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Should I open or buy a Touching Hearts at Home franchise in 2027?

📖 2,312 words🗓️ Published Jul 20, 2026

Direct Answer

Yes — buy a Touching Hearts at Home franchise in 2027 if you have $90K-$150K in liquid capital, can personally sell into discharge planners and elder-law attorneys for 18 months, and accept a break-even at month 14-22 with conservative Year-1 cash flow of -$15K to +$25K. The brand's $49,500 franchise fee, 5% royalty, and $64K-$94K total Item 7 range make it one of the cheapest entries in non-medical senior care, and Item 19 average gross revenue of $801,000 (top quartile ~$1.01M) clears the $344K sub-sector average. Probably not if you need W-2 replacement income before month 18, dislike recruiting caregivers at $16-$22/hr in a tight labor market, or live in a metro already saturated by Home Instead, Visiting Angels, or Right at Home with no underserved suburb to claim.

The Real Numbers

The 2026 FDD Item 7 range for a Touching Hearts at Home territory is $63,885 to $93,085 all-in. That includes the $49,500 initial franchise fee (10% VetFran discount available), training travel, a modest home-office build-out, initial marketing, $15,000-$30,000 in working capital, and licensure/insurance. Royalty is 5% of gross revenue; the brand fund/marketing fee is 2%, putting total franchisor take at 7% of top-line. Real Item 19 average gross revenue is $801,000 with top-quartile units clearing $1.01M+; mature EBITDA margins run 10-15% after caregiver wages (60-65% of revenue), office, insurance, and royalties. Payback period is 24-36 months for a self-operated office.

Line item	Low	High	Notes
Initial franchise fee	$49,500	$49,500	One-time; 10% off for U.S. veterans via VetFran
Training & travel	$1,500	$4,000	Minneapolis HQ, 5 days
Office lease deposit/furniture	$2,500	$8,000	Home-office launch is permitted Year-1
Computer, phones, scheduling software	$1,500	$3,500	AxisCare or ClearCare integration
Insurance (GL + professional + bond)	$2,000	$4,500	$1M/$3M GL minimum
State home-care license/CON fees	$500	$5,000	CON states (NY, NJ, MD, GA) are 6-18 months out
Initial marketing/grand opening	$3,000	$8,000	Lunch-and-learns with discharge planners
Working capital (3-6 months payroll float)	$4,000	$11,000	2-week pay lag vs. 30-45 day client AR
Total Item 7 (FDD)	$63,885	$93,085	Per 2026 FDD
Realistic all-in with 6-mo runway	$90,000	$150,000	Sharpsheets/Franzy estimates

Royalty: 5% of gross revenue. Brand fund: 2%. Average AUV (Item 19): ~$801,000. Top-quartile AUV: $1.01M. EBITDA margin at maturity: 10-15%. Payback period: 24-36 months.

Who Wins With This Business

You win at Touching Hearts at Home if you are a second-career sales operator — former medical-device rep, hospice account manager, pharma rep, or insurance broker — who already knows how to walk into a hospital case-management office and book a meeting. The model is referral-led, not lead-gen-led; the office with the best discharge-planner relationships wins the zip code. Veteran owners get a 10% franchise-fee discount plus disciplined recruiting habits that translate well to caregiver scheduling. Adult-child-of-an-aging-parent buyers with personal home-care experience convert referrals at 2-3x the rate of pure-finance buyers because they speak the language of dementia, fall risk, and post-surgical recovery credibly. Mid-career operators in suburbs of 50,000-200,000 population with median household income $65K+ and a 65+ population growing 3%+ annually find the demographic tailwind does most of the work — the U.S. 65+ population is projected at 73 million by 2030, and the $155.9B home-care market is growing 4.1% in 2026 per IBISWorld. Owners who personally cover after-hours on-call for the first 12 months avoid the #1 failure mode: client-family rage at a missed shift.

