Financing a CertaPro Painters with an SBA loan
Since FY2020, 34 CertaPro Painters locations changed hands on an SBA 7(a) loan. Here is what those deals looked like, what the brand costs to open, which lenders wrote the loans, and where the brand stands with the SBA.
CertaPro Painters franchising: certapro.com
What a CertaPro Painters deal looks like
CertaPro Painters is an established brand in the SBA loan file: 34 acquisitions cleared underwriting in the last five years. The median loan was $655,000 at 9.25 percent. Amortized over 10 years, that is about $8,386 a month, or $100,634 a year in debt service. SBA's 10 percent minimum equity injection on a deal that size is roughly $72,778 of buyer cash, some of which a seller note on standby can sometimes cover.
Illustrative only: the median loan is not a purchase price, and every deal differs. Model your own in the deal analyzer or the DSCR calculator.
7(a) or 504 for a CertaPro Painters?
CertaPro Painters is typically a leasehold business: the value is goodwill, equipment, and the brand, not real estate. That points to an SBA 7(a) loan, usually amortized over 10 years. The 504 program, which finances owner-occupied real estate, is rarely the fit here unless the deal happens to include a building. Model the payment in the 7(a) calculator and check coverage in the DSCR calculator.
What it costs to open a CertaPro Painters
These are CertaPro Painters's own franchise terms, set by the franchisor and separate from the SBA loan. They matter to a buyer because the franchise fee and the build-out are part of the project the loan has to cover, and lenders weigh the net-worth and liquidity minimums when they size a deal.
- Total initial investment
- $171,000 to $320,500
- Initial franchise fee
- $65,000
- Ongoing royalty
- 6% of gross sales
- Net worth required
- $250,000
- Liquid capital required
- $85,000
Residential & commercial painting services, figures from the 2025 FDD. Sources: CertaPro official franchise investment page, Sharpsheets - CertaPro Painters FDD, Costs & Profits (2025), FranchiseDirect - CertaPro Painters FDD/costs, FDD Exchange - CertaPro Painters 2025 FDD. Franchise economics are drawn from each brand's public Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD Items 5 and 7) and reputable third-party franchise databases, compiled for independent editorial reference. The Closing Binder is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any franchisor listed. Franchise fee, investment, royalty, and net-worth figures are set by the franchisor and change with each FDD; confirm current terms in the brand's latest FDD before relying on them.
Lenders that actually write these
The banks below approved the most CertaPro Painters acquisitions in the file. A lender that has funded this brand before is the fastest path through underwriting.
- Live Oak Banking Company5 CertaPro Painters loans
- Bath Savings Institution2 CertaPro Painters loans
- Customers Bank2 CertaPro Painters loans
- First Bank of the Lake2 CertaPro Painters loans
- Huntington National Bank2 CertaPro Painters loans
SBA conditions on this brand
CertaPro Painters is listed in the SBA Franchise Directory with no brand-specific lender conditions on file. A lender still runs the standard franchise review, but there is no special addendum or lease restriction attached to this brand.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to buy a CertaPro Painters franchise?
Opening a CertaPro Painters takes a total initial investment of about $171,000 to $320,500, including a $65,000 initial franchise fee, per the brand's FDD. Buying an existing location is priced differently: the median SBA 7(a) acquisition loan for CertaPro Painters was $655,000 in the federal loan file.
Can you buy a CertaPro Painters with an SBA loan?
Yes. 34 CertaPro Painters locations were acquired with SBA 7(a) financing since FY2020, and the brand is listed in the SBA Franchise Directory. A lender runs the standard SBA franchise review as part of underwriting.
How much do you need for a down payment on a CertaPro Painters?
SBA requires a minimum 10 percent equity injection. On the median CertaPro Painters loan of $655,000, that is roughly $72,778 of buyer cash, though a seller note kept on full standby can cover part of it. The rest is financed over about 10 years, around $8,386 a month at the median rate.
Which lenders finance CertaPro Painters acquisitions?
Live Oak Banking Company, Bath Savings Institution and Customers Bank wrote the most CertaPro Painters acquisition loans in the federal file. A lender that has funded the brand before knows its franchise agreement and tends to move faster. See the full lender detail above.
Other home services brands buyers finance
Loan counts, median size, median rate, and lender ranking are computed from the SBA 7(a) FOIA file, change of ownership approvals, FY2025 to FY2026 Q3, as of June 30, 2026. Eligibility, the identifier code, and any conditions are from the SBA Franchise Directory, effective August 11, 2026. Franchise cost figures are from CertaPro Painters's public FDD and third-party franchise databases. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by CertaPro Painters or its franchisor, and directory listing is not an endorsement of any individual deal. Methodology.