Looking for Mentorship & Capital for Ground-Up Development in LA

[Jennifer Kim]

Hi everyone,

I’m an architect by training with over a decade of experience, and I hold a master’s degree in Urban Planning from UCLA. Alongside my design background, I’ve also gained solid property management experience—managing both long- and short-term rentals. I’ve handled everything from maintenance and tenant turnover to more challenging situations like full eviction processes for tenants who refused to vacate or pay. That hands-on experience has really sharpened my understanding of real estate operations beyond just design and development.

For as long as I can remember, my dream has been to become a real estate developer. One of my professors once told me, “If you want to be a developer, just start investing—it’s the fastest way to learn.” So, I took that advice to heart.

I acquired a property in North Hollywood—just over 27,000 sqft—with an old house on it. After renovating the home to make it livable for my family, I began planning the next phase: subdividing the lot into four parcels and building three new single-family homes from the ground up.

I’ve assembled a solid team, including a trusted land use consultant, civil engineer, and general contractor. I’ll be serving as the architect for the new builds. The vision and groundwork are in place—but, as many of you know, raising capital is the biggest challenge.

I've developed a pitch deck outlining projected expenses, revenue, profit, and a proposed profit-sharing structure (not quite a full pro forma, but a comprehensive profit analysis). The IRR is around 20%, with a 1.7x equity multiple over a 4-year term. I've presented the opportunity to a few brokers and individual investors, but the timeline has proven to be a hurdle—many are focused on shorter-term plays.

This deal feels a bit too large for most individual investors but too small for institutional capital. Some developer firms have shown interest in purchasing the land outright, but their offers don’t reflect what I believe the property is truly worth based on its potential.

I’m hoping to connect with an experienced advisor who can review the deal structure and provide feedback. I’d also love some direction on where I might find investors who are open to mid-sized, longer-term development opportunities like this.

I’m fully committed to doing the heavy lifting—I just need to find the capital. Would it make sense to explore lending options at this point? I have excellent credit, though I’m carrying a sizable student loan that’s limiting my personal leverage. 

I’m happy to share the deck with serious parties upon request, but I’d prefer to keep things as confidential as possible at this stage.

Any thoughts, advice, or connections would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much!