Dana explains the services of the company she founded, three6ixty, a full service land use and entitlement firm and describes how clients utilize these services.  Scott and Dana discuss the reasons why development in Los Angeles is so hard and not getting any easier.  Dana gives Scott hope that  most of the post-Covid outdoor beer drinking opportunities might not go away.  Scott's suspicions about how SoCal city planners feel about the ADU laws. The two wrap it up with career advice for the young: even planners usually find their way to the career without planning, so just get out there and do something!

Scott gets into the nitty gritty about soil concerns. Josh explains grading, compaction, fill and soil behavior. Josh tells the stories of how he's saved some well known Los Angeles major projects through disproving governmental earthquake fault designations.  Scott discovers that a Westside country club's swimming pool is built over an earthquake fault; just one more reason Scott now gives friends about not seeking membership.

In Part One of this two part interview, Feffer Geological Consulting, Inc.'s founder, Josh Feffer, tells Scott Silver how he turned away from seeking a career as a surfer and bellman at Hawaiian resorts and became a California licensed registered geologist and certified engineering geologist. Josh rides the wave from working at litigation consulting geological firms to  starting his own firm. Josh explains how he saves his clients from making costly mistakes by uncovering problems during due diligence while in escrow. Scott is dismayed to find out that he's not so special; Josh doesn't charge other clients for quick advice either. 

Senior Vice President at Commerce Escrow and RPM Investments, Robert Minsky joins Scott for a discussion of the why's and the how's of escrows. Robert is a second generation escrow man who plays it by the book; neutral and even keeled. They talk about how disputes over deposits are handled. Scott finally gets a straight answer as to why escrow officers don't like to follow his "release the deposit upon unilateral instruction" clause.  Robert admits his business was more fun back in his father Mark's day, when they would close a deal in the back of a limo.  

VP of client services at established appraisal and consulting firm Curtis-Rosenthal, Inc., Bob Hara has been in the game longer than most. Bob admits to deciding on becoming an appraiser in his senior year at USC only to avoid having to actually interview for a job.  They discuss everything from cap rate history to how to be a good client and stay on the good side of an appraiser. Scott seeks strategies for borrowers to sway appraisers and correct bad appraisals. In typical client service pro fashion, Bob just laughs and deflects.

In Season 1 of REAL ESTATE – What’s The Deal?, veteran real estate attorney and investor Scott Silver  interviews the service professionals without whom commercial real estate deals wouldn’t happen. Scott provides busy real estate professionals answers to the questions they never stopped to ask, and has a lot of fun doing it. Listen as he gabs with every type of real estate professional to discover the essential (“How would I know that I need your services?”), the technical (“What’s a waiver of subrogation?”) and the practical (“How do I get that for free?”). For more info on the author, visit http://www.silverlawla.com/aboutscott.html