A Joint Venture in San Antonio?

Yes, there are two dumpsters in front of the house. The GC for this project actually filled and hauled off three dumpsters before she could safely start work.

A successful joint venture is a win-win.

This post originally appeared on the Hermit Haus Redevelopment website on 2016-05-17.

Yes, we work anywhere we can find the right deal. Even as far away as San Antonio—where the newest deal brought to us by our friend and joint venturer Larry is located.

St. John’s house isn’t really a hoarder house. It’s just been very neglected for a very long time. It may be the dirtiest house we’ve attempted to redevelop to date. I’m glad Larry is taking the lead on this one.

I should have more pictures later this week when I go to see it first hand for the first time.

This house is in an area that is undergoing substantial gentrification. Several houses with a few blocks and on the same street have been bulldozed to make room for McMansions. We won’t go that far with this house, but the house won’t be recognizably the same when we’re done.

So What Is a Joint Venture Any Way?

Simply put, a joint venture is a contractual arrangement between two or more entities (people, corporations, or some combination) to undertake a specific project through a Joint Venture Agreement (JVA). The JVA specifies how much each entity is responsible for the project in terms of money, time, or effort. In real estate redevelopment or construction, joint ventures often enable the venturers to pursue more or different deals than they could on their own.

In this case, the joint venture is between Hermit Haus Redevelopment, LLC and Andress & Three, LLC.

When Hermit Haus enters into a joint venture with another company, we always spell out who is responsible for managing the project and who is responsible for managing the money. Since there is considerable overlap between these two responsibilities, we end up with some level of checks and balances.

We split the costs and rewards evenly between the venturers. The JVA states that the money manager has to publish state of the venture reports at least once a month. That way the venturers all have an opportunity to see where the money is going and with more eyes, the project, hopefully, has a better chance of success.

Is joint venturing with other investors the way to go for you? Maybe. There are a lot of considerations, and only you can decide for you. And as with any legally binding contract, have your own lawyer look over the contracts before signing.