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Curating a Development Through the Use of Data in a Post-Covid World With Sara Maffey – Ep. 41

About the Guest

Another great episode is coming your way. I am excited to share this next conversation with all of you. Sara is the Head of Industry Relations at Local Logic. She has a unique mix of experiences that have helped to shape her to. She has worked as an Architectural Intern, Mechanical Superintendent, Consultant, a Fellow with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Developer, and Managing Director of Placemaking at Transwestern, all before starting her role at Local Logic.  Needless to say, she knows her stuff when it comes to the business of real estate.

As mentioned above, she is the Head of Industry Relations at Local Logic. The goal of Local Logic is to help individuals and developers make the right real estate decisions. They utilize AI and user-generated data to quantify location qualities for any address in the US and Canada. The company analyzes over 80-billion data points each month and currently interpolates them into 17 location scores. As Sara likes to say, they are the data and insights backing up your investment strategy - gut check your gut feel.

In this episode, we are going to discuss the process of data collection at Local Logic, the certain data points, and trends that have most surprised her during the course of this current global pandemic, and what Sara sees coming next in proptech in regard to data usage in real estate development. There is loads of great information in this episode and I greatly appreciated Sara for taking the time out of her extremely busy schedule to discuss this topic of real estate development data collection with me.

Main Take-Away’s From This Show

This was another fun episode to record. Sara has seemingly worked in every facet of real estate. As mentioned, she has worked in the public sector as well as the private sector. Throughout her various roles in real estate, the underlying passion of creating great spaces has been her guiding light. She understands the importance of placemaking in a community and does her best to promote this ideology in all of the roles that she fulfills, especially  in her current role as Head of Industry Relations at Local Logic. There were several great talking points that Sara shared throughout the discussion, so it is hard to just pick three for my main take-away’s this week. The following main topics of the show come from a deep understanding in Placemaking that Sara possesses.

Local Logic makes the normally unquantifiable characteristics of an area, quantifiable.

Data has uncovered some very interesting shifts in desirable aspects of areas and places due to Covid-19.

What really is the future of data within the larger genre of PropTech?

As always, I will dig into each of these “take-away’s” every week on the blog. So, without further a due, here we go!

Local Logic makes the normally unquantifiable characteristics of an area, quantifiable.        

As mentioned in the introduction, Local Logic’s goal is to help individuals and developers make the right real estate decisions. Seems straight-forward right. Well as we dig a little deeper, you’ll begin to understand that there is much more to this than meets the eye. Local Logic is currently working with groups like ReMax and Sotheby’s to provide homebuyers and the like with real insights on the less quantifiable characteristics of a properties surrounding areas. With metrics such as Vibrancy and Quietness, a potential homebuyer could get a better feel for what the neighborhood is like without even stepping food on the block.

Sara also mentioned a project she is very much involved in that includes finding real estate that meets not only the objective metrics ut...

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Creating a Lasting Legacy Through Investing in Small Change with Eve Picker – Ep. 40

About the Guest

Hello and welcome to Episode #40 of the Placemaking Podcast!

Another great episode is coming your way. I am thrilled to share this next conversation with all of you. Eve is the Founder of Small Change. Her background as an architect, city planner, urban designer, real estate developer, community development strategist, publisher, and instigator give her a rich understanding of how cities work, how urban neighborhoods can be revitalized, what policies are needed to do it, and the unique marketing that creates the buzz needed for regeneration. Needless to say, she knows her stuff when it comes to the business of real estate.

As mentioned above, she founded Small Change, a real estate equity crowdfunding platform. Their goal is to raise funds for meaningful real estate projects building better cities everywhere. Like Kickstarter for real estate—but with a return. They match developers to investors, providing investment opportunities for everyone who cares about cities and wants to make change. All through a fluid and compliant technology platform. It’s really a unique and interesting platform. The platform allows allows for everyone to invest in small change throughout their community.