Who Loses With This Business

You lose if you treat this as a passive investment. Caregiver turnover in non-medical home care ran 64-79% in 2024-2025 per Home Care Pulse, and payroll is 60-65% of revenue — a remote owner cannot recruit, schedule, fire, and re-recruit fast enough to keep the fill rate above 90%. You lose if you launch in a saturated metro — Home Instead has 1,250+ U.S. offices, Visiting Angels 600+, Right at Home 580+, Comfort Keepers 700+ — without a defensible underserved suburb. You lose if your liquid capital is below $80K: the 2-week payroll cycle vs. 30-45 day client AR creates a $20K-$40K working-capital hole by month 4 that kills under-funded offices. You lose if you refuse to personally sell — owners who hire a marketer Day 1 typically see Year-1 revenue under $150K and 30% caregiver-side gross margin eaten by overhead. You also lose if you launch in a Certificate of Need (CON) state — NY, NJ, MD, GA, parts of TN — without a 6-18 month licensure runway built into the cash plan; CON delays have bankrupted multiple home-care franchisees.

2027 Market Conditions

The non-medical home-care backdrop is the strongest of any franchise category entering 2027. U.S. 65+ population hits 70.3M in 2027 (Census Bureau projections), the 80+ cohort is growing 4.4% annually, and the CDC reports 70% of Americans 65+ will need long-term care. IBISWorld's 2026 industry report pegs the U.S. home-care industry at $173.6B in 2026, growing 4.1% YoY, with the franchise segment specifically growing 9.1% CAGR over five years across 60+ brands and 6,800+ locations. Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits under the 2020 CHRONIC Care Act continue expanding non-medical in-home services as covered benefits through 2027 — roughly 20% of MA plans now cover some non-medical home care, up from 3% in 2020. Caregiver wage pressure remains the headwind: median caregiver wage hit $16.50/hr in 2026 per BLS OEWS data and is projected at $17.25-$18.00/hr by Q4 2027, compressing margins for franchisees who can't push $32-$38/hr private-pay rates. VA Aid & Attendance ($2,795/mo for surviving spouse, $3,536/mo for veteran-couple in 2026) and long-term-care insurance payouts remain the two strongest private-pay funding sources. 2027 risk: proposed CMS Home Health rule changes on 80/20 caregiver wage pass-through may bleed into non-medical regulation in blue states.

The 90-Day Decision Tree

Days 1-7: Pull the FDD. Request the current Touching Hearts at Home FDD directly from franchise development. Read Item 7 (cost), Item 19 (financial performance), Item 20 (unit counts and closures), Item 21 (audited financials) before any deposit. Cross-reference against the franchisee list in Item 20 — there should be 70+ active franchisees.
Days 8-21: Validation calls. Call at least 15 existing franchisees from the Item 20 list — 5 first-year, 5 in years 2-3, 5 mature (4+ years). Ask: billable hours by month 6, month 12, month 24; caregiver fill rate; private-pay vs. VA vs. Medicaid waiver mix; net cash flow Year 1 and Year 2; what they would do differently.
Days 22-35: Territory analysis. Pull Census ACS data for your target zip cluster: 65+ population, 80+ population, median household income, projected 65+ growth 2027-2032. Disqualify any territory with fewer than 15,000 residents 65+ or median HHI under $55K.
Days 36-49: Competitive scan. Map every Home Instead, Visiting Angels, Right at Home, Comfort Keepers, Senior Helpers, BrightStar, Synergy HomeCare office within 15 miles. Call each as a fake prospect and grade answer-time, intake quality, rate quote.
Days 50-63: Discovery Day. Attend the Minneapolis HQ Discovery Day. Walk the support center, training facility, marketing team. Meet the CEO and the field-operations lead.
Days 64-77: Financing & legal. Lock $100K-$150K via SBA 7(a) (Touching Hearts is on the SBA Franchise Registry), 401(k) ROBS, or HELOC. Have a franchise attorney redline the franchise agreement — focus on territory definition, transfer rights, renewal terms, post-term non-compete.
Days 78-90: Sign or walk. Decide based on (a) validation call consensus, (b) territory demographics clearing the bar, (c) personal sales-call comfort. If you cannot picture yourself making 20 referral-source visits per week for 18 months, walk.

