“Think like a rain drop.”

“Would you ever tuck your rain jacket into your rain pants?”

My friend Rick Chuilli at Blueprint Roofing Inc often said that. He learned that rule from his dad, who was also a roofer.

Water will find the smallest seam, any missed lap, or even a pinhole.

A tiny hole acts like a straw. Capillary action pulls more water in, even against gravity. Before you know it, that pinhole has fed a surprising amount of moisture into a wall assembly.

Water intrusion is one of the hardest problems in construction, and today there is almost no margin for error.

Older homes, for better or worse, could breathe. A little water could dry out. Today we build envelopes tight. More efficient. Less forgiving. A small leak can turn into a mold problem fast.

For that reason, we obsess over transitions. We visualize the water flow and make sure to properly lap them so they shed water instead of catching it.

If water leaks to the outside, it’s not a leak!

What’s a simple rule you’ve picked up that stuck with you?

Surprise and delight! This elevator tile floor by Artaic - Innovative Mosaic and elevator surround with ACRE by Modern Mill were two of the first design decisions I made. I love how the ACRE siding relates back to the exterior and how the mosaic tile logo is such a fun surprise when the elevator doors open.

One incredible penthouse left. Reach out to the @choose_boston_brokerage team, Alan Nguyen or Crystal Mills , to see it. This one won’t last past the storm this weekend!

Part of the fun of being a developer is getting to selectively play interior designer. We wanted to elevate our lobby and elevator landings from basic tile and drywall, so we studied lots of options and couldn’t be happier that we landed on ACRE by Modern Mill

ACRE is made from reclaimed rice hulls, an agricultural byproduct that would otherwise be burned or sent to landfills. It’s a genuinely sustainable material that doesn’t compromise on aesthetics or durability.

The ACRE is also featured prominently on our front facade, so this beautiful detail on the interior connects back to the exterior architecture of the building.

We completed the installation in the lobby and three elevator landings over a single weekend. Can’t wait to stain the product and install our amber dimple light fixtures to finish it out.

Final completion is just two weeks away, and we have two units still available at 545 E 2nd St.

The best $20 I spent on my project this week might surprise you.

Today, we’re wrapping up a six-unit build, down to interior signage. The signs use standoff screws that require a specific drill bit, exact depth, and a particular adhesive.

My finish carpenter owns the install. But I’m usually the one sourcing finish products, which means this may be the first time his crew has seen this system.

So I handed his foreman a small bag with the unit numbers and everything needed to do the job right. About $20 in materials. I’ve learned that when subs don’t have exactly what they need, one of two things happens. They leave to get it and the schedule slips. Or they improvise with whatever’s in the van, and results vary.

On big projects with deep benches and PMs, this matters less. On most jobs, especially when you’re introducing unfamiliar products, anticipating small needs prevents callbacks, delays, and friction.

The carpenter is still responsible for his work. I’m just removing obstacles so quality happens the first time, on schedule.

Good project management isn’t control. It’s foresight.

Lab-tested doesn’t mean field-ready.

In the lab, conditions are controlled. Installations happen in perfect light, with clean surfaces, rested workers, and no rush to beat the rain.

Out in the field, it’s the opposite. Crews are juggling multiple jobs, racing against deadlines, and dealing with real-world chaos: mud, noise, and missing materials.

When workers hit an oddball condition, they often don’t have the time, support, or incentive to stop and problem-solve. Things get covered up, not from laziness, but because that’s how the system’s built.

Supervision’s stretched thin. A lot of trust gets placed in the field, and the pump jacks on newly finished buildings suggest that trust isn’t always well-founded.

That’s why I keep coming back to one question:

How do we design for real-world conditions?

What products and systems actually perform when things aren’t perfect?

We should build buildings the way Toyota builds cars, using poka-yoke (error-proofing).

Design details that make it hard to install incorrectly.

Choose materials that are forgiving of variation.

Create systems where the right way is also the easiest way.

No drawing or submittal can bridge the gap between theory and execution unless the system itself is built for success.

In the end, quality isn’t just about skill. It’s about design. If we make it easier for people to do the right thing, we’ll get better buildings, fewer callbacks, and less frustration all around.

What products or systems have you seen that help error-proof your work?

Sometimes You Have to Do It Twice

We were wrapping up siding when our architect, Catriel Tulian, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP , texted me to flag that the 4-inch vertical strip around the recessed window bay featured at the front of the building should be black HardiPanel, not the lighter ACRE wood-look siding.

I realized right away what happened: during framing I widened this bay to allow for better waterproofing, but the plans never got updated to show how that strip should be finished. The siding crew reasonably assumed the wood siding should continue.

I asked them to redo it. Most people may not have been able to exactly put their finger on it but it would have bugged me (and Catriel’s office is right next door!).

Sometimes you do it right because you do it twice. As my friend Joshua Brandt likes to say, perfection isn’t a reasonable standard. Mistakes happen. We own them, fix them, and move on.

[Big thanks to Junior and Alessandro from Experts of Siding for making the change without missing a beat!]

One of the biggest turning points on any job is the shift from rough mechanical, electrical, and plumbing to insulation and drywall.

At this stage the project is essentially locked in. Mistakes can no longer be fixed without major cost or disruption.

I have seen projects stall here for weeks while decisions get delayed, paperwork lags, or small adjustments pile up.

The only way to move smoothly from rough MEP to finishes is to communicate early and make sure the owner, design team, and subs are ready. You cannot afford to let the job sit in limbo at this stage.

Yesterday we had x3 carpenters install x25 windows in a single day!

How? Pella Corporation has built a better mousetrap with their new Steady Set system. Last year, I got a sneak peak at these windows in their R&D lab in Pella Iowa and yesterday I had the chance to install them with our partners at Lifetime Contractors Inc.

Typically, window installs require at least two people. One works inside, the other is on a ladder outside. With Steady Set, one carpenter can do the whole install from the interior. Shim, level, clip to framing. When it’s time for siding, fold out the flanges, apply sealant and tape, and you’re done.

Big thanks to Anthony Giello at Pella for helping us bring this together with precision, and to the Bryan Eliziario and Lifetime Contractors Inc. team for their partnership, planning and execution 💪

It’s often joked that being a GC is like being the conductor of a band that doesn’t want to play together.

This picture is what it looks like when the band is in sync.

Our framers from Lifetime Contractors Inc. connected with our lead from our siding crew, spontaneously. No nudge from me. Just two pros recognizing a detail that needed coordination and figuring it out together.

What are you doing to build that kind of culture on your sites or in your office?

After 15 years of building, this was a first.

We just wrapped a 12,000 SF project, and for the first time, I didn’t have a single punch list item related to scratched flooring.

The difference? Densified hardwood.

We used Bjelin on this job, and I’m convinced this is where the industry is headed. Densified hardwood is real wood that’s been compressed under heat and pressure to make it significantly more durable. It installs like a click-in laminate, resists dents and scratches, and still gives you the feel and warmth of real wood.

Engineered hardwood has taken most of the market over the past decade. Densified hardwood is the next step forward.

Big thanks to Ken Sheldon for introducing me to this product and working closely with my flooring sub to ensure a clean install!

Hard to believe GC’s are still paying $1,000+ a month for jobsite cameras from companies like Pro Vigil or OxBlue.

Meanwhile, low cost camera options like this $300 camera from Reolink has its own solar panel and their own data plans are getting really close to offering the same capabilities.

This little unit can detect motion, trigger alarms, record night vision, do two-way audio, save footage, create time lapses, and even isolate specific zones for alerts.

They’re perfect for tracking site progress, monitoring deliveries, keeping an eye on sidewalk work, protecting against theft… or catching drunk teenagers relieving themselves on your jobsite after a St. Patrick’s Day bender.

13,000 SF. Four stories. Fully framed in five weeks.

What looks like magic is actually an insane amount of skill and teamwork and planning. Everyone on site knows exactly what the other is doing and when the next delivery is coming. This is what it looks like when everything works the way it’s supposed

Framed by Lifetime Contractors Inc. Materials by Dartmouth Building Supply. Proud of this crew!

cc: Bryan Eliziario Marty Hietsch

When you’re managing competing priorities, perfection isn’t always possible. But clarity is.

We’re final grading a parking garage with three main constraints:

1. Maintain a 4-inch minimum concrete thickness

2. Keep a consistent slope to floor drains

3. Preserve at least 7 feet of head clearance

In theory, we want all three. But in reality, some priorities matter more. Head clearance and concrete thickness are non-negotiable. If that means there’s a small puddle near a drain, so be it. It’s a covered garage. The only water we expect is from snow melt or someone rinsing their car. That’s manageable.

The key is making sure the team understands this upfront. I will never come back frustrated about a little standing water. But if the clearance ends up at 6’-10”, that’s a real issue.

Last week I took the Building Performance Workshop with Corbett Lunsford hosted by Building PPL It was a great course with a clear takeaway: a home should be treated as a connected system, where each part impacts the others.

That system has four core components:

1. Heat Flow (Heat Bleed): Energy loss through the envelope.

2. Air Flow & Pressure: Controls how air moves throughout the home, affecting both comfort and ventilation.

3. Moisture: Poor moisture control can lead to mold, rot, and long-term damage.

4. Indoor Air Quality: The air you breathe has a direct impact on your health, yet it’s often overlooked.

A lot of people start with heat loss, adding insulation or replacing windows, but if you don’t also consider airflow, moisture, and air quality, your home might still feel uncomfortable and unhealthy. Real performance comes from understanding how it all works together.

What would you add to this statement?

**Buf thanks to Krysta & her team Building PPL for hosting this awesome course!

Solve one problem, create another.

Yesterday, Talia Cannistra, AIA, Joshua Brandt and I were walking a recent Stack build, debating the eternal question: pocket door versus swing door?

I argued for a pocket door because a swing door in this setup would smack right into someone brushing their teeth at the double vanity. I’ve lived it. It’s no good.

Talia made a great point. An outswing door might solve that, but then you’re dancing around it as it opens and awkwardly stepping into the hallway just to close it. She deals with that daily.

