About RealTorch

We see a home as a foundation for everyday life. It gives people a place to rest, eat, work, learn, spend time together, and raise a family. The quality, location, and cost of housing shape what people can do with the rest of their lives.

The United States needs more homes that people can afford and want to live in. Home builders take on large risks to create them. They often make land, product, price, and operating decisions while the useful information is spread across public records, market feeds, spreadsheets, plans, email, and individual experience.

RealTorch uses data and software to make that information easier to use. Our goal is practical: help builders make sound decisions, reduce avoidable risk, and use what they learn on the next project.

Michael Burdette and Joseph Hobba started RealTorch in early 2022. They met at West Virginia University and had wanted to build a company together for years. Joseph grew up around his family's homebuilding business. Michael worked at Bloomberg, where he helped turn company filings and financial data into information investors could use.

RealTorch began with market feasibility studies for home builders and land developers. A study could take a month or more because the work required data from many sources. Thomas Kim joined as a co-founder in 2023 to turn the manual research operation into a reliable production application that builders can rely on every day.

As AI became more capable, RealTorch began giving it the market evidence, homebuilding methods, company records, and working tools needed for useful homebuilding work. Together, those sources give Atlas the flexibility to bring the right information and tools to whatever question, task, or decision a builder is focused on.

Atlas combines RealTorch market data, homebuilding knowledge, files, connected email, prior work, and analysis tools in one AI workspace. A builder can use it for a major land or product decision, a company analysis, or a routine task that still needs the right context.

We are building Atlas with home builders and experienced industry operators. Their records, questions, and corrections keep the work tied to the decisions a homebuilding company actually makes.