Alternative Plays

If Touching Hearts at Home doesn't pencil for your territory or you want a higher revenue ceiling, the realistic adjacent moves in 2027 are: (1) Home Instead — $125K-$185K Item 7, AUV ~$1.4M, 5% royalty, 1,250+ U.S. offices, highest brand recognition but saturated suburbs; (2) Visiting Angels — $104K-$135K Item 7, AUV ~$1.1M, 3-4% royalty, looser caregiver-employee model; (3) Right at Home — $93K-$182K Item 7, includes skilled-care add-on path (RN-supervised), AUV ~$1.0M; (4) Senior Helpers — $129K-$169K Item 7, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's specialty programs as differentiator; (5) BrightStar Care — $110K-$215K Item 7, medical + non-medical hybrid (RNs on staff), AUV ~$2.4M but harder to operate. Non-franchise play: open as independent under your own brand for $25K-$50K all-in if you have 15+ years home-care management experience and an existing referral network — you save the 7% royalty + brand fund but lose the playbook, software, and SBA-registry financing. Adjacent franchise plays for the same buyer profile: TruBlue Total House Care (senior home maintenance, $65K-$95K all-in), Caring Senior Service ($75K-$110K), FirstLight Home Care ($107K-$166K).

FAQ

How much money do I actually need to start a Touching Hearts at Home franchise? You’ll need $90,000 to $150,000 in liquid capital. The franchise fee is $49,500, and total initial investment (Item 7) ranges from $64,000 to $94,000. Ongoing costs include a 5% royalty and a small marketing fee.

How long until I break even and start making a profit? Most franchisees reach break-even between month 14 and month 22. Year 1 cash flow is typically negative $15,000 to positive $25,000. You should not expect to replace a full-time W-2 income before month 18.

What is the average revenue for a Touching Hearts at Home franchise? According to Item 19, average gross revenue is about $801,000 per year, with top-quartile locations earning roughly $1.01 million. This is well above the non-medical senior care sub-sector average of $344,000.

Is the senior care market too crowded in my area? It depends. If your metro is already saturated by Home Instead, Visiting Angels, or Right at Home, you’ll need an underserved suburb or niche to claim. Touching Hearts at Home works best in areas with a growing 65+ population and few direct competitors.

Do I need experience in healthcare or senior care to succeed? No, but you must be willing to personally sell to discharge planners and elder-law attorneys for at least 18 months. The brand provides training, but your ability to build referral relationships is the single biggest factor in success.

How hard is it to find and keep caregivers? It’s a tight labor market. You’ll typically pay caregivers $16 to $22 per hour, and turnover is common. Successful franchisees invest heavily in recruitment, training, and retention strategies from day one.

Bottom Line

Touching Hearts at Home is a legitimate non-medical home-care entry point with one of the lowest franchise fees in the category ($49,500), a credible $801K Item 19 average, 2.3x the sub-sector revenue average, and a real demographic tailwind through 2030. It is not a passive investment. Buy it in 2027 if you (a) have $90K-$150K liquid, (b) can personally make 20 referral-source visits per week for 18 months, (c) claim an underserved suburb with 15K+ residents 65+ and median HHI $65K+, and (d) accept that payback is 24-36 months. Walk away if you need W-2 replacement income before month 18, live in a saturated metro, or refuse to do the sales work yourself. The math works; the execution risk is entirely on caregiver recruiting and referral-source selling.

Sources

flowchart TD A[Liquid capital $90K-$150K] --> B[Sign FDD + pay $49,500 fee] B --> C[5-day Minneapolis training] C --> D["State home-care licenseunder br/over 30 days non-CON / 6-18 months CON"] D --> E["Recruit 8-12 caregivers @ $16-$22/hr"] E --> F["Sell 25 discharge planners,under br/over 15 elder-law attorneys,under br/over 10 senior communities"] F --> G{Hit 800 billable hours/mounder br/over by month 9?} G -->|Yes| H["Year-1 revenue $250K-$400Kunder br/over Cash flow -$15K to +$25K"] G -->|No| I["Cut to 1 office FTE,under br/over owner sells full-time,under br/over extend runway 6 mo"] H --> J["Year-2 $500K-$700Kunder br/over EBITDA $50K-$95K"] I --> J J --> K["Year-3 $801K AUVunder br/over EBITDA $80K-$120Kunder br/over Payback complete"]

flowchart LR A["Day 1under br/over Pull FDD"] --> B["Day 14under br/over 15 validation calls"] B --> C["Day 30under br/over Territory + Census analysis"] C --> D["Day 45under br/over Competitor mystery shop"] D --> E["Day 60under br/over Minneapolis Discovery Day"] E --> F["Day 75under br/over SBA 7a / ROBS funding lock"] F --> G["Day 90under br/over Sign or walk"]

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![Touching Hearts at Home logo](https://www.touchinghearts.com/fortbend/wp-content/uploads/sites/60/2022/04/Group-530.png)

