Commission Express Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Commission Express is a financial services franchise that advances cash to real estate agents against their pending commissions. Franchisees run local operations, underwriting and purchasing commission receivables from agents and brokers.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A COMMISSION EXPRESS franchise requires a total initial investment of $173K – $299K, including a $10K – $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 9.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $173K – $299K
- 81st pct Real Estate
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 9.0%
- 51st pct Real Estate
- Units
- 38
- 27th pct Real Estate
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
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 $173K – $299K including a $10K franchise fee, 9.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSNo Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 39/100 (higher is better).
- DATANo 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
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Commission Express National, Inc.
- CEO title
- President, Treasurer, Director, and Chairman
- John L. Stedman
- Incorporated in
- VA
- HQ
- 8306 Professional Hill Drive, Fairfax, VA 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
- CEO
- John L. Stedman
- Headquarters
- VA
- Founded
- 1994
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 21
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 11% above the typical real estate franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown19 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
- $173K – $299K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $7K – $25K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $10K – $50K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 9.0%
- tiered · 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 | $6K |
| Renewal fee | $1K |
| Inventory (initial) | $150K – $200K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
COMMISSION EXPRESS 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 COMMISSION EXPRESS unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
39%
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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
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 10.0% (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 -2.6% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
Multi-unit rate
Only 17% 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 Commission Express Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 38
- Opened
- 4
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 6
- Turnover rate
- 35.1%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 97%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 16.7%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -2.6%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -2.6%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 4
- Closed (3yr)
- 12
- Terminated (3yr)
- 1
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 5
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- 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.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
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: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 39 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDUnit count declined 5.1% YoY (38 units) — shrinking franchise system indicates market saturation or franchisee dissatisfaction
- 02MINORDeclining tiered royalty structure (9% down to 1%) suggests franchisor relies on volume incentives rather than proven unit profitability
- 03HIGHGoing Concern flag = False but paired with unit contraction raises sustainability questions about franchisor financial health
- 04MINOR10-year term with $50,000 upfront fee locks franchisee into relationship with shrinking brand
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 10.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | AAA office nearest franchisor's home office, currently Fairfax, Virginia |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | VA |
| 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, or virtually by Zoom or Microsoft Teams
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 1 mo
- From signing to launch
- 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 $173K – $299K, with an initial franchise fee of $10K. 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 Item 19 in the COMMISSION EXPRESS 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 COMMISSION EXPRESS FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
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 37 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 C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 39 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
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent COMMISSION EXPRESS, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Real Estate franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Real Estate category
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.