FAQs
What if you can’t find enough homes to invest in?
We constantly develop our relationships with realtors, wholesalers, banks and other sourcing experts. They help find Brownstone-type opportunities. It has taken many years to cultivate these connections, and now finding deals has become one of our specialties. In the current market we have access to many heavily discounted opportunities, so it has actually become a very good time to invest and grow.
What if you struggle to sell a home for an extended period?
It can happen. Sometimes we decide to be bold in pricing – offer a discount, get it sold, make a smaller profit, move on... it is often healthier than hanging on too long for what are actually emotional reasons. Other times we can choose to move a home into our rental portfolio, creating a steady stream of monthly income instead, retaining the option to bring the home back to the market when the time is right in the future.
Do you borrow money for your projects?
Yes. We frequently partner with superb lenders for loans for both lot acquisition and construction costs. If you look at our case studies on the How We Invest page, you’ll see we mention “cash in the project.” This refers to the equity we put in with the rest of the costs being covered by such loans. Investors can play a part in either or both parts of this - you can be a part of the equity, the cash in, or we can replace the use of construction (hard money) lenders with your fixed-rate debt investment.
What if you can’t find enough homes to invest in?
We constantly develop our relationships with realtors, wholesalers, banks and other sourcing experts. They help find Brownstone-type opportunities. It has taken many years to cultivate these connections, and now finding deals has become one of our specialties. In the current market we have access to many heavily discounted opportunities, so it has actually become a very good time to invest and grow.
What if you struggle to sell a home for an extended period?
It can happen. Sometimes we decide to be bold in pricing – offer a discount, get it sold, make a smaller profit, move on... it is often healthier than hanging on too long for what are actually emotional reasons. Other times we can choose to move a home into our rental portfolio, creating a steady stream of monthly income instead, retaining the option to bring the home back to the market when the time is right in the future.
Is Brownstone a General Contractor?
We’re a developer, designer, manager, and we do have full GC capabilities in-house. We find projects, create the vision, and manage every piece of the puzzle (using our proprietary systems and procedures) from inception to sale. We pull in additional local GC expertise whenever needed, so extra wisdom and knowledge are always available to us. We drive projects forward very quickly, and keep our cost base lower than most others. It’s part of how we generate higher-than-normal margins.
How else does Brownstone stand apart?
We have a simple policy – we ensure every home we create is one of the highest-end, most design/quality-led, in its market… we call this “nicest on the market.” Sometimes we choose to spend a little extra to achieve this, often we just allot more time and focus into upgraded designs and selections and, potentially surprisingly, we sometimes actually reduce costs with our upgrades... better can also be lower cost. In addition, we are hands and eyes on throughout a project, with regular checkpoints for quality and timeliness.
How many projects can Brownstone work on?
When it comes to new construction or flips, we have had as many as 18 homes in action concurrently, and our systems and team now allow us to double or even triple this number, in a relatively calm fashion. We’re transparent about the fact that we want to bring in more investors to enable this next level of growth, for all of us to benefit.
Is Brownstone a General Contractor?
We’re a developer, designer, manager, and we do have full GC capabilities in-house. We find projects, create the vision, and manage every piece of the puzzle (using our proprietary systems and procedures) from inception to sale. We pull in additional local GC expertise whenever needed, so extra wisdom and knowledge are always available to us. We drive projects forward very quickly, and keep our cost base lower than most others. It’s part of how we generate higher-than-normal margins.
How else does Brownstone stand apart?
We have a simple policy – we ensure every home we create is one of the highest-end, most design/quality-led, in its market… we call this “nicest on the market.” Sometimes we choose to spend a little extra to achieve this, often we just allot more time and focus into upgraded designs and selections and, potentially surprisingly, we sometimes actually reduce costs with our upgrades... better can also be lower cost. In addition, we are hands and eyes on throughout a project, with regular checkpoints for quality and timeliness.
How many projects can Brownstone work on?
When it comes to new construction or flips, we have had as many as 18 homes in action concurrently, and our systems and team now allow us to double or even triple this number, in a relatively calm fashion. We’re transparent about the fact that we want to bring in more investors to enable this next level of growth, for all of us to benefit.
What are some of the risks?
Environmental risks are mitigated by our policy to avoid flood zones, earthquake regions, and areas known for other natural disasters (such as hurricanes or other weather extremes). We have extensive insurances. We take the health of our team and associates very seriously, ensuring that we do all we can to keep them safe. Economic risks, such as a slow or depressed real estate market, are reduced by our high (yet flexible) profitability discussed throughout this website, and the additional strength of our cash position and rental portfolio. A full and detailed list of all risk factors can be made available on request.
What are some of the risks?
Environmental risks are mitigated by our policy to avoid flood zones, earthquake regions, and areas known for other natural disasters (such as hurricanes or other weather extremes). We have extensive insurances. We take the health of our team and associates very seriously, ensuring that we do all we can to keep them safe. Economic risks, such as a slow or depressed real estate market, are reduced by our high (yet flexible) profitability discussed throughout this website, and the additional strength of our cash position and rental portfolio. A full and detailed list of all risk factors can be made available on request.