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$255,075–$365,310 to open, a $72,500 franchise fee, then a tiered 5–10% royalty plus a ~2.5% marketing fee — with newcomers paying the high end. Here's the real math.
ServiceMaster Restore is one of the oldest and best-known names in disaster restoration — part of the ServiceMaster Brands family, with a decades-long track record in water, fire, mold, and storm damage. (Note: this is the restoration brand, distinct from its sibling ServiceMaster Clean.) Alongside Servpro, it's one of the two franchises most homeowners and insurers recognize when disaster strikes. Credit where due up front.
But like every restoration franchise, the economics deserve scrutiny. The franchise fee is $72,500. The royalty is a tiered 5–10% of gross — and as with most tiered structures, newer and smaller operators pay the high end, not the low. Add a ~2.5% marketing fee and a $255,075–$365,310 entry, and against a reported average unit revenue near $540,000, the franchise take is a substantial slice of the business.
This article breaks down what a ServiceMaster Restore franchise actually costs, gives the brand honest credit for what it provides (which, in restoration, is real), and shows how the numbers compare to building an independent restoration business with professional systems.
ServiceMaster Restore is a disaster restoration franchise — water damage, fire and smoke, mold remediation, and storm/large-loss recovery — operating under the ServiceMaster Brands family, which also includes ServiceMaster Clean. It's one of the most established restoration networks in North America, serving both residential and commercial insurance-funded losses. Per its 2026 FDD, the total initial investment is roughly $255,075–$365,310, including a $72,500 franchise fee, with a tiered 5–10% royalty plus a ~2.5% marketing fee.
Restoration is a durable, recession-resistant category: demand is emergency-driven, tickets are high, and most work is paid by insurance carriers. That's genuinely attractive — but it also means the business is won on insurance relationships, estimating discipline, and 24/7 response, not on retail marketing. A legacy brand like ServiceMaster Restore brings trust and carrier familiarity to exactly those areas.
Per the 2026 FDD, a ServiceMaster Restore franchise requires a total initial investment of roughly $255,075–$365,310, including a $72,500 franchise fee. Ongoing fees are a tiered royalty of about 5% to 10% of gross revenue (higher at lower volume, declining as sales grow) plus a national marketing fund contribution of about 2.5%. Restoration equipment, vehicles, and working capital to carry insurance jobs make up the balance.
| Initial investment (mid-range entry) | $310,000 |
| Royalty (~8% blended on $540K/yr × 4 yrs post-ramp) | $172,800 |
| Marketing fee (~2.5% on $540K/yr × 4 yrs) | $54,000 |
| Total 5-Year Cost | ~$537,000 |
Note: $540,000/year is roughly the reported average unit revenue. Early-year operators pay closer to the 10% end of the royalty scale, so real fees can run higher in years 1–3. Actual figures are disclosed in the current FDD.
Even at the system's average revenue, the royalty and marketing fee alone run past $225,000 over five years, on top of a six-figure entry. The franchise take, in other words, is roughly a year's revenue over five years — before you count local advertising.
The carrier relationships and estimating skill are yours to build. HomePro gives you the business systems to run a professional restoration company — without a $72,500 fee or a tiered royalty that hits newcomers hardest.
Start Free Today See Pricing →ServiceMaster Restore franchisees get a legacy restoration brand, established insurance and adjuster relationships, a referral pipeline, equipment and estimating infrastructure, IICRC-aligned training, and 24/7 response support. In restoration specifically, those insurance relationships and the referral pipeline drive the majority of revenue — which is why a legacy restoration brand offers more real value than a name-only franchise. This is the genuine value you're paying for.
Restoration is insurance-funded and referral-driven. ServiceMaster Restore's carrier familiarity, program relationships, and adjuster networks route work to franchisees. For a newcomer, that pipeline is worth real money — and it's the hardest thing to build independently. Be honest with yourself about this before deciding.
Decades of brand recognition help win homeowner and property-manager trust in a crisis, and an established network supports larger-loss and catastrophe response — genuine advantages on big commercial jobs.
ServiceMaster Restore provides structured training, estimating tools (the industry runs on Xactimate), and operational systems — valuable for someone entering a technically demanding trade.
A ServiceMaster Restore franchise costs $255,075–$365,310 to open (with a $72,500 fee) and a tiered 5–10% royalty plus a ~2.5% marketing fee. HomePro Systems costs $79/month (Sage included) with no franchise fee, no royalties, no territory restrictions, and no franchise agreement. Over 5 years, a ServiceMaster Restore franchise at average revenue pays roughly $537,000 in fee, royalty, and marketing costs; HomePro costs roughly $4,740. The honest caveat: HomePro gives you the business systems — you supply the IICRC certifications, Xactimate skill, and insurance relationships a franchise would otherwise provide.
