Start a HouseMaster Home Inspections Franchise in 2025

2025 Franchise 500 Rank: #289 Ranked #385 last year

Initial investment: $59K - $93K

Units as of 2024: 255 19% over 3 years

HouseMaster Home Inspections, which was founded in 1971, is one of the well-known home inspection business names in the industry. Since beginning to franchise in 1979, HouseMaster Home Inspections has expanded to over 275 locally-owned branches throughout the United States and Canada.

HouseMaster Home Inspections strives to offer top-notch support to its franchisees. One of its major goals is usually to ensure that each new franchise is designed for business right from the get-go, from sales and marketing to technical training.

Why You May Want to Start a HouseMaster Home Inspections Franchise

HouseMaster Home Inspections' longevity in the industry proves that you may learn from the same formula that has kept the company going for over five decades. The company believes it has grown into one big, supportive family. Many of their franchisees have stayed with the company for multiple decades. Some franchisees are now 2nd or 3rd generation owners.

As a HouseMaster Home Inspections franchisee, you may find yourself surrounded by dedicated and reliable support in all areas contributing to your business. Support may include operations, financials, human resources, digital education, IT, innovation, sales and marketing, and technical training.

What Might Make a HouseMaster Home Inspections Franchise a Good Choice?

Besides the fairly manageable startup costs of a HouseMaster Home Inspections franchise, you may get decades' worth of proven sales and marketing systems, proprietary technology that gives you a competitive edge, dedicated expert support, and retail and corporate flexibility.

Many times in the past few decades, HouseMaster Home Inspections has been ranked in Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500. This ranking is based on an evaluation of more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability.

To become part of the HouseMaster Home Inspections team, you should make sure you are financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. HouseMaster Home Inspections may offer a discount off the franchise fee for veterans. You should also ensure that you are prepared for ongoing fees that will include royalty, advertising, and renewal fees. Franchisees will also need to meet the company's set net worth and liquid capital requirements.

How Do You Open a HouseMaster Home Inspections Franchise?

To get started on your journey of opening a HouseMaster Home Inspections franchise, you need to submit a franchise request form. After reviewing your application and finding it a fit, HouseMaster Home Inspections generally sends you a Franchise Disclosure Document, which contains much of the vital information you need to know as a potential franchisee.

After reviewing the Franchise Disclosure Document, you may sign your franchise agreement and make your initial payment.

At this point, you may be ready for initial training with the franchise development team. Training may come in stages until you are prepared to open your HouseMaster Home Inspections franchise.

After completing your training, you may be prepared to open your HouseMaster Home Inspections franchise.

Company Overview

About HouseMaster Home Inspections

Industry	Services (Other)
Related Categories	Home Inspections
Founded	1971
Parent Company	Neighborly
Leadership	Josh McCormick, Brand President
Corporate Address	1010 N. University Parks Dr. Waco, TX 76707
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

Business Overview

Franchising Since	1979 (46 years)
# of employees at HQ	1,600
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises throughout the US. This company is offering new franchises in the following international regions: Canada
# of Units	255 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a HouseMaster Home Inspections franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$42,500
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$58,825 - $92,675
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$100,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$40,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	$6,000 off franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	5%-7.5%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	2%-2.5%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	HouseMaster Home Inspections has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	16 hours
Classroom Training	94.5 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Field Operations Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	Yes
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
# of employees required to run	1-5
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	No