Miami DealMakers

Isaac Toledano, Founder & CEO of BH Group, shares insights on building relationships, navigating the 2008 market crisis in Florida, the "nose for real estate," the structure and future of BH Group, advice for young professionals, Miami submarkets, lessons learned, market outlook, and the importance of family.

Doug Jones, President of HUB South Florida, talks about the difference between being a broker vs. building a brokerage, networking, decision to sell business, transition to HUB International, scaling insurance business, and insights into the insurance market.

Harvey Hernandez is Chairman & CEO of Miami-based Newgard Development Group and founder of Natiivo Hospitality. With 25 years of active involvement, he has distinguished himself as a forward-thinking, innovative, and fearless developer, who has been a pivotal figure in shaping city skylines. Originally from Venezuela, Hernandez’s real estate journey began in the 1990s as a hands-on investor in Miami. Inspired by the city's transformative potential, he transitioned to large-scale real estate developments, particularly focusing on high-end, high-rise residential projects. Hernandez has been a pioneer in pushing design boundaries and integrating luxury finishes, innovative amenities, branding, and cutting-edge technology into his projects. Hernandez has successfully delivered 13 trendsetting residential projects, totaling over 2,600 units spanning over 10 million square feet, in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Orlando, Austin, and Nashville. He also completed hotel and office/condominium redevelopments. Always ahead of evolving market trends, he most recently pioneered residential developments designed, built, and licensed for short-term rentals. He created two brands from scratch—LOFTY and Natiivo—that are incorporated into each project that utilizes this “flexible ownership” model. Hernandez’s approach and dedication to excellence have not gone unnoticed. In 2024, he was named a Power Player in Real Estate by the South Florida Business Journal, and in 2023, he received an Apogee Award for CEO Leadership by South Florida Business & Wealth. Newgard’s Gale Residences & Hotel project earned an Honoree recognition in the 2018 Structures Awards given annually by the South Florida Business Journal. Hernandez is also considered a thought leader in real estate development and is often invited to sit on panels or talk with the media to share his insights on market trends. He has spoken at events sponsored by The Real Deal, Commercial Observer, Bisnow, and IMN. He has been quoted in publications including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Miami Herald, South Florida Business Journal, and many others. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - Intro 1:46 - Harvey’s background 9:31 - First real estate investments & scaling 15:28 - First development project 18:25 - Taking on bigger projects/risks 19:38 - Development of Solaris in Brickell 23:11 - Miami: bubble or keep growing? 25:26 - Adding hospitality component  35:31 - Natiivo Miami & Lofty Brickell  38:35 - First deal outside of Florida  41:41 - Other markets excited about 46:26 - Advice for entrepreneurs & college graduates  51:12 - Structure of management agreement  53:07 - Future of Miami & market outlook Follow Omar on social media: Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/OmarMora1es⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/omarmora1es/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://miamimultifamily.ck.page/⁠⁠

Andrew Hellinger, Principal of URBAN-X, shares stories from unwinding a $750m portfolio, developing condos in Miami, increasing building height, Miami River Landing development, economy insights, and thoughts on Miami's future.

Anthony De Yurre is a Partner in Bilzin Sumberg's Land Development & Government Relations Group. Bilzin Sumberg has one of the largest real estate law practices in Florida. His practice focuses on the representation of real estate developers and investors in complex land use and zoning matters with a focus on transit oriented development, large scale mixed-use development, and public private partnerships. In this conversation, we talk all things Live Local Act, SB102 & SB328, and all major implications across Florida.  TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - Intro 3:19 - Florida “Live Local Act”  11:12 - Higher upzoning  17:55 - Affordability component  27:08 - SB102 & SB328 37:10 - Zoning, tax, financing implications 1:00:35 - Parking component & unit sizes  1:08:50 - Statewide or local? 1:10:55 - Value add component  1:14:50 - Closing statements Follow Omar on social media: Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/OmarMora1es⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/omarmora1es/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://miamimultifamily.ck.page/⁠⁠

Dan Carr, Co-Founder of Alpaca Real Estate, shares insights on starting his fund, innovation in investments, lessons learned, and the macro environment. Topics include investing themes, Miami's market, fund process, and his background in the industry.

Bob Knakal is the top sales broker in New York, and arguably the world. Bob has sold over 2,000 properties, and over $20 billion in volume. He has been selling investment properties since 1984, was the Chairman & Founding partner of Massey Knakal, and currently leading the Private Capital Group for JLL. In this conversation, we talk about social media, marketing, starting & selling Massey Knakal, market conditions, New York, and a bunch of great advice he has learned along the way.  TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - Intro 1:33 - Thoughts on Miami 2:43 - Social media 9:43 - Marketing spend 13:01 - Starting Massey Knakal  17:04 - Advice for a slow market 21:13 - Growing and selling Massey Knakal  25:34 - Motivation to keep working 28:35 - Interest in the principal side?   36:02 - Current market conditions 40:10 - New York 46:39 - South Florida 48:27 - General advice for young professionals 54:51 - Lessons learned and the team 58:18 - Day structure  1:00:47 - Closing statements Follow Omar on social media: Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/OmarMora1es⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/omarmora1es/⁠⁠ Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://miamimultifamily.ck.page/⁠

David Podein is an Equity Partner with Haber Law. He concentrates his practice on community association representation, real estate, and construction law. He represents real estate developers, investors, lenders, and landlords. He also serves as outside general counsel to community associations. In this conversation, we talk about condo terminations, redevelopment opportunities, insurance, general advice when purchasing a condo, and more.  TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - Intro 1:38 - Condo purchasing breakdown 4:16 - Condo terminations 11:26 - Thoughts on the termination process 15:05 - Castle Beach scenario 17:34 - 2024 condo reserves 19:16 - Insurance  20:28 - Advice for purchasing a condo 32:35 - Loans for class A,B,C condos 38:38 - Investor market 40:01 - Market conditions 44:18 - Segments of Miami 48:46 - Contact David Podein  Follow Omar on social media: Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/OmarMora1es⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/omarmora1es/⁠ Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://miamimultifamily.ck.page/

Multifamily Madness, a famous anonymous Twitter/X account with over 50,000 followers and who has brokered over 300 multifamily deals, discusses topics such as leveraging social media for business growth, the pros and cons of anonymity in the real estate industry, entering the syndicate business, differences in general partner strategies, career options, time allocation and strategies for brokering and syndicating, and investing in oneself and business.

Rohin Dhar is a twitter friend, and someone who owns & operates vacation rentals in Sonoma, Kauai, Taos, Mt Hood, Yosemite, and Asheville. In this conversation, we discuss how feasible owning & renting Airbnb's actually is, what to look for & watch out for, and how the industry has changed from when he started in 2014. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - Intro 1:46 - Starting Airbnb business 10:10 - Managing COVID lockdown 13:50 - Earthships 16:30 - Finding & buying properties 22:14 - Estimating revenue & operations 28:00 - Loans & rates 30:46 - Passive investors 34:35 - Current Airbnb portfolio 37:33 - Expense & margin budgeting 39:33 - Market conditions 42:56 - Airbnb investing advice 46:01 - Benefit from online audience 49:33 - Newsletters & blogs 52:10 - San Francisco Follow Omar on social media: Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/OmarMora1es⁠⁠⁠ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omarmora1es.miami/?hl=en Newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠https://miamimultifamily.ck.page/