Senior Living Placement and Referral Advisor Franchise vs. Starting Your Own

What five years costs on each path, counting every cost we can source on both sides. Change the revenue to see how royalties grow with your sales.

Preview: figures awaiting verification

Some numbers on this page haven't been checked against their sources yet.

At a glance

Senior Living Placement and Referral Advisor: franchise vs. independent
	Franchise (3 brands)	Independent
Franchise fee	$40,000 – $80,000	$0
Initial investment	$63,089 – $135,770	$3,739 – $7,534*
Ongoing royalties	6% – 12% of revenue	None
Operating costs (5 years)	$19,375 – $31,875	$19,375 – $31,875
Brand, training, and support	Included	You build your own
5-year total cost	$153,770 – $410,971	$23,114 – $39,409*

Franchise fee
Franchise (3 brands)
$40,000 – $80,000
Independent
$0
Initial investment
Franchise (3 brands)
$63,089 – $135,770
Independent
$3,739 – $7,534*
Ongoing royalties
Franchise (3 brands)
6% – 12% of revenue
Independent
None
Operating costs (5 years)
Franchise (3 brands)
$19,375 – $31,875
Independent
$19,375 – $31,875
Brand, training, and support
Franchise (3 brands)
Included
Independent
You build your own
5-year total cost
Franchise (3 brands)
$153,770 – $410,971
Independent
$23,114 – $39,409*

5-year totals assume $136,500–$322,010 in yearly revenue (our forecast presets at full volume), the same sourced operating costs (insurance, software, fees) on both paths, and both the lean and professional independent plans. Franchise investment figures come from each brand's disclosure (FDD Item 7) and already include the franchise fee. * Excludes independent startup lines we haven't sourced yet.

What franchisees report taking in

From each brand's own disclosure (FDD Item 19), copied exactly. These are gross sales before royalties and costs, not profit, and not a promise of what you will earn.

CarePatrol
Item 19 reports 2025 average and median gross sales by territory and by owner, grouped by time in business, plus 2025 placement fees and a system-wide average income statement.
- Average 2025 gross sales per territory (174 territories open before 2025; gross sales, not profit)$322,639 a year
- Median 2025 gross sales per territory (same 174 territories; gross sales, not profit)$186,094 a year
- Median 2025 gross sales, territories in business 13–36 months (47 territories; gross sales, not profit)$80,225 a year
- Median 2025 gross sales, territories in business 60+ months (95 territories; gross sales, not profit)$331,325 a year
Oasis Senior Advisors
Item 19 reports 2025 gross revenue by quartile for 114 franchised businesses open all of 2025, plus the average and median referral fee per placement.
Assisted Living Locators
Item 19 reports 2025 gross invoiced and gross collected revenue for 106 full-time franchisees who operated all of 2025, grouped by number of territories owned.

What a franchise does give you

Franchises cost more, but the fees buy real things. Weigh them honestly.

A national placement brand with more than 200 franchised territories
Initial training at headquarters and on-site in your territory
A contact center that answers calls for your office
National partnerships with senior living companies that pay placement fees through the franchisor
Its own client-tracking software
Initial training and a Manual Suite covering community agreements and typical referral fees
The franchisor signs referral agreements with regional and national senior living chains
Its own software (Oasis IQ) for clients, communities and invoicing
Affiliated online referral services that can send leads to established franchisees
A network of other owners to learn from
A home-based placement brand with more than 100 franchisees
Pre-opening training plus two days of on-site training in your territory
Dementia care certification for one person included in the set-up fee
A franchisor-run marketing launch for your first 60 days

Going independent means

You keep 100% of what you earn after costs — no royalties.
You build your own brand, systems, and customer base.
You need more self-reliance, especially in the first year.

Brand by brand

Five-year cost breakdown
Option	Initial investment	Royalties	Marketing fund	Fixed fees	Operating costs	5-year total	vs. independent
CarePatrol	$64,920 – $135,770	$68,250 – $193,206	$6,825 – $16,101	$33,120 – $34,020	$19,375 – $31,875	$192,490 – $410,971	+$169,376 – $373,358
Oasis Senior Advisors	$63,089 – $109,239	$40,950 – $161,005	$13,650 – $32,201	$16,706	$19,375 – $31,875	$153,770 – $351,026	+$130,656 – $313,412
Assisted Living Locators	$74,635 – $94,810	$54,600 – $128,804	$13,650 – $32,201	$18,600	$19,375 – $31,875	$180,860 – $306,290	+$157,746 – $268,676
Independent (lean start)	$3,739 – $5,739*	$0	$0	$0	$19,375 – $31,875	$23,114 – $37,614	—

Low figures pair the low end of each cost with low revenue; high figures pair the high ends. Franchise initial investment is each brand's FDD Item 7 estimate and already includes the franchise fee. Marketing fund and fixed fees show $0 where we have no sourced figure for that brand.

* Excludes independent startup lines we haven't sourced yet.

Costs are only half the picture

A franchise's brand, training, and support can help some owners reach customers faster. Weigh what those are worth to you against the difference above.

Back to the Senior Living Placement and Referral Advisor guide · Sources for these figures