Then Josh sounding like Buddah chimed in with a gem, “Well, one always overcorrects for their most recent problems.”

We all laughed, but it stuck with me. In construction, design, and life, it’s easy to let the last headache drive the next decision.

What “fix” have you seen go too far and create another?

Don’t Let Fake Precision Fool You.

Imagine posting that you ran 5.1275 miles when your watch only tracks to the nearest tenth. It makes things look more exact than they really are.

I see the same issue all the time with preliminary construction pricing. Just because Excel spits out a number like $2,137,420.68 doesn’t mean that’s what the project will cost.

At the early stages, estimates should usually be rounded to the nearest thousand, ten thousand, or even hundred thousand depending on project size.

More importantly, early pricing is about smart comparisons, not false accuracy. If I tell you clapboard siding is the most affordable viable option, fiber cement panels cost about 2–3x more, and metal panel is significantly higher still, that’s enough to guide design decisions and move forward.

Keep your numbers honest. Keep your decisions smart.

How do you approach early estimates with clients or teams?

This morning, Banker & Tradesman published an op-ed I wrote about something I’m seeing firsthand on Boston job sites.

Massachusetts needs roughly 200,000 more homes by 2030, and immigrants make up about a quarter of our construction workforce. If we shrink the labor pool in the middle of a housing shortage, scarcity doesn’t raise wages, it inflates prices and stalls projects.

If we are serious about solving the housing crisis, we have to talk honestly about the workforce that makes housing possible.

Link to the full piece in the comments.

Not all money is worth taking.

I’ve seen talented crews stay loyal to leaders who don’t respect them because “the pay is good.”

You can get paid well and still make a bad deal.

Compensation often masks dysfunction.

You can’t make a good deal with a bad person.

A new building isn’t just bricks and mortar. It’s a piece of art.

Thousands of decisions shape it: proportions, materials, light, flow. Details most buyers never consciously notice—but they feel them.

For years, I only sold my own developments. I believed that was the only way to truly convey the depth behind them.

Not just unlocking doors and reciting specs.

But explaining why that façade material was chosen.

How shifting those windows captured perfect light.

Where design ambition clashed with budget—and which side won.

After nearly 200 homes and 300,000+ square feet, I realized I needed others who could communicate that same depth.

Turns out, those people are rare.

Today, we’re a 10-agent team—and our standards remain just as high.

If you want to sell new construction with us, you have to understand it like a builder.

Our agents walk job sites regularly during construction—before they’re show-ready.

They actively participate in weekly project meetings, bringing valuable insights as part of the core project team.

They ask the questions most agents skip.

That immersion transforms everything:

How you present the property.

The confidence in your voice.

The caliber of clients you attract.

Even the work itself—you’re not just selling a unit; you’re translating a vision.

This path isn’t for every agent.

But if you’re the type who walks a job site just to understand how it all comes together…

Who geeks out over design details…

Who wants real access to the rooms where decisions are made…

You might be exactly who we’re looking for.

If that sounds like you, reach out. Let’s talk.

When the question is a trap, you don’t have to walk into it.

“Is this a disappointment?”

An Olympic reporter asked Eileen Gu that after she won two silver medals in Milano Cortina. To them, she hadn’t won silver. She had “lost” gold.

She laughed it off and called it a ridiculous perspective. And she was right.

I’ve sat in plenty of rooms where the question isn’t really a question, it’s a frame. A way of putting you on defense before you’ve said a word.

Eileen Gu didn’t argue with the premise. She rejected it.

The instinct is to prove your worth, justify your work, explain yourself. But the second you start defending, you let someone else define the conversation.

You get to choose your own response. You can let the opinions of others knock you off course, or you can let your reputation and the work you’ve done speak for itself.

What do New England boat mechanics and snow plow drivers have in common?

You can never find them when you actually need them; and when you do, the price tag hurts.

Demand spikes hard in narrow windows, then vanishes. Labor can’t scale overnight.

From the customer side it feels like a trap: pay the surge rate and feel gouged, or push back on price and get pushed to the bottom of the list.

We run into this constantly in construction. So what actually works? My take? Stop fighting the economics and start planning around them.

Book early. Lock in relationships in the off-season. Pay on time, refer business, be the kind of client people want to pick up the phone for. And when you find someone reliable, pay the premium!

Markets don’t adjust in real time but relationships do!

If you’re in a seasonal climate, what’s your move? Lock things in early, keep multiple vendors, or something else? Curious how others handle it.

Unpopular opinion: If the deal is closed, the agent shouldn't be the middleman anymore.

I still see too many buyers whose realtors feel the need to filter every single communication with me long after the closing table. At a certain point, it feels like I’m waiting for an email from the buyers parents next.

I know agents do this to be helpful (or to stay relevant), but it’s not your job. Don't let "full service" turn into "personal assistant." It slows everything down and helps no one.

Agree or disagree?

The Left loves to mock the Right for ignoring doctors and “doing their own research.”

That’s a fair criticism. Most people aren’t medical experts.

But those same people will turn around and push for rent control and building bans, completely ignoring decades of economic data that proves these policies fail.

If we are going to scream “trust the science” when it comes to medicine, why do we choose to ignore the science of economics?

We’ve run the “Rent Control” experiment in San Francisco, NYC, and Berlin. The results are always the same:

It looks like a win for current tenants in the short term, but in reality, it stalls new builds, forces landlords to convert or neglect units, and destroys affordability for everyone else. It’s Economics 101: You cannot cap prices below market without killing supply.

Both sides are guilty of cherry-picking experts when it suits their narrative. We have to stop.

If there’s a city where rent control actually worked long-term, I’d love to hear about it.

Responsiveness is a virtue.

So is patience.

In our always-on world, it’s easy to mistake a delayed response for a lack of care.

If we can move fast, we will.

But exceptions shouldn’t become expectations.

Goodwill is not a deadline.

How do you balance speed and quality with your clients or partners? I’d love to hear your approaches.

Too many “property managers” just field calls and outsource the real work. They don’t know how to turn a screwdriver, let alone diagnose a boiler issue.

If I wanted an answering service, I would hire one.

This is an asset business. The job is to touch the asset.

If you hire someone to shovel snow, go check the work.

If there’s a move-in, meet them onsite. Walk the halls. Look for trash piled up. Protect the common areas.

I see too many property managers trying to scale without presence. They lean on “systems” but rarely show up.

The market has trained owners to expect low fees and low service.

But you cannot automate caring about the asset.

Have you seen property management executed at a high level? What did they do differently?

There’s a fine line between “put your own oxygen mask on first” and “the troops always eat first.”

I tend to lean toward the second.

If you want your team to win, your job is to stand at the bottom of the ladder and lift.

Clear obstacles. Take the hit. Give credit. Push them forward.

That can feel at odds with the oxygen mask principle. But servant leadership builds trust. And trust builds loyalty. Loyalty builds results.

The catch is that leaders are human.

If you’re exhausted, distracted, or underwater, you are not helping anyone. You can't lift the ladder if you can't stand up.

So here is the tension.

When do you put yourself first to stay sharp and effective?

And when do you step back so your team can step up?

I’m a builder, not a biblical scholar. But if God were to offer a course on construction management, the Tower of Babel would be the opening lecture.

Humanity came together to build something ambitious. Then everyone started speaking different languages. Coordination broke down and the tower was never finished.

Metaphor or history, the lesson is clear.

On every job, there are different “languages”:

Architect. Engineer. Plumber. Electrician. Inspector. Owner.

The builders job is to translate all of them into one shared understanding.

When that translation fails, projects slow down and fall apart.

Alignment is not a soft skill.

It’s the foundation.

[photo below 545 E 2nd St. S Boston. Two amazing units left:

https://lnkd.in/e7EtyEiS]

Some days onsite it feels like I’m just walking around watching people work.

There are no fires to put out, no urgent questions, no missing materials.

A lot of the work happened long before anyone showed up onsite.

On the harder days, when my head is spinning, I’m glued to the jobsite, and I get home late and fried, it can feel productive. There’s a rush to it.

Unexpected issues happen and some chaos is inevitable. But when that becomes the norm, it’s usually a sign that something earlier was missed.

Calm on site is often the result of planning, not luck.

I once sat in a meeting where a CEO barked, “Construction is a contact sport!”

I don’t buy it.

Construction is a team sport. More than that, it’s a relay race.

Your lap only counts if you hand off the baton cleanly.

A sub can crush their lap, but if they don’t tell you what they finished, or what the next trade needs before they return, the baton gets dropped.

• The race stalls.

• People show up with no runway.

• Work gets torn out.

• Time and money disappear.

I want to highlight one of the best runners on my team, Nick Sordillo from Teal Tech - Smart Home Automation.

Every time he wraps up on my job, he does a quick walk with me and sends a short text covering two things:

1. What he finished (so I can queue up the next trade).

2. What he needs (so I can clear the path before he comes back).

That’s what a clean handoff looks like. Simple. Consistent. It keeps the whole job moving.

How do you manage handoffs between trades on your projects?

Construction budgets run for pages, from structural steel to towel bars.

I always add one more: “Site Discretionary.”

On a $3M job, I’ll carry a few thousand dollars. It’s a rounding error that covers fans in August and space heaters in February. I hand out hand warmers on freezing mornings. If the canteen truck rolls up, I’ll pick up lunch sometimes just because. Before a holiday, I’ll distribute lottery tickets to everyone on site for fun.

As a developer and GC, this is simple. Same bucket of money. If I were an employee running a job, reaching into my own pocket for this stuff would be a lot harder, and plenty of supers still do it.

We should make it easier. Give the people running your projects a discretionary budget. Small gestures go a long way. Corporate teams do this without thinking. Job sites almost never do.

I’d love to hear how others approach this on their projects.

Most conflict at work isn’t about the issue, it’s about someone looking for a reaction. I used to take the bait. Honestly, I still do sometimes.

When I actually manage to stay calm and stick to the facts, everything gets easier. They swing. I don’t. At least on my better days.

As the saying goes, if you argue with a fool, people watching won’t be able to tell who is who.

I remind myself of that line more often than I’d like to admit. It has saved me a lot of wasted energy.

