Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices franchise takes $45,300 – $90,375 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $25,000. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 6% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 1%. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $25,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $45,300 | $90,375 | $45,300 to $90,375 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $45,300 | $90,375 | $45,300 to $90,375 | |
- 1 "Not disclosed" means Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices's filings do not state this figure. We publish the gap instead of estimating it.
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 6% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 1% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 5 years |
See the full Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices's disclosed cost sits against the Professional Services category:
- Minimum startup cost of $45,300 — about 47% below the Professional Services median of $84,700.
- Initial franchise fee of $25,000 — about 37% below the Professional Services median of $39,700.
Category medians are computed from the Professional Services brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Professional Services franchises
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How Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2013–2022: began the window at 0 units; 293 units opened, 54 closed, ending at 256 units. (partial records: 2016, 2018 are not in the source data — totals span the reported years only.)
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices franchise
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices is a professional services franchisor with 256 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2013 and 2022, it began the window at 0 units; its filings record 293 unit openings and 54 closures, ending at 256 units (partial records: 2016, 2018 are not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). Its parent company is HSF Affiliates LLC.
Disclosure filings report 1 franchise-related lawsuit. Review Item 3 of the FDD. (as of 2026-05)
From the franchisor's materials
The franchisee will establish and operate a Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices residential real estate brokerage business. The business will be operated from an office or offices, under an existing real estate broker’s credentials, and the franchisee will promote and support customer acquisition, a professional referral system, and advertising and public relations for its real estate sales associates.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices franchise cost?
- $45,300 – $90,375 all-in to open, per Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices units are there?
- 256 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices's units held up?
- 87.7% of units at risk between 2020 and 2022 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).