You are going to get a tremendous benefit from this conversation I had with Alex Budney, who shares how to start off in real estate investing and ultimately build your own platform. Alex is the founder of Ennismore, a real estate investment, management and consulting firm. Since its beginning, Ennismore has advised on or sponsored more than $2.1 billion of active real estate projects. In addition to implementing Ennismore’s principal investment strategy, Alex counsels various real estate owners and financial institutions on their real estate investments and strategy. A key component of his tremendous track record stems from conviction, as he bought into the market in 2020, shortly after the onset of Covid and at a time when most were on the sidelines. Alex spotted an opportunity and purchased a property that was almost entirely vacant!

In this episode, Alex shares his journey into real estate and offers tips for those who want to develop their own area of expertise. He grew up on New York City’s East Side and became intrigued by buildings at an early age, including how they were constructed and their history. He studied floor plans as a young teen and thought about what it would be like to live in an apartment or co-op.

After graduating with a degree in Business and Economics from Lehigh University, Alex went to work for his father, who had a construction company that served developers, including large multifamily builders. The way deals were put together fascinated him. During this time, Alex spotted a piece of land and put together an idea for it, which he presented to a developer. The pitch opened doors for him, and he landed a job at Related Capital Company, which gave him a chance to learn about the financials of the business. He later shifted to Tishman Speyer, where he showed up early for work every day and got to know his boss. The extra effort paid off, and during his time with the company Alex worked in the London and New York offices as Director in the Acquisitions & Development and Equity Capital Markets groups.

The experiences gave Alex insight into various aspects of real estate, including international approaches and development. He eventually branched into his own space and discovered a niche he could fill, which consists of offering advice to owners and financial institutions with real estate interests. Reflecting on his career, Alex credits his success to listening to others, being eager to learn, and moving forward with opportunities.

You can connect with Alex on LinkedIn and at his website, Ennismore, LLC.  

And I’m always happy to connect with listeners—you can find me online at:

My website: JamesNelson.com

 LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter: JamesNelsonNYC

 My Real Estate Weekly articles: REW-online.com/author/jamesnelson

My Forbes.com articles: Forbes.com/sites/jamesnelson