Ever felt the urge to unload on someone, only to find out you're completely wrong?

I call this leaving the ball above the rim. You're about to get dunked on.

I can't even count the number of times I've seen GC's or Owners come at someone hot and it turns out they missed an email, simply misunderstood something, or there's an extenuating circumstance they had no idea about.

Real example:

"Hey, how come you didn't drop off your machine this morning like you said you would?!"

"I drove over this morning and you still don't have any layout or control work done. There's no point in sending a man and machine if we have no dimensions to work from. I was saving you from a change order. Was about to call you."

The lesson? Always go in with a light touch. Ask questions before making assumptions. You'll preserve relationships, get better information, and avoid embarrassing yourself.

What's a time you're glad you didn't send that hot email? Or what guardrails do you try to put in place or steps you take prior to escalating things?

I catch myself doing this all the time, and I see it everywhere in construction:

We’re quick to call when something’s wrong but rarely pick up the phone just to say “nice work.”

If you do reach out to offer a compliment, let it stand on its own. Don’t ruin it by immediately asking for something.

Example: “Hey Danny, great job getting all the kitchens done right on schedule. They look great. When can we expect your team to deliver vanities?”

That quick follow-up turned genuine appreciation into another transaction.

Instead, keep these conversations separate:

Call #1: “Hey Danny, just wanted to say the kitchens look fantastic. Your team crushed the timeline. Really appreciate it.”

Call #2 (later): “Hey Danny, when you have a minute, can we talk about the vanity schedule?”

Construction runs on relationships, not just schedules.

When’s the last time you called someone on your team just to say they’re doing great work?

My grandmother, who I loved very much, once tried to order a tuna fish sandwich made with half canned tuna and half fresh tuna. The 17-year-old at the counter looked puzzled and replied bluntly, “No. That’s not something we offer.”

Maybe that clashes with the popular “Unreasonable Hospitality” mindset, but I respected the young woman’s clarity and boundaries.

I don’t suffer fools gladly, and like the deli staff, I often have a long list of people waiting for my attention. When clients, colleagues, or design partners present ideas I know aren’t tenable, I don’t pretend otherwise. Some may call me abrasive or say I draw lines too quickly and might miss opportunities by not exploring every angle. That’s fair. But that’s why you hire me: for clarity, decisiveness, and focus.

Real example: “Let’s price PT wood, IPE, and composite decking, and we can decide later.” My answer: “No. We’re not doing that. We’re going with composite. PT isn’t a fit, and IPE is outside the budget. Next topic.”

I’d love your thoughts: Do you operate similarly? Should I lean into a softer, “Be our guest” tone? What boundary has saved a project or client engagement? Share an example in the comments.

“How you do one thing is how you do everything” is chest-thumping bullshit.

That kind of blanket mantra leaves no room for the way people actually work.

My car looks like someone’s been living in it. I lose a pair of sunglasses every few months and my meeting notes could pass for kindergarten art.

Yet my boat is obsessively organized. My job folders in Dropbox are spotless, my estimates and contracts are airtight, and my job sites run like a Swiss watch.

Brains don’t run on a single setting. I’m sharp in the morning but drag on deep-thinking tasks by late afternoon. I think of it like limited computing power, so I ration and prioritize my shits-given.

What about you? Does that saying ring true or feel like a burden? Drop your take in the comments.

“This boat runs on gas not thank yous.”

A buddy slapped this decal on his boat. It was funny, a little obnoxious, but it landed. Just like that boat doesn’t move without fuel, no business runs without covering its costs.

The old “hamburger today for two tomorrow” deal usually isn’t real. Everybody needs to get paid.

Whether it’s the guy running the lull across the street or the roofer who patches a few small holes, thank you doesn’t cover their costs.

Show gratitude, but also make sure people feel taken care of.

And if you’re ever on my boat, don’t bother with gas money, my preferred currency is SunCruisers and light beers.

Did You Ask Them?

A very typical childhood experience. On road trips: my dad with the map folded out, parked at a gas station, my mom yelling, “Why don’t you just go inside and ask someone?” He never would. He’d drive the Toyota Previa around delaying our arrival to the beach.

There’s a time to study the map and a time to go inside and ask. In our world, local road conditions and routes are often changing. Answers are rarely clear-cut, they involve judgment calls and discretion.

I get it. Sometimes you want to find the answer for yourself and be respectful of others time.

Other times, I sit at meetings and look around at all the super smart people at the table commanding high salaries talking in the hypothetical and it hits me. No one has asked. Call the manufacturers rep. Go in and see the building official. Bring your engineer into the meeting.

Before you send your team down the wrong road, take the initiative to fold up the map and have a conversation.

One thing I’ve learned in this business: insecurity drives bad behavior.

Whether it’s a teammate taking cheap shots to look good or an owner stirring the pot to prove they’re in charge, it almost always comes from a need to feel validated.

I know I’ve been guilty of this myself at times and try to stay aware of it.

The best people I’ve worked with have a quiet confidence. They listen, give others space, and don’t waste time on ego or petty fights. They make the whole team better by how they show up.

Leaders go first.

If you’re going to make a donation, be the first to give. If you’re going to volunteer, give your time, or contribute resources, do it with energy and enthusiasm.

Don’t wait for someone to chase you down with reminders. You’ll end up giving the same time or money either way, but instead of looking reluctant, you can be the person who set the tone, who stepped up with a smile. That’s how you build trust, inspire others, and turn a small act into something bigger.

Problems are inevitable in business and life. You can’t always control what happens, but you can control how you respond.

When things go wrong, the easy reaction is anger or blame.

But hostility rarely inspires people to help. Try a little grace instead. Assume good intent, stay calm, and watch how quickly collaboration follows.

You’ll be surprised how often people step into your corner when you respond with understanding instead of putting up a fight.

How do you handle things when they go sideways?

I get a lot of questions about how to keep a construction schedule moving. Two things that have helped me:

1. Treat every day with the same urgency:

We tend to sprint at the end of a job, but those early days set the tone. Lost time early is hard to make up later.

2. Operate like you’re leaving for vacation: If you were to be OOO for three weeks, you’d make sure the team had clear direction and everything they need to keep going. It pushes you to communicate clearly and anticipate what each trade needs.

What’s worked for you? Would love to hear how others approach it.

Start loose. Tighten later.

That’s become one of my go-to mantras, especially when building something new, whether it’s a house or a business.

In construction, you don’t torque down every bolt on day one. You plan, then fit the pieces and check alignment first.

Same goes for a growing business. Early on, you need flexibility. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s momentum. Once you know what works, then you dial it in.

One thing I’ve learned in my career: never get on a ship with a hole in the bottom.

I’ve worked on incredibly smooth projects and others that turned into full-blown nightmares. I’ve also been called in to help clean up jobs already in crisis.

The worst ones always have the same problems: not enough resources, poor coordination between teams, and they wear you out. It’s a massive drain on your time and emotions.

If you’re walking into a new project, take a hard look at the foundation. It’s a lot easier to say no early than to dig your way out later.

Years ago I was wrapping up a multifamily project in Boston. The combination domestic hot water heater and boiler was throwing error codes, and it was crunch time. The original plumber who had done all the work kept calling me, frustrated and stuck.

So I brought in someone else.

The new plumber pulled out the manual, called tech support, and calmly worked through every step until the issue was resolved. No drama. No finger-pointing. Just professionalism.

This is what I expect on my jobs. When something goes wrong, I don’t call my buyers and vent. I don’t drag them out to the site. I solve the problem. Then I bill for the time spent solving it.

Do the work. Own the outcome.

Beware of toxic leaders who see your growth as a threat and care more about their status than your progress.

A great leader stands at the base of the tree, boosting others up and pointing them toward the strongest branches. With the benefit of perspective, they offer support, guidance, and encouragement every step of the climb. Their confidence creates space for others to succeed.

Have you worked with someone who made you feel unstoppable, or someone who quietly made sure you never got too far ahead? How do you spot either type? Share your thoughts in the comments. #leadership #growthmindset #mentorship #toxicleadership #successmindset #emotionalintelligence #professionaldevelopment #selfawareness #

Big brokerages are dinosaurs.

Bloated. Bureaucratic. Built for a different era.

And most agents are paying for a brand that does almost nothing for them.

In Episode 122 of Real Estate Addicts, we say the quiet part out loud.

We break down why the behemoth model is misaligned with modern agents, how splits and caps distract from the real math, and why lean, operator-led brokerages are the future.

This one is candid. Some people in big offices won’t love it. I’m OK with that.

Episode 122 is live. Give a listen and lmk what you think!

🎙 Real Estate Addicts Podcast

https://lnkd.in/gng8gxFb

A few years ago, when rates were near zero and qualified buyers were everywhere, declining change requests was the default.

It wasn't about being inflexible. Multifamily construction runs on tight schedules, and even small deviations can create real downstream issues for the entire project. Today’s market demands a different approach.

When a qualified buyer commits early, we now work harder to accommodate their vision. To manage the risk, we require a non-refundable deposit covering the cost to revert to the original spec if the sale falls through.

In this specific case, we updated tile finishes in the primary and guest baths and swapped a tub for a shower. We caught it early enough to adjust the vendor schedule without impacting the critical path.

I’d be interested to hear how other developers are balancing this need for flexibility without creating cascading site problems.

Before breaking ground, good builders make sure everyone is working from the same set of drawings.

That was the goal for Choose Boston Brokerage as we head into 2026.

Strategy consultant Andréa Hudson has been working closely with our team to translate individual expertise into a clear, shared plan. Disciplined enough to execute. Flexible enough to evolve.

We provide thoughtful, strategic guidance to clients making major real estate decisions in fast-moving markets, so they can make smart moves that hold up financially and in real life.

If you’re a real estate professional who values preparation, judgment, and calm execution, and you’re interested in building together, let’s talk.

Cc: Alan Nguyen Crystal Mills Zach Feldshuh Adam Jaspon Nick Riccio Casey Perry Hunter Perry Nicholas Wise Brandon Robinson Kyle Russo Mack R. Perez Patrick McAloon William Deevy Mario Ricciardelli

I just spent an hour listing a property that sold off market last year.

