Sotheby's International Realty franchise research

Investment by format

Format-specific estimates only. Do not combine one format's minimum with another format's maximum.

Investment sourceFDD p.40 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$0 to $25,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

6% · 6% of Gross Revenue, due upon close of each transaction

Marketing contribution

2% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

$1,000-$3,000/year for Computer Software Maintenance and Support (not currently charged, but franchisor reserves right to charge); Leads Engine currently free but may cost $0-$5,000/year in the future

Other fees

Minimum Annual Royalty Fee (varies by market, may apply to new Branch Offices); Global Networking Event Fee ($2,295-$2,495/registrant); MLS/data feed fees paid directly to MLS (ongoing)

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

Conversion Office: $15,000-$40,000 for Royalty Fees, BMF contributions, utilities, salaries and admin costs during first 3 months. Start-Up Office: an additional $35,000-$60,000 on top of the conversion estimate, for total working capital of $50,000-$100,000 in the first 3 months after opening.

Fees sourceFDD p.31 ↗

Working capital is drawn from Item 7. The Investment source below locates the investment section, not an independently verified working-capital scalar.

Investment sourceFDD p.40 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

No

Metric / basis

none

Reporting period

Not captured

Sample

Not captured

Reported average

Not captured

Reported median

Not captured

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Results depend on the disclosed metric, sample and period; consult the full filing.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.77 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2025

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

666

Year-end outlets

672

Net change

+6

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

27

Terminations

1

Non-renewals

0

Other closures

20

Reacquisitions

0

Transfers

8

Transfers are not closures. Net change is ending minus starting outlets for the stated scope and year, or complete openings less terminations, non-renewals, other closures and reacquisitions. Missing inputs stay unknown.

Unit growth sourceFDD p.78 ↗

SBA loan history

Loan activity

7 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$450,000

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

1 loans

Historical charge-off share

Suppressed: fewer than 10 seasoned loans

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

0 / 0

Formula

CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100

This is a historical loan-level share, not a franchise failure probability or location survival rate. Loan size is not total investment. Other loan statuses are excluded from the seasoned denominator. Activity combines 7(a) and 504 approvals, excluding canceled and not-funded records; this is not a rolling five-year count. FY2024-25 franchise tags are sparse after directory suspension; fewer tagged loans do not establish brand decline. Recent charge-off cohorts are immature.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median loan amounts are financing context, not startup cost. The median window is separate from the seasoned charge-off cohort.

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Questions before you invest

How much does Sotheby's International Realty franchise cost?

conversion office: $47,250 to $331,950; start-up office (total, incl. conversion-table costs): $128,750 to $519,250 These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $0 to $25,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.40 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do Sotheby's International Realty owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: none. Sample: Not captured. Period: Not captured.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.77 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for Sotheby's International Realty?

Suppressed: fewer than 10 seasoned loans; numerator / denominator: 0 / 0. Historical 7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals; CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100, snapshot 2026-06-30. This is not a franchise failure probability. Median SBA loan: $450,000; window: FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30; sample: 1 loans. Median financing is not total investment.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