Rethink Real Estate. For Good.

Impact

Swank Atlanta.

✅ Loan secured.  Construction loan term sheet secure in preparation for construction start

✅ Shovel ready. Entitled and ready to build

✅ Quick Build. Anticipated 12 to 18 months construction period

✅ Pre-sales. Planned to begin immediately after construction commencement

✅ Walkable + bikeable. 5-minute walk to the Atlanta Belt-line, shopping, dining and at least 3 parks

✅ Easy access. 15-minutes to Atlanta International Airport, considered the world’s busiest airport

✅ Maximizing light. Fully open roof terraces

✅ Non-standard amenities. Swim spa option, wet bar, home theater + panoramic views

Distinctive, modern residences. In Atlanta’s Beltline District at the intersection of Memorial Drive SE and Stovall Street SE in Reynoldstown.

The developer is planning to build up to 14 luxury townhomes, ground up, designed to blend urban living with a “staycation” lifestyle. Each townhome is planned with features such as open roof terraces with 360-degree skyline views, floor-to-ceiling windows and spa amenities. 

The site is adjacent to The Heritage On Memorial and completes a block adjacent to Madison Yards. It’s just 15 minutes from the world’s busiest airport and within 2 miles of downtown Atlanta, offering convenience and connectivity.There’s a strong diversity component with minority vendor participation.  And they’re looking for investors, small and big alike, just like you, on Small Change.

This is not a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities. All investing is risky and involves the risk of total loss as well as liquidity risk. Past returns do not guarantee future returns. If you are interested in investing, please visit Small Change to obtain the relevant offering documents.

Image courtesy of Swank Atlanta

Passive House Duplex.

✅ Double impact. A Passive House duplex + carriage house that combines sustainability and missing middle housing approach

✅ Passive House. The most stringent energy standard for buildings

✅ Advanced sustainability. Super-insulated, air tight, solar gain optimized, and ventilated well

✅ Missing middle housing. Three units replace a former single-family house for increased density

✅ Knowledge sharing. Building construction tours planned to educate the local community on Passive House standard

Faith and Jim Kumon are building some density in Southwest Minneapolis. They are building three units, ground up, on a single lot to the most stringent energy standards. Faith and Jim are hyper-local, experienced housing developers who specialize in green projects on urban infill lots.

They’re looking for investors, small and big alike, just like you, on Small Change. If you don’t know much about Passive House, now is your chance to find out.  

This is not a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities. All investing is risky and involves the risk of total loss as well as liquidity risk. Past returns do not guarantee future returns. If you are interested in investing, please visit Small Change to obtain the relevant offering documents.

Image courtesy of Passive House Dupllex

Podcast hiatus.

Dear friends of all things good in real estate.

The year has been too busy (all good) resulting in too little time for podcasts (a little bad). This is a little bad because I love my podcast show – I get to talk to such remarkable people working on such remarkable things.

Now the “busy” has reached a level that I cannot ignore. To give you context here’s a taste of my daily life: A complete (unexpected) renovation of a tiny lake cottage up in northwestern Pennsylvania that has now stretched on for 8 months; an innovative housing project in the heart of Melbourne (Australia) with Breathe Studio that just broke ground (meaning I will have to be there for a month or two in the fall); five new partners who have joined me on Small Change to take it to the next level; a coworking space in a property I developed in ‘the aughts’ that we recently took over, to grow and diversify for the local community.

Since I’m no superwoman, I need to take a brief podcasting break. Will you forgive me?

I’m looking forward to being back at the mic in the spring. I appreciate all the positive feedback and with your patience, I’ll have more amazing people to introduce you to in 2025.

Yours forever in real estate.

PS. Now might be a good moment to catch up on some old podcasts but good ones here, or your favorite podcast feed.

The case for social housing.

The opera and apple strudel are the hottest tickets in Vienna these days, right?

Wrong!  US natives are invading the Austrian capital to take a look at their social housing projects.  Hordes of politicians, housing advocates and journalists tromping the cobblestones, trying to understand how housing can be more than just a profit center, and probably eating a little apple strudel on the side.  It’s part of the culture.

What’s special about these housing projects?  Through cross-subsidization they offer high-quality housing to everyone.  Rent is based on income with high income earners subsidizing low income earners.  Rent can be as low as 4% of income.

Equal opportunity for everyone. 

Fast Company asks, “Will the U.S. ever embrace social housing?” And we wonder too. The housing market is driven by profit here.  What happens when non-profit projects really start to compete?

Pittsburgh champion.

If you’re looking for examples of urban revitalization, look no farther than Pittsburgh. 

We can thank people like Shawn Kichline, principal of Oxide Real Estate Development, for embracing the gritty urbanism of this city (where I live), and showing through his redevelopment efforts how livable and appealing it can be. 

A few years ago, Shawn used the real estate crowdfunding platform (Small Change) to raise $238,500 in equity to acquire and redevelop the Buvinger Building, located at 4407 Butler Street. This was his first solo project. He redeveloped the historic building in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood into some rather lovely apartments and a pretty hip ground-floor restaurant reminiscent of Asian street-food stalls.

The results were striking, and even more so were the financial returns. Investors were fully repaid with a 21+% IRR.  With this leg up, Shawn has moved on to larger projects … and so has Small Change.

Pittsburgh is known as the City of Champions and we think Shawn is one of them.

Take a look at  Shawn’s successful crowdfunding campaign and tell us if you agree.

Inage by Jonathan Greene