Build-To-Rent To The Rescue

Keeping The Trades Working

In real estate development, peaks and valleys are inevitable in the business cycle. Add in global events like war, supply chain constraints, and increasing interest rates – they all exacerbate the issues the construction industry was already facing, which is a shortage of workers. Decades ago, there were robust apprentice and journeyman programs that helped funnel young workers into residential construction where they would enjoy a long and rewarding career. Today it is increasingly difficult to attract and retain skilled workers because of the ups and downs of the industry. But what if the work could be more stable?

We wanted to share this guest column which recently ran in BUILDER magazine and was written by Ron Gonski with Mosaic – we feel his take on Build-To-Rent is spot on. He surmises that our niche can help provide a sustainable and predictable workflow for trades, despite the challenges the residential industry is facing. They simply need to be ready to embrace this new niche.

At Christopher Todd, our communities typically range from 150-300 one and two-bedroom, single-story homes, complemented by resort-inspired amenities. We have many trades working on our communities which are paid tens of millions of dollars. While it is similar to constructing a typical for-sale single-family subdivision, it is more efficient because our innovative rental homes are offered in two plans and there are no individual buyers making architectural or design changes. That predictability minimizes mistakes and maximizes productivity. When the new-build for-sale market retracts, the BTR niche remains strong allowing the trades to have seamless work that didn’t exist in prior market downturns.

Take a moment to read this column: BUILDER magazine article