FranchiseVerdict
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FV-01953·STRONGExcellent91

Pillar To Post

Home Services - OtherFranchising since 1995Website
Investment
$103K – $134K
44th pct Other
Avg revenue
$308K
8th pct Other
Royalty
7.0%
38th pct Other
Units
382
94th pct Other
SBA default
0.0%
vs <3% typical

Bottom line

  • Total investment $103K – $134K including a $59K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
  • Average unit revenue of $308K/year (median $193K).
  • Rated STRONG with a risk score of 54/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 59 loans (below the industry average).
  • System contracting at -14.2% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).

Item 1 · who you're contracting with

The Franchisor

Legal entity
PILLAR TO POST, INC.
Parent company
FS Brands, Inc.
Incorporated in
Delaware
HQ
14502 North Dale Mabry Hwy., Suite 200, Tampa, FL 33618
Auditor
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Audited financials
Franchisor revenue
$850.4M
vs $888.6M prior year

Yale framework · single-unit ROIC

Returns Analysis

Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.

The model · Yale framework

What would one Pillar To Post unit return on the cash you put in?

Revenue · per unit, per year
$
FDD Item 19 reports $307,908
Franchisor take · royalty + ad fund
Royaltytyp 68%
%
Ad fundtyp 35%
%
Operating costs · category default: restoration
COGS
%
Labor
%
Rent / occupancy
%
Other operating
%
Total invested capital · what you actually put in
Initial investment
$
FDD Item 7: $103K–$134K
Working capital
$
FDD reports $10K–$20K

Unlevered ROIC · per unit

18%

Below typical band (30–60%)

0%30–60% Yale band80%

Store EBITDA · annual
$25K
EBITDA margin
8.0%
Total invested
$133K
Payback
65 mo
Unit-level only. A multi-unit portfolio gives up roughly 5–15% of this to shared services (corporate G&A) before reaching the ~10-unit break-even Yale describes.

Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing

What would 25 Pillar To Post units return on equity?

Edit assumptions

Equity IRR · 5-yr

49.9%

7.57× MOIC

Year-1 DSCR

1.88×

EBITDA ÷ debt service

Equity required

$62K

on $308K purchase

Total debt

$246K

SBA $0.2M + senior + seller note

Overview

About

Pillar To Post franchisees operate home inspection services, conducting detailed structural, mechanical, and safety assessments for homebuyers, sellers, and real estate agents. Day-to-day work involves scheduling inspections, performing on-site evaluations, documenting findings, and delivering reports to clients. The business model relies on building relationships with real estate professionals and generating repeat customer referrals.

CEO
Charles Furlough
Founded
1994
FDD year
2026
States available
43

Item 7 · what it costs

The Vitals

Total investment
$103K – $134K
All-in to open one unit
Liquid capital
$10K – $20K
Cash you must have on hand
Franchise fee
$59K
Royalty
7.0%
Gross Revenues · typical 6–8%
Ad fund
4.0%
typical 3–5%
Total fee load
16.5%
vs 9–13% typical

Item 19

Financial Performance

Avg gross sales
$308K
Per unit, per year
Median gross sales
$193K
Item 19 type
Average and Median Sales
Sample size
297 units
vs category median 21 · large
Range (low → high)
$33K$4.2M
Cohort dispersion
Transparency
4 / 5
vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Revenue rank8th
vs Home Services - Other peers
Investment cost rank44th
Lower investment ranks lower (better)
Royalty rate rank38th
Lower royalty = lower percentile (better)
Unit count rank94th
vs Home Services - Other peers
Risk score rank36th
Lower risk = lower percentile (better)

Item 20 · unit dynamics

The Growth Chart

Total units
382
Opened
12
Last reporting year
Closed
42
Turnover rate
11.0%
Company-owned
0
Corporate units in the system
% franchised
100%
vs corporate-owned
Net growth (yr3)
-7.3%
Net unit change last year
3-yr CAGR
-14.2%
Compounded over last 3 years
2024
382-30
Franchised units
2025
412
Franchised units
2026
445
Franchised units

Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.

Item 20 · 10 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).

AK
ME
VT
NH
MA
RI
CT
NY
NJ
PA
DE
MD
DC
WA
OR
CA
NV
ID
MT
WY
UT
CO
AZ
NM
ND
SD
NE
KS
OK
TX
MN
IA
MO
AR
LA
WI
IL
MS
TN
MI
IN
KY
AL
OH
WV
GA
VA
NC
SC
FL
HI
Registered · 10 states
Not registered

States derived from franchisee phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.

Government records

SBA Loan Data

Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.

Total loans
59
Loan volume
Avg loan
Default rate
0.0%
vs <3% typical · system-wide
5-yr default

FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17

Risk & Legal

54
Risk · 0-100
STRONG54 / 100

Declining unit count, undisclosed net income, unprotected territories, and litigation history create a CAUTION-to-HIGH RISK profile that demands deep validation before investment.

Score breakdown · what drove the 54 / 100 rating

  1. 01MINORUnit count declining 7.3% YoY (382 units) — shrinking franchise system indicates market saturation or franchisee dissatisfaction
  2. 02MINORNo average net income disclosure — opacity around profitability makes ROI assessment impossible; cannot verify if $307,908 avg revenue translates to viable income
  3. 03HIGHTwo litigation cases including master franchisee dispute — suggests franchisor-franchisee relationship strain and potential disputes over performance standards and renewal terms
  4. 04MEDHigh initial investment ($102,690–$134,290) + 7% royalties with variable monthly minimums ($0–$2,328) creates unpredictable cost structure relative to undisclosed profitability
  5. 05MINORNo protected territory — franchisee competes with other Pillar To Post locations and master franchisees in same area; risk of encroachment and channel conflict
  6. 06HIGH5-year term with no stated renewal protections — master franchisee litigation over non-renewal signals potential franchise termination/non-renewal risks
  7. 07HIGHGoing Concern = False — unclear what this means operationally; needs clarification on franchisor financial stability

Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification

FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal

Contract & Territory Detail

Territory
Non-exclusive geographical area defined by counties and/or zip codes
Protected territory
No
Initial term
5 years
Renewal term
5 years
Online sales rights
Restricted
Franchisor can compete
Yes
Hire a manager?
Not allowed
Litigation count
2
Right of first refusal
Yes
Franchisor can buy back on resale
Mandatory arbitration
Yes
Jury trial waiver
Yes
Non-compete
2 yrs
Post-termination restriction
Owner-operator
Required
Governing law
Florida

Item 11

Training & Operations

Classroom training
176 hrs
On-the-job training
0 hrs
POS system
OnePoint
Operating tech stack

Item 20

Franchisee Contacts

Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.

Franchisee contacts

88 numbers

Locked
(404) 254-••••
GA
(720) 708-••••
CO
(720) 402-••••
CO

One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included

FDD download

Pillar To Post · FDD (2026) PDF

Single-page checkout · instant download · CSV export of contacts available separately above