Real Estate Franchise Opportunities in the United States of America

The real estate industry in the United States has always been a sound business choice for many entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners. Investing in residential or commercial properties is a sound investment, while the practice of helping others find their ideal home or commercial space can be a lucrative industry to operate in.

With this in mind, the US real estate industry deserves special attention. That’s why we outline some of the key defining characteristics of the industry for 2025 in more detail below. Let’s take a closer look.

• By the end of 2024, the US real estate market was expected to reach a value of $119.8 trillion.
• Looking at the commercial and residential real estate market, the residential one is poised to dominate with a market volume of $94.39 trillion for the same period. Suburban home searches are rapidly on the rise, especially because of the rise in remote work in the US.
• The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) by 2028 is anticipated to be steady with growth in the region of 4.51%, driving the market volume to $142.9 trillion by the same period.
• Expectations for the market are positive, with improvements expected over the coming years, despite certain economic challenges.
• Inflation, interest rates, and credit ratings will continue to steer the success of the industry.
• It is argued by some industry experts that home prices will remain unaffected by high mortgage rates. 
• A Federal Reserve rate cut is also expected to help stimulate the housing markets. However, there are no indications of when and if this will occur this year.
• Investing in a real estate franchise generally involves buying and selling of residential or commercial property.
• There is a fairly even split of estate agents, with around 52% working for independent companies and the remainder working for franchises. 
• There’s been a rise in real estate franchise opportunities after the pandemic, with 2020 home sales rising to the highest level since 2006.
• This situation led to growth in real estate agency growth, with franchises growing at an average of 2.3% per year from 2015 until 2020.
• Around six million people buy and sell houses each year in the US. 
• While it is often assumed that real estate franchise companies only deal with property buying and selling, this is not necessarily true. That’s because there are many other opportunities surrounding the sector, including home and property inspection franchises. These cater to both residential homes and to apartment complexes, hotels, warehouses, and other commercial buildings.
• Apart from home inspection franchises, you can also invest in a real estate brokerage franchise. Other business options include home flipping, leasing or property management, estate sale management, co-working spaces, salon suite rentals, etc.

Real Estate Industry Trends in 2026

Wondering what the future holds for the real estate industry? Below, we’ve selected a few of the key trends worth keeping in mind when you consider buying a real estate franchise for sale.

• Inflation and interest rates: These two macroeconomic indicators will always play a key role in the real estate market. High interest rates make the cost of borrowing more expensive while inflation makes the cost of living either affordable or costly. When inflation is at an acceptable level and interest rates are lower, the real estate market directly benefits from this. However, there is no certainty as to when or if the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates in the near future. Keeping this in mind is important when you want to buy a real estate franchise.

• Challenges of obtaining credit: With lenders and financial institutions considering the safety of lending, there exist some challenges in terms of consumers obtaining credit. Those with low credit scores can struggle to obtain financing for a home loan, meaning that real estate franchises need to carefully consider their customers and manage their needs and expectations.

• Energy audits and energy efficiency: With environmental awareness taking hold of every aspect of business and life, there’s been a greater demand for energy efficient buildings and homes as consumers seek sustainable solutions. Energy audits that are carried out are increasingly considering energy efficiency as a factor and this can be a major driving factor when people choose to buy or sell homes.

• Commercial real estate: The Covid-19 pandemic spurred on a massive shift to remote work as people practiced social distancing. However, with the pandemic behind us, there’s been some resistance to return-to-office orders and commercial office buildings are not seeing as high occupancy rates as in the past. This could play an influential role in helping you choose which real estate investment franchise to choose.

• Sanitization: When it comes to a commercial real estate franchise, regular sanitization will play a key role in ensuring that workers feel comfortable and safe when working in a commercial space. Owners must ensure the hygiene and safety of the building to stop and prevent any diseases from spreading.

• Artificial intelligence (AI): AI is starting to enhance the property search and analysis process. Many people are choosing to go online and ask AI for help in providing them with appropriate information related to their property searches. This can range from the property’s characteristics to buying prices. Apart from buyers, estate agents in the real estate industry are also using AI for marketing, sales, IT, human resources, finance, and predictive analytics purposes to ensure that they leverage the power of AI for maximum effectiveness in their franchise real estate brokerage.

Why you should consider investing in a real estate franchise opportunity

So, what are the benefits of buying a franchise in real estate? Among the key factors to consider include:

• Brand awareness: This helps you establish trust with potential buyers.
• Support: The extensive support offered by franchisors includes help in finding leads, training, marketing materials, assistance with transactions, access to specialized software, networking with the wider franchisee network, and more.

• Proven business model: The best real estate franchise for you will differ from the best real estate franchise for someone else. However, the lowest common denominator is the fact that real estate franchises operate on a proven business model.

How much does it cost to open a real estate franchise?

The cost of buying a real estate franchise will differ, depending on the opportunity you choose, the initial franchise fee, the total investment, minimum liquidity requirements, and other factors. However, you can expect to make an investment that ranges from $4,500 upwards of $500,000.

Exploring Regional Opportunities for Property and Real Estate Franchises

To guide you in finding the most promising markets for your property and real estate franchise, we’ve divided the United States into four major regions—Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. Each region offers unique opportunities for expansion, influenced by housing demand, local market trends, and the continuous growth of the real estate sector.

Northeast:

• New York
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania
• Massachusetts
• Connecticut
• Rhode Island
• Maine
• Vermont
• New Hampshire

Midwest:

• Illinois
• Ohio
• Michigan
• Indiana
• Wisconsin
• Minnesota
• Iowa
• Missouri
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Nebraska
• Kansas

South:

• Florida
• Georgia
• South Carolina
• North Carolina
• Virginia
• Maryland
• West Virginia
• Kentucky
• Tennessee
• Alabama
• Mississippi
• Arkansas
• Louisiana
• Texas
• Oklahoma

West:

• California
• Nevada
• Arizona
• Washington
• Colorado
• Oregon
• Utah
• Idaho
• New Mexico
• Alaska
• Hawaii
• Montana
• Wyoming

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