Research, analysis, and perspectives on the built world.
Reasoning-capable AI models like OpenAI o3 and Claude with extended thinking are changing complex analytical tasks in real estate development. This post explains what makes reasoning models different from standard LLMs, where they have traction in feasibility analysis and capital stack modeling, and how development teams should deploy them selectively alongside faster models.
April 9, 2026 ·4 min read
Managing vendors across an active construction project involves invoice reconciliation, lien waiver tracking, contract compliance monitoring, and change order management. This post breaks down what AI handles now, what still requires human judgment, and how development teams with multiple active projects are deploying AI vendor management workflows in practice.
April 9, 2026 ·4 min read
Student housing is outperforming conventional multifamily on most institutional benchmarks, driven by on-campus housing deficits and enrollment growth at Tier 1 and Tier 2 universities. This post covers the site criteria that actually drive underwriting, the supply-demand dynamics shaping the best opportunity markets, and how AI is compressing enrollment analysis, proximity mapping, and zoning research.
April 9, 2026 ·5 min read
Last-mile logistics facilities face uniquely constrained site requirements: proximity to dense urban markets, high dock door ratios, and growing power demands for EV delivery fleets. This post covers the technical site criteria, 2026 market dynamics in infill industrial submarkets, and where AI is compressing the development process from site screening to pro forma.
April 8, 2026 ·5 min read
Regional banks have retreated from CRE construction lending since 2023, and private credit funds have stepped in to fill the gap. This post covers who the major private credit lenders are, how their terms differ from bank construction loans, and what the shift means for development team underwriting and lender relationship strategy in 2026.
April 8, 2026 ·6 min read
Capital stack modeling in development deals, covering senior debt, mezz, preferred equity, and JV waterfall structures, has always been a time-intensive analytical process. This post breaks down what AI can automate (scenario modeling, sensitivity tables, term sheet comparison) and where human judgment is irreplaceable (lender relationships, promote negotiation, market reading).
April 8, 2026 ·6 min read
Senior housing spans four distinct care levels, each with different regulatory requirements, staffing models, and demand drivers. This post covers the 2026 development opportunity, the site criteria that actually matter for institutional teams, and where AI is compressing analysis time across screening, regulatory mapping, and pro forma modeling.
April 7, 2026 ·5 min read
GIS has been part of commercial real estate for decades, but AI is changing what sits on top of it. This post covers what geospatial AI can do today, which tools are in production use, where data quality limits the analysis, and why development firms building structured geospatial pipelines are accumulating a compounding advantage.
April 7, 2026 ·4 min read
Construction draw management is one of the most process-heavy workflows in development, requiring monthly reconciliation of contractor pay applications, lien waivers, and budget variances across active projects. This post breaks down where AI compresses the administrative layer, what remains judgment-dependent, and how teams are deploying it at portfolio scale.
April 7, 2026 ·4 min read