Which costs less to open, Epcon Communities or Upper Midwest Realty?

Epcon Communities: $1,208,600 – $6,398,350 (2026 FDD · Item 7); Upper Midwest Realty: $60,800 – $209,000 (2026 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Upper Midwest Realty. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.

Which has more locations, Epcon Communities or Upper Midwest Realty?

Epcon Communities: 105 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 69); Upper Midwest Realty: 518 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 33). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.

Do Epcon Communities and Upper Midwest Realty disclose financial performance (Item 19)?

Epcon Communities makes no Item 19 financial performance representation; Upper Midwest Realty makes no Item 19 financial performance representation. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

Franchise opportunities compared

Epcon Communities vs Upper Midwest Realty

Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.

Epcon Communities2026 FDD UMUpper Midwest Realty2026 FDD

Initial investment · Item 7

Epcon Communities

$1,208,600 – $6,398,350

2026 FDD · Item 7

Upper Midwest Realty

$60,800 – $209,000

2026 FDD · Item 7

Initial franchise fee · Item 5

Epcon Communities

$75,000

2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 15

Upper Midwest Realty

Not available

Royalty · Item 6

Epcon Communities

$2,000

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16

Upper Midwest Realty

Not available

Before you compare

Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
Epcon Communities and Upper Midwest Realty disclose more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
Only neither brand has reviewed Item 19 figures here.

Financial commitment

Disclosure

Epcon Communities

UMUpper Midwest Realty

Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

Epcon Communities

$1,208,600 – $6,398,350

2026 FDD · Item 7

Upper Midwest Realty

$60,800 – $209,000

2026 FDD · Item 7

Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

Epcon Communities

$75,000

2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 15

Upper Midwest Realty

Not available

No single standard fee identified

Royalty (Item 6)

Epcon Communities

$2,000

Minimum Monthly Royalty

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16

Upper Midwest Realty

Not available

No reviewed royalty record

Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

Epcon Communities

$5,000

Initial Marketing Program Membership Fee

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15

Upper Midwest Realty

Not available

No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee

System scale & health

Disclosure

Epcon Communities

UMUpper Midwest Realty

Total outlets (Item 20)

Epcon Communities

105

Outlets at end of 2025

2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 69

Upper Midwest Realty

518

Outlets at end of 2024

2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 33

Net outlet change (Item 20)

Epcon Communities

+14

Calculated: 91 at end of 2023 → 105 at end of 2025

Upper Midwest Realty

−74

Calculated: 592 at end of 2022 → 518 at end of 2024

Outlet exits (Item 20)

Epcon Communities

Not available

No complete exit records for a year

Upper Midwest Realty

Not available

No complete exit records for a year

Franchising since (Item 1)

Epcon Communities

Not available

Not in reviewed records

Upper Midwest Realty

Not available

Not in reviewed records

Franchisor founded (Item 1)

Epcon Communities

Not available

Not in reviewed records

Upper Midwest Realty

Not available

Not in reviewed records

Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

Epcon Communities

Not disclosed — no Item 19 financial performance representation

UMUpper Midwest Realty

Not disclosed — no Item 19 financial performance representation

Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.

Epcon Communities vs Upper Midwest Realty: common questions

Which costs less to open, Epcon Communities or Upper Midwest Realty?: Epcon Communities: $1,208,600 – $6,398,350 (2026 FDD · Item 7); Upper Midwest Realty: $60,800 – $209,000 (2026 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Upper Midwest Realty. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
Which has more locations, Epcon Communities or Upper Midwest Realty?: Epcon Communities: 105 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 69); Upper Midwest Realty: 518 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 33). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
Do Epcon Communities and Upper Midwest Realty disclose financial performance (Item 19)?: Epcon Communities makes no Item 19 financial performance representation; Upper Midwest Realty makes no Item 19 financial performance representation. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

Answers restate the reviewed figures above. Not a ranking or recommendation.

How Franopolis reviews FDD figures