Why?

Because the buyer’s agent complained to MLS. He wanted the specific “credit” for his annual volume rankings.

The result was a threat from MLS: Retroactively list the off-market deal so he gets his stats, or pay a $1,000 fine.

It’s a perfect example of what’s wrong with the industry. We’re obsessed with the scoreboard, not the service.

It reminds me of when I used to officiate basketball. The best refs are invisible. If you don’t notice them, they’re doing their job.

Real estate agents need to relearn that lesson.

At Choose Boston, our line is simple: Quiet work. Loud results.

We aren’t for everyone, and we’re okay with that.

If you’re obsessing over your business card design but you don’t have customers to hand them to, you’re working on the wrong problem.

For most small businesses, the problem isn’t branding.

It’s getting in front of customers.

If you’re a design agency or a luxury brand, polish is part of the product. Your brand is a signal of the quality behind it.

For everyone else?

Over-indexing on brand too early is like buying expensive furniture for a house with no foundation.

Get your branding to "professional enough." Then shift every ounce of energy to:

• Getting in front of potential buyers

• Delivering something they actually want

• Building systems that let you do it repeatedly

Perfect branding won’t save a business no one knows about.

A decent brand paired with relentless distribution and real value is what actually scales.

Hat tip to Josh Brandt of Stack + Co for helping me think this through.

Where do you see entrepreneurs wasting the most time on "fake work"?

Realtors who publicly bash Zillow get pats on the back from colleagues but don’t come off sounding smart to consumers.

They sound threatened by technology.

And here’s the thing: they should welcome it instead.

You see the posts all the time.

“Zestimates are way off.”

“They’re useless.”

“They’re hurting sellers.”

But usually, it reads less like expertise and more like insecurity.

Imagine a custom builder who constantly complains about price per square foot.

Yes, $/sqft oversimplifies things.

Yes, it leaves out the nuance.

Good builders understand $/sqft is a filter. It’s a quick way for a client to see if their budget is even in range before diving into drawings.

Zestimates serve the same purpose.

They’re not appraisals. They’re not CMAs. They’re a starting signal.

Smart agents don’t fight that. When a Zestimate is off, they pull comps and show exactly why.

Trashing a tool doesn’t elevate you. Teaching people how to interpret it does.

There’s a saying on the mountain: “If you’re not falling, you’re not trying.”

I’m not recommending anyone go SFD (straight #@%!ing down) and wrap themselves around a tree, but if a ski pops off while you’re pushing yourself, I respect it.

In my late 20s, I bought what I thought was a bank-owned two-family in East Boston. Turns out it was legally a “store with an apartment above.” I learned that the hard way after filing my permit. There were two 66 Cottage Streets, one in Eastie, one in West Roxbury, and I’d looked at the wrong permit jacket.

I felt like I’d gone headfirst into a tree well and needed ski patrol to rescue me. But with some help, I made it down the mountain. That project introduced me to Boston’s variance and community process and later led to a seat on the neighborhood association board.

Moral of the story: maybe don’t go SFD with reckless abandon, but when you do get your tips crossed, don’t panic. Every crash makes you a better skier.

Over my career, I’ve worked with plenty of old-school superintendents. Technically brilliant. They saw issues no one else could: structural, civil, and mechanical engineers wrapped into one. Some were earning north of $250,000 a year for good reason.

But for all their IQ, many had almost no EQ. They came up in a culture that rewarded results over relationships, where yelling was leadership and pressure from above trickled straight down. They were “screamers,” quick to dress down one foreman in front of another.

You want both. But given the choice, I’d take the high-EQ super every single day. Because high-EQ supers don’t just run a job. They multiply themselves. Fifty tradespeople become fifty assistant supers. They’re the ones who tap you on the shoulder when something looks off, even if it’s not their trade, close a window when clouds roll in, or pick up a nail instead of walking past it. That kind of ownership is contagious, or it’s crushed.

You don’t want an army of mercenaries. They’ll carry your flag, but only far enough to stay alive.

This extends beyond construction. Every industry has its version of “closing the window when clouds roll in”: those small, optional acts that show someone actually cares about the outcome, not just the paycheck.

What makes a high-EQ leader in your world? How do they build that culture from the ground up?

Pet peeve I’m guilty of and trying to break: pulling out my phone mid-conversation to find “that article” or “that photo.”

Just send the link later. The fumbling kills the momentum, especially in a group.

There’s something almost compulsive about needing to provide instant proof for whatever point you’re making. I’ve been a repeat offender, so this is as much a note to myself as anything.

It really does drain the energy out of a conversation. I’m working on staying in the moment. Anyone else catch themselves doing the same?

Watching the JF Top Flooring crew lay down the Bjelin Woodura Herringbone at 545 E 2nd St was something to watch. They made it look effortless.

This natural oak herringbone is built using Bjelin’s patented Woodura technology, which compresses and hardens real wood to make it three times stronger than traditional flooring.

At 3.5” x 21.5”, the product offers a sleek, contemporary scale that still honors the classic pattern. Crafted from FSC-certified oak, they’re as sustainable as they are durable, producing ten times more flooring from the same timber.

Elegant, sustainable, and built to last.

Sorry my camera’s off. My toddler’s running around with no clothes behind me.”

You don’t owe me that explanation.

If we’re on a call and your camera’s off, I trust there’s a reason. Maybe your internet’s slow. Or maybe you’re just having a rough day.

It doesn’t matter.

Too often we feel like we need to explain why we’re two minutes late, why our camera’s off, why we need to step away. But when a team is built on trust instead of tracking, you don’t need to apologize for being human.

I care about the quality of your work and how you show up in conversation. That’s it.

If you’re doing your job well and communicating clearly, the rest is just noise.

Let’s focus on outcomes, not optics. Leaders who trust their teams get better work than those who watch over their shoulders.

Agree? Disagree? How do you build trust on your team?

Too many builders spend their time building a case, not building buildings.

Every industry could use more people who problem-solve, not just play defense.

When I was an estimator, our structural engineers had exact piece counts and tonnage of steel from their models.

I needed those numbers to price the job.

But they often wouldn’t share them, not because they were wrong, but because sharing might make them liable for quantities.

So I’d spend hours doing takeoffs by hand, measuring the same steel they’d already modeled.

Same drawings. Same building. Double the work.

All because of perceived liability.

I get it. They’re protecting themselves in a litigious industry.

But when fear of liability creates more inefficiency than actual protection, something’s broken.

Whether it’s construction, engineering, or business, the question’s the same:

Do we let legal paranoia dictate how we work, or do we find ways to move forward responsibly?

Curious to hear from folks in construction or other industries. Where do you see “fear of liability” slowing down progress?

There’s a big difference between what I find interesting and what I actually enjoy. It seems obvious, but it didn’t click until my wife pointed it out.

My bookshelf is full of books I bought because they sounded interesting but never finished because I didn’t enjoy them.

“Interesting” feels aspirational. “Enjoyment” feels honest.

I’m trying to shift that mindset. Chill out more. Turn the brain off sometimes. Let myself read more popcorn books and page-turners.

Less guilt, more fun.

Anyone else have a stack of “aspirational” books gathering dust?

My friend asked, “How’s your mindset going into 2026? Optimistic? Pessimistic? What’s your crystal ball for real estate?”

Rentals. Supply popped this year as projects conceived years ago delivered. Vacancy held around the mid-6s, and availability spiked in the spring. I was talking with Richard Beliveau, who’s seeing vacancies in buildings that hadn’t had one in 15 years. Near-term pipeline is finite though, and starts slowed in 2023–24. After this wave, supply tightens again as higher rates push more households into renting. Stable, not frothy.

Homeownership. Inventory is still thin. Greater Boston has roughly two months of supply and single-family prices punched near the $1M mark this summer. Fewer listings means a floor under values, even if sales pace is slower.

Investment sales. The maturity wall is real. As loans roll, today’s rates will force some sales, recaps, and a bit more distress. Expect more workouts and selective opportunities.

Rates. The 30-year fixed just printed ~6.19%, the lowest in over a year. The Fed cut in September, with markets leaning toward more easing. If mortgages drift into the high-5s in 2026, that unlocks demand.

How are you thinking about 2026 in your submarket?

Good clients are hard to find.

When you’ve got one you actually enjoy working with, do what it takes to keep them. Sometimes that means tightening your margins or shifting your schedule. It’s worth it.

It’s like being the barber who’s too booked to fit in a loyal client, so they go next door out of necessity. You risk them discovering they actually like the haircut better. Suddenly, you’re “the place they used to go.” Not because they wanted to leave, but because you left them no choice.

When good clients give you a chance to keep their business, match a reasonable quote, shuffle your schedule, take it. Because once they sample what else is out there and maybe like it better, price won’t even matter anymore.

If you’ve got a good thing going, protect it.

You might be shooting yourself in the foot if…

You might be shooting yourself in the foot if you’re asking four or more GCs to hard bid your project.

Pricing a full set of drawings isn’t a light lift. When a GC builds a comprehensive budget, it’s weeks of coordination, scope review, and sub feedback. If you want ten numbers for your acoustical ceiling tile package, knock yourself out - that’s a 20-minute exercise. But full GC budgets are different. Everyone’s calling the same subs, so they learn quickly exactly who else is bidding. When they sense they’re one of five, they’ll invest less time and give you a generic number just to stay in the mix.

I get it. You’ve been taught that more competition yields better pricing, and for commodities it typically does.

Try this instead: Start with five GCs. Ask for their general conditions (staffing costs), fee, and relevant experience. Interview them all, then shortlist three and ask them to invest the time in putting together a complete pricing package for the job.

Being direct and respectful of people’s time leads to sharper pricing, better relationships, and a smoother build, and you’ll learn a lot about your own project in the process.

GCs and owners, what’s worked (or hasn’t) for you?

What Experience Really Teaches You

My father was a physician who practiced sports medicine. He often joked that he could diagnose most injuries in 30 seconds, but patients needed 10 minutes to tell their story.

