Coldwell Banker franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Coldwell Banker franchise takes $30,375 – $309,875 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 3%. To qualify, Coldwell Banker asks for $30,000 in liquid cash and a $250,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Coldwell Banker 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 | $30,375 | $309,875 | $30,375 to $309,875 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $250,000 | $250,000 | $250,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $30,000 | $30,000 | $30,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $30,375 | $309,875 | $30,375 to $309,875 |
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 6% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 3% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 10 years |
See the full Coldwell Banker cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Coldwell Banker's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Coldwell Banker's disclosed cost sits against the Professional Services category:
- Minimum startup cost of $30,375 — about 64% 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 Coldwell Banker's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2022: began the window at 1,894 units; 450 units opened, 474 closed, ending at 1,388 units. (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only.)
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Coldwell Banker 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 Coldwell Banker 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 Coldwell Banker 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 Coldwell Banker 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 Coldwell Banker 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 Coldwell Banker franchise
Coldwell Banker is a professional services franchisor with 1,388 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2022, it began the window at 1,894 units; its filings record 450 unit openings and 474 closures, ending at 1,388 units (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). Its parent company is Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.
No franchise-related lawsuits reported in the disclosure data we hold (FDD Item 3, as of 2026-05) — an absence in our sources, not a guarantee; confirm against the brand's current FDD.
From the franchisor's materials
The franchise is for a residential real estate brokerage offering with defined real estate brokerage services from a specified location under the name Coldwell Banker
Coldwell Banker franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Coldwell Banker franchise cost?
- $30,375 – $309,875 all-in to open, per Coldwell Banker's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Coldwell Banker units are there?
- 1,388 units at the end of 2022 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Coldwell Banker's units held up?
- 93.4% 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).