4 things to verifyFranchisor financials: high concern

Property Sellwise — full diligence report

The average Property Sellwise unit reports $30k/mo in revenue.

Opening one costs $117k–$252k.

DisclosedItem 19 · 2 units reporting · Item 7 · 2 open units

Both figures are the franchisor’s own, straight out of the disclosure document. What is masked below is the rest of the analysis — and the capital check that follows measures your cash against that opening range.

13 sections · 103 cited figures · 10 operational tripwires · 10 diligence questions

Everything below is in the report. Every figure is cited to an FDD Item and page, and labelled with where the number came from. The labels are free. The numbers are what you are buying.

Franchise Edge automates franchise diligence. We read the franchisor’s own Franchise Disclosure Document — the filing a franchisor is legally required to hand you at least 14 days before you sign anything or pay anything — and run the work that takes a buyer weeks by hand: every disclosed cost, the unit economics behind the headline, the full fee stack, and what happened to the units that opened before you.

Your analysis is ready. The framework is below — every section, every cited figure, every question, exactly as it appears in the report.

New to FDDs? Here is what is in one

An FDD runs to 23 numbered Items and a few hundred pages. Four of them do most of the work in this report:

  • Item 7— what it costs to open, low to high. That is the range above, and it is the franchisor’s own estimate.
  • Item 19 — what units actually earn. A franchisor is not required to publish one at all; when it is missing, or when it reports profit where you expected revenue, that is itself a finding.
  • Item 20 — openings, closures, transfers and terminations, year by year. This is where churn shows up, and where a growth story either holds or does not.
  • Item 6 — the ongoing fees. Royalty and ad fund get quoted on a discovery call; the rest of the list usually does not.

Every figure in the report is cited to its Item and page, so you can check any of it against the document yourself.

Questions before you buy? jason@foundersplinko.com — a person, not a ticket queue.

Disclosedstated in this FDDDerivedour calculation from disclosed figuresBenchmarkour industry range, because the FDD does not disclose itInferredAI classification
Drag to enter the capital you have available.

Against the total investment the franchisor discloses in Item 7. What it means for your loan, your coverage ratio and your payback is locked.

What it costs to open

14 locked

Item 7, as the franchisor states it. 14 line items.

Initial Franchise Fee (1 territory)DisclosedItem 7, pp. 19-21Locked
Initial TrainingDisclosedItem 7, pp. 19-21Locked
Real Estate ImprovementsDisclosedItem 7, pp. 19-21Locked
Rent (3 months + security deposit)DisclosedItem 7, pp. 19-21Locked
Equipment, Furniture, Fixtures, Décor, and SuppliesDisclosedItem 7, pp. 19-21Locked
Computer Hardware and SoftwareDisclosedItem 7, pp. 19-21Locked
Additional SignsDisclosedItem 7, pp. 19-21Locked
VehicleDisclosedItem 7, pp. 19-21Locked
Startup PackageDisclosedItem 7, pp. 19-21Locked
Professional FeesDisclosedItem 7, pp. 19-21Locked
Miscellaneous Opening CostsDisclosedItem 7, pp. 19-21Locked
Grand Opening MarketingDisclosedItem 7, pp. 19-21Locked
Additional Funds (3 months working capital)DisclosedItem 7, pp. 19-21Locked
Total investmentDisclosedItem 7, pp. 19-21Locked

Buyer-fit underwriting

5 locked

What the deal asks of you, against what you told us you have.

Capital gapDerivedLocked
Loan neededDerivedLocked
Net worth requirementDisclosedItem 5Locked
Liquid capital requirementDisclosedItem 5Locked
Margin after fees, rent and debtDerivedLocked

The cash ladder — Item 19 top line

13 locked

13 rungs, monthly, from disclosed revenue down to what the operator actually keeps. Every rung is labelled with where its number came from.

1. Gross revenueDerivedLocked
2. − Franchise feesDerivedLocked
3. − Fixed monthly feesDerivedLocked
4. − Rent & occupancyDerivedLocked
5. = Margin after fees & rentDerivedLocked
6. − Cost of goodsDerivedLocked
7. − LaborDerivedLocked
8. − Other operating costsDerivedLocked
9. = Operating EBITDADerivedLocked
10. − Debt serviceDerivedLocked
11. = Cash after debt, before owner drawDerivedLocked
12. Debt-service coverage ratioDerivedLocked
13. Years to recover the build-outDerivedLocked

How you pay for it

9 locked

The loan this unit would need, and whether the unit can carry it.

