📋 The TLH Playbook
Canonical reference for all operations, AI agents, and human collaborators
Mission & The Economic Truth
True Legacy Homes helps families navigate life's hardest transitions — the death of a loved one, a parent's move to care, the letting go of a family home — with dignity, speed, and fairness.
TLH is a home acquisition company disguised as an estate sale company.
- Externally: TLH is the one trusted partner for estate transitions
- Internally: Estate sales are the visible entry product. The profit engine is home purchase (buy → renovate → flip)
- Estate sale: ~$10K (7% of LTV) • Home purchase: ~$140K+ (93% of LTV)
Operational SLAs V2 ADDITION
AI and marketing cannot fix broken plumbing. These supersede all marketing initiatives.
| SLA | Target | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Phone Answer Rate (inside sales line) | >80% | Unmeasured — needs baseline |
| Speed-to-Lead (PPC) | <5 minutes | Unknown |
| Speed-to-Lead (other) | <4 business hours | Unknown |
| VIP Partner Routing | Direct to Senior Closer | Not implemented |
Circuit Breaker: If answer rate drops below 60%, paid ads are automatically paused.
The Conversion Engine — "Two Checks" V2 ADDITION
Because 93% of margin comes from home purchase, the in-home consultation is the highest-leverage 60 minutes in the business.
"We can manage the estate sale and hand you a check for the contents. Or, our clients' biggest relief usually comes when we buy the home directly, as-is, with the contents still inside. That's a second, much larger check for the home itself, and you walk away this week."
Incentive Alignment: Account Managers compensated disproportionately on home acquisition attachment, not just estate sale signatures.
Acquisition Logic — 4 Tiers
| Tier | Channel | CAC | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proactive Intelligence (Beacon agent) | ~$50/mo | 40-80 leads/mo |
| 2 | Partner Referrals (Scout agent) | $0 | 30% of pipeline |
| 3 V2 | Alumni Engine — 1,500+ past clients | $0 | 5-15 referrals/mo |
| 4 | Demand Capture (Paid) | <$5K | High-intent only |
Budget Allocation ($50K/mo)
Geographic Rules
| Market | Status | Cost/Win | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego | PROVEN | $3,502 | Defend and maintain |
| Orange County | BROKEN | $10,266 | FIX before expanding. Kill PMAX. |
| Los Angeles | VIABLE | $5,146 | Search only. Zero PMAX. |
Expansion moratorium until OC cost/win <$5K for 3 consecutive months.
Care Placement Ruling V2 ADDITION
KILLED as internal B2C service. REBORN as B2B Partnership Layer.
TLH refers to vetted placement agencies. They route families who need to liquidate homes back to TLH.
Brand Firewalls V2 ADDITION
Consumer Brand: True Legacy Homes — families, attorneys, facilities. Dignity, legacy, transition.
Wholesaler Firewall: All investor transactions through TLH Acquisitions LLC (isolated DBA). If an investor Googles the buyer entity, they must NOT find "True Legacy Homes."
What TLH Does NOT Do (Anti-Drift Rules)
- Does not optimize for estate sale volume
- Does not run PMAX or phrase-match PPC
- Does not spread budget across 8+ channels
- Does not cold-call grieving families (14-day minimum)
- Does not market without attribution
- Does not expand until OC is fixed
- Does not send marketing before the funeral — ever
Key Metrics
| Metric | Target | Current |
|---|---|---|
| Estate Sale → Home Purchase Conversion | 30%+ | Untracked |
| Cost/Home Purchase (SD) | <$5K | $3,502 |
| Cost/Home Purchase (OC) | <$5K | $10,266 |
| Partner-Sourced Deals | 30%+ | ~0% |
| Phone Answer Rate | >80% | Unmeasured |
| Beacon Leads/Week | 10+ | ~4 |
| Active Referring Partners | 30+ | ~0 |
90-Day Execution Roadmap V2 ADDITION
Phase 1: Stop the Bleeding (Days 1-30)
- Kill OC PMAX, LA PMAX, all phrase-match PPC
- Consolidate phones, implement >80% answer rate SLA
- CRM Tech Freeze — map 183 Salesforce flows
- Attribution lock — DNI tracking + required SF source fields
Phase 2: Build the Partner Engine (Days 31-60)
- Deploy Beacon V2 with probate court scraper
- Scout identifies Top 20 probate attorneys SD/OC
- Launch Alumni referral sequence to 1,500+ past clients
- Finalize Estate Liquidity Bridge ($5K advance)
Phase 3: Scale & Optimize (Days 61-90)
- Penny shifts content to "sell inherited house" keywords
- Formalize Estate Sale → Home Purchase tracking in SF
- Evaluate OC: if cost/win <$5K, resume exact-match search
- Shoot 3 premium video testimonials
Estate Liquidity Bridge V2 ADDITION
The ultimate moat: advance $5K-$10K against estate proceeds to cover immediate clean-out, care facility deposits, or funeral costs. Makes TLH the estate's bridge bank. Eliminates all competition.