He never rushed them. Making people feel heard mattered. But the long explanation about how the injury happened and all the things that cause the pain to flare up? It rarely changed what he saw in the exam.

Construction isn't so different. A client sends three paragraphs about a problem. Experience lets you sift through the noise and spot the issue. Recently, a buyer reached out about sewer gas smells in their bathroom. I visited multiple times, but the smell was always gone by the time I arrived. Then they mentioned something key: when they noticed the smell, they'd shut the door and turn on the bathroom fan which only made the smell worse.

My ears perked up immediately. The bathroom was small, the exhaust fan speed was adjustable and it was likely set too high. A failing toilet seal combined with negative pressurization from an overpowered fan must be the culprit.

I ran a simple test. I turned on the kitchen exhaust and every bathroom fan in the house and waited. The smell appeared. I turned the fans off, opened a window, and it disappeared. The repair required only a minimally invasive procedure. I reset the fan speed, replaced the wax ring and the problem was solved.

The skill isn't tuning people out. It's knowing what to tune into.

Switching accountants saved my company $70,000 last year.

How? By right-sizing my partnerships.

You’d never hire Kiewit to build your living room addition.

In the same way, I wouldn’t call a Big 4 accounting firm to file my taxes or a giant law firm to draft condo docs.

Something I’ve learned over the years is the value of working with companies that are at a similar stage and scale, and growing together.

When you do that, you’re not just a number and you get direct access to decision-makers all the way up the ladder.

Back to my example: when I switched to Douglas Naffah, CPA for accounting, he did a deep dive on my business and proposed restructuring to an S-corp to take advantage of qualified business deductions. That one change saved me over $70,000 in year one, the kind of proactive thinking you don’t get when you’re client #4,837.

I’ve been fortunate to work with partners like Douglas who take ownership, communicate openly, and genuinely care about the outcome. People who treat your success as their success.

If you want to go broke, rush getting rich. Nowhere is this more true than in real estate development.

Real estate development is fundamentally different from most other businesses.

We’re not mass producing low-margin products where a bad quarter or one underperforming widget gets absorbed by the overall strength of the company.

Instead, we’re creating a handful of complex and capital intensive projects. Each one can be extremely profitable or absolutely disastrous and create massive liability. It’s a highly leveraged investment, and leverage cuts both ways.

That’s why I’m intensely focused on executing the details and staying deeply involved in every aspect of my projects. I’m not relying on volume to average out mistakes. In doing so I give myself the best possible chance at success, rather than spreading myself thin and hoping something works out.

What’s one detail in your projects that you refuse to delegate? Agree or disagree with this premise? Let me hear it in the comments.

Is Bigger Really Better for Agents or Their Clients?

The recent acquisition of Coldwell Banker, Sotheby’s, Corcoran, William Raveis, and Century 21 by Compass will boost Compass’ agent count from about 40,000 to 340,000.

For anyone who doesn’t speak corporate PR, here’s my translation of CEO Robert Refkin’s statement:

“By bringing together two of the best companies in our industry, while preserving the unique independence of Anywhere’s leading brands, we now have the resources to build a place where real estate professionals can thrive for decades to come.”

My translation: “By putting nearly every major brokerage brand under one roof, we’ll have the leverage to control the market. We can keep more listings off the open MLS, dictate agent splits without fear of competition, and cut layers of staff. Why? Because they will have far fewer choices for decades to come!”

Every explanation I’ve heard so far about how this 340,000-agent mega-conglomerate benefits agents or their clients has been heavy on buzzwords and light on substance.

If you’re in the industry and your last name isn’t Refkin, I’d love to know why you’re excited about this deal. Let me know in the comments.

A brief in defense of subcontractors

It’s easy to bash contractors and subs. People say they’re hot and cold, can’t manage their schedule and unreliable.

Yes, many do “oversell the airplane” (tip of the 🧢 to Josh Brandt). But let’s be honest. Clients often overpromise too. They court multiple contractors at the same time, enticing them with visions of a massive wedding (which they often can’t even afford). Others, perpetually push the wedding date back again and again, leaving the contractor in limbo.

Meanwhile, contractors can’t just pause their payroll and put skilled employees on a shelf until a maybe-job finally starts. That’s why you sometimes see them juggling several relationships at once, trying to keep everyone happy.

It’s a feast-or-famine business. So when you hear, “he was so interested and then he disappeared” or “he takes on more than he can handle,” there’s usually more to the story.

The #1 trust killer in sales? Pretending problems don’t exist.

Here’s the truth: No deal is perfect and we face trade offs all the time. Your buyers know it. You know it. So why dance around it?

Real example: I once had a condo listing right next to railroad tracks.

Most agents would:

❌ Hope buyers don’t notice

❌ Minimize it when asked

❌ Let them “discover” it later

What I did instead:

✅ Led with it in our first conversation

✅ Provided actual data (window sound ratings, train schedules)

✅ Explained MBTA vs commuter rail differences

The result? The buyers told me their imagination was 10x worse than reality. By addressing it head-on, I turned a potential deal-breaker into a trust-builder.

Your buyers’ worst-case scenarios are always scarier than the facts.

Question for my network: What’s the toughest issue you’ve had to tackle head-on in a deal? How did transparency change the outcome? Drop your stories below 👇 Let’s normalize honest conversations in sales.

When everything goes well, how long does it really take to build and sell five new townhomes in Newton?

At 2–10 Murphy Court, we developed five homes totaling roughly 12,000 square feet. This was a focused, well-run project with no major setbacks, and still, it took just over two years from acquisition to final sale. Here’s how the timeline broke down: • Offer to purchase: May 2023 • Special permit issued: January 2024 (8.5 months) • Building permit issued: May 2024 (3.5 months later) • Excavation and underground MEP complete: June 2024 (5 weeks) • Rough MEP sign-off: September 2024 (3 months) • Certificate of occupancy: February 2025 (5.5 months) • Final unit closed: July 2025 (4.5 months)

Total project duration: 26 months from offer to final sale.

Proud of this project and the team that built it. The level of focus, coordination, and execution was as good as anything I’ve been part of.

If you’re curious about any part of the process, feel free to leave a question in the comments.

People often think a referral is just about vouching for a vendor or subcontractor. But you’re also vouching for the client, that they’ll be fair, reasonable, and professional.

I recently referred a subcontractor to a large GC I’ve worked with before. I regret it.

The GC took advantage of him from the start. There was no site supervision, no clear direction, and no upfront discussion about jobsite access. There was also a major imbalance in firepower in terms of contract experience.

I was frustrated and embarrassed. I’ll never refer someone to that GC again. If I’m putting my name on it, I need to trust both sides.

The market can stay irrational longer than you can stay liquid.

In real estate, it’s easy to treat assumptions like guarantees. We expect demand to hold, rates to ease, and timelines to behave. But the market doesn’t owe anyone rationality.

You can be right about the long-term fundamentals and still loose your shirt if you’re overexposed or under-capitalized.

That’s why I never just ask, Is this a good deal?

I ask, Can I survive if this takes twice as long as I think?

Always be careful about piling too much on your plate. Liquidity, flexibility, and patience are underrated right now.

Let’s stop calling it a housing affordability crisis.

That makes us sound like victims of a natural disaster or some uncontrollable force.

But it’s not. This is a housing supply crisis, and our current immigration policy is one of the biggest ways we’re making it worse.

Rounding up and detaining immigrants isn’t just inhumane (though it absolutely is). It’s economically disastrous.

We desperately need a functioning immigration system, one with a clear, navigable path for people who want to come here to live and work. I don’t deny that there’s a problem, but using fear, violence, and intimidation to induce self-deportation, while rounding up others, is not a solution that serves our national interest.

Do we actually want to solve this problem or just keep talking about it?

We are actively pushing away the very people we need to build our future.

#housingcrisis #immigrationpolicy #constructionlabor #economicreality #realestate

🎩 tip: Marc LaCasse for inspiring this post

Development budgets are tightening, and many developers are missing out on substantial incentives and rebates.

With standards now embedded in the base code, calling them "incentives" feels a bit outdated (don’t tell Elon & DOGE!). If you're paying for these features, why not maximize the benefits?

I’ve worked closely with the team at Energy Credit Consulting on many personal and client projects, and they recently helped me and a client realize $250,000 in tax credits we were about to leave on the table!

For anyone doing 25+ units, I highly recommend:

(1) Book a Call with Charles, the founder of Energy Credit Consulting: https://lnkd.in/eDsG6ajD

(2) sign up for a free report: https://lnkd.in/eAU9jymV

[For full transparency, I have a material connection to Energy Credit Consulting, which means I receive compensation. These are affiliate links, and I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.]

People love sending a “Let Me Google That For You” link. Cute. But it misses something important.

I get lots of calls from friends asking about home repairs. Half the time, I just ask AI and pass the answer back. At first, that felt ridiculous. Why not ask directly?

Then it hit me. The hard part isn’t getting information. It’s understanding whether the answer is right, wrong, overkill, or missing context. AI can tell you ten ways to fix a leak. Only experience tells you which one won’t create a new problem next week.

I’m not just relaying information. I’m translating it.

AI leveled the playing field for finding answers. It didn’t level the playing field for judgment.

The real skill now isn’t searching. It’s knowing what to do with what you find.

What’s a time you realized AI gave you an answer you couldn’t actually use?

Structural engineering firms are about to get a lot smaller and a lot sharper.

AI is already good enough to turn an architectural model into a solid 30 percent structural design. Soon it will push closer to 50 percent. All the repetitive work junior engineers grind through today, AI will do in minutes.

That doesn’t make structural engineers less important. It makes experienced engineers more important. You still need judgment for messy sites, old buildings, sequencing, cost tradeoffs, and all the weird edge cases that never show up in textbooks.

The shift is simple. Firms won’t need big teams of juniors running calculations. They’ll need smaller teams of people who can think, question, coordinate and make real world calls.

The engineers who thrive will be the ones who let AI handle the drudgery and focus on the decisions only humans can make.

I need a “remind me later” button on my desk.

My mom will call with turn-by-turn directions to somewhere I’m not going for two months.

