Brian D. Milovich

That question is common in the multifamily industry, but not a good measure of success. An individual with a 200-unit portfolio in the high-cost Bay Area is likely worth more than a syndicator who did joint ventures to amass 10,000 units. Instead, I’d rather ask questions like: Where are you investing? What’s your strategy to generate higher returns? What type of leverage do you use to finance acquisitions? From this, I can learn something.

Choosing the right market to invest in is critical to the success of an apartment investment. We’ve experienced it firsthand. The pandemic knocked down high-flying areas like the San Francisco Bay Area and accelerated markets like Austin, TX. Yet that’s not the whole story. An otherwise great market can have poor performing submarkets. That’s happening…

We were once told that you can’t make money in apartments. That’s what a capital provider said in 2010 when we formed Calvera. He was wrong. Apartments still provide the best risk-adjusted return among all major property types. And the cash flow it generates provides some downside protection.

If you missed the runup in the S&P (or Bitcoin), how can you position yourself to take advantage of a recovery in the real estate market? Apartment values have already declined 20-30% since 2022. Since 1978, institutional real estate has returned, on average, 9.3% per year on rolling 10-year hold periods. It has also never had a negative return viewing the data this way. And the lowest 10-year return was 6.1%.

Today, real estate investing is wrapped up in Excel spreadsheets. Investors become economists and believe they can predict interest rates and rent growth. They also think the more complex the model, the easier it is to justify an improbable assumption. Many investors have forgone common sense, cash flow-based models, and opted to rely on appreciation.

1. What differentiates Calvera Partners from other private equity firms in the multifamily real estate space?

It’s no secret some of the biggest real estate companies also have evergreen investment funds. However, our boutique size allows us to have tailored business plans for each asset. We can devote the time necessary to ensure our vision is implemented. This approach, we believe, will translate to better investment returns for our investors. Click here to see the rest.

Having a positive and deep Calvera investor relationship is our primary goal. Strong multifamily real estate returns are only one part of the relationship. Through transparency, accessibility, and thought leadership, we seek to enhance the bond with our investors. The annual Calvera investor letters are an important part of this. You can access it here.

Urban investing has always been challenging. Usually, it involves investing in an up-and-coming city pocket. Developers work in tandem to create new neighborhoods. Restaurants, bars, and retail shops open as new amenities. Adventurous people move into apartments and condos to give the neighborhood a soul. Everything feeds off of one another to generate a palpable energy. This is what makes urban areas great.

Thousands of real estate professionals descended upon San Diego to attend the NMHC Apartment Strategies Conference and Annual Meeting. There, a distinguished lineup of multifamily experts provided insight. Here are four main takeaways from the conference.

Non-traded REITs calculate NAV (Net Asset Value) in many ways. Some perform third-party appraisals on every property. This can be a true arms-length analysis. Often, though, it’s influenced by the one ordering the appraisal. Additionally, appraisals are backwards-looking and may not reflect current values. Our preferred way to calculate NAV uses inputs from both the broker and appraiser communities. For extra scrutiny, an independent auditor reviews our NAV models. This is to ensure the result conforms to market standards.