🎙️ Local Real Estate Developers

This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a movement for LOCALS ready to lead. In this gripping episode of Local Real Estate Developers, Ray Smith shares the raw, unfiltered journey of losing it all — and rebuilding it piece by piece with grit, creativity, and purpose. After Hurricane Ian destroyed his Florida-based general contracting business, Ray was left broke, living with his parents at 42, and searchi...

Sometimes what looks like a simple infill deal ends up challenging you to think way bigger. In this minisode, we’re back with Craig Parsons in small-town Idaho where the drainage lot doesn’t come with the rest of the land, infrastructure costs are stacking up, and the idea of acting as his own general contractor is starting to make real sense. But this episode isn’t just about utilities and tap fe...

This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a movement for LOCALS ready to lead. In this episode of Local Real Estate Developers, we sit down with Will Bockoven, founder of Block Ventures, to unpack the vision, challenges, and successes behind 175 LEX — a 52,000 SF, six-story mixed-use building that’s redefining urban living in Lexington, Kentucky’s Central Business District. Completed in 2023, 175 LEX featur...

What happens when two flippers walk a property and realize the real opportunity isn’t in the house, it’s in the backyard? In this minisode, Sylvia and Africa break down the moment they decided to go from fix-and-flip to ground-up development in Sacramento.🛠 What they got right: → Seizing a seller-financed, shovel-ready deal → Calling themselves developers before they felt ready → Taking ownership...

This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a movement for LOCALS ready to lead. In this inspiring episode of Local Real Estate Developers, Sieria “Sisi” Payne shares her incredible journey from launching a restaurant in a corporate business park to co-developing a multi-phase community project in her hometown of Milwaukee. Her story is a powerful testament to vision, grit, and purpose-driven development. Sis...

What do you do when everyone says “you can’t build there”? You figure it out. In this minisode, Chase Louderback shares how he turned a narrow, overlooked lot in rural Virginia into his very first ground-up development. With no prior construction experience and no green light from the town—at first—he stayed curious, did the research, and uncovered a forgotten zoning clause that let him build a 24...

This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a movement for LOCALS ready to lead. In this inspiring episode of Local Real Estate Developers, we sit down with Krista Nightengale, Executive Director of Better Block, an organization that helps communities reimagine and reclaim public space — quickly, creatively, and collaboratively. Krista shares how Better Block helps activate underutilized lots and corridors us...

🎙 BONUS EPISODE: How Kristi Kandel Became a Real Estate Developer — From CVS Rollouts to Community-Driven Projects This week, we’re flipping the mic. In this bonus episode, Kristi shares her real estate journey on Commercial Real Estate 101 with LRED cohost Raphael Collazo. They dive into Kristi’s accidental start in development, what she learned managing 30+ projects a year, and how she structure...

Sometimes development doesn’t come with a clean blueprint. Sometimes it comes with drainage issues, missing permits, and a one-woman building department. In this minisode, we’re back with Craig Parsons as he unpacks the messy middle of an inherited subdivision project in rural Idaho. From standing water to zoning strategy, Craig is figuring it out as he goes—talking to neighbors, walking the site...

This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a movement for LOCALS ready to lead. In this insightful episode of Local Real Estate Developers, Josh — a real estate developer, educator, and founder of the Impact Development Collaborative — shares his journey from leaving a corporate job to building meaningful infill housing projects that shape communities and create long-term value. Josh walks us through the mul...

 What if your first real estate deal wasn’t about deep pockets, but about trusting yourself to figure it out? Rajan Chida went from reselling sneakers in high school to closing his first development deal in Front Royal, Virginia all before turning 22. When most people think about real estate development, they imagine needing millions in the bank and years of experience. But Rajan Chida’s story pro...

This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a movement for LOCALS ready to lead. In this tactical and eye-opening episode of Local Real Estate Developers, we sit down with Brian Wied, a land flipper turned developer and environmental consultant, who built his real estate business from scratch — while working overseas in Saudi Arabia. Brian shares how he went from nervously tackling his first land deal to runn...

