What does the Counselor Realty Website Fee cover?
Counselor_Realty Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
We will create a separate webpage or subdomain for your Office and any Extension Office on Counselor Realty, Inc.'s website. If we have consented to any Additional Office locations, you may request to have us set up a separate webpage or subdomain for any such Additional Office on Counselor Realty, Inc.'s website. We will create a separate webpage or subdomain on Counselor Realty's website for those licensed agents you request in writing. All webpages and subdomains we create for the licensed agents operating through your Office (including any Additional Officer or Extension Office ) will include an IDX home search option for each market that the agent directly serves with listing reciprocity among Counselor Realty and our franchisees (local MLS fees are the agent's responsibility). You will be required to pay us a Website Set Up Fee for any such webpages or subdomains, as more particularly described in Item 6. You will also be required to pay us a Website Fee associated with the webpages and subdomains we create for your Office, any Additional Offices or Extension Offices, and for the licensed agents operating through your offices, in such amounts, and at such times, as more particularly described in Item 6.
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND TRAINING (FDD pages 17–21)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Counselor Realty's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the Website Fee covers the webpages and subdomains that Counselor Realty creates for the franchisee's office, any additional or extension offices, and the licensed agents operating through those offices. These webpages and subdomains include an IDX (Internet Data Exchange) home search option for each market the agent serves, which allows for listing reciprocity among Counselor Realty and its franchisees. However, the local MLS (Multiple Listing Service) fees are the agent's responsibility, not covered by the Website Fee.
In practical terms, this means that as a Counselor Realty franchisee, you'll be required to pay a Website Fee for the online presence that Counselor Realty establishes for your offices and agents. This fee ensures that each agent has a web page with a home search function, enhancing their ability to attract and serve clients. The specific amounts and payment schedules for the Website Fee are detailed in Item 6 of the FDD.
It's important to note that while Counselor Realty provides the web pages and subdomains, the agents themselves are responsible for the local MLS fees. Additionally, franchisees have the option to develop their own websites, but these must adhere to Counselor Realty's brand standards. Counselor Realty also reserves the right to review and approve franchisee-developed websites, ensuring brand consistency across all online platforms.