Counselor RealtyFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A COUNSELOR REALTY franchise requires a total initial investment of $23K – $106K, including a $15K franchise fee. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $23K – $106K
- 8th pct Real Estate
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 25th pct Real Estate
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 11
- 13th 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
Franchised units fell from 7 to 5 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $23K – $106K including a $15K franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 60/100.
- 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
- COUNSELOR REALTY FRANCHISING, INC.
- Parent company
- Counselor Holding, Inc.
- Incorporated in
- MN
- HQ
- 3200 NW Main Street, Suite 110, Coon Rapids, Minnesota 55448
- Auditor
- Baker Tilly US, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $69K
- vs $71K prior year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate real estate brokerage offices, recruiting and managing licensed real estate agents under the Counselor Realty brand. They handle transaction coordination, agent support, marketing, and regulatory compliance while paying monthly base fees plus per-agent royalties to the franchisor. Revenue depends entirely on recruiting agents and generating commissions from residential/commercial transactions.
- CEO
- Gayle Miller
- Headquarters
- MN
- Founded
- 2001
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 13 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Monthly Fee | $371 | $371 | |
| Continuing Agent Fee | $32 | $53 | |
| Advertising Fee | $25 | $60 | |
| Website Fees | $75 | $75 | |
| Website Set Up Fees | — | — | |
| Mobile App Fees | — | — | |
| Technology Tools and Additional Tools Fees | — | — | |
| One-Time Fee for each Additional Office and each Extension Office | $750 | $750 | |
| Transfer Fee | $2K | $2K | |
| Late Charges | — | — | |
| Insufficient Funds/Return Fees | — | — | |
| Training Fees | $175 | $175 | |
| Legal Fees | — | — | |
| Total initial investment | $3K | $3K |
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
- $23K – $106K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $8K – $15K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- $371 per month base fee plus $32 to $53 per licensed agen…
- Ad fund
- $25 to $60 per agent per month
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Technology fee | $75 |
| Transfer fee | $2K |
| Renewal fee | $15K |
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 Counselor Realty Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 11
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 6
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 46%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -28.6%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 1 state reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
1
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
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
Very small, undisclosed-revenue system with unsubstantiated profitability claims, going concern uncertainties, and unprotected territory creates substantial investment risk.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Baker Tilly US, LLP
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
Score breakdown · what drove the 60 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure (Item 19) — impossible to assess profitability or ROI
- 02MINOROnly 11 units system-wide with unknown growth trajectory — suggests minimal scale, market traction, or franchisor confidence
- 03HIGHGoing Concern indicator is FALSE — potential financial viability concerns at franchisor level
- 04MEDPer-agent monthly fees ($32-$53) create variable cost structure that could squeeze margins if agent count declines
- 05MINORNo protected territory — franchisees face direct competition from other franchisees and company-owned locations
- 06MINOR5-year term is relatively short for real estate franchise model requiring client relationship building
- 07MINORCombination of base fee ($371/mo) plus per-agent fees creates unclear total cost structure and scalability risk
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 | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Designated geographic area |
| Protected territory | No |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 60 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Governing law | Minnesota |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 8 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
5 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
COUNSELOR REALTY · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a COUNSELOR REALTY franchise?
The total investment to open a COUNSELOR REALTY franchise ranges from $23K – $106K, with an initial franchise fee of $15K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do COUNSELOR REALTY franchise owners earn?
COUNSELOR REALTY 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 COUNSELOR REALTY's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for COUNSELOR REALTY (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 COUNSELOR REALTY franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, COUNSELOR REALTY has 11 total units in the United States, including 7 franchised units and 6 company-owned units.
Is COUNSELOR REALTY a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates COUNSELOR REALTY as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 60 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.
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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.