Intero Real Estate Services / Intero Resorts Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Intero Real Estate Services is a residential brokerage franchise offering brand, technology, and agent support. Franchisees run local brokerages, recruiting agents and managing listings, sales, and transactions.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Intero Real Estate Services / Intero Resorts franchise requires a total initial investment of $210K – $855K, including a $25K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: F (Weakest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $210K – $855K
- 83rd pct Real Estate
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 10th pct Real Estate
- Units
- 40
- 28th 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 $210K – $855K including a $25K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSNo Item 19 financial performance representation made. Item 21 audited financial statements (Exhibit C) are only marked '(Attached)' in this disclosure text; the statements themselves with figures and auditor name are not present in the extracted text, so franchisor financials are unavailable.
- RISKVerdict F (Weakest tier), verdict score 28/100 (higher is better).
- FLAG3 units terminated last reporting year (7.5% of the system). Ask existing franchisees why.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Intero Franchise Services, Inc.
- Parent company
- HomeServices of California, Inc.
- Ultimate parent
- Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company
- Predecessor
- Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Co-Presidents
- Scott Chase / Terry Meyer
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- CA
- HQ
- 10080 N. Wolfe Road, Suite SW3, Cupertino, California 95014
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
- CEO
- Scott Chase / Terry Meyer
- Headquarters
- CA
- Founded
- 2004
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 1
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 150% above the typical real estate franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown9 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $5K | $25K | |
| Real Property, whether Purchased or Leasednot refundable | $25K | $250K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures & Equipmentnot refundable | $50K | $200K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $5K | $30K | |
| Technologynot refundable | $10K | $50K | |
| Inventorynot refundable | $10K | $20K | |
| Insurancenot refundable | $25K | $100K | |
| Advertising and Marketingnot refundable | $5K | $30K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Monthsnot refundable | $75K | $150K | |
| Total initial investment | $210K | $855K |
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
- $210K – $855K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $75K – $150K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $25K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- -n/d
- Total fee load
- 5.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $180 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $1K |
| Inventory (initial) | $10K – $20K |
| Total fee load | 5.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Intero Real Estate Services / Intero Resorts 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 Intero Real Estate Services / Intero Resorts unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
17%
Below 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
No Item 19 financial performance representation made. Item 21 audited financial statements (Exhibit C) are only marked '(Attached)' in this disclosure text; the statements themselves with figures and auditor name are not present in the extracted text, so franchisor financials are unavailable.
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 5.0% — below the Real Estate average of 9.1%.
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 -21.2% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
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 Intero Real Estate Services / Intero Resorts Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 40
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 3
- Terminated
- 3
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 46.2%
- Company-owned
- 14
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 65%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -21.2%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -21.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 1
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 11
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 1
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 7.5%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 15.0%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 4 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.
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
Contracting franchise system facing material antitrust litigation, zero financial transparency, and unprotected territory creates elevated risk of franchisee underperformance and legal exposure.
Litigation (Item 3)
Three disclosed matters: (1) nationwide seller class action lawsuits against affiliates HSF and BHH (antitrust/commission conspiracy), settled for $250M with final approval Jan 2025; (2) Lutz buyer class action against HSF and BHH in S.D. Fla., motion to dismiss granted July 2025, third amended complaint pending; (3) Homie Technology antitrust suit against HomeServices/HSF, dismissed with prejudice July 2025. IFS itself is not named in any of these cases.
Largest disclosed settlement: $250,000,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes
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 28 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORUnit count declining 10.3% YoY (40 units) indicates system contraction and potential franchisee underperformance or attrition
- 02MEDMultiple active antitrust and commission-fixing lawsuits with jury verdict against parent companies creating ongoing legal/reputational risk and potential operational disruptions
- 03MINORNo Item 19 (average revenue/net income) disclosure prevents assessment of actual franchisee profitability and ROI on $210k–$855k investment
- 04MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk from other Intero franchisees and company-owned locations in same market
- 05MINORHigh upper-end investment ($855k) paired with declining unit economics suggests franchisees may be struggling to justify capital outlay
- 06MED10-year term is long-duration commitment in volatile real estate market with no clear exit liquidity or buyback provisions disclosed
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 5.0% 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 | 10 years |
| 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 | 90 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 60 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | County of Santa Clara, California |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | DE |
| Litigation count | 3 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Three disclosed matters: (1) nationwide seller class action lawsuits against affiliates HSF and BHH (antitrust/commission conspiracy), settled for $250M with final approval Jan 2025; (2) Lutz buyer class action against HSF and BHH in S.D. Fla., motion to dismiss granted July 2025, third amended complaint pending; (3) Homie Technology antitrust suit against HomeServices/HSF, dismissed with prejudice July 2025. IFS itself is not named in any of these cases.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 0 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- No established training program; optional training offered periodically
- Ongoing training
- Optional
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisor approves site; franchisee selects
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
30 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Intero Real Estate Services / Intero Resorts · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Intero Real Estate Services / Intero Resorts franchise?
The total investment to open a Intero Real Estate Services / Intero Resorts franchise ranges from $210K – $855K, with an initial franchise fee of $25K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Intero Real Estate Services / Intero Resorts franchise owners earn?
Intero Real Estate Services / Intero Resorts 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 Intero Real Estate Services / Intero Resorts 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 Intero Real Estate Services / Intero Resorts FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Intero Real Estate Services / Intero Resorts's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Intero Real Estate Services / Intero Resorts (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 Intero Real Estate Services / Intero Resorts franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Intero Real Estate Services / Intero Resorts has 40 total units in the United States, including 26 franchised units and 14 company-owned units.
Is Intero Real Estate Services / Intero Resorts a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Intero Real Estate Services / Intero Resorts as a F-grade franchise with a verdict score of 28 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.