CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE discloses little or no owner-earnings data (Item 19) — the franchisor won't put real profit in writing.
What their own earnings claim actually says
No financial performance representations made. Franchisor explicitly states it does not make representations about franchisee future or past outlet financial performance.
What a CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $25,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 0.5% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 6.5% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $35,770 – $286,100 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
6% royalty; 0.5% Brand Marketing Fund; $500/mo minimum; liquidated damages up to 36 months fees on early termination
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 1,685 |
| Ceased operations | 95 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 11 |
| Transferred to new owners | 59 |
| Closure rate | 5.6% of outlets |
95 ceased operations in 2025; 49 net outlet decline (2.8% annual shrinkage)
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 6.5% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $35,770 | cheaper than most (median $138,750) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade F | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 5.6% of outlets | worse than 75% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 10 | more litigious than 93% of peers |
Benchmarked against every other franchises franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE
The franchisor's framing: No financial performance representations made. Franchisor explicitly states it does not ma… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $35,770–$286,100, including a $25,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE franchise owners make?
- CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE discloses little or no earnings data (Item 19) — meaning the franchisor won't put real owner profit in writing. That's a red flag worth questioning.
- What are the CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE franchise fees?
- CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE's FDD discloses a $25,000 initial franchise fee, a 6% royalty on gross sales, a 0.5% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 6.5% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 6% royalty; 0.5% Brand Marketing Fund; $500/mo minimum; liquidated damages up to 36 months fees on early termination
- What is the CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE franchise profit margin?
- CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE discloses no Item 19 earnings representation, so no profit margin can be derived from the FDD at all. Any margin figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure.
- What is the CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE franchise failure rate?
- 95 ceased operations in 2025; 49 net outlet decline (2.8% annual shrinkage)
- How many CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE locations are there?
- CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE's FDD reports 1,685 total outlets, with 95 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 59 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE have complaints or lawsuits?
- CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE discloses 10 legal matters in Item 3 of its FDD. Item 3 covers the franchisor's litigation history, which is the closest thing to a public record of how it treats franchisees — read the case descriptions, not just the count.
- Is a CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE scores F on disclosure honesty, carries about 6.5% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 10 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Source: MN CARDS 35701-202603-09 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.