Developer Crowdfunds Because Why Not?

Brooklyn Standard Properties’ David Manheimer (whom we snapped yesterday over coffee at the Mondrian SoHo) and Benji Kohn are about to close on a four-unit Williamsburg apartment building between Bedford and Berry (almost on top of the L entrance). It'll be the 18-month-old investor and developer’s third property—and all three have employed crowdfunding. Brooklyn Standard has just finished renovations on three of the eight units in Greenpoint’s 151 Dupont St and is renovating six of the eight units in Prospect Height’s 533 Bergen, which it bought 75% vacant. The company also has a six-unit Bushwick property on Jefferson Street under contract.

Benji says he and David don’t rely on crowdfunding to close deals; rather, that revenue stream supplements the company's network of private investors. The Williamsburg property will be their first acquisition with crowdsourced debt, and the offering will pay a coupon just like any debt instrument, David says. The pair focused on Brooklyn because it still offers the smaller, often mismanaged properties that leave value on the table. They don’t underwrite their deals based on projected rent growth but rather look for properties that will yield high returns after 12 to 18 months of renovations.

David and Benji went to school together from preschool through high school and both ended up on Wall Street before launching Brooklyn Standard. Benji tells us he quit Bear Stearns a month before it went under and produced 10 indie movies in five years, including 2010 Sundance Audience Award winner HappyThankYouMorePlease (written, directed, and starring How I Met Your Mother’s Josh Radnor) and Infinitely Polar Bear (starring Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana), which Sony Pictures Classics has picked up and will release in theaters next March or April.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's New York Newsletters
Related Stories

Camden Property Trust Sells West Coast Portfolio, Clears $1.5B Target

How Long Island Projects Can Cut Through Red Tape And Community Opposition To Cross The Finish Line

Bringing Stability And Savings To CRE Insurance Through Working Layer

Former Arms Dealer Targeting Heartland Apartment Takeover Files For Bankruptcy

SEC Charges REIT, Its Founders With Alleged $152M Fraud Scheme

Empire State Building Observation Deck Hemorrhaging Visitors, Value

Miami's Condo Craze Has Developers Spending Millions On Sales Galleries

Slate, Hudson Cos. Picked To Develop Massive Queens Housing Project

BXP's 343 Madison Lands $1.2B Loan, Nears Deal With Equity Partner

Ryan Cos. Secures Permit For Austin's Sixth Street Redevelopment

Rapper Rick Ross Joins 670-Unit Miami Gardens Condo Project

Mamdani Adds Millions To Program Helping Retailers Negotiate With Landlords