G.J. Gardner Homes franchise
2024 filing · April 19, 2024GrowingShares sales figures
G.J. Gardner Homes at a glance
A home-building business that sells and manages the construction of new homes for customers using the G.J. Gardner Homes system. At the end of 2023 there were 24 G.J. Gardner Homes locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Industry
- Real estate
- Franchisor
- G J Gardner Homes USA, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $151K–$348K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $50,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 4%
- The greater of 4% of gross sales or $3,500 a month, plus 1% to the marketing fund and $150 per home contract to the brand protection fund
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross sales, paid with the royalty
- Agreement length
- 5 years
Where it is
- US locations, 2023
- 24
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 24
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 3 years
- +3
- Franchised locations, 2021–2023
- States
- 6
- Most in California, Florida and Colorado
Support and records
From G J Gardner Homes USA, LLC’s 2024 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 101; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
G.J. Gardner Homes among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | G.J. Gardner Homes | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $249,500 | Costs less than 63% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $50,000 | Higher than 70% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 4% | Lower than 93% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 24 | More than 52% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $5,420,916 | Higher than 99% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 22× | Higher than 99% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a G.J. Gardner Homes franchise costs
Opening one G.J. Gardner Homes costs an estimated $151,000 to $348,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are payroll ($24,000 to $96,000) and rent ($10,000 to $55,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $50,000 | ||
| Initial Marketing Spend | $15,000 | ||
| Rent | $10,000 | $55,000 | |
| Leasehold improvements | $20,000 | $50,000 | |
| Equipment | $10,000 | $30,000 | |
| Local Area Marketing | $1,000 | $3,000 | |
| Security deposits and other misc. opening exp. | $4,000 | $12,000 | |
| Training expenses | $10,000 | $20,000 | |
| Professional services | $1,000 | $5,000 | |
| Payroll | $24,000 | $96,000 | |
| Additional funds (3 months) | $6,000 | $12,000 | |
| Total | $151,000 | $348,000 | |
Source: G J Gardner Homes USA, LLC, 2024 filing, page 14
G.J. Gardner Homes franchise fee
The franchise fee is $50,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: G J Gardner Homes USA, LLC, 2024 filing, page 9
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | The greater of 4% of gross sales or $3,500 a month, plus 1% to the marketing fund and $150 per home contract to the brand protection fund. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross sales, paid with the royalty. |
| Transfer Fee | Between 20% and 30% of the sale/transfer price.. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: G J Gardner Homes USA, LLC, 2024 filing, page 10
Other fees as filed, from page 10. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures G.J. Gardner Homes publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average revenue
- $5,420,916
- Median revenue
- $4,765,227
Yearly figures for 2023, covering U.S. franchisees active all of 2023, value of homes reaching the slab stage (11 locations). The average is about 22 times the midpoint of the cost to open.
Sales are what a location takes in before rent, payroll, royalties and other costs, not what its owner keeps.
Source: G J Gardner Homes USA, LLC, 2024 filing, page 34
SBA loans to G.J. Gardner Homes franchisees
Lenders approved 2 SBA 7(a) loans for G.J. Gardner Homes franchisees from 2013 to 2019, $574K in all. All 2 that have ended were paid in full; none was charged off.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2023 / 2021–2023. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | G.J. Gardner Homes | Typical real estate brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +41% / +14% | −0.9% / 0% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 18% / 67% | 10% / 29% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical real estate brand is the median of the 44 brands in real estate franchises with three years of counts.
How G.J. Gardner Homes compares
Of the 95 real estate franchises on this site, G.J. Gardner Homes is the 77th cheapest to open and the 63rd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | G.J. Gardner Homes | Typical real estate brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $151K | $69K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $348K | $244K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $50K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 4% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 1.5% | 2% |
| Sales per location | $5.42M | $553K | $794K |
| US locations | 24 | 67 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 40 of 95 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 95 brands in real estate franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 17 (−4) | 0 | +4 | −8 |
| 2022 | 17 (0) | 0 | +3 | −3 |
| 2023 | 24 (+7) | 0 | +10 | −3 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Source: G J Gardner Homes USA, LLC, 2024 filing, page 37
Where G.J. Gardner Homes locations are
At the end of 2023, G.J. Gardner Homes had franchised locations in 6 states. The most are in California, Florida and Colorado.
- California6
- Florida6
- Colorado5
- Indiana3
- Texas3
- Missouri1
Source: G J Gardner Homes USA, LLC, 2024 filing, page 38
Who owns G.J. Gardner Homes?
G.J. Gardner Homes franchises are sold by G J Gardner Homes USA, LLC.
From G J Gardner Homes USA, LLC’s 2024 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: G J Gardner Homes USA, LLC, 2024 filing, litigation on page 9, bankruptcy on page 9
G.J. Gardner Homes filings
The figures on this page come from G J Gardner Homes USA, LLC’s 2024 filing, issued April 19, 2024, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | April 19, 2024 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2021–2023 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
