"Our long-term intent always was to convert the companycompletely to a franchise model," Van Ness says, and theIrvine-based firm has decided that now is the time. "We have cometo realize that it is inefficient for us to try to run twodifferent businesses with the same staff," Van Ness tellsGlobeSt.com. "We realized that it's time to make a full commitmentto the franchise business."

The 10 SVN corporate offices are all in Southern California andArizona. The rest of the company's approximately 160 offices arelocated throughout the US, Panama and Costa Rica.

Van Ness says that SVN has been running an organization of 1,500people, more than 1,000 of them advisers, providing support to thefranchisees as well as direct support to advisers and other staff.With the sale of the corporate offices to a franchisee, he says,SVN will be able to focus its resources on supporting its 200 or sofranchisees, who in turn will provide the direct support toadvisers and staff.