Most investors hear "affordable housing" and immediately think low returns, government red tape, and bad tenants. Dusten Hendrickson has spent 20+ years proving that's completely wrong.
In this episode of the Alternative Investing Advantage podcast, Alex Perny sits down with Dusten — a real estate developer building 500–1,000 units per year — to break down exactly how affordable and workforce housing works as an investment strategy, and why it may be one of the most overlooked opportunities in real estate today.
What you'll learn:
→ The difference between "Big A" affordable housing (government programs) and "Little A" affordable housing (market-rate, community-driven)
→ Why density is the most important variable in profitable affordable development
→ How to navigate city entitlements, zoning, and local politics without wasting years
→ Why workforce housing and attainable housing are really the same thing — and how to use that to your advantage
→ The specific demographics and AMI metrics Dusten uses to identify the right communities
→ Why holding real estate long-term always beats flipping — and what's happening in today's market
→ How design efficiency (quartz counters, no underground parking, wellness design) creates desirable units at affordable rents
Chapters:
0:00 — Introduction & Dusten's Background
3:18 — Big A vs. Little A Affordable Housing Explained
4:48 — The Problem with Government Housing Programs
8:19 — Density, Design Efficiency & Wellness Design
11:52 — The Entitlement Process: Biggest Risk in Development
16:21 — How to Navigate City Politics & Get Approvals
22:37 — What Tenants Actually Care About (& What They Don't)
25:56 — Hold vs. Sell Strategy in Today's Market
30:07 — What Is Workforce Housing, Really?
35:38 — Geographic Targeting: Upper Midwest & Expanding
42:40 — Why Suburbs Are Winning Over Urban Centers
48:13 — How to Read AMI Data to Find the Right Markets
53:34 — Why Density Always Wins for Long-Term ROI
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Learn more about our guest, Dusten Hendrickson:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dusten-hendrickson
Learn more about Advanta IRA:
https://www.AdvantaIRA.com/
https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/advanta-ira
https://www.linkedin.com/company/Advanta-IRA/
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