The True Life Companies

What The True Life Companies does

The True Life Companies (TTLC) is a privately held, Denver-based real estate investment and development firm founded in 2008 by Scott Clark, Don Kirby, and Joe Fraser. TTLC operates a three-phase model — Control (acquiring property primarily through purchase-and-sale agreements), Entitle/Design (securing zoning and approvals), and Sell (delivering finished, entitled parcels to national homebuilders) — across seven states: California, Colorado, Arizona, Texas, Utah, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The firm has completed 60+ transactions, delivered 5,000+ homes, and currently manages 40+ active properties, supplying shovel-ready lots to enterprise homebuilders including KB Home, Trumark Properties, and Core Spaces.

Revenue is generated through three streams: (1) land parcel sales to homebuilders on a transaction basis, (2) management fees and carried interest from three nationally syndicated private equity funds (Elite Fund I launched 2018, II launched 2020, III launched 2022), with securities distributed to accredited investors through Orchard Securities and Emerson Equity, and (3) vertical homebuilding revenue through its wholly-owned subsidiary Homes Built for America (HBFA), established in 2021, and acquired general contractor Brighton Coulson (2022). The firm has deployed more than $187 million in capital across these activities.

TTLC's go-to-market is enterprise field sales, with direct relationships to national homebuilders on the demand side and a broker-dealer/advisor network on the capital side. Leadership includes President Scott Menard (also CEO of HBFA, with prior executive experience at Taylor Morrison, Ryland, Trumark, Shea, SummerHill, and Waypoint), CFO Bill Hoffenberg (Stanford/Harvard background, former CFO of The Koll Company), and COO Greg Balen of HBFA (formerly COO at Empire Communities and Regional President at Landsea Homes). The company explicitly targets the U.S. housing shortage, citing a 3.7 million home deficit (2024), and positions itself as addressing supply constraints in attainable, first-time-buyer markets.

Name

The True Life Companies

Legal name

The True Life Companies

Website

https://thetruelifecompanies.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The True Life Companies is a Denver-based real estate investment and development firm founded in 2008 that entitles and sells residential land parcels to national homebuilders across seven U.S. states, raising capital through three syndicated private equity funds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Land Development

NAICS

Land Subdivision (23721), New Housing For-Sale Builders (236117)

SIC

Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552), Operative Builders (1531)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Land Development & Subdivision Homebuilding (Build-to-Sell Communities) (IMAFABAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Spec Home / Production Homebuilding (Tract & Volume Builders) (IMAFABAD)

Keywords

• Residential land development
• Real estate investment funds
• Land entitlement services
• Infill property development
• Homebuilder supply chain

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Land Development and Parcel Sales: The company transforms underutilized infill properties and vacant lots into entitled land parcels, then sells these parcels to national homebuilders. Revenue is generated through the sale of finished, entitled land rather than home construction.
2. Investment Fund Management: TTLC operates nationally syndicated investment funds (Elite Fund I, II, and III) that provide capital for land acquisition and development. Securities are offered to accredited investors through Orchard Securities and Emerson Equity. The company earns management fees and carried interest from fund operations.
3. Homebuilding (Homes Built for America): Through their subsidiary Homes Built for America (HBFA), the company has the ability to take projects vertical, delivering communities from concept to completion. This vertical integration allows TTLC to capture additional value in the development chain.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The True Life Companies transforms underutilized infill properties and vacant lots into entitled, shovel-ready land parcels through parcel identification, zoning, entitlements, and site planning, then sells the finished parcels to national homebuilders. Through its subsidiary Homes Built for America (HBFA), the company can take projects vertical, delivering residential communities from concept to completion.

Product overview

The True Life Companies operates as a real estate investment and development firm with a three-phase approach: Control (acquiring property through purchase-and-sale agreements), Entitle/Design (securing jurisdictional approvals and creating site plans), and Sell (delivering parcels to homebuilders). The company operates its primary subsidiary Homes Built for America (HBFA) for vertical homebuilding, and TTLC Development, Inc. for horizontal development services. TTLC manages three nationally syndicated investment funds (Elite Fund I, II, and III) and has delivered over 5,000 homes across 60+ transactions with 40+ active properties. The company strengthens supply chains for homebuilders while streamlining the sales experience for landowners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Homes Built For America (HBFA): The company's in-house homebuilding subsidiary that delivers communities from concept to completion, providing vertical integration to the business model.

Products and services

• Horizontal Development Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Lower up-front capital requirement through control strategy
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• Homes Built for America (HBFA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021In-house homebuilding subsidiary launched in 2021 through collaboration between Scott Clark and Scott Menard. Enables TTLC to take projects vertical, delivering communities from concept to completion. Provides true vertical integration into the company's business model.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Empire Communities: Private homebuilder and land developer with US operations. Greg Balen (now TTLC's HBFA COO) was previously COO of Empire Communities' US operations, evidencing direct operational and geographic overlap.
• Landsea Homes: Public homebuilder and land developer operating across the Western US and Texas. Greg Balen (TTLC's HBFA COO) was previously Regional President at Landsea Homes, indicating direct overlap in geography, product, and operating model.
• KB Home: Named enterprise customer of TTLC. KB Home is a large public homebuilder with a Western and Sun Belt focus and deep reliance on third-party land developers like TTLC to feed its lot pipeline, making it both a buyer-customer and a structural comparable.
• Newland Communities: Large privately-held residential land developer and master-planned community operator. Operates a parallel business of entitling raw land and selling finished lots to national homebuilders across multiple Sun Belt and Western markets.
• Tri Pointe Homes: Public homebuilder with operations in CA, AZ, CO, TX, and the Carolinas — overlapping substantially with TTLC's seven-state footprint. Both firms combine in-house land development with homebuilding, mirroring TTLC's TTLC Development + HBFA structure.
• Starwood Land Ventures: Institutional residential land investment and development platform. Greg Balen previously served as SVP at Starwood Land Ventures, and the firm pursues an analogous strategy of acquiring, entitling, and disposing of residential land parcels to homebuilders.
• Forestar Group: D.R. Horton-affiliated residential lot developer operating across the Sun Belt and Western US. Forestar's pure-play horizontal development model and public capital base make it the closest public comparable to TTLC Development, Inc.

Emerging players

• Land Advisors Organization: National land brokerage and advisory focused on lot/land transactions for builders and developers. Competes with TTLC for landowner mandates in similar metros but takes a brokerage/transaction model rather than principal land development.
• LGI Homes: Public entry-level homebuilder with national footprint. Nick Mason (TTLC SVP National Properties) was previously at LGI Homes, indicating direct talent overlap; LGI is both a potential TTLC parcel customer and a vertical-integration comparable.

Broad incumbents

• D.R. Horton: Largest US homebuilder with national land development operations. Cynthia Keller (TTLC SVP) was previously VP Sales & Marketing at D.R. Horton's LA/Ventura/Kern division. As a buyer of finished lots at scale, D.R. Horton is both customer and aspirational vertical comparable.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/builtforamerica
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@TheTrueLifeCompanies
• Facebookfacebook.com/thetruelifecompanies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-true-life-companies

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 The True Life Companies