All Forum Posts by: Aaron Vanderpool

Hi All

I'm on my neighborhood association's problem properties community and we are tracking a large property in Kansas City, owned and managed by an out-of-state investor, who is delinquent on taxes and has multiple housing and health code violations. I hesitate to use the term "slum lord" but the conditions some of these residents are living with are not healthy. The "word on the street" is that the owner may be looking to sell off market to an investor, and it is currently not listed on the MLS.

As a concerned neighbor we are desperate to find a more qualified owner to improve the living conditions for these residents and avert any pending disaster. Properties like this have a tendency to escalate in their deterioration and can eventually lead to arson; which we certainly want to avoid. As a new real estate investor this is simply too large a project for me to try and tackle, but I know this forum is full of quality investors who care about their tenants and are always looking for a deal!

Address(es): 801 Olive St, 2300 E 9th, 700 Olive St, all in Kansas City MO.

Thanks in advance!

Aaron Vanderpool - Architect/Investor

Quote from @Barry Ruby:

Quote from @Aaron Vanderpool:

Greeting BP Network,

Long time listener first time (writer), but I have a life-transition question that I thought I would throw out to the community for advise. I am a licensed architect who's spent the last 10-years doing the traditional architecture thing. But in the last 4 years or so, I've been bitten by the real estate bug. Now, I've spent those four years consuming hundreds of hours of podcasts, youtube videos, I've read BRRRR/Multi-Family Millionaire etc, but I want to build on my knowledge by leveraging my skills as an architect to get a foot in the door at a developer.

What I don't know is how to sell that skillset "swap". How to sell the value I can bring to a developer in pre-construction, deal analysis (zoning, building codes, etc) and construction management on company projects in order to learn more about the $$ side of the equation for a commercial developer. 

Currently I live in Portland OR but I am planning to move back to my hometown of Kansas City in the next six-months, and aside from cold-emailing top developers in KC, any advise on this proposition? I appreciate the wealth of knowledge, and if you've read this far THANK YOU!

 Aaron, Your skill set absolutely has value that you can "play" with the right developer. You just need to find him/her and make the case that you can save them time and money by bringing you on board to do many things that would normally and otherwise be done by 3rd party consultants.

Your skill set also places you in the enviable position to transition into development on your own. Knowing how design, architecture and entitlements work represents formidable pieces of the development process and gives you an enormous leg up in entering the development industry.

The "$$ side" of commercial development is nowhere near as complex as what you already know. It is teachable and translatable. The language and metrics of all commercial real estate works the same across all asset classes. 

Feel free to send me a DM and I will send a "starter" kit that has an Excel pro forma workbook and 3 video tutorials that explain how to use it. 

Based on your ability to underwrite and conduct the entitlement process, you are also on course and not far from being able to identify and place a site under contract. I'd be happy to talk with you about how to go about doing that. 

Coming to a developer with a viable development site under proper control will certainly boost your value and can be the ticket you are looking for to enter the development industry.

 Barry I really appreciate the time you took to write such thorough responses! I appreciate the perspective that the $$ part of the equation is the less complex aspect after achieving an architecture license! I appreciate you reaching out and I'll be DMing you soon, thanks again-

Quote from @Jared W Smith:

@Aaron Vanderpool As architects we are suited for development more than we believe. We typically see all the steps and take part in portions of it also. Not sure where you’re experience is but it’s really not that difficult with out skill set. As other mentioned, your best bet is to partner with a builder or developer and get your feet wet on something small maybe. Then go from there and scale. 

I am actually doing this as we speak. I work in residential architecture mostly now. I ended up working with a developer many years ago. We we have a mutual friend and we linked back up last year. We are partnered on a wholesale deal plus have some JV land / development projects in the works. Kind of the best of both world since I am still running my architecture business also.

Thanks for the feedback Jared! I agree that we are well suited, and I'm also thinking about starting down this path focused on multi-family and SFR. Eventually transitioning to commercial/mixed-use down the line. A partnership with a local builder is not a bad idea, and starting with land to bring to the deal is an interesting approach as well. Thanks for the input!

Quote from @Account Closed:

You could partner with a person who owns raw land where you would do the land development to bring it to shovel ready. Then, a) hire a contractor where you would be the project manager, or JV with a developer.

Or you could partner with a contractor and become a design-build team.

 These are great ideas Blaise, definitely got the wheels turning!

Quote from @Zac Lindquist:

Quote from @Aaron Vanderpool:

Greeting BP Network,

Long time listener first time (writer), but I have a life-transition question that I thought I would throw out to the community for advise. I am a licensed architect who's spent the last 10-years doing the traditional architecture thing. But in the last 4 years or so, I've been bitten by the real estate bug. Now, I've spent those four years consuming hundreds of hours of podcasts, youtube videos, I've read BRRRR/Multi-Family Millionaire etc, but I want to build on my knowledge by leveraging my skills as an architect to get a foot in the door at a developer.

What I don't know is how to sell that skillset "swap". How to sell the value I can bring to a developer in pre-construction, deal analysis (zoning, building codes, etc) and construction management on company projects in order to learn more about the $$ side of the equation for a commercial developer. 

Currently I live in Portland OR but I am planning to move back to my hometown of Kansas City in the next six-months, and aside from cold-emailing top developers in KC, any advise on this proposition? I appreciate the wealth of knowledge, and if you've read this far THANK YOU!

 Hey Aaron,

While I cannot give any advice on the architecture side of things, I am a realtor in Portland. I do not know if you own the current place you are living in, but if you do and have questions about the market here or best ways of selling to net the most $ let me know and I'd be glad to answer any of your questions. 

Best of luck in the transition back to KC!

Thanks for checking in Zac, I appreciate the way you think. But I'm a renter, that's one of the reasons I plan to move back, lower bar to built the portfolio. Thanks!

Greeting BP Network,

Long time listener first time (writer), but I have a life-transition question that I thought I would throw out to the community for advise. I am a licensed architect who's spent the last 10-years doing the traditional architecture thing. But in the last 4 years or so, I've been bitten by the real estate bug. Now, I've spent those four years consuming hundreds of hours of podcasts, youtube videos, I've read BRRRR/Multi-Family Millionaire etc, but I want to build on my knowledge by leveraging my skills as an architect to get a foot in the door at a developer.

What I don't know is how to sell that skillset "swap". How to sell the value I can bring to a developer in pre-construction, deal analysis (zoning, building codes, etc) and construction management on company projects in order to learn more about the $$ side of the equation for a commercial developer. 

Currently I live in Portland OR but I am planning to move back to my hometown of Kansas City in the next six-months, and aside from cold-emailing top developers in KC, any advise on this proposition? I appreciate the wealth of knowledge, and if you've read this far THANK YOU!