FINANCE The biggest misconception is that you can’t make money with affordable housing. That’s not true. Profitability and affordability aren’t opposites. Profit is what allows the mission to continue. When you track cash flow, manage costs, and structure deals the right way, you find balance. Tax credits, community financing, and voucher programs aren’t obstacles, they’re tools. If you learn how to use them, you can build properties that serve both investors and tenants. Affordable housing is sustainable when the numbers work. And it’s your responsibility to make sure they do. PEOPLE None of this happens without the right people. Property managers, contractors, leasing agents, maintenance crews, and city partners all play a role. Too often this is where things fall apart. Teams burn out, communication slips, and service declines. When you hire with purpose, train consistently, and set clear expectations, you create alignment. And when your team understands they’re not just running units but helping families find stability, the work becomes meaningful. That purpose builds culture. And culture builds retention, not just for employees, but for tenants too. WHY THIS MATTERS You don’t need to be a nonprofit director or a government offcial to make a difference in affordable housing. If you own a few properties, you can choose to manage them differently. If you’re growing a
communicate that affordable housing is part of your strategy, people take notice. Investors see stability, tenants see reliability, and communities see hope. OPERATIONS If you’ve ever managed properties, you know how quickly the details pile up. Maintenance, compliance, tenant turnover, it’s enough to overwhelm anyone without the right structure. But these aren’t impossible problems. They’re operational problems, and operational problems can be solved. When you build processes for tenant intake, maintenance schedules, vendor relationships, and communication, you create predictability. Properties stay in better shape, tenants stick around longer, and your portfolio grows without the chaos. Most affordable housing efforts fail not because the demand isn’t there, but because the systems to deliver it consistently aren’t in place. MARKETING AND SALES Affordable housing has a branding problem. Too often it’s framed as something for the desperate or as a government handout. That story
portfolio, you can build affordability into your plan from the start. Affordable housing is not going away. The demand is constant, and the leaders who create systems around it will not only profit but also leave an impact that lasts beyond their own business. FINAL THOUGHT At the end of the day, affordable housing is about more than units and rents. It’s about families, stability, and opportunity. You can ignore it, or you can step up and build the systems that make it possible. When you choose the second option, you do more than grow a business. You grow communities. And that’s the kind of growth that endures.
JIM TANNEHILL
turns people away before they even look at the opportunity.
Jim Tannehill has been an entrepreneur for more than 10 years. He is Empire Certified, Trainual Certified and an expert in LucidCharts. A business coach, Tannehill has consulted with more than 100 companies in many different industries and verticals. As chief operating officer of Empire Operating Systems, Tannehill oversees the complete operating picture for the company and ensures that all Empire clients are moving forward in the Five Phases of Business.
You can change that. You can market affordable housing as what it really is stable, long-term, and foundational for families. You can present it as a smart investment that generates reliable returns and strengthens communities. And when you speak to tenants with dignity, showing them that affordable doesn’t mean second- class, you attract the kind of people who value and protect where they live.
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