⚙️ Strategic Operating System
The Growth Engine — how TLH finds, converts, and retains clients
The Growth Funnel
| Layer | Function | Cost | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Intelligence | Beacon + Partners → pre-qualified leads | ~$50/mo | Pre-Google leads |
| 2. Demand Capture | PPC + SEO + Direct Mail | ~$25K/mo | Attributed inbound |
| 3. Conversion | Speed-to-lead → Consultation → "Two Checks" | Sales team | Signed contracts |
| 4. Fulfillment | Estate sale → Home purchase → Flip | Operations | Revenue |
| 5. Flywheel | Memory book → Referral → Alumni Engine | ~$0 | Compounding leads |
Trigger Map — Urgency Tiers
| Tier | Trigger | Score | Detection |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMMEDIATE | Death of homeowner | +100 | ✅ Beacon (SD) |
| IMMEDIATE | Probate filing | +85 | ❌ Priority #1 |
| IMMEDIATE | Hospitalization / fall | +90 | ❌ Need partnerships |
| HIGH | Care facility move | +50 | ❌ Need partnerships |
| HIGH | Tax default | +35 | ⚠️ Partial |
| MODERATE | Expired MLS listing | +15 | ❌ No access |
| MODERATE | 20+ year homeowner 65+ | +15 | ✅ Mail lists |
10x Opportunities
- Probate attorney network — 20 attorneys × 25 referrals/yr = 500 leads at $0 CAC
- Beacon at scale — probate + obituary + tax default + assessor = 40-80 pre-qualified leads/mo
- Estate Liquidity Bridge — advance $5-10K, lock in deal, eliminate competition V2
- Fix OC — $33K overspent for same 5 wins; reallocate to partners
- Alumni Engine — 1,500+ past clients at $0 CAC V2
Channel Hierarchy
Kill: PMAX (all markets), phrase-match PPC, generic Facebook, Caring.com
Concentrate: Partners (30%) + SEO (30%) + Exact Match Search (20%) + Mail (10%) + Tools (10%)
Rule: If a channel can't be tracked via CallRail DNI, UTMs, or SF source codes, it gets zero budget.
🤖 Agent Orchestra
8 AI agents. Clear hierarchy. Every one traces to home acquisition.
Coordinates all agents. Morning briefings, weekly rollups, escalation routing, quality monitoring.
Finds families before they Google. Obituaries, probate filings, tax defaults, property verification. Target: 40-80 leads/mo.
Builds the partner referral network. Top 20 attorneys, facility partnerships, partner scoring, quarterly dividends.
Scores leads (0-100), monitors pipeline SLAs, flags estate-sale→home-purchase cross-sell opportunities.
SEO blogs, guides, partner collateral. Owns "sell inherited house California" and every variation.
Estate sale listings, social promotion, review management. Makes every sale a marketing event.
Single source of truth for ROI. Kill losers fast, double winners. Budget police across every channel.
Weekly estate sale shopper email. Now weaponized with "Soft Ask" referral module. V2
Data Flow
- Beacon discovers leads → Grace scores and routes
- Beacon identifies attorney patterns → Scout targets partnerships
- Scout brings partner referrals → Grace tracks attribution
- Penny creates assets → Lark distributes
- Ledger monitors everything → Maestro acts on insights
- Maestro coordinates all → Justin approves strategic decisions
Implementation Priority
| Phase | Agent | Timeline | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🔦 Beacon (enhance) | This month | IN PROGRESS |
| 1 | 📊 Ledger | This month | API READY |
| 1 | 🎼 Maestro | This month | IN PROGRESS |
| 2 | 💌 Grace | Next month | PLANNED |
| 2 | 🔍 Scout | Next month | PLANNED |
| 3 | 📝 Penny | Month 3 | PLANNED |
| 3 | 🐦 Lark | Month 3 | PLANNED |
| — | 📬 Piper | — | ACTIVE |
📦 Master Strategic Inventory
Every audience, channel, message, tactic, and mechanism — cataloged by source
🎯 Primary Audiences
| Audience | Relevance |
|---|---|
| Adult Daughters 45-65 ("The Overwhelmed Daughter") | CRITICAL |
| Estate Executors / Probate Reps | CRITICAL |
| Families needing urgent placement | CRITICAL |
| Widowed Seniors 65-85 | HIGH |
| "House Rich, Cash Poor" Seniors | HIGH |
🤝 B2B / Referral Partners
| Partner | Relevance | Volume |
|---|---|---|
| Probate Attorneys | CRITICAL | 1 atty = 10-50 referrals/yr |
| Professional Fiduciaries (OC) | CRITICAL | Multiple estates simultaneously |
| Senior Living Facilities | HIGH | 5-15 move-ins/mo = houses |
| Hospital Discharge Planners | HIGH | Crisis = urgency = fast close |
| Senior Move Managers (NASMM) | HIGH | Preferred vendor flywheel |
📡 Channel Tiers
Tier 1 (Proven): Google exact match, Partner referrals, Beacon agent, SEO/Content, Direct mail, Local SEO/GBP
Tier 2 (Supporting): Facebook/IG (when attribution works), Nextdoor, LinkedIn, Email nurture, Seminars
Tier 3 (Lower): Bing, YouTube pre-roll, Print, Events, TikTok
KILL: PMAX (all), Phrase match PPC, Generic Facebook, Caring.com
💬 Messaging Themes
- Brand: "From overwhelmed to done."
