Dryer Vent Wizard Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $85K – $163K
- Disclosed sales
- $237K
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- 10.0%
- on 49 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Dryer Vent Wizard is a home-services franchise specializing in dryer-vent cleaning, repair, and inspection to improve safety and efficiency. Franchisees run a mobile, route-based service handling residential and commercial jobs in a territory, often owner-operated.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Dryer Vent Wizard franchise requires a total initial investment of $85K – $163K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 10.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $237K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 10.0% charge-off rate across 49 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low - issued within the last 12 months
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored7 of 8 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
- Investment
- $85K – $163K
- 26th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Avg gross sales
- $237K
- 2nd pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- 72nd pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Units
- 163
- 72nd pct Cleaning & Ma…
- SBA charge-off
- 10.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Cleaning & Maintenance · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Cleaning & Maintenance median · 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 $85K – $163K including a $50K franchise fee, 10.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $237K/year (median $165K).
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 65/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 10.0% across 49 loans (near or below the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHNegative: net -2 franchised outlets in the latest year (8 opened, 10 closed); 3 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- FLAGBankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Dryer Vent Wizard SPV LLC
- Parent company
- Neighborly Assetco LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 11 of the 2026 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- Neighborly Company (Dwyer Franchising LLC)
- FDD Item 1, page 11 of the 2026 FDD
- Predecessor
- Dryer Vent Wizard LLC; American Franchise Systems LLC; Dryer Vent Wizard Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President
- Kevin Busch
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 1010 North University Parks Drive, Waco, Texas 76707
- Auditor
- Ernst & Young LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $480.8M
- vs $461.7M prior year
Same owner · FDD Item 1, page 11
18 other brands on this site name Neighborly Company (Dwyer Franchising LLC) as parent or ultimate parent in their own FDD.
- AIRE SERVC
- Five Star PaintingC
- Glass DoctorC
- HouseMasterD
- Lawn PrideB
- Molly MaidC
- Mosquito JoeB
- Mr. ApplianceD
- Mr. ElectricB
- Mr. HandymanC
- Mr. RooterA
- Precision Garage Door ServiceA
- Rainbow InternationalD
- Rainbow RestorationA
- Real Property ManagementB
- ShelfGenieB
- THE GROUNDS GUYSD
- Window GenieD
Portfolio: Neighborly
Grouped by the owner's name as each filing prints it (this page: the 2026 FDD). Spelling variants of the same group may be listed apart; a brand is never grouped with an owner its filing does not name.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Kevin Busch
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2006
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 39
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 27% below the typical cleaning & maintenance franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $5K | $40K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $30K | $74K |
| Total initial investment | $85K | $163K |
Source: Dryer Vent Wizard 2026 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
- $85K – $163K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $5K – $40K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 10.0%
- Set by a formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 12.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 10.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Training fee | $4K |
| Transfer fee | $8K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $13K – $20K |
| Total fee load | 12.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 56% below the cleaning & maintenance norm.
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for Dryer Vent Wizard until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$147K
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Dryer Vent Wizard unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
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: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $237K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $165K
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- Gross Sales (historical)
- Sample size
- 73 outlets
- vs category median 32 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $15K→$1.1MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 72 of the 2026 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $64K→$533K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · typical
Compared against 191 Cleaning & Maintenance brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $237K/year in gross sales. Median is $165K — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 1.9x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 12.0% — above the Cleaning & Maintenance median of 8.3%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System expanding at 10.9% CAGR over 3 years across 163 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 Cleaning & Maintenance medians
How Dryer Vent Wizard Compares
Category median of published Cleaning & Maintenance brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 163
- Opened
- 8
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 10
- Terminated
- 9
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 1
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 6.1%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -1.2%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +10.9%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 9
- Not renewed
- 1
- Transferred
- 5
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 3
- 0.02 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 10
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 8 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.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
76 current owners across 8 states.
