Does Counselor Realty provide site selection assistance?
Counselor_Realty Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
1.2 Site Selection. You must select a site for your Office within 180 days after you sign this Agreement. After you notify us of a proposed site for your Office, we will have 30 days to review the site and to notify you whether or not we consent to your operation of the Business at that site. If we reject the site you propose, you will have an additional 60 days to locate a site that is acceptable to us. If you fail to do so, this Agreement will automatically terminate and we will refund your Initial Franchise Fee, less our expenses associated with reviewing the proposed site(s). After we consent to an Office site you propose (if at all), you must open your Business at that site within six months. If you fail to do so, this Agreement will automatically terminate and your Initial Franchise Fee will not be refunded. We may, in our sole discretion, grant extensions of the deadlines described above. Our consent to a site is not a guarantee or assurance as to the availability, suitability or prospects of an Office or Business.
Source: Item 5 — INITIAL FEES (FDD page 9)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Counselor Realty FDD, franchisees are responsible for selecting a site for their office. However, Counselor Realty does provide assistance by reviewing the proposed site. The franchisee must notify Counselor Realty of a proposed site within 180 days of signing the Franchise Agreement. Counselor Realty then has 30 days to review the site and notify the franchisee whether they consent to the location.
If Counselor Realty rejects the initial site, the franchisee has an additional 60 days to find an acceptable location. Failure to do so will result in the termination of the Franchise Agreement, with Counselor Realty refunding the Initial Franchise Fee, less any expenses incurred during the site review. After Counselor Realty approves a site, the franchisee must open their business within six months. Failure to do so also results in termination of the agreement, but in this case, the Initial Franchise Fee will not be refunded.
Counselor Realty's consent to a site does not guarantee its availability, suitability, or the future success of the office. This process ensures that the location aligns with Counselor Realty's brand and operational standards, while the franchisee bears the responsibility for finding a viable site. This is a fairly typical arrangement in the franchise industry, where the franchisor maintains approval rights but the franchisee typically handles the initial search.