk score of 100 out of 100, 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.