In this episode, we are going to discuss the genesis of Small Change, the difficulties that Eve and her team faced when starting up this platform, as well as understanding the process for offering and investing on projects within the platform. There is loads of great information in this episode and I greatly appreciated Eve for taking the time out of her busy schedule to discuss this topic of real estate development crowdfunding with me.

Main Take-Away’s From This Show

This was another fun episode to record. Eve has a seemingly traditional route into real estate development, but along her journey, has taken on careers and projects that have helped to shape her into the agent of change that she now is. Her main vehicle for change now is the crowdfunding platform she founded that allows developers the opportunity to obtain capital from those that might not have been able to provide it in the past. There were several great talking points that Eve shared throughout the discussion, so it is hard to just pick three for my main take-away’s this week. The following main topics of the show come from a deep understanding in the real estate development process that Eve possesses.

The Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act really helped to set the stage for crowdfunding startups.

Small Change utilizes an index, called the Small Change Index, to judge a projects potential to provide lasting benefits to their surrounding community.

Access to capital can often be the barrier to entry for developers looking to make an incremental increase to their surrounding communities; Small Change helps to combat this.

As always, I will dig into each of these “take-away’s” every week on the blog. So, without further a due, here we go!

The Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act really helped to set the stage for crowdfunding startups.

            Eve pointed out to me this very important piece of legislature that I didn’t really understand initially, but helped to provide an avenue for investment into small businesses everywhere. This was the Jumpstart our Business Startups or JOBS act of 2017. Signed into law by President Barack Obama on April 5, 2012, “Title III, also known as the CROWDFUND Act, has drawn the most public attention because it creates a way for companies to use crowdfunding to issue securities, something that was not previously permitted.” (Wikipedia Article)

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Telling the Story of Your Development Through a Well-Crafted Vision with Ashley Stiles – Ep. 39

About the Guest

Another great episode is coming your way. I am thrilled to share this next conversation with all of you. Ashley is the CEO of Tribe Development located in Colorado. The foundation of her career was built in the design world as a landscape architect, with a focus on luxury resort projects. It is there that she learned from the best, about the importance of delivering positive and memorable customer experiences-to stand out from the competition and drive loyalty. For over a decade now, she has been focused on exceeding customers’ expectations in commercial development, in what we now refer to as experiential development.

Tribe Development is a comprehensive real estate consulting and development firm born out of the desire to develop better spaces and experiences for everyone. Tribe’s goal is to expand the lens of development beyond a singular experience, and approach projects more holistically. They believe that by telling the stories of the community through well-crafted vision, and promotion of strong brands the outcome will be greater engagement and the creation of project ambassadors, netting greater financial outcomes as well as increased opportunities around recruitment and retention.

In this episode, we are going to discuss how they begin the initial design process at Tribe Development, the importance of branding your developments, as well as common roadblocks that people face when starting out in development. There is loads of great information in this episode and I greatly appreciated Ashley for taking the time out of her busy schedule to discuss this topic of branding in real estate development.

As always, if you have enjoyed the show, please subscribe to the show and share with your friends. There will be more exciting conversations on the shows to come.

Main Take-Away’s From This Show

This episode was up there with one of my favorites to record. Ashley is very open and candid when discussing her not-traditional experience jumping into real estate development as well as her observations of the industry as a whole. There were several great talking points that Ashley shared throughout the discussion, so it is hard to just pick three for my main take-away’s this week. The following main topics of the show come from a deep understanding in the real estate development process that Ashley possesses.

When branding a project or development, it’s extremely important to bring in all of the stakeholders involved in the project to really prepare a “vision” for the project.

Once a brand is developed for a project, you can weigh all of your decisions against that brand or vision. This makes decisions much easier.

Branding is more than a logo.

As always, I will dig into each of these “take-away’s” every week on the blog. So, without further a due, here we go!

When branding a project or development, it’s extremely important to bring in all of the stakeholders involved in the project to really prepare a “vision” for the project.