| Factor | ServiceMaster Restore | HomePro Systems (Independent) |
|---|---|---|
| Franchise Fee | $72,500 | $0 |
| Total Initial Investment | $255,075–$365,310 | $0 (free to start; you buy your own gear) |
| Ongoing Cost | 5–10% tiered royalty + ~2.5% marketing | $79/mo flat (Sage included) |
| At $540K/yr Revenue | ~$57,000/yr to franchisor + marketing | $948/yr total |
| Insurance / TPA Pipeline | ✅ Established relationships (real advantage) | You build your own carrier relationships |
| Brand | ServiceMaster's brand | Your own brand |
| Territory | Defined territory | No restrictions |
| Business Systems / SOPs | ✅ Included | ✅ Included in Pro ($79/mo) |
| AI Coaching | No | Sage (AI, voice, EN/ES) |
| Exit | Franchise agreement terms apply | Cancel anytime |
| 5-Year Total Cost | ~$537,000 (at average revenue) | ~$4,740 |
HomePro Systems gives independent home-service operators the business backbone a franchise provides — without the franchise fee, the royalty, or the loss of brand ownership. For restoration specifically, HomePro handles the business side; you own the trade side (certifications, estimating, and insurance relationships).
ServiceMaster Restore makes sense for a well-capitalized operator who wants a legacy restoration brand and, above all, its insurance and adjuster relationships — and is comfortable paying a $72,500 fee plus a tiered 5–10% royalty and ~2.5% marketing fee for it. If a trusted brand and a built-in referral engine matter more to you than cost and ownership, it's one of the two most established names in the category.
Consider ServiceMaster Restore if:
HomePro is the right choice for restoration and home-service owners who will build their own trade credentials and relationships and want professional business systems while keeping their money and their brand:
At $540,000/year in gross restoration revenue — roughly the reported average:
| ServiceMaster Restore | HomePro Systems |
| Entry (mid-range): $310,000 | Entry: $0 |
| Royalty (~8% × $540K × 4 yr): $172,800 | Subscription (5 yr): $4,740 |
| Marketing fee (~2.5% × $540K × 4 yr): $54,000 | Equipment/vehicles/insurance: your own |
| Total: ~$537,000 | Total: ~$4,740 (systems only) |
A restoration business carries real operating costs either way (equipment, vehicles, labor, insurance, working capital). This isolates the franchise premium — the fee, royalty, and marketing fee you pay for the brand and pipeline. Whether that premium is worth it depends almost entirely on how much you value the insurance relationships.
Per the 2026 FDD, a ServiceMaster Restore franchise costs roughly $255,075–$365,310, including a $72,500 franchise fee. Ongoing fees are a tiered 5–10% royalty plus a ~2.5% marketing fee. Always request the current FDD before investing.
Published FDD analyses estimate average unit revenue near $539,946 — below the ~$1.9M often cited for Servpro, reflecting differences in scale and license structure. That's gross revenue, not profit, and is reduced by the royalty, marketing fee, labor, equipment, and the working capital needed to carry insurance jobs.
In restoration, the insurance and adjuster pipeline is a genuine, hard-to-replicate advantage — which makes a legacy brand's value proposition more defensible than many franchises. The tradeoff is a six-figure entry and a tiered royalty that charges newcomers the most. It comes down to how much you value the pipeline versus keeping the fees and owning your brand.
Alternatives include other restoration franchises (Servpro, Paul Davis, PuroClean, Rainbow International) or building an independent restoration company — IICRC-certified, Xactimate-proficient, with your own carrier relationships — run on professional business systems. HomePro Systems provides those systems for $79/month with no franchise fee and no royalties. See our study on the real cost of a home-service franchise.
If you want a legacy restoration brand and its insurance pipeline, have six figures to invest, and plan to grow volume, ServiceMaster Restore is a defensible choice — the pipeline is real. But if you'll build your own IICRC credentials and carrier relationships, going independent with professional business systems lets you skip the $72,500 fee and keep the tiered 5–10% royalty plus marketing fee you'd otherwise pay forever — while owning the brand you build.
Restoration is won on response time, estimating discipline, quality, and relationships with adjusters and property managers. A franchise sells you a head start on the relationships; everything else you can build. HomePro Systems provides the business backbone for $79/month (Sage included).
See also: The Franchise Math Calculator — run your own numbers and see exactly what royalties cost you over 10 years.
Get the operational infrastructure of a franchise — SOPs, scripts, pricing tools, AI coaching — without a six-figure fee or a percentage of your revenue leaving forever.
Start Free Today See Full Pricing →Disclaimer: Franchise cost and performance figures are based on publicly available Franchise Disclosure Documents, FDD analyses, and industry research current as of 2026 (ServiceMaster Restore's 2026 FDD). Average-revenue figures are third-party estimates based on Item 19 and are not a guarantee of your results. Actual costs vary by market and territory. Always request and review the current FDD before making any investment decision. HomePro Systems is not affiliated with ServiceMaster Restore, ServiceMaster Brands, or any franchise system.
Every major home-service franchise's real FDD numbers — fees, royalties, 5-year cost — side by side.
Read Article →Restoration's giant: $263K–$386K to open and a sliding 3–10% royalty.
Read Article →The cleaning sibling: ~8% of gross revenue, indefinitely.
Read Article →Real pricing sheets, follow-up scripts, and the franchise-grade systems independent operators use to book more jobs — and stop leaving money on the table. Straight to your inbox, free.