Financing a Home Instead with an SBA loan
Since FY2020, 95 Home Instead 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.
Home Instead franchising: franchises.homeinstead.com
What a Home Instead deal looks like
Home Instead is an established brand in the SBA loan file: 95 acquisitions cleared underwriting in the last five years. The median loan was $567,500 at 8.50 percent. Amortized over 10 years, that is about $7,036 a month, or $84,434 a year in debt service. SBA's 10 percent minimum equity injection on a deal that size is roughly $63,056 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 Home Instead?
Home Instead 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 Home Instead
These are Home Instead'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
- $91,040 to $269,750
- Initial franchise fee
- $54,000
- Ongoing royalty
- 5% of gross sales
- Liquid capital required
- $59,000
In-home senior care, figures from the 2025 FDD. Sources: Franchise Chatter — Home Instead Franchise Review 2025 (Item 5/7 from 2025 FDD), FranDB — Home Instead 2025 (investment, fee, royalty, ongoing fees), Franchise Gator — Home Instead (liquid capital requirement), Franchise Chatter — 2024 FDD review (prior-year Item 7 range for comparison), 1851 Franchise — Home Instead Franchise Costs, Fees, ROI and Data (2025 FDD; Item 5/7 verified independently). 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 Home Instead acquisitions in the file. A lender that has funded this brand before is the fastest path through underwriting.
- Live Oak Banking Company52 Home Instead loans
- Associated Bank National Association22 Home Instead loans
- Byline Bank4 Home Instead loans
- First Commonwealth Bank4 Home Instead loans
- First National Bank of Pennsylvania2 Home Instead loans
SBA conditions on this brand
Home Instead 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 Home Instead franchise?
Opening a Home Instead takes a total initial investment of about $91,040 to $269,750, including a $54,000 initial franchise fee, per the brand's FDD. Buying an existing location is priced differently: the median SBA 7(a) acquisition loan for Home Instead was $567,500 in the federal loan file.
Can you buy a Home Instead with an SBA loan?
Yes. 95 Home Instead 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 Home Instead?
SBA requires a minimum 10 percent equity injection. On the median Home Instead loan of $567,500, that is roughly $63,056 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 $7,036 a month at the median rate.
Which lenders finance Home Instead acquisitions?
Live Oak Banking Company, Associated Bank National Association and Byline Bank wrote the most Home Instead 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 senior care 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 Home Instead's public FDD and third-party franchise databases. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Home Instead or its franchisor, and directory listing is not an endorsement of any individual deal. Methodology.