HOUSING MARKET STUDIES AND PLANS

Our market studies are integrated with practical program planning. We start with the assumption that, in every community, there are a wide variety of responses to affordable housing problems: discount priced homes, home repair financing, supportive housing, mortgage assistance, rent subsidies and more.

We estimate the real-world demand for these products, assuming different price points and financing scenarios, with actionable next steps. We conduct these studies in order to create both community-wide and organization-specific housing plans.

We help determine the demographic and geographic target markets for new or expanded products and then set measurable goals and timetables for resource development and production.

PROGRAM START-UPS

A major focus of our work is to help local governments and nonprofits design, fund and start up effective new affordable housing acquisition, construction and financing programs.

For example, City Homes in Baltimore has acquired and stabilized over 450 distressed single-family rental homes. And the Tierra Contenta Corporation in Santa Fe is a nonprofit developer of a 1,000-acre planned community that provides low-cost land to builders, who in return are required to sell or rent 40% of the homes to low-income families.

We stay involved for as long as needed, helping to recruit and train staff, refine policies and procedures, write funding proposals, and advise on financial management.

FUNDING

In any community, affordable housing opportunities can typically be expanded only by obtaining new financial resources and putting them to work in effective ways.

Tierra Contenta was jump-started with $6 million in low-cost financing from the city government, much of which has been paid back from land sales for over 3,000 homes built to date.

The energy company BP America read the business plan for the loan fund in Durango, where it has a growing workforce, and decided to invest $1.1 million in start-up capital.

Experience has shown us that the quickest route to raising new financing is to have sound financial and operational plans for using it, along with fresh ideas that attract public and philanthropic investors, and qualified staff to implement the programs.

GREEN BUILDING

Increasingly, affordable housing developers and financing programs are incorporating green building principles. For decades, several of our team members have specialized in promoting energy efficient designs and use of healthy and resource-efficient materials. Peter Werwath drafted the first version of the Green Communities Criteria, which has been applied to over 20,000 affordable homes since 2005. He has also designed and implemented high-volume housing rehabilitation programs that incorporated state-of-the-art energy conservation standards, methods and materials.

INCLUSIONARY ZONING

We draft effective inclusionary zoning ordinances and companion administrative procedures. Our approach is to base inclusionary programs on careful market research, to include both builders and housing advocates in the planning process, and to tailor requirements to local markets rather than impose a one-size-fits-all model.

HOMEBUYER ASSISTANCE

We are pioneers in developing effective homebuyer training, counseling and mortgage financing programs. We see expert and assertive one-on-one pre-purchase counseling combined with affordable second mortgages as the most effective way qualify low- and moderate-income families for home purchases. In the programs we have designed and set up, foreclosure rates are exceptionally low because of the care taken to prepare clients and avoidance of adjustable-rate and subprime products.

We have a number of easily adapted policies, procedures and tools for loan processing, determining the gap financing amounts for homebuyers, and recycling more lending capital through use of shared appreciation mortgages. We can create effective programs for almost any kind of market, and help integrate them with home construction or home rehabilitation programs if need be.

REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT

We are responsible for assisting or leading billions of dollars in real estate development. Our specializations range from inner-city acquisition-rehab programs, to large-scale land developments, to Low-Income Housing Tax Credit projects, to major commercial and retail developments.

We have special expertise in setting up and funding large-scale single-family acquisition-rehabilitation programs such as those that were funded with the $7 billion federal Neighborhood Stabilization (NSP) Program that was created by Congress. Our principal, Peter Werwath, was among the first team of NSP technical assistance providers funded by HUD to help cities implement the program.