Work feels like this sometimes. Well-meaning requests about meetings or decisions that are weeks away when I’m barely keeping up with today.

I’m learning to say: “I appreciate this, can we revisit closer to [date]?”

It’s not dismissive. It’s honest. My bandwidth for future problems when I’m solving present ones is about zero.

If you can relate, give yourself permission to defer what’s not urgent. The meeting can wait. The directions will be there when you need them.

There’s probably a bigger point of how do we manage our time so we can escape the black hole of urgent demands?

#focus #boundaries #worklife #communication #productivity

PS - this AI version of me feels slightly sinister. Perhaps I have an alter ego out there somewhere…

We’re Hypocrites About AI

We excuse human error and bias every day but love to slam the machines.

Even top researchers and reporters make mistakes, yet those slip by quietly. When AI makes a mistake, we call it a “hallucination” and question the whole technology.

We hold machines to that same impossible standard in other areas too. Look at self-driving cars. Waymo’s autonomous cars had about 80% fewer injury crashes than human drivers, yet people mistrust and get far more outraged when the robot car makes a mistake.

I’m not saying we should trust AI blindly, but maybe it’s time to admit machines often outperform us and deserve fairer scrutiny.

Agree? Disagree? Is this just an anthropomorphic bias? Our way of feeling better about ourselves? Where else do you see us holding machines to a higher standard than ourselves?

There’s a future, maybe not too far off, where we have computer chips in our brains helping us navigate the world.

We’re not there yet, but the Meta AI smart glasses from Ray-Ban feel like a step in that direction.

I’ve been using them for both work and travel, and they genuinely feel like a real IQ boost when they’re on. A few things they can do in real time: • Translate spoken language • Read and interpret signs • Identify what I’m looking at and give me context • Convert units (like kilometers to miles) • Capture photos and video with a voice command • Remember things for me (“Hey Meta, remember that my roofing foreman’s name is John”)

They’re not perfect. Battery life is about 4 hours, and they need WiFi or cellular to be most useful. But they charge fast, work surprisingly well, and are relatively affordable.

I also like that they have transition lenses, so I can wear them inside and outside without switching glasses.

And yes, I’m calling them a business expense because they’re absolutely tax deductible… right?

Excited to see where this tech goes next. Also figured this was a good excuse to share some photos and video from Italy.

Not long ago, I would’ve had to call someone for this. Now I just use AI.

My washing machine wasn’t draining properly, so I opened the access panel and water started pouring out. I didn’t even know what I was looking at.

I took a photo, said “water is coming from the bottom right,” and asked for help.

It told me exactly what I was looking at: the drain pump filter and manual drain hose. Then it walked me through the steps to troubleshoot the issue, helped me confirm the drain hose was partially blocked, and linked to a tool I could use to fix it myself. It even showed me how to slide the stacked washer-dryer without damaging the floor.

This wasn’t a super complex fix, but the fact that it guided me through it in real time without a single search or video tutorial feels like a glimpse into the future.

Curious to hear how others are using AI in everyday life. Drop a comment if you’ve had a moment where it saved the day or solved something unexpected.

What if building a punchlist was as easy as texting a smart assistant?

I decided to test ChatGPT as a project coordination tool. I told it I’d be sending punchlist items one by one, each with a photo, unit number, issue, and subcontractor.

Once I was done, it assembled everything into a formatted document with images and labels - fast and clean.

✅ Great for 10 or fewer items

❌ Struggled when I tried doing it for an entire building

Bonus tip: I create a separate folder for each job in ChatGPT. It acts like a searchable project memory - which is helpful because mine is a sieve.

Anyone else using AI in construction or other businesses to stay organized? Any tips?

Ever get a long email where the actual questions are buried in paragraphs of context?

Same. Same.

I’m planning a trip to Italy and Jordan Brady sent a thoughtful (but lengthy) email with great ideas and about 15 scattered questions.

Instead of combing through it over and over, I dropped the whole thing into ChatGPT and asked it to pull out just the questions. Then I had the voice assistant read them to me one by one so I could answer conversationally, out loud.

A few minutes later, I had a clean, professional reply ready to send.

This is where AI shines. It is not replacing people. It is cutting through clutter so you can respond faster and think more clearly.

Little tricks like this have been game changers for me. What’s your favorite AI use case right now? And if you’ve got any Italy travel tips, I’m all ears.

I’m doing a gut renovation of a three-bedroom condo in Boston and decided to test myself against AI in building the construction schedule.

I sketched out a plan based on experience: 74 working days. Then I asked AI to generate one from scratch. It came back with 100 working days. Very detailed, but overly linear with no overlap between trades. After prompting it to optimize for concurrency, AI reduced it to 64 days. Faster than mine, but with critical errors like flooring and cabinet installs happening at the same time.

It reminded me of my time at a large construction firm, where a dedicated scheduler met regularly with the superintendent to manage the project schedule. With AI, that dynamic could shift. A superintendent could realistically handle scheduling on their own. AI builds the baseline, and the super reviews and tweaks it as the job progresses. No complex software. Minimal extra time required.

AI is not a replacement. But it is a powerful tool that helps experienced builders move faster and stay in control.

Anyone else experimenting with this? Curious what you’ve seen and your thoughts?

Need a professionally formatted letter on company letterhead, addressed to a city agency, and saved as a PDF… in under five minutes?

My steel subcontractor needed a hot work letter for the Boston Fire Department. Normally, this would take me 30 minutes at a computer or get passed off to an admin. Instead, I entered the parameters into ChatGPT from my car, uploaded my logo, and got a clean, professional PDF instantly.

AI isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a business advantage if you know how to use it.

I’ll be sharing more real-world ways I’m using AI to save time, cut friction, and operate leaner.

I’dlove to hear how others in construction or real estate are using AI to automate the boring stuff.

I sketched a deck on paper and had AI handle the takeoff, layout, and materials in minutes.

I offered to help my father-in-law redo his deck. I drew it by hand, labeled the dimensions, and sent it to ChatGPT. In a few minutes, it gave me:

1. A takeoff for railings and posts, comparing 6’ vs. 8’ sections to figure out the most efficient option 2. A breakdown of 1x6 grooved decking for the field (concealed fasteners) and 2x6 square-edge decking for the perimeter and stairs

It added a waste factor on its own, proposed a railing layout, and even recognized that the hot tub area didn’t need decking. No prompting.

If I had added labor rates and a GC markup, it could have pumped out a full estimate.

This is just scratching the surface of how AI can help quantify materials and price out work.

Anyone else playing with this? What’s impressed you?

“Hey man, how’s it going?”

“I’m struggling. I committed to writing a piece on immigration and can’t get started.”

Josh Brandt didn’t immediately jump in with ideas.

He asked, “Want help w/some inspiration?”

Because he asked first, I was actually open to hearing him out.

Most people default to fixing. We mean well, but we skip a step.

Sometimes people don’t want answers yet. And if you give answers before they’re ready, they won’t land.

Josh understood something most people miss: permission makes help actually work.

In every conversation with clients, partners, employees, kids.

Before you solve, ask:

“Do you want help, or do you just want me to listen?”

This was a hot take I scrolled past on IG this morning.

It misses two important things:

First, homes and how we experience them are uniquely personal. That’s one of the things I love about building houses as compared to say warehouses. A 36” hallway has never bothered me. Clearly it bothers this guy. That’s fine. But I’m just as opinionated about keeping 42” between kitchen counters and an island. Everyone has their own non-negotiables.

Second, design is all about tradeoffs. It’s a maddening Rubiks cube, especially in tight urban projects. You solve one thing and something else blows up. Add code constraints like turning radii for wheelchairs or landing requirements, and that Rubik’s cube gets even harder to solve. And that’s without even considering budget!

That extra foot in a hallway doesn’t come for free. A double vanity becomes a single. A bedroom shrinks. Living space gets compromised.

When I’m forced to choose, I’ll trade off circulation space for living space everytime.

What about you? What are your non negotiable? How do you approach the Rubiks cube?

A developer I follow recently shared his restoration of a late-1800s building. His takeaway: historic rehabs are “always better and more rewarding” than demolition.

That’s religion, not a business model.

If this is your passion project, your version of Sunday service, great. But when you’re managing other people’s capital, the math has to math. You’re an investor first, preservationist second.

Some buildings are worth saving. I’ve led projects where keeping the original structure delivered real upside, zoning advantages, faster approvals, even lower costs than demo and rebuild. Preservation can pencil.

But too often heroic efforts are spent on buildings where palliative care would do. I see this all the time on structures that need a new foundation, framing, roof, facade, windows, and systems. At that point you have to ask what we’re actually preserving.

There’s an old paradox that captures this perfectly:

“My grandfather’s axe. My father replaced the head. I replaced the handle. It’s still my grandfather’s axe.”

When every structural element is new, we’re not restoring anything. We’re building new and calling it historic.

That’s not stewardship. It’s a story we tell ourselves.

Had the chance to walk this property with the development team. What an incredible home!

Great example of what’s possible when you match a talented design team, a thoughtful developer & strong construction team 👏👏

Good luck with the sale. I’m sure it will move fast!

If it’s an extra, call it an extra.

My first rule of engagement is simple: assume people aren't dumb.

I stopped playing the game where I ask a sub to "take a look" at something that’s clearly an extra, hoping they’ll just handle it for free to avoid an argument.

What changed my thinking was years of dealing with the occasional buyer who tried to pass off obvious damage as a warranty claim. The ones who were direct always got a better response.

“Hey Marc, my kid pulled the door off the hinge. Can you swing by? Happy to pay.”

That cabinet often gets fixed for free.

I used to think starting with “can you price this extra” was like opening a cookie jar and letting someone grab whatever they want. That logic only works if you assume the people you work with are bad actors.

Most aren’t.

What I’ve also learned is that not everyone is great at pushing back calmly. When you approach someone in a way that feels like you’re fishing for free work, you put them on the defensive. That’s when conversations turn bitter.

Be direct. Call it what it is. Give people the dignity of a straight conversation.

You’ll get better outcomes.

Prices ending in 99 are designed to make us feel like we’re getting a deal.