            The process of building the vision for Ashley’s various projects was fascinating. While the initial design charrette only lasted one day, the process of building the brand was carefully crafted over three months. The process begins by determining how this potential project will be reflected by the end-user. Then from there, they build an avatar of the project. If this project was a person, how would it act, feel, say, drive, etc… Once these initial ideas are flushed out, the branding team then goes to work on trying to bring the brand to life while constantly receiving feedback from the shareholders. 

It’s absolutely crucial to have the shareholders involved in this p...

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Season 1 of the Podcast Is In The Books with Matt Loos – Ep. 38

This is going to be a fun episode! In this episode, we are going to discuss the most impactful talking points from the entire first season of the show.

This has been a crazy year no-doubt, but we would be remiss not to look back on the lessons learned during this last year. This year, we discussed everything from financing a project to historic tax credits and even transit-oriented developments. The guests that joined me on the show where industry professionals from all over the world and encompassed many of the roles included within the larger commercial real estate umbrella. I’m beyond blessed to be able to speak with these people and share their stories with you all. Stay tuned for even more discussions that will continue to inform and prepare you for this coming year in CRE.

As always, if you have enjoyed the show, please subscribe to the show and share it with your friends. There will be more exciting conversations on the shows to come.

Main Take-Away’s From This Season

This season has been so much fun for me to record. I learned so much from all of the guests that it is nearly impossible for me to pick just one main take-away from each episode, but I will give it a shot. I highly recommend that you search for a topic that most interests you and dive right in. Chances are we have at least somewhat discussed a question you might have in this first season. 

If you have a topic that we haven’t discussed yet that you would like to learn more about, please email me with your ideas and questions and I will make it a priority to find a guest that can address your question. Without further ado, let’s try to tackle this season’s greatest lessons!

Episode 002 – Selecting an Architect with Josh Kunkel – You want to select an architect that can speak to your vision. They need to align with your vision and values.

Episode 003 – How to Manage a Ground-Up Development with Cameron Pybus – Communication is extremely valuable throughout the development process. The means of communication often changes throughout the process based on where you are in the process.

Episode 004 – Understanding the Role of a GC on Your Next Ground-Up Development with Bridger Clader – A cohesive team from the bottom-up is absolutely crucial for a development project. From Owner to Developer to GC to Subs, everyone is on the same page. This is where you can find the most successful projects.

Episode 005 – Deciphering Form-Based Code with Mike Brennan, AICP – Euclidean zoning creates districts based on land-use types. Form-Based code encourages mixed-uses as long as they are compatible. The rules are focused on the public realm between the buildings to encourage walkable districts.

Episode 006 – What the Heck is a Geotech with Tim Tarbutton – In preparing a geotechnical investigation of a property, there is a diminishing return on the amount of borings that you do. However, it’s impossible to find every possible issue underground even with a geotechnical exploration.

Episode 007 – Property Taxes and your Development with Alex Pace – Start getting with your local property tax advisor at the very beginning of your deal so that there are no surprises when you begin to develop your property.

Episode 008 – Designing the Future of Transit-Oriented Development with David Leininger – One of the biggest hurdles facing transit-oriented development is the idea that this infrastructure will bring with it the introduction of unruly and mischievous characters that will disrupt the surrounding community. This is simply untrue and can be very toxic.

Episode 009 – From the Golden Gate to the Lone Star State, Finding Opportunity in CRE with Andrew Blake – When you’...

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Making it in Real Estate from a Lawyer turned Developer with John McNellis – Ep. 37

About the Guest

I am thrilled to share this next conversation with all of you. John is a co-founder of McNellis Partners located in Northern California. A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley and Hastings College of The Law, John practiced law until he co-founded McNellis Partners, a Northern California shopping center development firm, in 1982. John frequently lectures on the topic of real estate development and has currently written two books on the subject as well. These books are linked in the description below.

McNellis Partners has been building—one project at a time—a reputation for fairness and thoughtful development. They take on a limited number of new projects, focusing their energy and enthusiasm primarily on building and redeveloping shopping centers, mixed-use projects, and office buildings. From the simply outdated to the outright neglected, these properties often occupy a significant place in their communities, and they take pride in renewing their productivity and importance.

