Estate agency franchises are one of the more profitable and popular franchise choices amongst prospective franchisees/franchise seekers. Despite the recession and credit crunch looming over us and house sales dropping, there is still a huge need for housing services as there are millions of houses across the UK, funnily enough they have not vanished and these services are still in high demand. With rentals on the increase as less people are purchasing houses or can not sell their current house the need for estate agencies is as high as ever before, especially in the rental sector of the estate agency industry.



As with all franchises, you need to research your estate agency franchise with great care. Areas of research may cover the following, not limited too but a good start:

1. What territory you are to be given and how large an area this covers

2. Are they allowed to sell more than one franchise in your territory

3. How well are other estate agencies within the franchise network performing

4. How are leads generated

5. Do they do national marketing and if so do you have to contribute towards this

6. Do they deal souly with house sales, rental or do both

7. How long have they been operating

8. How many other agencies from different franchises are within your territory

9. How much you will need to give them each month for a licensing fee

10. What the turnover rate is of franchisees.

Doing your due diligence properly will ensure that when you buy into your estate agency business you are sure that it is the right opportunity for you. Many people go in head first without the proper research and come away with a franchise that they are either not qualified to operate or is one that is not a profitable opportunity. As you will be spending large sums of money on buying into your estate agency franchise it is imperative that you are sure it is the right opportunity for you.

Franchise brokers and consultants can be a good help with some of this, they take a fee from the franchisor for matching the right franchisee with the right franchise and can really boost your chances of success. With a franchise broker you will be asked a series of questions and a brief background history of your employment must be given as well as interest and hobbies etc, armed with this information they can do the research or you and start to narrow down what options they feel are available for you. With this narrowed down list you can then be in a position to make an informed choice.

Best wishes and happy hunting for your estate agency franchise! Remember, due diligence is the main key to your success. With the right research you can have a profitable business for life in an industry which has been around for a very long time and will be for a long time to come. To your success in franchising!