Is CENTURY 21® or Red Barn Homebuyers cheaper to open?

CENTURY 21® costs $35,770–$286,100 and Red Barn Homebuyers costs $59,465–$257,820 to open (FDD Item 7). CENTURY 21® has the lower entry cost.

Which is the better franchise, CENTURY 21® or Red Barn Homebuyers?

FranchiseVerdict grades CENTURY 21® B and Red Barn Homebuyers A, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

CENTURY 21® vs Red Barn Homebuyers

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both CENTURY 21® and Red Barn Homebuyers are real estate franchises. CENTURY 21® requires an investment of $36K – $286K while Red Barn Homebuyers requires $59K – $258K. CENTURY 21® has SBA lending data on file with a 11.8% charge-off rate. FranchiseVerdict rates CENTURY 21® B (Above average) and Red Barn Homebuyers A (Strongest tier).

Metric	CENTURY 21®	Red Barn Homebuyers
Verdict Grade	BAbove averageAbove average	AStrongest tierStrongest tier
Investment Range	$36K – $286K	$59K – $258K
Franchise Fee	$25K	$35K
Royalty Rate	6.0%	3.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	N/A	N/A
SBA Charge-Off Rate	11.8% (207 loans)	N/A
Total Units	1,685	89
Unit Growth (YoY)	N/A	N/A
Year Began Franchising	1972	2022
FDD Year	2026	2025