What is the geographic limit for the Regional Advertising Group for Counselor Realty?
Counselor_Realty Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
. If your Office (or any Additional Office or Extension Office) is located within the 11-county metropolitan area of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, you must pay Counselor an Advertising Fee equal to $60 per agent per month for each agent operating out of the Office, Additional Office or Extension Office located in such metropolitan area. The amount of this Advertising Fee may be increased during the term of the franchise by Counselor from time to time in its sole discretion. We reserve the right to establish and organize a "Regional Advertising Group" if your Office (or any Additional Office or Extension Office) is located outside the Twin Cities. If your Office (or any Additional Office or Extension Office) is located outside the Twin Cities, you must be a member of the "Regional Advertising Group" (once established) and pay to the "Regional Advertising Fund" an Advertising Fee equal to $25 per agent per month for each agent operating out
of the Office, Additional Office or Extension Office located in such geographical area.
Source: Item 22 — CONTRACTS (FDD page 32)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Counselor Realty's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the Regional Advertising Group applies to offices located outside of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Specifically, if a Counselor Realty office (including any Additional or Extension Offices) is not within the 11-county metropolitan area of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, the franchisee must be a member of the Regional Advertising Group, once it is established by Counselor Realty.
The 11-county Twin Cities metropolitan area includes the counties of Scott, Wright, Isanti, Dakota, Anoka, Hennepin, Washington, Carver, Ramsey, Sherburne, and Chisago. Franchisees operating within these counties are required to pay a different advertising fee ($60 per agent per month) directly to Counselor Realty for marketing activities managed by the company itself.
For a prospective franchisee, this means that the location of their office will determine whether they participate in the Regional Advertising Group or pay directly to Counselor Realty for advertising. If outside the Twin Cities area, they will be subject to the rules and potential fee increases determined by the Regional Advertising Committee. This also means that franchisees outside of the Twin Cities area will pay a lower advertising fee of $25 per agent per month, at least initially, compared to the $60 per agent per month fee for those within the Twin Cities area.