- MD 55
- CA 9
- CO 4
- CT 4
- AL 1
- AR 1
- AZ 1
- PA 1
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 49
- Loan volume
- $7.7M
- Median loan
- $150K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 10.0%
- on 49 loans · 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)
- 90.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 20.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 11
- Defaults
- 1
- Typical loan rate
- 8.5%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 40.5%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 168
- 2.2 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 69%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 86% went to startups / new businesses, 14% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in appliance repair and maintenance, franchised businesses charge off at 40.5% vs 21.9% for independents — franchising is associated with 85% higher SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing Dryer Vent Wizard franchisees
Showing 3 of 11 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.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Dryer Vent Wizard from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 1.7%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 82%
- Avg interest rate
- 8.52%
- Avg chargeoff amount
- $134K
- Lender concentration
- 69.4%
- Job velocity
- 2.2 per $100K
- NAICS benchmark
- 41.4%
- NAICS 811412
- Jobs supported
- 168
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 69% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | 34 | $4.9M | 33.3% |
| 2 | The Bank of Elk River | 3 | $120K | 0.0% |
| 3 | Stearns Bank National Association | 2 | $194K | 0.0% |
| 4 | United Community Bank | 2 | $600K | N/A |
| 5 | U.S. Bank, National Association | 2 | $381K | 0.0% |
| 6 | CRF Small Business Loan Company, LLC | 1 | $249K | N/A |
| 7 | Waukesha State Bank | 1 | $100K | 0.0% |
| 8 | Dogwood State Bank | 1 | $583K | N/A |
| 9 | Newtek Small Business Finance, Inc. | 1 | $225K | 0.0% |
| 10 | ACC Capital | 1 | $222K | N/A |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| FLFlorida | 7 | 0 | -- |
| TXTexas | 7 | 1 | 33.3% |
| COColorado | 4 | 0 | 0.0% |
| NYNew York | 4 | 0 | -- |
| GAGeorgia | 3 | 0 | -- |
| MNMinnesota | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| NCNorth Carolina | 3 | 0 | -- |
| CACalifornia | 2 | 0 | -- |
| KYKentucky | 2 | 0 | -- |
| MOMissouri | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 10.0% — 38% 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
Moderate-to-cautious risk: service-based dryer vent cleaning franchise with growth potential undermined by opaque profitability data, aggressive royalty floor, and parent company regulatory baggage.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation required to be disclosed against the franchisor. One affiliate (Window Genie predecessor FOR Franchising LLC) Consent Order with California Commissioner of Business Oversight in 2017 for failure to submit two advertisements; $5,000 penalty paid.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Subject: the company or an affiliate. Disclosed (Item 4 covers the last 10 years)
No bankruptcy involving the franchisor. Several KKR portfolio companies disclosed: Marelli Holdings (2025), The Collected Group LLC (2021, emerged), Envision Healthcare (2023, emerged), Genesis Care (2023, emerged), IPI Legacy Liquidation (2023, emerged), Café Coffee Day (insolvency 2024, overturned on appeal).
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Ernst & Young LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Item 21 financial statements are the audited combined financial statements of Neighborly Assetco LLC (the franchisor's direct parent and guarantor of the Franchise Agreement), not of the franchisor Dryer Vent Wizard SPV LLC itself. Figures are in $000's; 2025 total revenues and income of $480,797K comprise Franchise service fees and related revenue of $353,906K plus Sales of products and services of $126,891K.
ⓘ 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: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 65 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORRoyalty structure (10% or minimum fee) is punitive; at $240k revenue, 10% royalty ($24k) plus operating costs may severely compress margins
- 02HIGHParent company litigation history (Window Genie, Molly Maid) signals compliance culture issues and regulatory attention across portfolio
- 03MINOR12.2% YoY growth is modest for a service franchise in expanding market; does not indicate runaway demand
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 12.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · 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 | 1 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 125,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | McLennan County, Texas |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | TX |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed against the franchisor. One affiliate (Window Genie predecessor FOR Franchising LLC) Consent Order with California Commissioner of Business Oversight in 2017 for failure to submit two advertisements; $5,000 penalty paid.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 35 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 30 hrs
- Training location
- Waco or Irving, Texas (or virtual); field training at franchise owner training centers
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee (with franchisor site selection guidelines and approval)
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Onverity
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Onverity
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
76 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Dryer Vent Wizard franchise?
The total investment to open a Dryer Vent Wizard franchise ranges from $85K – $163K, 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 Dryer Vent Wizard franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Dryer Vent Wizard FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $237K. The median is $165K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns Dryer Vent Wizard?
Dryer Vent Wizard is franchised by Dryer Vent Wizard SPV LLC. Its parent company is Neighborly Assetco LLC. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is Neighborly Company (Dwyer Franchising LLC). Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Dryer Vent Wizard 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 Dryer Vent Wizard FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Dryer Vent Wizard's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Dryer Vent Wizard has a charge-off rate of 10.0% across 49 loans, meaning 10.0% 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 Dryer Vent Wizard franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Dryer Vent Wizard has 163 total units in the United States, including 163 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 8 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Dryer Vent Wizard a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Dryer Vent Wizard as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 65 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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 Dryer Vent Wizard, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.