When I’m the buyer, I flip that logic.

If I’m submitting an offer, especially in a competitive situation, I avoid numbers that end in 99. I round up to a clean number. It reads stronger. More deliberate. Less transactional.

Same idea with tipping or paying for a service.

The bill to clear my sidewalk was $45. I sent $50.

No one expects a tip for shoveling snow. But next time there’s a storm, I’m confident my place gets taken care of.

Sometimes the extra few dollars aren’t about math. It’s about message.

I sent my dad a listing with a sarcastic note:

"Can you believe this? Total gut job for a million dollars?! Who would ever pay that?"

It was a beat-up single family right across from my basement apartment in Coolidge Corner. Fresh on the market. I was fresh out of college and thought I knew it all.

A lesser response would have been, "Yeah, the market’s crazy." Instead he asked questions.

How much would it cost to renovate?

What would it rent for?

What had rent growth been like?

If the numbers work, how much equity would you need to raise?

I was annoyed. I wanted validation, not homework.

I ran the numbers. Built a spreadsheet. Tried to answer the questions.

That property is probably worth $2.5 million today even without ever having picked up a hammer.

I did not buy it. I passed on others too.

The point is not regret. It is responsibility.

Most limits are narratives we build to protect ourselves from discomfort. Growth starts when someone forces you to test the story instead of repeat it.

The etymology of "permit" (permittere) means "to allow" or "to let pass."

That definition is a good reality check for developers in Boston. It is extremely difficult to plant a flag here and rely on an "as-of-right" permit issuance. In my experience, the process is always susceptible of drifting into politics.

A perfect example is parking maneuverability. You would think turning radiuses are objective, but I’ve seen them evaluated differently depending on the plans examiner.

I offer this not as a complaint, but as advice: Use discretion when underwriting properties, and be very cautious of anyone selling you on absolute outcomes.

Early in my career, I left a sticky note on my boss’s desk with a callback request.

His response?

“If it’s important enough for me to read, it’s important enough for a full-size piece of paper.”

At the time, I thought he was being difficult.

Now I get it.

Today’s sticky note is a line item buried in an automated weekly update.

The modern equivalent of that full-size sheet is a direct email with clear context.

I cannot count how many times I’ve asked about something in a meeting and heard:

“Oh, that was in Friday’s automated report.”

If it matters, don’t camouflage it.

Important information should stand on its own.

Automation is efficient. But efficiency without intention creates noise.

I hope this isn’t my Jerry Maguire moment where raw honesty backfires. But here goes anyway.

In today’s tight housing market, one of the biggest (and most fixable) barriers to building more homes is how we work together.

Too often, builders, inspectors, city staff, and elected officials are locked in an adversarial dynamic when true collaboration would benefit everyone: faster projects, better compliance, and more housing where it’s needed most.

Having worked across multiple cities and towns, I’ve seen exceptions but the default mode is enforcement over partnership.

A recent example: A neighbor complained about Saturday construction noise. We had secured and followed the proper off-hours permit. The next week, the project was barred from future Saturday work with zero discussion or chance to clarify. I don’t think it was personal, but the lack of clear process hurt more.

I get the pressures on inspectors: chronic understaffing, bad actors in the industry, legitimate resident concerns. But when suspicion is the starting point, gray areas in codes become delay tactics instead of problem-solving opportunities. The result? Housing production slows, costs rise, and communities lose out.

Some practical ideas to shift toward partnership:

• Enforceable timelines for permit reviews, with accountability on both sides

• A clear, structured appeals process for code interpretations before projects get sidelined

• Regular roundtables between builders, inspectors, city staff, and elected officials to surface and resolve recurring friction points early

Lower interest rates and stable material costs would help, sure. But those are macro factors beyond local control. What we can influence is whether our permitting processes enable good projects or quietly strangle them.

The real question isn’t whether to regulate it’s whether we regulate in ways that actually help get housing built.

I’d love to hear from inspectors, planners, builders, elected officials, and city staff: Where is collaboration working well, and why? Examples welcome.

How do you build over 13,000 square feet in under eleven months?

You stick to the schedule. Otherwise, a job will take as long as you let it.

This is 545 East Second Street in South Boston:

• Ten weeks to steel

• Seven weeks to frame

• Six weeks for rough MEPs

• Nine weeks to complete finishes

Recapping the schedule isn’t just about patting ourselves on the back. It’s about sharpening the process for the next one.

Our first buyer committed in September with a February 1 deadline. We delivered on time.

One penthouse remains. If you’re curious, we’d love to show it to you.

Catriel Tulian, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP Lifetime Contractors Inc.

It’s 2009. The Great Recession. Construction work is scarce. We’re hard-bidding everything.

On bid day, I’d walk into the war room with my 11x17 spreadsheets, my scope sheets.

Chief estimator at the table. GM behind him.

I’d present my work trade by trade.

What fascinated me was how much they could understand in seconds.

The spread

“These guys are miles apart. They’re usually on top of each other.”

The integrity

Is the low number real, or is it plugged with internal projected costs because the sub missed scope?

The risk

Sometimes we buried the low bid. One guy low by himself. Too dangerous.

The buyout

They could predict the discount we’d negotiate later just by who priced it and how wide the spread was.

The gamble

Sometimes we carried a number even lower than the lowest sub, confident we could buy it better after award.

Anyone can learn how to solicit bids and level scopes.

Learning how to read them takes much longer.

What else do you look for when you’re reading a scope sheet?

I never invested in Bitcoin because I couldn’t understand it.

I recently made a meaningful investment in a very different kind of company: Modern Mill, the manufacturer of ACRE siding.

I became a believer after using the product with my own hands on two projects and spending time with the founder.

ACRE is made in the U.S., manufactured in Mississippi, and produced from rice husks, an upcycled agricultural byproduct. It’s a compelling alternative to cutting down trees. It takes stain and paint beautifully. It’s easy to work with, durable, and performs exceptionally well with minimal maintenance, even in tough New England conditions.

Next year, ACRE is making a serious push into the West Coast. Given the climate and eco-conscious market there, I think it’s going to do very well.

I’m excited to have a seat on the bus and see where this goes.

If you want firsthand feedback on the product or an intro to local reps or distributors, shoot me a DM.

Like the old Hair Club commercial says, I’m not just an investor. I’m a customer.

#realestatedevelopment #construction #sustainability #materialscience #angelinvesting

PS - To my fellow RE pros: if you’re curious how this actually compares to Ipe or Cedar, ask away in the comments.

Most days on LinkedIn, I share the finished product; the closed deals, ribbon cuttings and the victories.

But anyone in development or construction knows those moments are just the tip of the iceberg. The rest of the time, the job is mostly about managing pressure.

I’ve started journaling recently to get the noise out of my head and onto paper.

I wrote this entry the other day when I was feeing particularly stressed. It’s a reminder that we don't need to be "waterproof" to survive the storm; we just need to keep the pumps running.

Sharing it here in case someone else needs to hear it this week.

Not Waterproof

My thoughts follow me around like a rain cloud.

There’s no such thing as waterproof.

But if managed well, you can at least pump it out.

Sometimes the pump fails.

The power cuts out.

Fear kicks in, you could drown.

Slow the breath. Steady the hands.

Somewhere within reach is a pressure release.

I grab what floats.

Light eventually breaks.

I hear the motor.

The water starts to fall away.

When I was learning to drive, my dad used to say: don't back up any further than you have to.

The business version of that advice is simple. Stop when you get to yes.

Recently, I told a neighbor we'd start work at 8am instead of 7. He thanked me. That should've been the end of it.

Instead, I kept talking and offered no Saturday work that weekend. He never asked. I just kept giving.

In business and construction, the most expensive sentences are often the ones you add after the deal is done.

Next time you're tempted to keep explaining or sweetening after agreement, pause and ask yourself if you're still backing up unnecessarily.

Have you caught yourself offering the equivalent of "no Saturday work" lately?

How do you quickly prequalify a new GC?

Go to their website. Count how many projects are renderings versus finished buildings.

Construction doesn’t have a cheat code for fast growth.

A General Contractor is in the business of selling predictable results. That predictability comes from teams who’ve done hard things together, not just individually.

When a firm is young and scaling, that’s usually the risk. The people may be talented, but if the team hasn’t gelled, processes are being built in real time on your dime.

This is why I respect what my friend Josh Brandt is building at Stack + Co.

They’re a 20-person GC team, but look at the tenure:

• Over 90% have been there 3+ years.

• Nearly a third have worked together for more than a decade.

When you’re interviewing a GC, don’t just ask about projects and pricing. Ask how long the team has actually been together.

Construction isn’t tech. Experience compounds slowly, and the best firms scale on purpose.

Curious to hear from other developers and owners: aside from financials, what is your immediate "red flag" when vetting a new construction partner? 👇

Every development project is like a new startup.

That insight came from our friend Garrett Hogan during yesterday’s REA podcast recording.

His take: at the start of every project, you have to be willing to invest serious effort, energy, and cash. Often backed by a personal guarantee, all over again.

Here’s where partnerships get tricky.

Life changes. Risk tolerance shifts. One partner’s availability or appetite for risk doesn’t always stay in sync with the other.

Alignment doesn’t carry over by default.

And yet, every project still demands full commitment, with both partners consciously pushing their chips back in each time.

The full episode drops early January.

What’s the hardest partnership lesson you’ve learned?

W/my fellow additcts: Daniel Rubin Ray H.

A lot of professionals love to turn simple work into complexity theater. It’s insecurity dressed up as expertise, and it’s how they justify inflated fees.

I respect the people who flip that script. The ones who teach, empower, and help others build real confidence.

Think about training. Show up. Put the work in. Stay consistent. Unless you’re chasing Olympic medals, you don’t need to obsess over the final five percent. But there’s always someone ready to sell you that obsession.

Construction is the same story. Plenty of “influencers” need to stop confusing complexity with competence and remember that people just need a place to live. If you think every kitchen needs LVL studs, that blue board and plaster is the only acceptable finish, or that face-nailing trim is some cardinal sin, you’re part of the problem.

