Commission Express vs Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Commission Express vs Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Commission Express Franchise
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Franchise
Investment $112,800 - $301,500N/A
Franchise Fee $15,000 - $60,000N/A
Royalty Fee Varies-
Advertising Fee --
Year Founded 1992-
Year Franchised 1996-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Commission Express Franchise
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Franchise
Experience
  • General business experience
  • -

    Financing Options

     
    Commission Express Franchise
    Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/No-/-
    Start-up Costs No/No-/-
    Equipment No/No-/-
    Inventory No/No-/-
    Receivables No/No-/-
    Payroll No/No-/-

    Training & Support

     
    Commission Express Franchise
    Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Franchise
    Training --
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Internet, Field operations/evaluations-
    Marketing Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, National media, Regional advertising-
    Operations 15% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 1

    Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    -

    Expansion Plans

     
    Commission Express Franchise
    Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Franchise
    US Expansion --
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion Yes-

    Company Overviews

    About Commission Express

    John L Stedman and Joseph M. Giovannelli founded Commission Express, based in Fairfax, Virginia, in 1992. With most real estate transactions, an agent waits between 30 and 90 days to receive his or her commission. In the meantime, the agent still has to cover the costs of running an office and paying employees.
    Commission Express franchisees essentially offer agents cash advances by purchasing an agent's outstanding commissions at a discount. When the home purchase is completed and the commission is received, Commission Express withholds between 8 and 14 percent in fees. Franchisees provide their own capital to purchase the commissions.

    The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Commission Express franchised business with a protected development territory ranges from $172,300 to $301,500. This includes $10,000 (for a small territory), $25,000 (for a medium territory) or $50,000 (for a large territory) that must be paid to the franchisor.
    The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Commission Express franchised business with an open market development territory ranges from $112,800 to $192,500. This includes $25,000 that must be paid to the franchisor.



    About Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices

    Berkshire Hathaway is the flagship conglomerate of Warren Buffett, nicknamed the "Oracle of Omaha" for his decades-long run of beating the returns of benchmark stock indexes with his investments. With Buffett's blessing, Berkshire Hathaway has been rolled out as a real estate brand.