Loan amountDerivedLocked
RateBenchmarkLocked
TermBenchmarkLocked
Monthly paymentDerivedLocked
Cash you put inDerivedLocked
Cash after debtDerivedLocked
Return on your cashDerivedLocked
Debt-service coverage ratioDerivedLocked
What this unit could supportDerivedLocked

Ongoing fees and hidden costs

21 locked

21 separate charges in the agreement. Most buyers find four.

RoyaltyDisclosedItem 6Locked
Brand fundDisclosedItem 6Locked
Local advertisingDisclosedItem 6Locked
Technology FeeDisclosedItem 6Locked
Marketing Management Fee - Package 1 (Steady/Launch)DisclosedItem 6Locked
Marketing Management Fee - Package 2 (Balanced/Growth)DisclosedItem 6Locked
Marketing Management Fee - Package 3 (Market Leader)DisclosedItem 6Locked
Target Data List Fee (per territory, if running mailer/SMS/cold-call campaigns)DisclosedItem 6Locked
Royalty on Flips and Purchase-and-Hold TransactionsDisclosedItem 6Locked
Royalty on Closed Listings (20% of commission)DisclosedItem 6Locked
Referral Fee (wholesale assignment)DisclosedItem 6Locked
Referral Fee (flip/rental/listing)DisclosedItem 6Locked
Replacement Training FeeDisclosedItem 6Locked
Additional Training FeeDisclosedItem 6Locked
Conference or Seminar FeeDisclosedItem 6Locked
Minimum Local Marketing SpendDisclosedItem 6Locked
System Non-Compliance FineDisclosedItem 6Locked
Interim Management FeeDisclosedItem 6Locked
Early Termination Liquidated DamagesDisclosedItem 6Locked
Minimum Operating Account BalanceDisclosedItem 6Locked
Ad Spend Overage Management FeeDisclosedItem 6Locked

What units actually make

1 locked

The franchisor's own numbers, and how wide the spread really is.

Units reportedDisclosedItem 19, pp. 48-52Locked

What we found in the document

0 locked

23 Items located and parsed. Every figure above cites one of them.

Item 1Item 2Item 3Item 4Item 5Item 6Item 7Item 8Item 9Item 10Item 11Item 12Item 13Item 14Item 15Item 16Item 17Item 18Item 19Item 20Item 21Item 22Item 23

Before you commit

4 locked

4 things this document cannot settle, and how to settle them.

The fee stackOperational tripwiresFranchisor financial conditionItem 19 earnings basis
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding

Franchisor financial condition

9 locked

9 findings from the audited statements.

1 high
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding

Operational tripwires

10 locked

10 clauses that change what you signed up for. 3 are rated high.

3 high7 medium
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding

System scale and turnover

5 locked

Item 20, year-end.

Total unitsDisclosedItem 20, pp. 53-54Locked
OpenedDisclosedItem 20, pp. 53-54Locked
ClosedDisclosedItem 20, pp. 53-54Locked
Changed handsDisclosedItem 20, pp. 53-54Locked
Owner turnoverDerivedLocked

2 outlets is this record's reconstruction of the starting count, worked back from the year-end total and the year's openings and closures rather than read from Item 20 Table 1. Every rate below is a share of that starting count, not of today's. Check the reconstruction against Table 1 in your own copy.

Leaving — renewal, exit and transfer

Not yet read for this brand

Item 17 — how long you are in, what ends the agreement, what it takes to sell the business, and what you are still bound by after you leave.

How long you are inHow it endsHow you sell itWhat happens after

Who to call, and what to ask

9 locked

10 questions, grouped for operators running a unit today, operators who left last year.

What do you actually run for cost of goods, as a percent of sales?
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding

Who runs it

3 locked

3 executives, with tenure and prior operating history.

CEO and FounderChief Operations OfficerSales Director
Locked finding
Locked finding
Locked finding

Unlock the full diligence report

13 sections · 103 cited figures · instant access

Unlock the full report — $199

One report, one brand, instant access. Not a subscription.

Not sure where to start with a franchise?

Get our free Playbook — the 90-day checklist, cost worksheets, and location math the pros use, in plain English.

No spam. The Playbook, then occasional notes as you go. Unsubscribe anytime. This email is not the report.

Property Sellwise Franchise Review (2026): Cost, Item 19 Earnings, Fees — from the actual FDD