Keep it simple. Build well. Stop pretending the basics are rocket science.

There’s a lot of noise about the cost of college and how AI will reshape the workforce. I want to show the other side. A kid who skipped the traditional path and is building something real.

Andrew Costa graduated high school in Methuen in 2020. The next day he moved to Texas to knock doors for a pest control company. A few years later he and his friend Douglass, a U.S. Army Sergeant, scraped together enough cash to buy a dump truck.

Then he called me out of the blue asking for a chance. I gave him one. He earned the rest.

Today he runs Tough Guys LLC, hauling dumpsters, demo, and junk removal. He’s in the truck every day. He shows up. He answers his phone. He fixes his own problems. This year he’s on pace for 250k in revenue with 40 percent margins. Most small businesses never see that. Last month he flew to Florida for a weeklong seminar on scaling a fleet.

While a lot of twenty-somethings are out until 2 am on a Saturday, he’s on a jobsite at 6 am building a business from scratch.

If he ever wanted investors, I’d write the first check.

Municipal rules can feel like a moving target. One authority says one thing, another says the opposite, and you get stuck in the crossfire.

On this week’s episode of Real Estate Addicts, Daniel Rubin Ray H. and I lay out some real stories behind zoning interpretations, occupancy classifications, surprise fees, and the kind of bureaucratic challenges that derail budgets and timelines.

If you work in development, construction, or planning, this one will hit close to home. Worth a listen!

Let me know what you think in the comments 🙏

https://lnkd.in/ezmiNG72

Why white-collar crime often goes unpunished: a problem of incentives

When someone commits fraud or financial misconduct, the victims face a twisted calculus that doesn’t exist with other crimes.

If you push hard, sue, and win, you might destroy the very business that owes you. If they go bankrupt or go to prison, your odds of recovery drop to zero. So many victims quietly negotiate, settle for pennies, or try to “work things out,” keeping the perpetrator solvent enough to maybe pay them back someday. There’s another factor too: reputation. Victims fear that admitting they’ve been defrauded will signal poor judgment to investors or partners. It’s not fair, they were the victims, but the fear is real.

That combination of financial self-interest and fear of embarrassment creates a system where bad actors face little real consequence. And they often repeat the same behavior with new victims.

You don’t have to look far to see it in action. For years one pair of Boston developers stole investor money, delivered shoddy projects, and misappropriated funds with impunity. One of them actually had the gall to write a book on real estate development. Eventually they were chased out of town, but were never truly held to account. It’s a textbook case of how incentives protect misconduct.

The real lesson? Don’t just check recent references. Dig deeper. Look for litigation history, public records, and patterns of disputes or broken partnerships. Be cautious about extending credit or second chances to people with a trail of unresolved conflicts.

In today’s market, financial pressure exposes character. The system may fail to punish bad actors, but that doesn’t mean you have to become their next victim. Your best protection is thorough vetting upfront, not faith in justice after the fact.

What due diligence practices have protected you? Share your stories in the comments.

#realestatedevelopment #realestate #businessethics #investing​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

I Should’ve Known Better

The timing was almost poetic. I had just finished lecturing my dad about how real these scams have become… and that same week, I fell for one myself.

I got what looked like an official Instagram message about a copyright issue on a recent partnership post. It said I needed to appeal or risk losing my account. Without thinking, I clicked the link, entered my password, and then asked ChatGPT how to write my appeal. Instead, it told me I’d been scammed. My heart sank. I felt so stupid.

My account was gone. Years of real, organic work, gone in seconds. The idea of starting over was brutal.

Meta’s help channels felt like a black hole. A friend who’d been through it connected me with a cybersecurity specialist in Turkey named Meko (yes, really).

We chatted on WhatsApp, he ran diagnostics, quoted a fee, and got to work. I wired a deposit, mostly on faith and my friend’s word.

Twenty-four hours later, my account was back.

Hopefully you never need it, but if you do, Meko’s info is below. He’s honest about the odds, but I’m grateful he delivered.

Have you ever been scammed or hacked? Do you carry cybersecurity insurance? Any tips or lessons for others? Drop them below—this stuff’s getting too real.

https://lnkd.in/ezt6EwtJ

A few times in my career, I’ve been confronted as the Owner for speaking directly with a GC’s sub or even calling a subs supplier.

I’m skeptical of “chain of command,” and nothing makes me more cynical than when someone rigidly enforces it and expects my blind fealty.

I understand the concern when an owner starts making changes in the field, bypasses the GC, and leaves everyone scrambling to figure out what’s approved or who’s paying for what. That’s chaos.

But asking a sub how the job’s going or whether they’re waiting on payments? That’s just being informed.

The best approach is to be upfront and clear so it doesn’t come across as prying. But let’s be real, as the owner I don’t need permission to talk to anyone on my job.

Sorry. Not sorry.

Am I off base? Is chain of command there for a reason? Does hard and fast adherence to this concept cause your spidy senses to go up too?

Last week I received a late-night emergency page from a tenant. Water was coming through his ceiling. I did my best to channel Dr. Robbie’s vibe and approach this like Pit trauma team would:

1. Stop the bleeding I asked the tenant to put down a towel, mop up what they could, and confirm nothing was actively leaking (no steady stream of water coming through the ceiling).

2. Take a breath

Going over at 11 p.m. would not help. The leak was done, it was late, and I’d only lose sleep without fixing anything.

3. Diagnostic imaging

We used an infrared camera and a moisture meter to trace the water’s path and pinpoint where it started.

4. Differential diagnosis I met the tenant at 8 a.m. to test the shower by spraying the drain and each wall one at a time while the tenant watched below for drips.

5. Key finding The handle on the shower valve was loose, and the tenant said it often falls off, a direct path for water behind the wall.

6. Working diagnosis & repair We secured the valve handle, sealed behind the escutcheon plate, dried everything with fans and a dehumidifier, and asked the tenants to keep watch.

Next time you get that dreaded late-night leak text, remember: slow down, assess, diagnose. What’s your version of “stop the bleeding”? Have you received a similar “emergency” page? How’d you handle it?

Pro tip: schedule big deliveries on street-cleaning days. The street is clear of cars, the trucks fit, and the neighbors stay happy.

Would you pay to paint your neighbor’s house?

That’s exactly what I did.

My neighbor Roger had lived in the area for years. He was a super nice guy and had been retired for years. He took great pride and care of his landscaping though, like a lot of older homes, his exterior needed more work than he could keep up with.

As we wrapped up construction on my project, I could tell buyers kept noticing the worn siding right out the living room windows. With interest rates near 10% and the loan balance now fully outstanding, repainting Roger’s house became an easy decision.

I made the offer, he gratefully accepted, and within a week of the fresh paint job we had another unit under contract.

Sometimes the best business move is doing something that helps everyone.

I used to think starting a conversation with a sub or vendor by saying “please let me know how much additional cost this adds. Happy to cover it.” was like sticking out a cookie jar to a seven year old and telling them to reach in.

A better option might be, “let me know if this adds up to anything material in terms of added time or cost and I’ll be glad to cover it.”

When the added scope is obvious, there’s no benefit to pretending it isn’t. Sometimes a sub might not be experienced enough to ask for the extra, but that usually just leads to frustration from doing free work. What you want is alignment. You want your subs ready to follow you into battle. Being upfront about what falls outside the base agreement builds trust. It is not a blank check. It is being direct, fair, and transparent.

How do you handle these conversations with your subs or vendors?

“Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast. Calm is contagious. So is chaos.”

A buyer called me in a panic. His icemaker wasn’t working, and when he opened the water line valve above the fridge, it started spraying everywhere.

He called again, mid-flood. I stayed calm, walked him through finding the unit shutoff, and within a minute the water was off. A few towels later, it was handled.

It could’ve been a disaster. Instead, it was a non-event.

Panic spreads fast. So does calm.

I’ve work on projects from $500,000 to $50,000,000.

Which do I prefer?

The answer might surprise you. I explain in this short video.

Thanks to Alex Cwiakala & Harrison Bonner for having me on their pod & to the talented Kaleb McCubbins for capturing it.

check out link in comments to the full episode!

We just hit episode 100 of the Real Estate Addicts podcast.

I’m proud of the work we’ve done and really appreciate all the feedback we’ve received from friends and colleagues over the years. It’s been rewarding to hear that the conversations are actually helping people in their careers working through their own deals and projects.

We started the podcast because we couldn’t find anything like it. BiggerPockets was the big name in the space, but I’d listen to episodes and just feel disconnected. What they were describing didn’t match the reality of real estate development in Boston.

If you’ve listened, I’d love to hear your thoughts. What topics should we cover next? Who would you like to hear from?

And if you’ve enjoyed the pod, a quick review on Apple Podcasts would really help us grow.

#realestate #development #bostonrealestate #construction #realestatepodcast #entrepreneurship

https://lnkd.in/e-mJxuji

Cc: Daniel Rubin Ray H.

Years ago, I found myself involved in a lawsuit for a company I worked for. A neighbor was suing us, claiming we caused water damage to his basement. This guy was quite the character (once he sat in a beach chair in the street to block our concrete pump truck, acting like he was willing to sacrifice himself in protest).

That led to my first (and so far, only) experience being deposed. During one of the breaks, the stenographer, an older woman pulled me aside and gave me some advice that stuck with me. She said, "You seem like a really nice young man. One piece of advice for your career, never write anything down. You’d be shocked at the things successful professionals, even CEO's have read aloud in cases I’ve been involved with. If you think it’s a private joke with a friends, trust me, it’s not."

Always remember to be mindful of what you put in writing!

This looks like a bachelor party, but it’s essential maintenance.

We just got back from Montana, and while there were definitely beers and late nights, the real value was in the connection between all that.

We unpacked everything: scaling our businesses without burning out, family stuff, and managing stress.

Men are often terrible at protecting these relationships. We let “busy” become the default excuse for isolation.

To the crew Josh Brandt Bond Worthington Brad Karelitz thank you for showing up. And to our wives: thank you for holding down the fort and the support.

If you’ve been waiting for the “perfect” window to get the group together, stop waiting. Book the trip.