Real Estate Addicts

Anthony Fava of Sun Property Group joins the guys to share his path from practicing Civil Engineer to Developer and co-owner of Sun Property Group. Anthony discusses how he and his business partner, Ryan Hunt have built a diversified real estate business which specializes in real estate sales, property management, construction and development. We talk in particular about how Anthony manages his construction staff and has grown his company in terms of its systems and procedures and where they hope to go next.

We had the pleasure of chatting with Devon Wegman, founder of Devon Grace Interiors about how her work as an interior designer interplays with real estate development. We discussed the latest trends in interior design, debated where the best places to spend design dollars are, weather you can find acceptable finishes at big box stores like home depot and how to vet out an interior designer before you hire them. Are subway tiles played out? Should you panel your appliances? Give this episode a listen before you pick finish specifications for you next project!

In this episode of REA Willie Mandrell of the Mandrell Companies explains how he started investing in real estate with a small loan from a cousin and built a rental portfolio of over 25 properties! In the time since, he’s also built a successful real estate brokerage and has continued to grow into development. Willie touches on rehab costs, property management, and buying section 8 / low-income rental housing. We had a ton of fun recording this episode & we hope you enjoy it too!

In this episode Marc, Dan & Ray get some things off their chest and implore “the community” to insist on zoning contingencies. They discus the mechanics of a zoning contingency and then walk listeners step-by-step with #’s through a recent Choose Boston deal that was permitted and flipped

Ted Tye, Managing Partner & Co-Founder at National Development joins REA for a wide ranging discussion on what it takes to become a successful developer and how he’s helped to build National Development into one of the most respected development firms in New England. Ted brings us back to the firms first deal in 1983 and tells us how he got started in the industry. He shares his outlook on the market, tips on building a resilient business in a cyclical industry and offers his best advice for those looking to get into real estate development. This episode is a must listen!

#19 Michael Procopio, VP Development at the Procopio Companies on Developing in Gateway Cities by Marc Savatsky, Ray Hurteau, Dan Rubin

The Real Estate Addicts are joined by Attorney Nick Nardone, Partner at Touchstone Closing for an in-depth conversation about the myriad of important legal considerations a developer should be mindful of. We cover topics ranging from:

•Title – Do you need title insurance and is there a way to buy it more inexpensively?

• Understanding the process for condominium conversion. What is a master deed?

• Condominium disputes and what is a Condominium Super-Lien?

• Co-Op versus Condos and why does Marc HATE Co-Ops

• Advice on buying a building with tenants?

• What are notification requirements prior to converting to condos?

• Why chasing foreclosure sales is often a waste of time.

• What special considerations go into buying a property via an estate sale? Does it have to be advertised on MLS?

Ross Trethewey, founder and lead engineer for TE2 Engineering and Home Technology Expert on “This Old House” joins REA to talk mechanical engineering and smart home tech. We begin with a discussion on sustainability and identify the easiest and most effective ways to make your buildings more cost efficient to run and environmentally friendly to operate. Next, we dive into a discussion on basic options with regard to home heating and cooling systems from gas fired furnaces, to “combi units”, electric heat pumps and VRF units and how they each compare with regard to upfront installation costs and operational costs. From there we jump into a discussion on the best smart home features.

Other topics covered include:

Why is the temperature on a thermostat alone often a poor indicator of comfort?

Why are so few people satisfied with the thermal comfort in their home?

What is indoor air-quality? Why is it critical for buildings need to “breath”?

How can I measure indoor air quality in my home?

What are the most common mistakes Ross sees builders making on the MEP side?

What are some strategies to keep HVAC systems quiet?

What’s up with solar? Is it worth considering? How has battery technology changed the game in terms of solar?

How do driveway snow melt systems work? Are they effective?

Is induction cooking worth considering?

Michael Olson, Managing Principal at Rhino Capital Advisors LLC joins hosts Dan, Ray & Marc to talk about developing office product and the unique features of that sector. Mike explains how he got started in real estate and how Rhino Capital sources their deals from. Mike tries to avoid heavily marketed deals and tells us that most of his deals start with a simple question, “Would you have any interest in selling?” Mike explains one of Rhinos core principals which is ensuring that the real estate meets the business needs of the users, rather than the other way around. We go over some common commercial real estate acronyms, discus typical lease terms, tenant-fit outs and we compare the metro office market to suburban market. Finally, Mike talks about the pros and cons of starting a fund and what it takes to attract institutional capital.

Brian Gregory is a talented architect who specializes in Urban Planning and practices at Gamble Associates. His firm was recently engaged by the BPDA and the City of Boston to help spearhead the City’s new masterplanning effort, PLAN: East Boston. The conversation was wide ranging and interesting throughout. Topics covered include:

Why is Boston’s City Hall so ugly? What does an urban planner do? Why are triple deckers are so prevalent in Boston? What is form based code? What does performing a re-zoning and new master plan entail? Does more parking encourage more cars? What are Maisonettes and how do they support street level activation? What happened to Wall St. when plannners loosens the zoning reigns? Was the development of Bostons Seaport a missed opportunity for urban planners? Is Air BNB good for cities?