Ground Up Development: $160M Raised Without Advertising

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MASTERING GROUND UP DEVELOPMENT 🏗️

In this powerful episode of The Real Estate Investing Club podcast, I sit down with Venkat Avasarala from Stryker Properties to discuss his incredible journey from buying single family foreclosures in 2007 to building a portfolio of 5,470 apartment units through ground up development. This conversation is absolutely packed with actionable insights for anyone looking to scale their real estate investing business and achieve true financial freedom through multifamily development.

WHY GROUND UP DEVELOPMENT BEATS VALUE ADD RIGHT NOW 📈

Venkat shares why he completely exited his $3,500 unit value add portfolio in September 2021, just before interest rates skyrocketed. He breaks down the economics of why building Class A properties in high income areas is the only way to achieve 20% IRRs in today's market. With construction costs at $250,000 per unit and rents needing to hit $2 per square foot to make deals work, he explains why targeting affluent markets with $80,000+ median incomes is non-negotiable for development success.

THE $160 MILLION CAPITAL RAISING SECRET 💰

One of the most fascinating revelations in this episode is how Venkat has raised $160 million since 2016 without any advertising, marketing, or individual phone calls to investors. He shares his exact strategy for creating compelling pitch decks that focus on the "why" before diving into deal specifics. His approach to hosting webinars and letting investors come to him has created a scalable, repeatable system that any syndicator can implement. This is pure gold for anyone struggling with capital raising!

NAVIGATING THE HARDEST PARTS OF DEVELOPMENT 🎯

Venkat doesn't sugarcoat the challenges of ground up development. He discusses the complexities of working with city comprehensive plans, dealing with NIMBY pushback in affluent neighborhoods, and why he separates land entitlement from actual construction. His strategy of partnering with developers who have 30+ years of experience shows the importance of not trying to do everything yourself, especially when millions of dollars are on the line.

CURRENT MARKET CONDITIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES 📊

We dive deep into today's market dynamics, including how job creation has dropped from 600,000-800,000 per month to nearly zero, creating a temporary glut in multifamily supply. Venkat predicts that by summer 2025, rents will start growing again as this supply gets absorbed, creating prime opportunities for value add acquisitions. He also shares his controversial take on why you should only focus on serving wealthy renters in today's K-shaped economy where the top 10% do 80% of the spending.

LESSONS FROM A COVID-ERA RETAIL DISASTER 🚨

Not every deal goes perfectly, and Venkat shares a transparent account of a $145,000 income retail development in Fulshear, Texas that got completely derailed by COVID. When their general contractor went from $105 per square foot to $180 and then went out of business, they had to completely pivot their strategy. The lessons learned about managing investor expectations and putting force majeure clauses in offering documents are invaluable for protecting yourself and your investors.

This episode is mandatory listening for anyone serious about transitioning from value add to ground up development, anyone struggling with capital raising, or anyone looking to understand where the real opportunities exist in today's challenging multifamily market. Venkat's straightforward, no-B

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