RE Hunter is the CEO of MoveZen Property Management. The leading single-family model delivering unmatched customer service, resident retention, and consistent low headache results. MoveZen is transforming rental housing.https://movezen360.com/about-the-movezen-management-team/

MoveZen will cap off the most dynamic period in our history with 100% revenue growth from 2019-2023, despite an industry-wide grinding halt in 2023.While delayed by a year due to the immense challenges in housing and small business that we experienced in 2022, our company incorporated in two new states in 2023. Led by COO Alisha Robbins, South Carolina is operational now. I am leading Virginia, and we expect to show revenue from both states before year-end.

COVID trends, low inventory, interest rates, and the speed of transition in the housing industry forced us to undertake a complete corporate restructuring in 2023. Most importantly we made the early decision to dramatically slow our growth rate so we could pivot to a quality across-the-board approach instead. We rebuilt our hiring process, staff salary structure, onboard procedure. We added two new divisions, operations and technical support. Most importantly, we dramatically simplified and specialized the skillset needed for the most widespread role in our organization, our crucial customer account managers.

My most enjoyable role has always been building proprietary software to increase productivity for our staff. Prior to our migration from Google to Microsoft, we ran a full stack system utilizing Google Cloud's SQL and App Engine combined with a Flask Python UI, and Selenium Webdriver to execute many of our largest and most tedious office functions. From listing properties, to semi-automating the thousands of rental estimate presentations we perform each year, to entire resident move-ins. The need was born from the fact that our primary property management software provides no serious API access, and we sought a method to connect third parties seamlessly. That project was eventually replaced with an Edge browser javascript plugin, after I learned the language over Christmas 2022 with the invaluable assistance of GPT 3.5.Now that we're with Microsoft the project has evolved into a Power Automate centered, Fabric data model that will eventually power our many apps and reports, including the following that are currently used by our staff for major productivity gains, but more importantly provide consistency and quality control in a turbulent environment.MailZen Outlook Add-InMoveZen Copilot Edge Browser Plugin & Support SiteMoveZen Fabric/DataVerseExtensive PowerBI ReportingPower AutomateMake / Zapier AutomationsWithout a doubt, my favorite project and I outlined many of the technical details in an article written for the Fast Company Most Innovative Companies nomination.https://movezen360.com/fast-company-most-innovative-companies-movezen-submission/

I served as an expert deposition witness in a multi-million wrongful death suit pertaining to housing safety, particularly fire and smoke safety in multi-family housing. This was a surprisingly emotional experience and forced me to come to terms with the gravity of my role within our company, and the risks that would likely entail for the rest of my career. It was a flattering request, and a humbling experience. Despite two decades of experience and a very well-run organization, the process led to an internal audit in which we identified dozens of major weaknesses that, while legal, were far from adequate given the stakes.

Victory Property Management acquired Southern Retreats LLC, and I managed the data, staff, customer, and culture integration at a particularly precarious time for the company. Within the surrounding 18 months, the company doubled in size while losing our only experienced staff member. The decision to move forward with the acquisition was made with a combined staff experience, not counting myself, of less than 12 months. With the acquisition of Southern Retreat's experienced talent, we doubled our staff count. Due to quirks with the sellers, we gained access to thousands of data records on the first of the month. Within 12 days all data was fully migrated from spreadsheet to software, all customers had been contacted and sent necessary notices, and all owners with rental funds had been paid. While far from smooth, the integration played out in line with forecasts, and is an important milestone in the history of our company.https://www.wilmingtonbiz.com/real_estate_-_residential/2014/09/16/property_management_firm_announces_merger/12327

I led a multi-family investment for an eventual tear-down in downtown Raleigh. The property and location were in less than stellar condition and the price had dropped dramatically due to the risks, the fact the seller had almost no verifiable documentation, and because the housing market was near the long-term bottom, especially for Raleigh NC. Using my experience as a property manager I was able to recreate my estimates of the performance of the investment with relative confidence and moved firmly to secure it on exceptional owner-financing terms. An approach that's tough and rare to pull off, especially at the 10-year term, 3% interest rate that I was able to secure.By virtue of being a licensed agent, I received a significant rebate at closing so that I ended up with just over $16k invested to take control of a premier, large downtown city block. From there, my best-case estimates played out almost exactly as forecast, and the property produced a 275% cash-on-cash return in the first 12 months.

I was a partner in a project to rezone an entire downtown Raleigh NC city block for a 8-story development valued at nearly $100 million, because I am considering including my property in the plan. Led by Manhattan-based Lambert Development who's been a part of premier projects all across the nation, I had the exceptional opportunity to be a part of a powerhouse team of attorneys from Morningstar Law Group, Architects from MHAworks, and the great people with Thorne Companies.The project is located 6 blocks from the Red Hat Amphitheater, and by design will likely serve a crucial role in accessing the premier Dorothea Dix Park. There is currently almost half a billion dollars in high-rise development already under construction within 10 square blocks.We worked with residents of the historic Boylan Heights and W South St neighborhoods to allay concerns, consider suggestions, and pave a fair path to a win-win outcome for both the community and developers. The project won approval though the original developer lead is likely to sell the project. As a result, we'll utilize the same Raleigh town council approval to develop a premier row of luxury townhomes with views of Dorothea Dix Park and Boylan Heights from the rooftop decks. We also hope to include a future MoveZen Raleigh office with the project.Except for the office, the project will be similar to another design from the same architecture firm, found here. https://www.mhaworks.com/projects/mccormick-place-townhomes/Downtown Raleigh is a great place to own development ready real estatedhttps://lnkd.in/gp7dDAc3A similar sized lot and building just blocks away.https://bit.ly/48nXET8

During my tenure as a contractor with Dell Computers, I was part of a team that spearheaded a major project at Camp Lejeune Marine Base, overseeing the complete replacement of the base's computer systems with the latest Dell models. Security clearances were required and this complex initiative entailed meticulous data backup of settings and files to a central server, the dismantling of outdated equipment. As well as the installation of new systems. I was also responsible for reinstalling all essential software, configuring settings, and efficiently transferring files from the server to each new computer. A significant aspect of my role involved training the Camp Lejeune staff in the new transfer procedures and software applications.Subsequently, seeking an opportunity closer to home, I joined Gateway as a Computer Technician. My responsibilities encompassed a wide range of technical support tasks, including troubleshooting and repairing issues related to software, hardware, networking, and third-party applications. On average, I successfully resolved technical problems for 7-10 systems daily. However, my tenure at Gateway concluded with the shop's closure.