- Promise: "Make the call. We handle everything — and you get a check, not a bill."
- Speed: "Consultation 48 Hours. Cash Offer 7 Days. Complete by 30."
- Daughter: "ONE call handles everything."
- Attorney: "We handle the junk, the jewelry, and the keys. 48-hour Value Audit."
- OC Premium: Discretion, stewardship, "Sotheby's brochure" quality
🔧 Acquisition Tactics
| Tactic | Impact | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Beacon obituary → property verify → probate | CRITICAL | ⚠️ Partial |
| Probate court scraper | VERY HIGH | ❌ #1 Priority |
| Probate attorney network (Top 20) | VERY HIGH | ❌ Not started |
| Alumni Engine — past client referrals V2 | HIGH | ❌ Not structured |
| "Two Checks" consultation protocol V2 | CRITICAL | ❌ Not codified |
| Estate Liquidity Bridge ($5-10K) V2 | VERY HIGH | ❌ Q2 2026 |
🌅 Sunsetted Mechanisms Review
What was killed, what should be revived, and under what conditions
REDESIGNED Care Placement V2 RULING
Was: Free-to-family senior care placement service. Revenue from facility commissions (~$5K).
V2 Ruling: KILLED as internal B2C service. REBORN as B2B Partnership Layer.
TLH refers to vetted placement agencies (Elder Answers, CarePatrol). They route families who need to liquidate homes back to TLH. "Life Transition Needs Assessment" remains the primary consultation tool.
REVIVE Past Client Referral Program V2 APPROVED
Opportunity: 1,500+ past clients at $150K LTV = massive untapped $0 CAC network.
Plan: 3-email referral sequence + annual holiday card + $500 bounty or charity donation. Track in SF as "Past Client Referral." Expected: 5-15 referrals/month within 6 months.
REDESIGNED Wholesaler Program
Proceed with brand firewall. All investor transactions through TLH Acquisitions LLC (isolated DBA). No public TLH branding on wholesaler materials. Dedicated POC, not the estate sale team.
REVIVE Professional Referral System
Build for the first time. Scout agent manages identification + outreach. Partner portal → CRM → concierge assignment. Referral fees: $200-$500 (attorneys), $1K (agents), reciprocal (NASMM). Budget: $15K/mo (30%).
KILL OC PMAX / Broad PPC
1 win at $12,327. 78% no-response rate. PMAX is a black box that can't optimize for low-volume niche business. Kill permanently.
KILL TV / "Free" Messaging
Generated 60-80% unqualified leads. "Free" attracts wrong audience. Keep dead.
KILL Multi-Market Expansion
Plans for Denver, Phoenix, Bay Area, Seattle, DFW. Unanimously premature. Haven't proven OC yet. Revival trigger: OC cost/win <$5K for 3 consecutive months AND 30%+ partner pipeline AND SD stable.
REDESIGNED RB Hyper-Local Pilot
Strip to 3 channels: Google exact match + direct mail (probate) + partner (Ed Brown Senior Center). Run 90 days, kill if <3 consultations/month.
⚠️ Strategic Drift Report
Where thinking diverged, efforts conflict, and acquisition focus dilutes
| # | Drift | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Estate sale volume vs. acquisition conversion | CRITICAL | OPEN — "Two Checks" codified, metric still untracked |
| 2 | Channel sprawl (8 channels, no dominance) | CRITICAL | V2 ADDRESSED — Colonel Blotto allocation codified |
| 3 | OC geographic overreach | HIGH | V2 ADDRESSED — Expansion moratorium |
| 4 | Partner underinvestment (8% → 30%) | CRITICAL | OPEN — Budget reallocation pending |
| 5 | Agent overlap risk | MEDIUM | V2 RESOLVED — 8 named agents, clear ownership |
| 6 | Care Placement limbo | HIGH | V2 RESOLVED — Explicit ruling made |
| 7 | Technology accumulation (183 flows) | HIGH | OPEN — CRM Code Freeze declared |
| 8 | Planning document contradictions | MEDIUM | V2 ADDRESSED — Playbook is canonical |
| 9 V2 | Alumni Engine neglect | HIGH | OPEN — 1,500+ clients untapped |
Key Contradictions Resolved
| Area | Was | V2 Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Probate attorneys | Paul rated "Low Value" | Adopted as highest-ROI partner |
| Partner budget | 8% of spend | 30% ($15K/mo) |
| OC approach | Same playbook as SD | Needs "Coastal Concierge" positioning |
| Care Placement | Zombie — neither alive nor dead | Killed as service, reborn as B2B layer |
| Wholesalers | "Brand firewall" undefined | TLH Acquisitions LLC mandate |