Showhomes, a Franchise Company, Beats Franchise Sales Goal for 2nd Year in a Row
Company set to triple in size and expects to sell out by 2014
NASHVILLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Despite the turmoil and uncertainty of the national economy, a Nashville-Tenn.-based home staging franchisor Showhomes is beating its corporate sales goals and expanding rapidly into urban markets all over the country.
The Showhomes business model is based on the premise that a vacant home is a difficult sell in any market and especially hard in today's market. "With 1 out of 9 homes vacant and a staggering 40% of higher end homes for sale sitting vacant, our managed home staging products are in high demand," said Thomas Scott, Showhomes' VP of Operations.
"We opened 21 franchises in 2008, more than doubling our goal of 10 for the year," Matt Kelton, Showhomes' Chief Operating Officer, says. "We have opened 17 franchises so far in 2009, but have several more in the pipeline. We project 25-30 new Showhomes franchises by the end of the year. This will more than triple the size of our system and we are well on the way to selling out by 2014."
Kelton says the company receives over 200 queries a month from people looking to change careers because of the down market. "There are a lot of really qualified people in the job market today and starting a franchise is becoming a wise career move for many," Kelton added. "Our business is one of the few companies posting positive numbers this year."
Franchising experts warn against working with franchisors pushing a quick sale and say one of the best tests of afranchisor is how diligently they work with prospective owners.
"We work closely with interested buyers, because it's important to find the right fit," Kelton says. "Our franchisees are finding fantastic success in this current rocky real estate market. But they also love it that the Showcomes business model works whether the economy is booming, busting or coasting along in the middle."
Showhomes is consistently rated as a top franchise and was recently ranked as one of the top 50 franchise companies in the country and ranked number two in the real estate category by The Franchise Business Review. Only companies with excellent fundamentals, solid financials and high franchisee satisfaction earn a spot in the Top 50 ranking.
About Showhomes
Showhomes began its operations in 1986 and started franchising in 1994. It currently has 52 franchises in 23 states. Showhomes has helped realtors and homeowners sell more than 25,000 homes worth more than $8 billion across the United States by transforming high-end vacant houses into valuable, staged homes.
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