## Direct Answer

**Yes — buy a Touching Hearts at Home franchise in 2027 if** you have **$90K-$150K in liquid capital**, can personally **sell into discharge planners and elder-law attorneys for 18 months**, and accept a **break-even at month 14-22** with conservative **Year-1 cash flow of -$15K to +$25K**. The brand's **$49,500 franchise fee**, **5% royalty**, and **$64K-$94K total Item 7 range** make it one of the cheapest entries in non-medical senior care, and **Item 19 average gross revenue of $801,000** (top quartile ~$1.01M) clears the **$344K sub-sector average**. **Probably not** if you need W-2 replacement income before month 18, dislike **recruiting caregivers at $16-$22/hr in a tight labor market**, or live in a metro already saturated by **Home Instead, Visiting Angels, or Right at Home** with no underserved suburb to claim.

## The Real Numbers

![Should I open or buy a Touching Hearts at Home franchise in 2027? — The Real Numbers](https://image.pollinations.ai/prompt/high%20quality%20editorial%20franchise%20storefront%20photograph%20illustrating%20The%20Real%20Numbers%20Should%20I%20open%20or%20buy%20a%20Touching%20Hearts%20at%20Home%20franchise%20in%20202%2C%20realistic%20magazine%20style%2C%20warm%20light%2C%20no%20text%2C%20no%20watermark?width=1200&height=675&nologo=true&model=flux&seed=25801)


The **2026 FDD Item 7** range for a Touching Hearts at Home territory is **$63,885 to $93,085** all-in. That includes the **$49,500 initial franchise fee** (10% VetFran discount available), training travel, a modest home-office build-out, initial marketing, **$15,000-$30,000 in working capital**, and licensure/insurance. **Royalty is 5% of gross revenue**; the **brand fund/marketing fee is 2%**, putting total franchisor take at **7% of top-line**. Real **Item 19 average gross revenue is $801,000** with top-quartile units clearing **$1.01M+**; mature **EBITDA margins run 10-15%** after caregiver wages (60-65% of revenue), office, insurance, and royalties. **Payback period is 24-36 months** for a self-operated office.

| Line item | Low | High | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Initial franchise fee** | $49,500 | $49,500 | One-time; **10% off for U.S. veterans** via VetFran |
| **Training & travel** | $1,500 | $4,000 | Minneapolis HQ, 5 days |
| **Office lease deposit/furniture** | $2,500 | $8,000 | **Home-office launch is permitted** Year-1 |
| **Computer, phones, scheduling software** | $1,500 | $3,500 | **AxisCare or ClearCare** integration |
| **Insurance (GL + professional + bond)** | $2,000 | $4,500 | **$1M/$3M GL** minimum |
| **State home-care license/CON fees** | $500 | $5,000 | **CON states (NY, NJ, MD, GA) are 6-18 months out** |
| **Initial marketing/grand opening** | $3,000 | $8,000 | **Lunch-and-learns with discharge planners** |
| **Working capital (3-6 months payroll float)** | $4,000 | $11,000 | **2-week pay lag vs. 30-45 day client AR** |
| **Total Item 7 (FDD)** | **$63,885** | **$93,085** | Per **2026 FDD** |
| Realistic all-in with 6-mo runway | $90,000 | $150,000 | Sharpsheets/Franzy estimates |

**Royalty:** **5%** of gross revenue. **Brand fund:** **2%**. **Average AUV (Item 19):** **~$801,000**. **Top-quartile AUV:** **$1.01M**. **EBITDA margin at maturity:** **10-15%**. **Payback period:** **24-36 months**.

```mermaid
flowchart TD
    A[Liquid capital $90K-$150K] --> B[Sign FDD + pay $49,500 fee]
    B --> C[5-day Minneapolis training]
    C --> D[State home-care licenseunder br/over 30 days non-CON / 6-18 months CON]
    D --> E[Recruit 8-12 caregivers @ $16-$22/hr]
    E --> F[Sell 25 discharge planners,under br/over 15 elder-law attorneys,under br/over 10 senior communities]
    F --> G{Hit 800 billable hours/mounder br/over by month 9?}
    G -->|Yes| H[Year-1 revenue $250K-$400Kunder br/over Cash flow -$15K to +$25K]
    G -->|No| I[Cut to 1 office FTE,under br/over owner sells full-time,under br/over extend runway 6 mo]
    H --> J[Year-2 $500K-$700Kunder br/over EBITDA $50K-$95K]
    I --> J
    J --> K[Year-3 $801K AUVunder br/over EBITDA $80K-$120Kunder br/over Payback complete]
```