In this episode, we are going to discuss why some people fail to take the first step into real estate development, the common reasons some people don’t succeed in commercial real estate, as well as busting some of the biggest myths in CRE as a whole. There is loads of great information in this episode and I greatly appreciated John for taking the time out of his busy schedule to discuss this topic of starting out in real estate development.

As always, if you have enjoyed the show, please subscribe to the show and share with your friends. There will be more exciting conversations on the shows to come.

Main Take-Away’s From This Show

This episode was so much fun to record. John is very open and candid when discussing his experience in commercial real estate as well as his observations of the industry as a whole. With over 30 years of experience under his belt, he has no shortage of great wisdom to share with those starting out in the business as well as veterans alike. He shares much of this wisdom in the books he has written as well as his frequent speaking appearances at ULI conferences. There were several great talking points that John shared throughout the discussion, so it is hard to just pick three for my main take-away’s this week. The following main topics of the show come from a deep understanding in the real estate development process that John possesses.

You don’t need to be a brilliant marketer to raise money if you have a good deal.

Commercial real estate is not a passive investment.

All you have is time. The goal is to get the most return on your time.

As always, I will dig into each of these “take-away’s” every week on the blog. So, without further a due, here we go!

You don’t need to be a brilliant marketer to raise money if you have a good deal.

            Being able to market your real estate deal, no matter the size is one of the most important traits that a developer needs to have in order to scale his or her business. Arguably this is the most important attribute you need to have when starting out as a real estate developer. Starting out when you have little money and very little experience can be tough, but a strong ability to market yourself as well as your deals can make your foray into real estate much more manageable.

            As discussed in this episode though, it doesn’t take a degree in marketing to sell your deals if you can provide great deals to your investors, friends, and family. As Seth Godin stated, “when the product is right, you don’t have to be a great marketer.” When you believe you have a great deal, and you have numbers to back you up,

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Taking A Deep Dive Into Underground Detention with Steven Messina          – Ep. 36

About the Guest

Hello and welcome to Episode #34 of the Placemaking Podcast!I am excited to share this next conversation with all of you. Steve Messina graduated from THE Ohio State University back in 2007, majoring in structural engineering. After college Steve moved to Indiana to work for one of the top steel manufacturers in the United States (Steel Dynamics, Inc. - SDI) as a construction manager and engineer responsible for overseeing construction of new and existing facilities. After working for SDI for over 9 years, and holding several positions, Steve made a transition to Advanced Drainage Systems and relocated to Fort Worth, TX in 2016.

Today Steve is the Engineered Product Manager for North, East & West Texas. In his role he focuses on three ADS engineered product lines; High Performance Polypropylene Pipe for storm and sanitary applications, StormTech Chambers for underground retention/detention applications, and water quality solutions ranging from hydrodynamic separators to filtration units for storm water quality. Steve is responsible for driving approvals and acceptance with local municipalities, agencies, and engineers.Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS) is focused on drainage products and services that deliver solutions for the most persistent and challenging water management problems. From safely pre-treating and managing stormwater runoff, to helping developers and property owners harvest rainwater, we focus on the development of water solutions that make land more arable, cities more livable, and the world a greener place to live.

ADS is a leading manufacturer of high performance thermoplastic corrugated pipe and ancillary products, providing a comprehensive suite of water management products and superior drainage solutions for use in the construction and infrastructure marketplace. Our innovative pipes, fittings, basins and other products are used across a broad range of end markets and applications, including non-residential, residential, agriculture and infrastructure applications. We have established a leading position in many of our domestic and international end markets by leveraging our national sales and distribution platform, our overall product breadth and scale, and our manufacturing excellence. Founded in 1966, ADS operates a global network of approximately 60 manufacturing plants and over 30 distribution centers.

