Developing Multifamily, Industrial and TRUST! w/ Ben Spencer and Kurt Browning

The CRE Project

In this episode we sit down with the two most dominant and well known multifamily and industrial developers in the New Mexico and Texas markets. We discuss how Ben and Kurt got started in the business and how they grew to one of the most prominent real estate firms in the Southwest.

DISCUSSION TOPICS

- “Ben’s First Development Opportunity” 4:55 – 8:45
- “How Ben got his First Project Financed” 9:06 – 11:20
- “Biggest Challenge in Growing a Development Company over the last 20 years” 15:00 – 16:50
- “What Titan does Differently vs other Development Companies” 17:10 – 18:42
- “Most Influential Factor for Becoming a Successful Developer in Today’s World” 19:05 – 20:58
- “What Titan has Built Historically and What Project They are Currently Working On” 21:22 – 23:37
- “Handling Material Cost and Labor in Development Right Now” 25:09 – 26:39
- “How Contracts are Being Structured Differently Right Now with General Contractors” 28:11 – 30:45
- “What is the most important metric Titan looks at before pulling the trigger on a project” 35:30 – 37:53
- “Why Titan decided to start a Fund” 42:40 - 46:11
- “What Ben thinks about Cap Rates and what they will do with Rising Interest Rates” – 54:38 – 57:40

TOP TAKEAWAYS

- “You have to get out there and network and keep your eyes wide open for opportunity because you never know where that opportunity is going to come from. - Ben” – 13:00
- “You’re only as good as the people on your team - Kurt” 17:28
- “Without Trust you don’t have Anything -Ben” 20:24
- “Focus on Risk Adjusted Return when deciding to move forward with a project” 35:40
- “I would not ask someone to invest in a project that I don’t have my own money in and that gives our investors comfort.” 39:29
- “At the end of the day it’s the long rate, the 10 year rate that determines the cost of debt which factors into the exit value.”
- “Fed fund rate (interest rates) is a factor but it’s not directly correlated to cap rates” – 56:15
- “You’ll never have 100% of the information.” 1:00:47

Guest Contact Info:

Ben Spencer

[e-mail]

Kurt Browning

[e-mail]