Question 1

How much does it cost to open RE/MAX vs Century 21?

Accepted Answer

RE/MAX requires $39K–$225K total investment. Century 21 requires $25K–$525K. RE/MAX has no upfront franchise fee — agents pay a flat monthly desk fee. Century 21 charges $35K franchise fee. RE/MAX offers lower total capital requirement for most agents.

Question 2

Which has better royalty rates?

Accepted Answer

RE/MAX charges 5% royalty with no ad fund. Century 21 charges 6% royalty + 1% ad fund. RE/MAX has lower total fee burden (5% vs 7%). RE/MAX's model lets agents keep more of each transaction.

Question 3

Are these home-based franchises?

Accepted Answer

Yes — both RE/MAX and Century 21 are home-based franchises. Agents can operate from a home office, keeping overhead very low. This is a key advantage over retail or restaurant franchises that require commercial space.

Question 4

Which has more locations?

Accepted Answer

Century 21 has 14,000 locations vs RE/MAX's 9,000. Century 21 has higher system-wide presence, though RE/MAX's agent-focused model generates higher per-agent revenue on average.

Question 5

What are the average unit revenues?

Accepted Answer

RE/MAX reports $1.2M AUV per office. Century 21 does not disclose Item 19 financial performance data, making direct revenue comparison difficult — this is a significant due diligence gap for Century 21.

Metric	RE/MAX	Century 21
Investment Range	$39K–$225K	$25K–$525K
Franchise Fee	$0 (no upfront fee)	$35K
Royalty Rate	5.0%	6.0%
Ad Fund Rate	0.0% (no ad fund)	1.0%
Total Fee Burden	5.0%	7.0%
Avg Unit Revenue (AUV)	$1.2M (disclosed)	N/A (Item 19 not disclosed)
Est. Payback Period	~9 months	N/A (no AUV)
System Size (Units)	9,000	14,000
1-Year Growth Rate	1.5%	0.9%
Failure Rate	2.1%	2.8%
Training Duration	3 weeks	4 weeks
Home-Based	Yes ✓	Yes ✓
Years Franchising	48 years (est. 1978)	54 years (est. 1972)

RE/MAX vs Century 21

Bottom Line

RE/MAX

Century 21

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