Franchise Facts Report → brands → Sotheby's International Realty
Sotheby's International Realty franchise — is it worth it?
Medium risk Growing network
Sotheby's International Realty is a real estate franchise with a moderate initial investment range.
Everything below is free, read straight off Sotheby's International Realty's registered filing, with where the numbers land against real estate peers. Weighing Sotheby's International Realty against other options? Get a free shortlist of franchises that fit your budget.
Figures above are as disclosed in Sotheby's International Realty's most recent FDD (registered 2026). Source: Wisconsin Dept. of Financial Institutions — Franchise Registration · filing 640572 — check it yourself. See every other Wisconsin-registered franchise.
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Sotheby's International Realty franchise profit — what the FDD discloses
Plainly: Sotheby's International Realty does not disclose franchise profit or revenue. Its most recent FDD makes no Item 19 financial performance representation, so there is no franchisor-backed earnings figure for Sotheby's International Realty — any number quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure. The absence is itself worth weighing (22% of real estate franchisors in our corpus do disclose); the fees, litigation and outlet churn Sotheby's International Realty's FDD does contain are on this page. For brands that put earnings on paper, see Real estate franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings.
Sotheby's International Realty lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
Sotheby's International Realty's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026) does disclose 5 legal proceedings in Item 3 . Item 3 is the item where a franchisor must put its material legal history on the record. Two things it is not: it covers the franchisor and its predecessors, parents and affiliates, so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Sotheby's International Realty itself; and a disclosure is a fact, not a finding of wrongdoing — most entries are contract disputes with former franchisees, which every large system accumulates. 1 of those proceedings were brought by franchisees against the franchisor — the split that actually matters, because franchisees suing their franchisor is the signal a buyer is looking for. Item 3 of the source FDD describes each case.
Sotheby's International Realty closures & failure rate
Before you sign, Sotheby's International Realty will hand you a list of current owners to call as references — and they choose who's on that list. It won't include the owners who quit, got bought out, or were forced out last year. The FDD does report that number, even though the reference list leaves those people off. Below is what Sotheby's International Realty's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a real estate of this kind.
The closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate is Item 20 — outlet openings, closures, terminations and non-renewals, reported by the franchisor. Sotheby's International Realty's latest tables show a growing franchised network. Its franchised-outlet closure rate — closures, terminations and non-renewals against outlets — is 1.1%, against a real estate median of 6.3% — at or better than the category. Net franchised outlets moved +6 to 672 in the latest reported year.
Who owns Sotheby's International Realty?
Sotheby's International Realty's franchise is offered by SOTHEBYS INTERNATIONAL REALTY AFFILIATES LLC — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026), and the entity a franchisee actually signs with. That name comes straight off the filing at WI DFI; it identifies the franchisor, not necessarily the ultimate parent company behind it.
Real estate franchises at a similar investment level
Anyone weighing Sotheby's International Realty is really weighing it against the other brands their money could go into. These are the closest by total initial investment (FDD Item 7), each with its own FDD-based page.
Sotheby's International Realty franchise — frequently asked
Who owns Sotheby's International Realty — who is the franchisor?
Sotheby's International Realty's most recently filed FDD (2026) names SOTHEBYS INTERNATIONAL REALTY AFFILIATES LLC as the franchisor — the entity you would actually sign the franchise agreement with, as stated on the disclosure document itself. A registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent company.
How much does a Sotheby's International Realty franchise cost?
Sotheby's International Realty's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $47,250 – $331,950, with an initial franchise fee of $25,000 and a 6% royalty. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. Against real estate peers it sits in the lower quartile (median $169,950).
How much profit does a Sotheby's International Realty franchise make?
Sotheby's International Realty makes no Item 19 financial performance representation, so there is no franchisor-disclosed revenue or profit figure for Sotheby's International Realty at all — and profit would never be disclosed even where earnings are, because it depends on your rent, labor and how you operate. Any profit figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure.
Does Sotheby's International Realty disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
No — Sotheby's International Realty's most recent FDD makes no Item 19 financial performance representation. Its absence is worth weighing: 22% of real estate franchisors in our corpus do disclose.
Are there lawsuits against Sotheby's International Realty?
Sotheby's International Realty's most recently filed FDD (2026) discloses 5 legal proceedings in Item 3. Item 3 covers the franchisor, its predecessors, parents and affiliates — so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Sotheby's International Realty itself, and a disclosure is not a finding of wrongdoing. 1 of the disclosed proceedings were brought by franchisees against the franchisor.
Is Sotheby's International Realty a good franchise to buy?
Nobody can answer that from Sotheby's International Realty's numbers alone — it comes down to how its investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against real estate peers and against your own budget. Our read on this filing is medium risk. Every figure behind that read is on this page for free. If you're comparing options, the free shortlist on this page matches you with 5–10 franchises that fit your budget and industry.
Get a free email when something changes on Sotheby's International Realty or real estate: a new FDD registration, a new lawsuit, an outlet count that shifts, or Item 19 earnings going from undisclosed to disclosed. Pulled straight from the same state registries this page is built on.