Who's teaching you
I'm James. I do this for a living — and I live here too.
I'm a Florida native. I got my degree in entrepreneurship and sales management at Purdue, started my career in New York City working on commercial projects — including the new World Trade towers — and came home to Tampa in 2013.
My wife Rose moved down from Cleveland around the same time. Our paths crossed in 2014, we bought our first house together in Kenwood in 2016, and St. Petersburg has been home ever since. We're now at the bottom of Crescent Lake with our son Rhett, a Great Dane named Pippa, and a calico cat named Tripp who runs the place.
Rose has her master's in marriage and family counseling and has spent years working with non-profits around Pinellas County. Between us we've been involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters, Angels Against Abuse, Ronald McDonald House, Feeding Tampa Bay, and Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay. When we're not working or home in St. Pete, we're usually somewhere new with a kid strapped to one of us.
That's relevant to you for one reason: I like working with people I actually get to know. A lot of my best clients became good friends. That's also why these books exist — most of what gets taught about commercial real estate is either gatekept or garbage, and the people who need it most get neither the numbers nor a straight answer.
Rose, Rhett and me — St. Petersburg, Florida.
15+ years in the business
Retail and net lease commercial real estate — acquisitions, dispositions, and long-term strategy. I've spent my career on the transaction side, which is why the math in these books is the math I actually use.
CCIM designated
Certified Commercial Investment Member, and a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers. The CCIM curriculum is where a lot of this analysis discipline comes from.
Based in St. Petersburg
West Florida is my market. I know these corridors, these tenants, and what actually trades here — which is why the market briefs are regional instead of generic.
Come say hi.
I post teardowns, deal math, and the occasional opinion nobody asked for. If something here helped, tell me — I read everything.