“They’re top-tier borrowers. Their communication is clear, it's super fast, and I never have to wait on anything. It's a new caliber of borrower. They approach these construction jobs just like they do their military jobs. Even though things slowed through the pandemic, these military guys are still getting their construction and renovation done in six months. I don't see too many other people doing that.”
- John Strawn, Construction Control
The Academy Fund is a private real estate fund that invests in military-veteran real estate operators and developers. We leverage relationships among Investors, Advisors, and Operators to facilitate the valuable “trust capital” and believe that intelligence, integrity and grit are competitive advantages and key inputs to building wealth.
We’re excited to introduce you to John Strawn who handles construction draws at the Academy Fund. Today, he shares his insights into why active duty military and veterans excel in real estate.
Meet John Strawn
John Strawn is Construction Control and Customer Service Manager at Hornet Capital, an Academy Fund partner, where he has been involved in construction for hard money lenders for over six years. In this role, John is also a liaison and customer service representative to Academy Fund borrowers, assisting with loan origination, servicing and operation.
John is a key communication link between the Academy Fund team and Academy Fund borrowers, ensuring everyone has all the information they need to keep projects moving forward. In the last six years, John has facilitated nearly 1000 loans. In his experience, active duty military and veterans always stand out as top-tier borrowers.
Here’s five reasons why John thinks active duty military and veterans excel in real estate:
They’re decisive and efficient Active duty military and veteran real estate operators move fast and focus on getting the job done.
They excel at managing construction and the books They stay on top of it all. If something falls behind schedule, they immediately figure out how to get things moving.
They’re precise and pay attention to details Construction draws go flawlessly because they come to the initial construction control meeting, ask a few questions, and immediately understand everything. Draws are never submitted in error.
They know how to communicate, cooperate and collaborate Active duty military and veterans are always clear communicators. Working together with them is a smooth process.
They have an action-oriented focus They approach construction projects with the same action-oriented focus they apply to their military jobs. They focus on getting things done as quickly and efficiently as possible. Even when things slowed down during the pandemic, they kept up the pace.
John adds, “It's really a pleasure working with this caliber, this high level of borrowers. It makes my job a lot easier and it makes these projects so much more successful. Full steam ahead with these guys!”
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