Hello!

If you're wondering where you are and who I am, read this first.

Hey —

Welcome to Brick + Mortar, a newsletter on small-scale real estate development and construction. 

A bit about me:

I made the leap from corporate consulting to real estate in 2020 when I started Village Ventures.

My first project was a semi-turnkey duplex. Then came the renovation of a triplex. Then a 5-unit. Each new project has been a bit more complex than the last.

Fast forward a few years. I'm now developing a 9-unit apartment + retail building at 501 Main. And general contracting the project myself.

I have no formal training in real estate or construction. Just an interest in building things and a desire to develop a portfolio of well-built, green 2-20 unit properties.

When I dove in, I found a lack of educational resources on developing smaller projects. You have books on real estate investing, 10,000 SF commercial buildings, and high performance home building. But little focused on the end-to-end development of small-scale projects.

Furthermore, we have a shortage of small-scale developers. Look around your community—how many vacant or rundown buildings do you see?

The solution isn’t complicated. Talent and capital are abundant. Transparency and accessibility are not.

Small-scale development has become a lost art due to a shortage of training, networking, and mentorship opportunities.

So, I decided to share my journey building my small-scale development and construction business. And, in doing so, help folks wanting to tackle their own small-scale projects and/or just connect with another developer.

Each week (ish), I send an email on the acquisition, financing, design, construction, or operations of small-scale real estate.

Here’s an example.

Let me know what you’re working on or cooking up. If you reply to the welcome email you receive after subscribing, I’ll respond!

Until next time.

— Jonah 🧱

P.S. Want to connect? Find me on LinkedIn.