In this episode, we are going to discuss the need to provide stormwater detention on your next development project, the various ways that stormwater detention can be handled, as well as the pros and cons of utilizing sub-surface stormwater detention. There is loads of great information in this episode and I greatly appreciated Steve for taking the time out of his busy schedule to discuss this topic of stormwater detention.

Main Take-Away’s From This Show

I always enjoy it when I can talk shop with a fellow engineer. The topic of sub-surface stormwater detention is one that fascinates me on a professional level. The use of such technologies may not make sense for every developer, but given the right circumstances, they can be extremely valuable. There were several great talking points that Steve shared throughout the discussion, so it is hard to just pick three for my main take-away’s this week. The following main topics of the show come from a deep understanding in the design and utilization of underground stormwater detention in your future real estate development endeavors.

1. All ground-up developments that you tackle will need to address stormwater runoff in some way. Oftentimes detention will be required.2. There are many ways that you can detain stormwater on-site if ...

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How to Bring Stunning Historic Buildings Back to Life with Tax Credits with Elizabeth Rosin – Ep. 35

About the Guest

I am beyond thrilled to share this next conversation with all of you! Elizabeth Rosin is the Principal and CEO of Rosin Preservation, located in Kansas City. Elizabeth came into the field of historic preservation through the study of archaeology, earning her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University in anthropology and geography. The buildings that emerged from the confluence of people and place intrigued her. This interest spurred her to pursue a Master of Science in Historic Preservation at the University of Vermont. Since graduating in 1990, Elizabeth has held positions in both the public and private sectors that have involved her in historic preservation projects throughout the United States. In addition to the survey and designation of numerous historic resources, she has consulted on over 100 historic tax credit projects representing over $1 billion of National Park Service-approved rehabilitation. National, state and local entities have conferred preservation awards to numerous of these projects. In 2014 Elizabeth was recognized as Preservationist of the Year by the American Institute of Architects – Kansas City Chapter.

On every job, Rosin Preservation contributes practical rehabilitation strategies and design direction appropriate to the nature and complexity of the project. They actively guide clients through regulatory processes triggered by local, state and/or national preservation law. By connecting clients to legal and accounting expertise and to tax credit investors, they help to ensure that each rehabilitation project has the most effective team to achieve a successful outcome. Rosin Preservations intimate understanding of the preservation process, the players and the rules and regulations enables their clients to accurately anticipate the time, costs and hurdles required to complete a successful project.

In this episode, we discussed the process of obtaining historic tax credits, the most challenging aspects of obtaining these credits, and the various benefits there are to obtaining these types of tax credits. There is tons of great information in this episode and I greatly appreciated Elisabeth for taking the time out of her busy schedule to discuss this topic of historic tax credits with me.

Main Take-Away’s From This Show

When someone is passionate about a subject, you can really tell. It was easy to hear in her voice, that Elizabeth is very passionate about what she does. There is no doubt about that. She definitely knows her stuff when it comes to historic preservation and historic tax credits. There were several great anecdotes that she shared throughout the discussion, so it is extremely hard to just pick three for my main take-away’s this week. The following main topics of the show come from a deep understanding in the process of obtaining historic tax credits and the inherent value there is in understanding their benefits in your future real estate development endeavors.

The Historic Tax Credit program has incentivized the rehabilitation of thousands of properties since it’s establishment in 1976.

When coupled with the state programs, the historic tax credits could provide a tax credit of 40% to 50% of the value of the approved qualified expenditures.

There is a certain hierarchy of improvements that are looked on more favorably then others when preparing the design for a HTC project.

As always, I will dig into each of these “take-away’s” every week on the blog. So, without further a due, here we go!

The Historic Tax Credit program has incentivized the rehabilitation of thousands of properties since it’s establishmen...

