What Simple Life does

Simple Life (legal entity Simple Life Partners, LLC) is a privately held real estate developer that builds and operates tiny-home cottage communities targeting active adults aged 55+ and seasonal/part-time residents seeking a low-maintenance lifestyle in Western North Carolina. Founded in 2017 by land-development veteran Mike McCann, the company currently operates two gated cottage communities in Flat Rock, NC: The Hamlet (active, with 300+ residential lots and final phase underway) and The Village (sold out, resale-only). Each community delivers manufactured tiny homes (typically 397-694 sq ft) in price tiers ranging from $58,000 to $299,000, paired with a recurring $350-$450 monthly lot rent that covers land lease, utilities, landscaping, and access to shared amenities (clubhouse, pool, fitness, gardens, walking trails, dog parks).

The business combines one-time home sales with recurring lot-rent and service-fee revenue streams. Homes are manufactured by Clayton Park Models (Berkshire Hathaway-backed) and sold through on-site sales offices via scheduled tours and direct phone/online booking; buyer financing is facilitated through preferred partner Triad Financial Services, including a lease-to-own option with $5,000 down. Lead generation is multi-channel: an SEO/content website, active social presence (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest), email newsletter, in-person community events, video testimonials, and a resident-referral Envoy Program. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer across a single domestic geography (Western North Carolina).

Operationally, Simple Life is led by a 11-50 employee team spanning CEO Mike McCann, CFO Wolfe Jackson (ex-public residential construction), CPO Thom Liggett (institutional real estate/investment funds), VP Sales & Marketing Ron Allen (former Disney Vacation Club executive), VP Land & Product Development Gabriel Wahila, and on-site construction and community management staff. A $2.2M financing round closed in February 2025. The firm has no disclosed parent company, no external PE backing, and no public technology platform — competitive advantage rests on community design, manufactured-housing supply partnerships, lifestyle brand, and the founder's regional land-entitlement experience rather than proprietary technology.

Name

Simple Life

Legal name

Simple Life Partners, LLC

Website

https://simple-life.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Simple Life is a private real estate developer that builds and operates tiny-home cottage communities in Western North Carolina, targeting active adults aged 55+ seeking low-maintenance, amenitized downsizing. It sells homes ($58K-$299K) and charges recurring lot rent ($350-$450/month) across two Flat Rock, NC communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cottage Community Real Estate Development

NAICS

New Housing For-Sale Builders (236117), Lessors of Real Estate (5311)

SIC

Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552), Retail-Mobile Home Dealers (5271)

akta.pro primary industry

Active Adult (55+) Independent Living Communities (HLADAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Tiny Homes & Micro-Stays (THAMADAB)

Keywords

• Tiny home communities
• Cottage community development
• Residential real estate
• Active adult housing
• Lot rent leasing

Headquarters

HQ city

Oxford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Home Sales: Revenue generated from selling tiny homes within cottage communities. Homes are manufactured by partners (Clayton Homes) and sold to buyers who lease the land through a monthly lot rent arrangement. Home prices range from $58,000 to $299,000 depending on model and location.
2. Lot Rent: Monthly recurring revenue from residents leasing land within the community. Covers the land lease portion of living in the community, separate from home purchase. Typical monthly lot rent ranges from $350-$450 depending on homesite location and size.
3. Community Services: Monthly fee covering water/sewer, basic cable, trash/recycling, full landscaping, and access to all amenities. Included in the overall monthly cost of living in the community.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Simple Life develops and operates gated tiny home cottage communities in Western North Carolina, selling manufactured tiny homes (built by Clayton Park Models) within its communities and collecting monthly lot rent plus community services fees. Active communities include The Hamlet and The Village in Flat Rock, NC, offering resort-style amenities (clubhouse, pool, fitness, gardens) bundled with land lease and full-service maintenance.

Product overview

Simple Life operates as a tiny home community developer offering cottage communities with resort-style amenities in Western North Carolina. The core product portfolio consists of two active communities (The Hamlet and The Village), a marketplace of available tiny homes for sale, and multiple floorplan options including Bloom (543 sq ft), Cheaha (397 sq ft), Serenity, Tannehill, Skylark, Compass, Grove (694 sq ft, 2 bed/2 bath), Oasis, and Riverstone. Homes range from approximately $125,000 to $299,000 with monthly lot rent of $350–$450. Financing options include traditional purchase and lease-to-own programs with $5,000 down.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Hamlet
• The Village
• Available Homes Marketplace
• Lease-to-Own Program

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Clayton HomescoreTechnology or IntegrationClayton Park Models provides luxury park model homes (under 400 sq ft) for Simple Life communities. Built in Addison, Alabama, homes feature full kitchens, bathrooms, sleeping lofts, and modern finishes. Clayton is backed by Berkshire Hathaway, providing manufacturing scale and quality standards. Partnered specifically in Flat Rock, NC communities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Del Webb (PulteGroup): Del Webb is the largest active adult (55+) homebuilder in the US, offering resort-style amenitized communities for downsizing Boomers. Compares to Simple Life on target customer and community-amenity model, but operates at vastly larger scale with traditional single-family homes rather than tiny homes.
• Shea Homes (Trilogy): Shea Homes operates Trilogy, a network of active lifestyle communities for adults 55+ with resort amenities, comparable in customer profile and amenitized-community concept, though at larger scale and with conventional (not tiny) homes.
• Skyline Champion: Skyline Champion is a leading publicly traded manufacturer of manufactured homes and modular housing, with a nationwide footprint. Relevant peer as an industrial-scale alternative in the factory-built housing category that Simple Life's product competes within.
• Sun Communities: Sun Communities is a publicly traded REIT owning and operating manufactured housing, RV, and marinas communities. Compares to Simple Life on the land-lease community business model serving active adults, though at much larger scale and broader geography.
• Equity LifeStyle Properties (ELS): ELS operates a national portfolio of manufactured home communities, RV resorts, and marinas, generating recurring lot-rent revenue. Directly comparable to Simple Life's land-lease community economics at scale.
• Toll Brothers Active Adult: Toll Brothers operates an Active Adult division building luxury amenitized communities for downsizing buyers, comparable to Simple Life on target customer and premium resort-amenity positioning, with much larger scale and conventional home construction.
• Palm Harbor Homes: Palm Harbor Homes is a national manufactured and modular home builder serving both primary residence and resort/land-lease community markets. Comparable as a parallel factory-built housing brand competing for similar buyer profiles.
• K. Hovnanian Homes (Active Adult): K. Hovnanian operates a Four Seasons Active Adult community brand offering amenitized homes for 55+ buyers. Comparable in target demographic and resort-style community design, with much broader geographic reach and conventional homes.

Others

• Clayton Homes: Clayton Homes is Simple Life's manufacturing partner and the largest US builder of manufactured and modular homes, owned by Berkshire Hathaway. Comparable as the upstream supplier to Simple Life's communities and as a broader industry reference for off-site built housing.

Emerging players

• Escape Traveler (Land Ark / Escape): Escape Traveler designs and sells tiny homes on wheels, often placed in curated outdoor communities. Comparable to Simple Life on the tiny-home product category and lifestyle-brand positioning, though typically focused on short-term/vacation stays rather than primary residence ownership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@simplelifecottages
• Facebookfacebook.com/simplelifecottages
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/simple-life-communities
• Instagraminstagram.com/simplelifecottages
• Pinterestpinterest.com/simplelifecottages

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Simple Life