Which costs less to open, HouseMaster or Set the Stage?

HouseMaster: $73,878 – $132,689 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 37); Set the Stage: $204,150 – $261,345 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 19). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for HouseMaster. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.

Which has more locations, HouseMaster or Set the Stage?

HouseMaster: 190 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 78); Set the Stage: 114 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 43). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.

Do HouseMaster and Set the Stage disclose financial performance (Item 19)?

HouseMaster has reviewed Item 19 figures for 6 location groups; Set the Stage has reviewed Item 19 figures for 3 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

Franchise opportunities compared

HouseMaster vs Set the Stage

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.

HouseMaster2026 FDD

Set the Stage2026 FDD

Initial investment · Item 7

HouseMaster

$73,878 – $132,689

2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 37

Set the Stage

$204,150 – $261,345

2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 19

Initial franchise fee · Item 5

HouseMaster

$42,500

2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 24

Set the Stage

$59,500

2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 12

Royalty · Item 6

HouseMaster

Not available

Set the Stage

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14

Before you compare

Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (HouseMaster: 6, Set the Stage: 3). Different groups are not directly comparable.

Financial commitment

Disclosure

HouseMaster

Set the Stage

Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

HouseMaster

$73,878 – $132,689

Total Single Franchise

2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 37

Set the Stage

$204,150 – $261,345

Total Estimated Initial Investment

2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 19

Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

HouseMaster

$42,500

2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 24

Set the Stage

$59,500

2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 12

Royalty (Item 6)

HouseMaster

Not available

No reviewed royalty record

Set the Stage

Royalty rate

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14

Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

HouseMaster

Not available

No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee

Set the Stage

Advertising and Promotion Fee maximum — 2%

2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14

System scale & health

Disclosure

HouseMaster

Set the Stage

Total outlets (Item 20)

HouseMaster

190

Outlets at end of 2025

2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 78

Set the Stage

114

Outlets at end of 2025

2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 43

Net outlet change (Item 20)

HouseMaster

−52

Calculated: 242 at end of 2023 → 190 at end of 2025

Set the Stage

+102

Calculated: 12 at end of 2023 → 114 at end of 2025

Outlet exits (Item 20)

HouseMaster

Not available

No complete exit records for a year

Set the Stage

Not available

No complete exit records for a year

Franchising since (Item 1)

HouseMaster

1979

2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 11

Set the Stage

Not available

Not in reviewed records

Franchisor founded (Item 1)

HouseMaster

2020

2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 10

Set the Stage

Not available

Not in reviewed records

Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

HouseMaster

Franchised (41 businesses) — other measures and revenue

$696,024

mean Gross Sales

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 76

Franchised (71 franchisees) — revenue

$100,766

median Gross Sales

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 76

Franchised (26 locations) — revenue and other measures

$244,470

mean Gross Sales

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 76

+3 more groups in the full report

Set the Stage

Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Reporting Franchisees

$566,850

other Gross Revenue

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 42

Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchised outlets

65 locations

other Excluded locations opened during 2025

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 42

Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — One company-owned location

$654,269

other Affiliate-owned company outlet 2025 Gross Revenue

2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 42

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.

HouseMaster vs Set the Stage: common questions

Which costs less to open, HouseMaster or Set the Stage?: HouseMaster: $73,878 – $132,689 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 37); Set the Stage: $204,150 – $261,345 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 19). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for HouseMaster. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
Which has more locations, HouseMaster or Set the Stage?: HouseMaster: 190 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 78); Set the Stage: 114 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 43). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
Do HouseMaster and Set the Stage disclose financial performance (Item 19)?: HouseMaster has reviewed Item 19 figures for 6 location groups; Set the Stage has reviewed Item 19 figures for 3 location groups. 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