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Creating Desirable Places through Property Assemblage with Chris Powers, Jr.  – Ep. 034

About the Guest

I am extremely honored to share this next conversation with all of you. Chris Powers, Jr. is the Founder and CEO of Fort Capital, a real estate company focused on investment, acquisition, asset management, and property management in Fort Worth, Texas. Chris currently oversees the vision for the company, Fort’s largest real estate deals, capital relationships, executive level recruiting, strategic partnerships, and chairs the investment committee among many other responsibilities as Fort’s CEO. Creating meaningful relationships and building a team around a vision and Fort’s goals are the most important qualities that make Chris perfect for the job.

Chris is a serial entrepreneur with over 14 years of real estate development and investment experience and has raised more than $110 million in equity financing through a multitude of high net worth and family office partners. To date, Fort has invested and developed over $504 million in multifamily, student housing, commercial/industrial, and residential & land development projects throughout Fort Worth and the state of Texas. Chris has been touted as a visionary with a demonstrated talent in looking ahead at what could be and understanding what must be done today to get there. His ability to conceptualize, raise capital, and execute are only a minor part of what Chris brings to the table.

In this episode, we are going to discuss how to get everyone on the same page when assembling properties, how to structure contracts that are win/win for buyer/seller, and how to get a city on board with zoning, early, to make the area attractive for developers. There is tons of great information in this episode and I greatly appreciated Chris for taking the time out of his busy schedule to discuss this topic of property assemblage.

Main Take-Away’s From This Show

This was a particularly enjoyable show for me to host! I really enjoyed the candid discussion that was had with Chris as we discussed the difficulties encountered while assembling properties to create one of the most exciting districts in Fort Worth in recent history. I also enjoyed the periods of reflection that Chris shared as he discussed lessons learned from this larger assemblage project. There were several great anecdotes that he shared throughout the discussion, so it is hard to just pick three for my main take-away’s this week. The following main topics of the show come from a deep understanding in the process of property assemblage and the inherent value there is in understanding marketing in your future real estate development endeavors.

Buying un-entitled land for property assemblage can be a fairly secure investment with the possibility of providing large returns if done well.

Timing is extremely crucial when executing a property assemblage.

Barbells are not just for lifting. Utilizing the “Barbell Theory” to find your next project.

As always, I will dig into each of these “take-away’s” every week on the blog. So, without further a due, here we go!

Buying un-entitled land for property assemblage can be a fairly secure investment with the possibility of providing large returns if done well.

Most people would say that what Chris and his team did when assembling the various properties was risky. There’s no guarantee that they will obtain all of the necessary entitlements to make the development work, right? Why would any body take such a risk in assembling properties of various zoning classifications in the hopes that they could somehow entitle these random, infill parcels into some cohesive district?

They could do this because the risk was calculated.

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Financing Developments that Create Great Places with Ward Davis – Ep. 033

About the Guest

I am really excited to share this next conversation with all of you. Ward Davis is a founding partner of High Street Real Estate & Development, a real estate company focused on urban and New Urban properties in vibrant, growing cities and towns. Ward recently served as President of the National Town Builders Association, a national trade organization for leading developers of economically, socially and environmentally sustainable neighborhoods and town centers.  Ward has a BA in Economics from Davidson College, a General Course Diploma in Economics from The London School of Economics and Political Science, and an MBA from The University of Virginia.

Ward, along with his partner, Morgan Hooker, first began toying with the idea of joining forces to form High Street back in 2004. Since then, they have built their portfolio to include a multitude of high-quality developments. High Street Real Estate & Development was born out of a need to build great new places and to redevelop properties in Northwest Arkansas’s downtowns.  Their residential and commercial projects are influenced by philosophies that improve livability, adding lasting value to our neighborhoods and communities. They continually strive to make better places for communities, tenants, neighbors and local businesses as a whole. From renovations to adaptive reuse to from-the-ground-up neighborhood building, their end goals are always the same. These are improving livability, reducing operating costs and delivering unrealized value.

In this episode, we are going to discuss the financial model for place oriented development and how that differs from conventional development, alignment of interest with investors, and what types of investors might be interested in placemaking and why. There is tons of great information in this episode and I greatly appreciated Ward’s candor in discussing these topics and how they relate to their company’s business model.

