How much does a Century 21 Real Estate franchise cost?
Opening a Century 21 Real Estate franchise takes a total initial investment of $117,270 to $473,400, according to the brand's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. That FDD makes no Item 19 financial performance representation, so it discloses no earnings figures at all.
The CENTURY 21 brand franchises real estate brokerage businesses through CENTURY 21 Offices. Category: Business Services.
Item 7
What it costs to open a Century 21 Real Estate franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2026 FDD. The total is $117,270 to $473,400. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Furnishings and Communications Equipment ($27,000 to $87,500), Additional Funds (first 3 months after opening) ($35,000 to $60,000), and Security and Other Deposits ($7,500 to $17,700).
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Facility and Space Planning2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $9,000 | $17,500 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Security and Other Deposits2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $7,500 | $17,700 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Furnishings and Communications Equipment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $27,000 | $87,500 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Prepaid Business Expenses2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $3,000 | $4,600 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Additional Funds (first 3 months after opening)2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $35,000 | $60,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
| Total estimated initial investment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 | $117,270 | $473,400 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32 |
About this total: The FDD's printed total includes the Total Initial Investment for Conversion Office from the conversion office table above, in addition to the listed start-up office expenditures.
Source Century 21 Real Estate, 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 32, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-21. Read from a scanned copy of this FDD; figures and page citations were transcribed from the page images.
Item 19
What Century 21 Real Estate franchisees actually report earning
This brand's FDD publishes no Item 19.
We do not make any representations about a franchisee’s future financial performance or the past financial performance of company-owned or franchised outlets. We also do not authorize our employees or representatives to make any such representations either orally or in writing. If you are purchasing an existing outlet, however, we may provide you with the actual records of that outlet. If you receive any other financial performance information or projections of your future income, you should report it to the franchisor’s management by contacting Kelly Brown, Vice President, Legal, 175 Park Avenue, Madison, New Jersey 07940, (973) 407-6514, the Federal Trade Commission, and the appropriate state regulatory agencies.
Source Century 21 Real Estate, 2026 FDD, Item 19, p. 60, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-21. Read from a scanned copy of this FDD; figures and page citations were transcribed from the page images.
Item 20
How many Century 21 Real Estate outlets there are, and how many closed
Century 21 Real Estate ended 2025 with 1,685 franchised outlets and no company-owned outlets. In that year 68 franchised outlets opened and 117 left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2023 through 2025, Century 21 Real Estate opened 225 franchised outlets and 410 outlets left the system. That is a net loss of 185, from 1,870 to 1,685 franchised outlets. Of the outlets that left, 24 were terminated, 66 were not renewed, and 320 closed for other reasons.
On average, about 7.6% of franchised outlets left the system each year, roughly 1 in 13.
Our arithmetic from the FDD's Item 20 table below. "Left the system" counts every outlet the franchisor reports as terminated, not renewed, bought back, or closed for other reasons.
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminated | Non-renewed | Reacquired | Ceased, other | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,734 | 68 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 95 | 1,685 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 69 |
| 2024 | 1,807 | 72 | 5 | 30 | 0 | 110 | 1,734 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 69 |
| 2023 | 1,870 | 85 | 8 | 25 | 0 | 115 | 1,807 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 69 |
Source Century 21 Real Estate, 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 69, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-21. Read from a scanned copy of this FDD; figures and page citations were transcribed from the page images.
Compare
How Century 21 Real Estate compares with other Business Services franchises
Measured against the 140 Business Services franchises on this site, using each brand's own FDD.
- Cost to open. The middle of Century 21 Real Estate's estimated range is $295,335. It costs more to open than 82% of Business Services franchises here.
- Outlets leaving each year. 7.6% for Century 21 Real Estate. That is lower than 51% of the 101 Business Services franchises with at least 10 outlets.
- Three-year growth. Century 21 Real Estate's franchised system shrank 9.9%. The typical Business Services franchise here grew 4.4%.
- Earnings disclosure. 71 of the 140 Business Services franchises here publish earnings figures in Item 19. Century 21 Real Estate is not one of them.
Our arithmetic from each brand's Item 7 and Item 20. Growth and departure comparisons leave out brands with fewer than 10 outlets, where one opening or closure distorts the figures. See every Business Services franchise side by side.
Alert me when Century 21 Real Estate files a new FDD
Franchisors reissue their FDD at least once a year, and the Item 7 and Item 19 figures move. Leave an email and we will send you Century 21 Real Estate's updated numbers when the next document is published, plus the brand-comparison worksheet.
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