## Who Wins With This Business

![Should I open or buy a Touching Hearts at Home franchise in 2027? — Who Wins With This Business](https://image.pollinations.ai/prompt/high%20quality%20editorial%20franchise%20storefront%20photograph%20illustrating%20Who%20Wins%20With%20This%20Business%20Should%20I%20open%20or%20buy%20a%20Touching%20Hearts%20at%20Home%20franc%2C%20realistic%20magazine%20style%2C%20warm%20light%2C%20no%20text%2C%20no%20watermark?width=1200&height=675&nologo=true&model=flux&seed=89117)


You win at Touching Hearts at Home if you are a **second-career sales operator** — former **medical-device rep, hospice account manager, pharma rep, or insurance broker** — who already knows how to **walk into a hospital case-management office and book a meeting**. The model is **referral-led**, not lead-gen-led; the office with the best **discharge-planner relationships wins the zip code**. **Veteran owners get a 10% franchise-fee discount** plus **disciplined recruiting habits** that translate well to caregiver scheduling. **Adult-child-of-an-aging-parent buyers** with **personal home-care experience** convert referrals at **2-3x** the rate of pure-finance buyers because they speak the language of **dementia, fall risk, and post-surgical recovery** credibly. **Mid-career operators in suburbs of 50,000-200,000 population** with **median household income $65K+ and a 65+ population growing 3%+ annually** find the **demographic tailwind does most of the work** — the U.S. **65+ population is projected at 73 million by 2030**, and the **$155.9B home-care market is growing 4.1% in 2026 per IBISWorld**. **Owners who personally cover after-hours on-call** for the first 12 months **avoid the #1 failure mode**: client-family rage at a missed shift.

## Who Loses With This Business

![Should I open or buy a Touching Hearts at Home franchise in 2027? — Who Loses With This Business](https://image.pollinations.ai/prompt/high%20quality%20editorial%20franchise%20storefront%20photograph%20illustrating%20Who%20Loses%20With%20This%20Business%20Should%20I%20open%20or%20buy%20a%20Touching%20Hearts%20at%20Home%20fran%2C%20realistic%20magazine%20style%2C%20warm%20light%2C%20no%20text%2C%20no%20watermark?width=1200&height=675&nologo=true&model=flux&seed=80734)


You lose if you treat this as a **passive investment**. Caregiver turnover in non-medical home care **ran 64-79% in 2024-2025** per **Home Care Pulse**, and **payroll is 60-65% of revenue** — a remote owner cannot recruit, schedule, fire, and re-recruit fast enough to keep the **fill rate above 90%**. You lose if you **launch in a saturated metro** — **Home Instead has 1,250+ U.S. offices, Visiting Angels 600+, Right at Home 580+, Comfort Keepers 700+** — without a defensible underserved suburb. You lose if your **liquid capital is below $80K**: the **2-week payroll cycle vs. 30-45 day client AR** creates a **$20K-$40K working-capital hole** by month 4 that **kills under-funded offices**. You lose if you **refuse to personally sell** — owners who hire a marketer Day 1 typically see **Year-1 revenue under $150K** and **30% caregiver-side gross margin** eaten by overhead. You also lose if you launch in a **Certificate of Need (CON) state — NY, NJ, MD, GA, parts of TN — without a 6-18 month licensure runway** built into the cash plan; CON delays have **bankrupted multiple home-care franchisees**.

