Giving Back to a Community Through Your Real Estate Development Skills

Giving Back to a Community Through Your Real Estate Development Skills

Jaycee GreenePro Member
Real Estate Consultant · St. Louis MSA · Member since 2024 · 3k+ posts · 727 votes

🤝 Some of the best real estate investors don’t just flip homes or build portfolios, they re-build communities and lives.

🛠️ They take abandoned homes and turn them into safe places for families
🌱 They bring life back to neighborhoods that others wrote off
📚 They create spaces for small businesses, nonprofits, and neighborhood services.

They’re not just chasing cap rates—they’re using their development skills to give back, one property at a time.

As a former Director of Lending at a CDFI, I exclusively financed the acquisition and rehab of 2-4 MF and small apartment buildings that overlooked by local banks and credit unions.

Nearly all my clients had 1 of 3 things in common (many had all 3) that motivated them to complete their redevelopment project, they either:
1️⃣Grew up in the area,
2️⃣Still attend church nearby, and/or
3️⃣Have a family member that still lives in the neighborhood

And here’s the thing:
↩️These impact-minded investors still make a solid return, often with Equity Multiples over 3.0x. But they measure success in more than just dollars—they also measure it in lives changed, neighborhoods restored, and futures brightened.

⚡It’s proof that real estate can be more than a means of building personal wealth—it can be a catalyst for an entire community.

📣Do you know a developer who’s making a difference in their community? Share their story below.
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  • Kristi KandelPro Member
    Developer · Fort Myers Beach, FL · Member since 2018 · 383 posts · 195 votes
    1y
    Quote from @Jaycee Greene:

    🤝 Some of the best real estate investors don’t just flip homes or build portfolios, they re-build communities and lives.

    🛠️ They take abandoned homes and turn them into safe places for families
    🌱 They bring life back to neighborhoods that others wrote off
    📚 They create spaces for small businesses, nonprofits, and neighborhood services.

    They’re not just chasing cap rates—they’re using their development skills to give back, one property at a time.

    As a former Director of Lending at a CDFI, I exclusively financed the acquisition and rehab of 2-4 MF and small apartment buildings that overlooked by local banks and credit unions.

    Nearly all my clients had 1 of 3 things in common (many had all 3) that motivated them to complete their redevelopment project, they either:
    1️⃣Grew up in the area,
    2️⃣Still attend church nearby, and/or
    3️⃣Have a family member that still lives in the neighborhood

    And here’s the thing:
    ↩️These impact-minded investors still make a solid return, often with Equity Multiples over 3.0x. But they measure success in more than just dollars—they also measure it in lives changed, neighborhoods restored, and futures brightened.

    ⚡It’s proof that real estate can be more than a means of building personal wealth—it can be a catalyst for an entire community.

    📣Do you know a developer who’s making a difference in their community? Share their story below.

     @Jaycee Greene exactly that. Those are the stories we spotlight on our podcast Local Real Estate Developers. They are longer holds in smaller communities but the impact and purpose are the driving factors instead of profit only. Then the locals watching step up and start taking on other projects and the ones with capital reach out to the people doing the things and help with the equity on the deals. It's awesome to watch and sharing the stories helps to inspire locals in other communities to do it too. Main Street > Wall Street. 

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