Best Home Services Franchises to Own in 2026: Costs Compared

The best home services franchises to own in 2026 include College Hunks Hauling Junk®
and Moving (junk removal plus moving in one territory), Two Men and a Truck (moving),
1-800-GOT-JUNK and Junk King (junk removal), Molly Maid (residential cleaning), Mr. Handyman
(home repair), CertaPro Painters (painting), Servpro (restoration), and Lawn Doctor (lawn care).
The honest way to compare them is not somebody’s ranking. It is each brand’s own Franchise
Disclosure Document: Item 7 for what you will spend, Item 19 for what existing locations
report, and Item 11 for how fast you can open. This guide puts the published Item 7 figures
side by side and explains what separates one home service category from another.

What counts as a home services franchise?

A home services franchise performs work at the customer’s property rather than in a
storefront: hauling, moving, cleaning, repair, painting, restoration, lawn care. Demand is
local and event-driven. A closing date, a burst pipe, an estate cleanout, or a parent moving
into assisted living creates a buyer who needs a provider this week, not a brand they browse.
Most concepts in this category run from a small warehouse or office, so there is no
restaurant-style build-out standing between signing and opening. We break down the category
economics on our home services franchise opportunities page.

How do the top home services franchises compare on cost?

Published Item 7 investment ranges for leading home services franchises run from a
$30,000 floor at JDog to just over $506,000 at the top of Two Men and a Truck’s metro-market
range. Most established brands land between $120,000 and $390,000, and every figure below is
the brand’s own disclosure, listed with the FDD year it comes from.

Read the ranges, not just the floors. A low entry number sometimes excludes the vehicle,
equipment package, or working capital a location actually needs in its first year, and every
brand updates these figures annually. Before comparing seriously, request the current FDD
from each franchisor and read Item 7 line by line. For the full College Hunks Hauling
Junk® breakdown, including the $65,000 combined franchise fee that covers both the junk
removal and moving concepts, see our
franchise cost and investment page.

Why do junk removal and moving stand out in this field?

Junk removal and moving are the two home service lines that share the same trucks, crews,
and dispatch system. That overlap is why a combined operation can earn from one territory in
two ways. The customer clearing out a garage this month is often the same customer relocating
next spring. Cleaning, painting, and lawn care each serve one demand stream; a
junk removal franchise paired with a moving
concept serves two, and the seasonal peaks offset. Moving concentrates in the warmer months
while junk removal runs steadier across the year.

The labor pool matters just as much. Trades that require licensure, like restoration or
electrical work, limit who you can hire. Hauling and moving do not, which widens hiring in
exactly the market where finding technicians is most operators’ biggest complaint.

Speed to open is the third separator. Item 11 of the 2026 FDD puts the College Hunks
Hauling Junk® opening timeline at 110 to 140 days from signing, and the franchise
agreement requires opening within 150 days. There is no site selection, leasehold build-out,
or health inspection cycle in the way.

On results: across the 144 franchised locations reporting in Item 19 of the 2026 FDD,
average gross revenue was $1,554,610 in 2025, with a median of $1,127,776. Those are gross
revenue figures, not profit, and the full Item 19 tables break them out by location tenure.

How should you actually choose between these brands?

Choose with the disclosure documents, not the brochures: check Item 7 against what you
keep, Item 19 with its assumptions, Item 11 for the timeline, and validation calls with
current franchisees.

• Item 7 against what you keep. In vehicle-based concepts most of the
  investment buys trucks and equipment that hold resale value. In build-out concepts much of it
  becomes leasehold improvements you cannot take with you.
• Item 19 with its assumptions. Some brands disclose revenue, some
  disclose nothing, and the reporting population matters as much as the number.
• Item 11 for the timeline. Every month between signing and opening is a
  month of expenses with no revenue.
• Validation calls. Every FDD lists current and former franchisees with
  phone numbers. Call them. Ask what they would do differently.

Our buyer’s framework for comparing franchises
walks through each of these steps in detail, and if you are weighing buying a franchise
against starting from scratch, our guides on
starting a junk removal business
and starting a moving company lay out the
independent path honestly.

Talk it through with the franchise development team

If you are comparing home services franchises, we would rather hand you the real numbers
than a pitch. Talk to our Franchise Development team, or check
whether a territory is still open in your market.
We read every inquiry, and there is no pressure.

Financial information shared in this content is drawn from Item 19 of the 2026 CHHJ Franchising, L.L.C. Franchise Disclosure Document (Issuance Date: April 30, 2026, as amended August 26, 2026). See Item 19 for material assumptions, the underlying data set, and full required disclosures. Past performance does not guarantee future results. New franchisees may earn less.

This information is not an offer to sell or solicitation to buy a franchise. A franchise offering can only be made through the delivery of a Franchise Disclosure Document. Certain states regulate the offer and sale of franchises; if you are a resident of one of these states, we will not offer you a franchise unless we have complied with applicable pre-sale registration and disclosure requirements in your state.

College Hunks Hauling Junk®, College Hunks Moving®, and the H.U.N.K.S logo are registered trademarks of CHHJ Franchising, L.L.C. © 2026 CHHJ Franchising, L.L.C. All rights reserved. All other brand names are trademarks of their respective owners, used here for identification and comparison only.