Sometimes the biggest wins start with trust. This is how locals reshape their communities from the inside out. Ben Sears and the Star House team didn’t just redevelop a closed church in Columbus, Ohio. They are creating a drop-in center that’s now transforming young lives. In this minisode, we pull back the curtain on how they navigated zoning, city bureaucracy, and a neighborhood that already bel...

This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a movement for LOCALS ready to lead. In this insightful episode of Local Real Estate Developers, we sit down with Chris King, a young and ambitious real estate investor and developer based in Pensacola, Florida. Chris shares how he transitioned from licensed realtor to full-time developer—all before age 30—by tackling a high-risk, high-reward historic redevelopment...

From Beer Talk to Deal Structuring in Idaho | Think Like a Developer Minisode#02 You don’t need a pitch deck—you just need to talk about what you’re doing. In this minisode, we’re back in Idaho with Craig Parsons as he unpacks how funding actually happens when you’re starting small. One moment he’s chatting about his project at a local bar—next thing you know, someone overhears and offers to conne...

This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a movement for LOCALS ready to lead. In this compelling episode of Local Real Estate Developers, Rachel Chwaszczewski — a 30-year real estate veteran, builder, and community strategist — shares her powerful journey from flipping homes to spearheading transformational workforce housing and infill development projects. Rachel’s work sits at the intersection of private...

This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a movement for LOCALS ready to lead. In this inspiring episode of Local Real Estate Developers , we sit down with Rajan Chida — a young entrepreneur who went from reselling sneakers to co-developing a modern cabin resort alongside his partner, Renzo. With no formal background in real estate, Rajan shares how sheer curiosity, hustle, and relationship-building opened...

🎙 From Deli Sandwich to 19-Lot Deal in Small-Town Idaho | Minisode #01 Wait—did that deal just fall into your lap at the deli? That’s exactly what happened in Idaho, where Craig Parsons went from chatting about an old building to uncovering a 19-lot residential development opportunity—already zoned, mapped, and nearly shovel-ready. No trust fund. No formal title. Just local relationships, smart qu...

🛑 What if the future of real estate isn't about ROI… but about rebuilding trust? In this episode of The Local Real Estate Developer Podcast , we’re handing the mic to someone who’s walking the talk—Ben Sears, VP of Expansion at Star House in Columbus, Ohio. Ben’s team didn’t wait around for the system to fix itself—they became the community operator & developer. From turning a condemned m...

This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a movement for LOCALS ready to lead. In this powerful episode of Local Real Estate Developers, Garland Harris shares his journey creating affordable, innovative housing solutions rooted in community and equity in Houston. Garland dives deep into the challenges and opportunities of missing middle housing, zoning code changes, and designing developments that support s...

This isn’t just commercial real estate. It’s community-building at its boldest. What if the strip malls, empty lots, and tired old shopping centers in your city weren’t dead—they were just waiting for someone like you to reimagine them? In this episode of The Local Real Estate Developer Podcast, Kristi and Raphael sit down with Beth Azor —a retail leasing legend turned developer—who proves you don...

This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a movement for LOCALS ready to lead. In this powerful episode of Local Real Estate Developers , Kenneth Bell , a seasoned developer, entrepreneur, and community advocate, explores the world of real estate development from a deeply personal and practical lens. Kenneth shares his unique journey from early entrepreneurial pursuits to becoming a full-time developer pass...

Ever thought your dream project was too risky … or too remote? Lynn Makela didn’t let any of that stop her. In this episode, we’re diving into the story of how she and her husband left the grind of city life to redevelop a forgotten lakeside resort in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula—using grit, vision, and a whole lot of sweat equity. This isn’t some fairytale flip. This is what it really looks like to...

This isn’t just a podcast. It’s a movement for LOCALS ready to lead. What if the buildings you drive by every day—the vacant lots, the rundown corner stores, the old warehouses—were yours to reimagine? This first episode of The Local Real Estate Developer Podcast kicks off the mission: breaking down the gatekeeping in development and showing locals exactly how to start building real projects in th...

Most podcasts talk about real estate from the top down. This one’s different. We’re starting from the ground up. With locals. The Local Real Estate Developer Podcast is for people who are tired of waiting for someone else to fix their town. For people who drive past the same vacant building every day thinking, “That could be something.” For people who care deeply—and are ready to build boldly. In...