What if the people shaping your neighborhood actually lived there?

Desmond Dunn didn’t grow up knowing he could be a real estate developer. No one in his community looked like him who was building anything. So he taught himself. For ten years. Nights on Zillow. Deep dives into zoning code. Sketching site plans at the kitchen table while everyone else was out living life.

In this episode, Kristi and Raphael sit down with Desmond to talk about what it really means to be a community-first developer. Not chasing scale. Not chasing ego. Just showing up, doing the work, and building five to fifty units at a time in the neighborhoods that raised him.

This is a raw conversation about the invisible grind, the barriers small developers face, and why affordable housing will never be solved by big developers alone. Desmond breaks down why local developers are the missing middle, why cities need translators between policy and people, and why designing from spreadsheets is failing real communities.

If you have ever looked at a vacant lot, an empty storefront, or an overgrown parcel in your town and thought, someone should do something about that, this episode is for you.

What We Cover:

✅ Leaving a draining sales career to follow the work that actually energized him

✅ Teaching himself development without money by practicing on real lots and zoning codes

✅ Why flipping houses was not enough and how duplexes and small multifamily changed everything

✅ The ten-year grind of learning in silence before anyone knew his name

✅ Why big developers are not going to close the affordable housing gap

✅ How small, local developers collectively make the real impact

✅ The hidden costs and barriers of rezoning, RFPs, and city processes

✅ Why cities have good intentions but often do not understand the developer side

✅ The need for translators between planning language and real human language

✅ Community engagement as a starting point, not a checkbox

✅ Cultural context, historical harm, and why it matters in development decisions

✅ Designing for people instead of designing from spreadsheets

✅ Why credibility is built one small project at a time

✅ Advice for aspiring developers who feel stuck on the sidelines

Bold Truth:

Affordable housing and healthy neighborhoods will not be built by outsiders chasing returns. They will be built by locals who know the streets, know the people, and are willing to start small and stay committed.

🎧 Listen now to hear how Desmond chose community over convenience and committed to building where he lives, even when the path took a decade to take shape.

Connect with Desmond:

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/desmondcdunn/

Listen + Subscribe:

Watch full episodes on YouTube or listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts.

Want more from Kristi?

Hear how she’s helping locals become developers in their own communities without the gatekeeping.

🎧 Local Real Estate Developer Podcast Playlist →

👉 Ready to become a local developer in your town? Apply for the Mentorship:

https://www.localrealestatedeveloper.com/dev-mentorship

🎧 Access all platforms, the Developer Vault, and more:

https://linktr.ee/localrealestatedeveloper

🎬 Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Local Real Estate Developer Podcast

01:34 Desmond Dunn's Journey into Real Estate Development

07:13 The Importance of Community Engagement in Development

12:19 Navigating the Challenges of Development

18:04 Building Relationships with Local Governments

24:16 The Role of Smaller Developers in Closing the Housing Gap

29:44 Shifting Perspectives in Real Estate Development

35:38 Advice for Aspiring Developers

41:18 Conclusion and Future Aspirations

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