## 2027 Market Conditions

The **non-medical home-care backdrop is the strongest of any franchise category** entering 2027. **U.S. 65+ population hits 70.3M in 2027** (Census Bureau projections), the **80+ cohort is growing 4.4% annually**, and the **CDC reports 70% of Americans 65+ will need long-term care**. **IBISWorld's 2026 industry report** pegs the **U.S. home-care industry at $173.6B in 2026, growing 4.1% YoY**, with the **franchise segment specifically growing 9.1% CAGR over five years across 60+ brands and 6,800+ locations**. **Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits** under the **2020 CHRONIC Care Act** continue **expanding non-medical in-home services as covered benefits** through 2027 — **roughly 20% of MA plans now cover some non-medical home care**, up from 3% in 2020. **Caregiver wage pressure remains the headwind**: median caregiver wage **hit $16.50/hr in 2026** per **BLS OEWS data** and is projected at **$17.25-$18.00/hr by Q4 2027**, compressing margins for franchisees who can't push **$32-$38/hr private-pay rates**. **VA Aid & Attendance** ($2,795/mo for surviving spouse, $3,536/mo for veteran-couple in 2026) and **long-term-care insurance** payouts remain the **two strongest private-pay funding sources**. **2027 risk:** proposed **CMS Home Health rule changes** on **80/20 caregiver wage pass-through** may **bleed into non-medical regulation** in blue states.

## The 90-Day Decision Tree

1. **Days 1-7: Pull the FDD.** Request the current **Touching Hearts at Home FDD** directly from franchise development. Read **Item 7 (cost), Item 19 (financial performance), Item 20 (unit counts and closures), Item 21 (audited financials)** before any deposit. Cross-reference against the **franchisee list in Item 20** — there should be **70+ active franchisees**.
2. **Days 8-21: Validation calls.** Call **at least 15 existing franchisees** from the Item 20 list — **5 first-year, 5 in years 2-3, 5 mature (4+ years)**. Ask: **billable hours by month 6, month 12, month 24; caregiver fill rate; private-pay vs. VA vs. Medicaid waiver mix; net cash flow Year 1 and Year 2; what they would do differently**.
3. **Days 22-35: Territory analysis.** Pull **Census ACS data** for your target zip cluster: **65+ population, 80+ population, median household income, projected 65+ growth 2027-2032**. Disqualify any territory with **fewer than 15,000 residents 65+** or **median HHI under $55K**.
4. **Days 36-49: Competitive scan.** Map every **Home Instead, Visiting Angels, Right at Home, Comfort Keepers, Senior Helpers, BrightStar, Synergy HomeCare** office within **15 miles**. **Call each as a fake prospect** and grade **answer-time, intake quality, rate quote**.
5. **Days 50-63: Discovery Day.** Attend the **Minneapolis HQ Discovery Day**. Walk the **support center, training facility, marketing team**. Meet **the CEO and the field-operations lead**.
6. **Days 64-77: Financing & legal.** Lock **$100K-$150K** via **SBA 7(a)** (Touching Hearts is on the **SBA Franchise Registry**), **401(k) ROBS**, or **HELOC**. Have a **franchise attorney** redline the franchise agreement — focus on **territory definition, transfer rights, renewal terms, post-term non-compete**.
7. **Days 78-90: Sign or walk.** Decide based on **(a) validation call consensus**, **(b) territory demographics clearing the bar**, **(c) personal sales-call comfort**. **If you cannot picture yourself making 20 referral-source visits per week for 18 months, walk.**

```mermaid
flowchart LR
    A[Day 1under br/over Pull FDD] --> B[Day 14under br/over 15 validation calls]
    B --> C[Day 30under br/over Territory + Census analysis]
    C --> D[Day 45under br/over Competitor mystery shop]
    D --> E[Day 60under br/over Minneapolis Discovery Day]
    E --> F[Day 75under br/over SBA 7a / ROBS funding lock]
    F --> G[Day 90under br/over Sign or walk]
```

## Alternative Plays

If Touching Hearts at Home **doesn't pencil for your territory** or you want a **higher revenue ceiling**, the realistic adjacent moves in 2027 are: **(1) Home Instead** — **$125K-$185K Item 7, AUV ~$1.4M, 5% royalty**, 1,250+ U.S. offices, **highest brand recognition** but **saturated suburbs**; **(2) Visiting Angels** — **$104K-$135K Item 7**, **AUV ~$1.1M**, **3-4% royalty**, **looser caregiver-employee model**; **(3) Right at Home** — **$93K-$182K Item 7**, includes **skilled-care add-on path** (RN-supervised), AUV ~$1.0M; **(4) Senior Helpers** — **$129K-$169K Item 7**, **Parkinson's and Alzheimer's specialty programs** as differentiator; **(5) BrightStar Care** — **$110K-$215K Item 7**, **medical + non-medical hybrid** (RNs on staff), **AUV ~$2.4M but harder to operate**. **Non-franchise play:** open as **independent under your own brand** for **$25K-$50K all-in** if you have **15+ years home-care management experience and an existing referral network** — you save the **7% royalty + brand fund** but **lose the playbook, software, and SBA-registry financing**. **Adjacent franchise plays** for the same buyer profile: **TruBlue Total House Care** (senior home maintenance, $65K-$95K all-in), **Caring Senior Service** ($75K-$110K), **FirstLight Home Care** ($107K-$166K).

