Street Smart Success

An asset class that thrives in different economic cycles is student housing, especially at the best colleges. The demand to attend these schools always far exceeds supply. On the operations side, revenue per square foot often exceeds multifamily apartments because leases are done by the bed. Mark Weinstein, President of MJW Investments, has acquired over $1.5 Billion of student housing, over $1.5 Billion of apartments, plus several...

Most of the problems in multifamily over the past few years have been related to debt. Many operators are now in their second extension phase and not making payments or keeping up with their properties. Several of these have been taken back by the lenders. Lenders are identifying experienced, local operators to take over these properties.  James Eng, “The Professor” of multifamily financing, is the National Director at Old Capital ...

Multifamily investing can be profitable, but it is not without risks. One of the ways to generate mid-teen returns while mitigating risk is to invest in pref equity. As an investor in pref equity, you’ll be paid after the first mortgage and before the common equity holders. It’s therefore safer than common equity and you’ll still get the same attractive tax treatment. Steeve Breton, President of Velocity Capital, is a multifamily o...

80% of new apartments built in the last ten years are luxury class A. As a result, the supply of B class workforce housing has not nearly kept up with demand. Unless someone can afford to own a home or pay close to $4,000 per month for an A class two bedroom or $1,500 for an A class one bedroom unit, they are relegated to renting a B class apartment. Class B apartments cost 30%-50% less. As $800 Billion of floating rate loan maturi...

Supply-demand imbalance drives value in Real Estate. In this country, we have a severe shortage of affordable housing in many markets and therefore high occupancy levels. In the case of Mobile Home Parks, supply is not only not growing, it is actually shrinking because municipalities are repurposing the land Mobile Home Parks occupy for better perceived uses. This is what’s creating an undersupply. Nathan Jameson, Founder and Manag...

Although the Southeast and Southwest are still oversupplied with new multifamily units, markets in the Midwest have seen little to no new supply and therefore perennially low vacancy rates. Many of these markets are also growing, which creates a perfect opportunity for multifamily investing, as long as it’s with the right syndicator. Justin Spillers, Co-Founder of Real Estate Alpha, has built a portfolio of over 700 units, mostly i...

When deciding who to invest with, experience is what matters most, starting with the number of deals someone has done. Forty percent of Multifamily operators have done fewer than five full cycle deals. Like anything else, Real Estate takes years, even decades, to master. Elijah Brown, Founder of GoldHawk Capital, has first-hand experience operating multifamily and leverages this experience to help him identify other experienced and...

Alternative assets are getting a greater share of investor allocations as they seek higher yields and less volatility. Pension funds, endowments and other large institutions are directing more dollars to these assets in order to increase overall yields in their portfolios and to hit mandated returns. Kim Flynn, President of XA Investments, specializes in Private Credit interval funds, some of which generate higher than 10% yields. ...

Capital is pouring into steady, cash-flowing midwestern markets. Investors appreciate the predictable, steady growth and performance of these markets with affordable entry points. This applies especially to supply constrained infill industrial markets with big tenant demand and consequent high occupancy rates. Geoff Stuhr, Principal at Smart Asset Capital, specializes in Class B infill industrial properties in Southeast Wisconsin. ...

An interesting asset class that lends itself to significant value creation through entrepreneurialism and creativity is boutique hotels. Each property is different, so there’s intrinsic inefficiency. Many of these properties are also owned by baby boomers who have no succession plans and have not maximized their value over the years. Unlike branded hotels, there’s more opportunity to create special guest experiences that ultimately...

Although it may seem like public companies such as Exxon and Chevron generate the lion share of our domestic oil production, they only produce roughly 30%. The other 70% is produced by smaller to mid-size companies. Many of these enterprises raise money via syndications from Private Equity, family offices, and High Net worth individuals. Depending on the size of the project, investment minimums can be as low as $25,000-$100,000 and...

It’s no secret that AI will revolutionize the world. Elon Musk thinks computers will overtake humanity as the collective intelligence of AI exceeds that of the collective intelligence of humanity. In the short and immediate term, the truth is probably more muted and will take longer than many expect. Thus far, most companies that have tried to integrate Applied AI technology into their businesses have not been successful and have r...

Although multifamily is facing major headwinds with operators who took on floating rate debt combined with oversupply and unprecedented expense increases, this is not the whole story. Some multifamily investors who took on less risk and are better and smarter operators are doing quite well. Michael Pouliot, Founder of Carbon Real Estate Investments, has built a 3000-unit portfolio of 1970s and 80s workforce housing in the Southeast...

Investing in private market offerings outside of public stocks or funds can offer diversification and better returns, but these vehicles are often inaccessible to retail investors. There tend to be high minimums and restricted access to these opportunities. To provide this access, a number of investor organizations exist that pool their member’s resources to meet investor minimums and provide access. One of these organizations is L...

Industrial properties were at 80% occupancy and selling at 5 cap rates pre-pandemic. Now, they’re over 90% occupied and selling at 8.5% cap rates. With interest rates most likely coming down, this represents a great opportunity to invest in industrial. Warren Buffet says never bet against America, now is a great time to invest in industrial properties. Judd Dunning, President of DWG Capital Partners, is raising a fund to acquire si...

Buying at a discount is the most dependable way to make money. Suburban office is one of the few examples left where you can still find considerable value. In some markets, you can buy these properties for as little as $10/ft where it costs $200/ft to build. What’s more, you don’t have to find off-market deals, they’re listed publicly on LoopNet, Crexi, and other listing sites. As workers have moved to the suburbs and left downtown...

Investing in NNN fast food franchises and limited-service hotel Real Estate is a great way to profit from steady operating businesses. Joe Tagliente is Managing Partner of Tage Capital Partners, a firm founded in 1970 with a single restaurant by family patriarch, Joseph P. Tagliente.  Tage Capital has grown to become a leading hospitality company in New England. Today, Tage Capital is one of the largest privately held, hospitality ...

Despite ample sentiment to the contrary, we may not be headed into a recession any time soon according to at least one well known, respected economist. In fact, we’re just four years past the pandemic, and we’re seeing steady, conservative growth. As far as AI disruption, and potential unemployment that may result, this may occur slower than many people think.  Peter Linneman, Principal of Linneman Associates, is a prolific multi-d...

One way to generate large, short-term profits in Real Estate is flipping houses. There are many methods to finding great deals, and the money to acquire these properties is readily available when the deals make sense. You can find houses via auctions, wholesalers, or tried and true direct marketing efforts like flyers, Direct Mail, driving neighborhoods, even knocking on doors. Dan Cantillana, or Dan Can, is a successful insurance ...