Main Take-Away’s From This Show

This was an extremely fun show for me to host! I really enjoyed the candid discussion that was had when discussing the various business models utilized commonly by real estate development groups. Ward was able to intertwine his beliefs of creating great and memorable places with a strong financial foundation. These ideas combined to form the backbone of the real estate company that he is the co-founder of. The following main topics of the show come from a deep understanding in the role of strong town centers and the inherent value there is in understanding financial models behind successful real estate development endeavors.

Location, location, location…This notion is important for developers seeking guaranteed appreciation.

In this time of turmoil, investors seem to be looking for consistent returns. Not necessarily the highest initial returns.

Timeless architecture can truly be timeless when done correctly.

As always, I will dig into each of these “take-away’s” every week on the blog. So, without further a due, here we go!

Location, location, location…This notion is important for developers seeking guaranteed appreciation.

The phrase “Location, Location, Location” has been utilized in real estate round tables for years. This saying shouldn’t be new to you or I, however the importance of this idiom cannot be understated. Especially for a real estate development model that counts on appreciation over time.

As discussed in this episode, the majority of the projects that High Street takes on begin with the understanding that they will be invested in the project for the long haul. This is very different from the majority of real estate developers and companies who ...

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Developing Housing Solutions Where People Can Flourish with Tyler Arbogast– Ep. 032

About the Guest

I am really excited to share this next conversation with all of you. Tyler Arbogast is the Vice President of Development at Fort Worth Housing Solutions. Tyler and his team work to create more affordable housing options in the City of Fort Worth through the acquisition or new construction of mixed-income residential communities with roles in project management, land planning, underwriting, due diligence, infrastructure planning, entitlements, financial analysis & budgeting, construction, and compliance.  Tyler brings with him more than 15 years’ experience tackling complex real estate issues as a development consultant and owner’s manager / director on projects big & small; from master-planned communities to infill boutique multi-family. Needless to say, he has tons of experience in the field of real estate development.

Fort Worth Housing Solutions is changing the face of affordable housing by providing mixed-income rental and home ownership opportunities that provide the foundation to improve lives in the Fort Worth area.  They work closely with numerous community partners to promote economic independence and positive change in the lives of the thousands of individuals they touch on a daily basis. Their mission is “To develop housing solutions where people flourish.”

In this episode, we are going to discuss the types of programs that FWHS supports, how they partner with developers and landlords, and then we discussed common myths about public housing authorities. As you will hear on the show, he brings tons of experience on the subject of real estate development and the role of public housing authorities in shaping the landscape of development.

Main Take-Away’s From This Show

This was an extremely interesting show for me to host. I knew a decent amount about affordable housing programs, but admittedly not as much as I would like to know. Tyler has held several different roles in the commercial real estate world, which I think gives him an interesting vantage point from which to view public housing. He has been thrust into a role that has required him to learn about the ins-and-outs of the various federal programs that regulate low-income housing. The following main topics of the show come from a deep understanding in the role of public housing authorities and the inherent value there is in understanding the role they play in development that Tyler possesses.

Understanding “Housing Choice Vouchers” vs. the “Rental Assistance Demonstration” program.

Housing Authorities do much more than just distribute vouchers to those in need.

Section 8 housing vouchers are often difficult to come by and can provide a reliable source of tenants for “for-rent” properties.

As always, I will dig into each of these “take-away’s” every week on the blog. So, without further a due, here we go!

Understanding “Housing Choice Vouchers” vs. the “Rental Assistance Demonstration” program.

The terms “Housing Choice Vouchers” and “Rental Assistance Demonstration” were not unfamiliar with me. However, to be honest, I did not know as much about these programs as I believe I should. These programs provide relief for many who are in need of a helping hand in order to provide for their most basic of needs, shelter. My discussion with Tyler helped to open my eyes to this even more.

            According to Hud.gov, “The housing choice voucher program is the federal government's major program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. The participant is free to choose any housing that meets the requirements of the program and is not li...