## FAQ

**How much money do I actually need to start a Touching Hearts at Home franchise?**  
You’ll need $90,000 to $150,000 in liquid capital. The franchise fee is $49,500, and total initial investment (Item 7) ranges from $64,000 to $94,000. Ongoing costs include a 5% royalty and a small marketing fee.

**How long until I break even and start making a profit?**  
Most franchisees reach break-even between month 14 and month 22. Year 1 cash flow is typically negative $15,000 to positive $25,000. You should not expect to replace a full-time W-2 income before month 18.

**What is the average revenue for a Touching Hearts at Home franchise?**  
According to Item 19, average gross revenue is about $801,000 per year, with top-quartile locations earning roughly $1.01 million. This is well above the non-medical senior care sub-sector average of $344,000.

**Is the senior care market too crowded in my area?**  
It depends. If your metro is already saturated by Home Instead, Visiting Angels, or Right at Home, you’ll need an underserved suburb or niche to claim. Touching Hearts at Home works best in areas with a growing 65+ population and few direct competitors.

**Do I need experience in healthcare or senior care to succeed?**  
No, but you must be willing to personally sell to discharge planners and elder-law attorneys for at least 18 months. The brand provides training, but your ability to build referral relationships is the single biggest factor in success.

**How hard is it to find and keep caregivers?**  
It’s a tight labor market. You’ll typically pay caregivers $16 to $22 per hour, and turnover is common. Successful franchisees invest heavily in recruitment, training, and retention strategies from day one.

## Bottom Line

Touching Hearts at Home is a **legitimate non-medical home-care entry point** with **one of the lowest franchise fees in the category ($49,500)**, **a credible $801K Item 19 average**, **2.3x the sub-sector revenue average**, and **a real demographic tailwind** through 2030. **It is not a passive investment**. **Buy it in 2027 if** you (a) have **$90K-$150K liquid**, (b) can personally **make 20 referral-source visits per week for 18 months**, (c) **claim an underserved suburb** with **15K+ residents 65+ and median HHI $65K+**, and (d) accept that **payback is 24-36 months**. **Walk away if** you need **W-2 replacement income before month 18**, live in a **saturated metro**, or **refuse to do the sales work yourself**. The math works; the **execution risk is entirely on caregiver recruiting and referral-source selling**.

## Sources

- [Touching Hearts at Home — Franchise Investment Page (Item 7 disclosure)](https://touchingheartsfranchise.com/investment/)
- [Touching Hearts Franchise FDD, Costs & Fees 2026 — FranchisePayback](https://www.franchisepayback.com/franchise/touching-hearts)
- [Touching Hearts Franchise FDD, Profits & Costs 2025 — Sharpsheets](https://sharpsheets.io/blog/touching-hearts-franchise-fdd-profits-costs/)
- [Touching Hearts at Home Franchise Analysis — Franzy](https://franzy.com/franchises/touching-hearts-at-home)
- [Touching Hearts at Home Franchise Review — FranchiseGrade](https://franchisegrade.com/franchises/touching-hearts-at-home)
- [Touching Hearts at Home Franchise Costs & Opportunities — Entrepreneur](https://www.entrepreneur.com/franchises/directory/touching-hearts-at-home/329217)
- [Home Care Providers in the US Industry Analysis 2026 — IBISWorld](https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/industry/home-care-providers/1579/)
- [In-Home Senior Care Franchises Market Size & Trends 2025-2035 — Future Market Insights](https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/in-home-senior-care-franchises-market)
- [Home Care Industry Statistics 2026: Size, Growth & Trends — Ankota](https://www.ankota.com/home-care-industry-overview-and-statistics)
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — Home Health and Personal Care Aides](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes311120.htm)
- [VA Aid & Attendance Benefit Rates 2026 — U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs](https://www.va.gov/pension/aid-attendance-housebound/)
- [U.S. Census Bureau — 2023 National Population Projections (65+ cohort)](https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popproj.html)

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