What Empire Communities does

Empire Communities, now operating as Empire Homes following a July 2025 corporate rebrand, is one of North America's largest privately-held homebuilders. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Vaughan, Ontario, the company has built over 38,000 homes across more than 100 communities in its 30+ year history. Its core product is new construction single-family homes delivered through an integrated master-planned community model that combines land acquisition, neighborhood design, and home construction. Empire Homes operates in Ontario (Brantford, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Niagara, Toronto & GTA) and in six US states: Colorado (Colorado Springs), Georgia (Atlanta, Alpharetta, Cumming, Johns Creek, Brookhaven, Chamblee), North Carolina (Charlotte, Shelby, Gastonia, Harrisburg, Indian Trail, Mint Hill, Mooresville), South Carolina (Greenville, Greer, Inman, Pendleton), Tennessee (Chattanooga, East Brainerd, Ooltewah, Northshore), and Texas (Austin, Houston, San Antonio, San Marcos, Hutto).

The business runs on a direct-to-consumer model: prospective buyers research communities and floor plans on empirehomes.com, then engage New Home Specialists based in regional offices who guide them through tours and purchase. Pricing is quote-based and varies by community, floor plan, and lot, with observed entry-level listings around $300,000 for a 4-bedroom, 2.5-bath, 1,936 sq ft home. Revenue is generated almost entirely from one-time home sales transactions; no recurring or subscription revenue model exists in the current data. The marketing stack combines a content-rich website, an Instagram presence under #EmpireHomes, a curated resources hub segmented by buyer journey stage, and PR-style news releases. Empire Homes is wholly owned by Willowdale Asset Management, holds a registered Empire Homes trademark, and won the Global Innovation Home of the Year at The Nationals in 2025 for its ERTH360 product. Recent inorganic moves include the February 2025 acquisition of Charlotte-based SouthCraft Home Builders (now SouthCraft by Empire Homes) and an earlier 2018 acquisition of Centerra Homes, pointing to a deliberate US Southeast build-out strategy funded in part by a $161.9M capital raise in November 2024.

Name

Empire Communities

Legal name

Empire Communities Corp.

Website

https://empirecommunities.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Empire Homes (formerly Empire Communities) is one of North America's largest privately-held homebuilders, constructing single-family homes in master-planned communities across Ontario, Canada and six US states for individual and family homebuyers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Home Building

NAICS

New Housing For-Sale Builders (236117), Manufactured Home (Mobile Home) Manufacturing (321991)

akta.pro primary industry

Single-Family Home Construction (Detached Homes) (IMAFABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Custom Home Building (IMAFABAC)

Keywords

• Single-family home construction
• Master-planned communities
• Residential real estate
• New home sales
• Home building

Headquarters

HQ city

Vaughan

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. New Home Sales: Revenue generated from the sale of newly constructed homes to individual buyers. The company builds single-family homes across multiple communities in Ontario, Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. Sales are transaction-based with homes sold at market prices (example listing at $300,000 for a 4-bed, 2.5-bath, 1,936 sq.ft home in Phase 3).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Empire Communities, operating as Empire Homes, designs, builds, and sells new single-family homes within master-planned communities across Ontario (Canada), Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. The company has built over 38,000 homes across 100+ communities over 30+ years, with a focus on attainable home designs for every life stage, from first-time buyers through empty nesters. Sales are executed through a network of regional offices and New Home Specialists.

Product overview

Empire Homes operates as a single unified homebuilding offering with distinct regional operations across Ontario (Canada) and six U.S. states. The portfolio consists of the core Empire Homes brand (new single-family homes in master-planned communities), the acquired SouthCraft by Empire Homes brand serving the Charlotte market, and the award-winning ERTH360 innovation line. The company also provides home buying resources and guidance services to support customers through the homeownership journey. With over 38,000 homes built in 100+ communities over 30+ years, the company focuses on attainable home designs for every stage of life.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SouthCraft by Empire Homes: Homebuilding brand in the Charlotte, North Carolina market, formerly known as SouthCraft Home Builders before being acquired and rebranded.

Products and services

• Empire Homes (Core Brand) The core new single-family home offering by Empire Communities, providing newly constructed homes for primary residence, upsizing, downsizing, or investment purposes across master-planned communities in Ontario, Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
• SouthCraft by Empire Homes Homebuilding brand operating in the Charlotte, North Carolina market under the Empire Homes umbrella, offering single-family homes in the Southeast U.S. as a wholly-owned division.
• ERTH360 Award-winning innovative home design concept by Empire Homes that received the Global Innovation Home of the Year recognition at The Nationals in 2025, representing differentiated home design within the Empire Homes portfolio.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Precedent Land CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 December 2025Precedent Land Company announced completion of Market Square at Flora in Hutto, Texas, a development milestone. Empire Homes is involved in building homes within this community.
• SouthCraft Home BuilderscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025Empire Homes acquired SouthCraft Home Builders and rebranded it as SouthCraft by Empire Homes, strengthening the company's presence in the Charlotte, North Carolina market. SouthCraft operates as a division within the Empire Homes portfolio.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• D.R. Horton: Largest US homebuilder by volume, with national footprint spanning entry-level to move-up. Direct competitor across Empire's US markets but with substantially greater scale, public capital access, and product breadth.
• Lennar Corporation: Top-tier US homebuilder operating across entry-level, move-up, and active-adult segments with extensive Sun Belt exposure. Overlaps with Empire in Texas, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Tennessee with significantly larger delivery volume.
• PulteGroup: National US homebuilder (Centex, Pulte, Del Webb, John Wieland brands) with deep Sun Belt presence. Competes with Empire in Atlanta, Charlotte, and Texas markets across first-time, move-up, and active-adult buyer segments.
• Toll Brothers: Luxury-focused national US homebuilder competing primarily in move-up and premium segments. Overlaps with Empire in select markets but differentiated by price point; useful as a benchmark for premium positioning and design-led differentiation.
• Meritage Homes: Public US homebuilder with concentrated Sun Belt exposure (Texas, Arizona, the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida) and a focus on entry-level and first move-up buyers. Highly comparable product positioning to Empire's attainable-housing thesis.
• M/I Homes: Mid-sized public US homebuilder with strong presence in Texas, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Tennessee. Closely comparable in scale and product mix to Empire Homes across Sun Belt markets.
• Tri Pointe Homes: Public US homebuilder with multiple regional brands operating in Texas, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Colorado. Comparable in multi-brand strategy following acquisitions, geographic overlap, and move-up product focus.

Direct peers

• Mattamy Homes: Largest privately-held homebuilder in North America, also Canadian-founded, building single-family and master-planned communities across the US and Canada. Closely comparable in scale, private status, geographic model, and product focus on attainable family housing.
• Brookfield Residential: North American single-family and master-planned community homebuilder backed by Brookfield Asset Management. Comparable in operating model, sponsor-backed private structure, and focus on lifestyle communities in growth markets.

Emerging players

• Dream Finders Homes: Newer public US homebuilder with rapid growth in entry-level and first move-up segments across the Sun Belt. Comparable geographic and product overlap with Empire but with earlier lifecycle and acquisitive growth profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/empirehomes
• Xx.com/Empire_Living
• Facebookfacebook.com/EmpireCommunities
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/empire-communities

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Empire Communities