🪵Cozy Home: Fall is here, and my 3-month-old son, Graham, has just learned how to smile. It’s wild how something so simple can completely turn your day around. He’s been sleeping pretty well through the night—though he’s still up at 5 a.m. for his bottle. Since that’s a little early for my wife, I’ve been getting the morning shift—just me, him, and those smiles.

🔥Hot Deal: Wayne Simon just launched a portfolio sale—36 units in Summerville. Check out the details.

🌟Shout-out: Big shout-out to my friend and RE partner, Elliot Sperling, for putting the NYC Real Estate Expo on our radar. We heard from two of the top agents in the world—Ryan Serhant and Bob Knakal. Flew in at 6 a.m., back by 7 p.m. Long day, but I couldn’t miss the morning with Graham.

NY State of Mind
There’s just something different about the energy in NYC.

A few key takeaways from the NYC Real Estate Expo sessions:

Affordable Housing Restrictions: In NYC, these restrictions aren’t working as intended. They do provide housing for low-income residents, but they also limit supply and drive up market-rate rents. Knakal pointed out that if those affordable units were returned to the market, rents could drop by around 30%.

NYC’s Comeback: The city is bouncing back, with innovative ideas like converting office buildings into residential spaces leading the charge.

Build, Baby, Build: NYC is short by about 500,000 housing units. That’s a huge gap, and the only real fix is incentivizing developers to build—on a massive scale. There was a strong focus on why this needs to happen and how to get it done.

Coming Back Home:
There’s a lesson here for Charleston. Restricting use for affordable housing is risky, and we’re starting to toe that line. Public officials won’t solve the housing crisis by limiting development. Instead, they need to partner with developers to bring more units to market. That’s how we balance supply and demand and make real progress.

Kick Bad Moods to the Curb

My business partner and great friend, Matt O’Neill, has spent the last 4 years writing The Good Mood Revolution. I’ve heard him talk about it nonstop, and along the way, I’ve watched his whole outlook on life evolve.

Good Moods:
Naturally, when Matt offered me and the team an exclusive preview, I was all in.

Revolution? Indeed.
Phenomenal work, Matt. As I read it, I kept thinking, “These could be Budda’s words.” The hard-won wisdom and vulnerability in this book are next-level—it’s what makes it so powerful.

Get Yours:
The Good Mood Revolution officially launches on December 15. You can grab your copy by clicking on the cover below

Paul’s Market Journal

Placemaking for Property Management

During a quick scroll on LinkedIn this week, I came across Jay Maxwell and The Arena Group. They’re absolutely crushing it as a third-party management company, especially when it comes to marketing and branding their properties to build a strong sense of identity and community with their residents. It completely floored me.

This is what superior property management looks like—out-of-the-box thinking that goes beyond the standard. I’ve seen developers do this during lease-ups, but rarely on an ongoing basis from a property manager.

Kudos to them for pushing the envelope. Now, I’m on the lookout for a solution to bring this approach to Charleston. I’m convinced that a fairly priced product like this would crush it here.

The Investor’s Banquet

A good time indeed.

I’m hosting another exclusive dinner on October 30th at 5 p.m. downtown. We’ve planned a four-course dinner, and this is shaping up to be a next-level event with some of Charleston’s top real estate players.

We’ve already got several great attendees confirmed, including portfolio owners and developers working on major projects. No pitches, no sales—just an evening of great food, wine, and conversations with other real estate rockstars.

Our last dinner sparked some incredible partnerships, and I’m sure this one will too.

There are only 3 spots left, and after that, we’ll move to a waitlist for the next event. Tickets cover all food and wine for the night. If you’re interested, indicate below. Looking forward to another great evening!

Elliot’s Exclusive List

Get First Access to Charleston's Best Real Estate Deals

Off-Market King: Join Elliot Sperling, the "Off-Market King" of Carolina Multifamily Real Estate, for exclusive early access to prime real estate opportunities across Charleston and South Carolina.

Who’s It For? This list is ideal for seasoned investors with a clear strategy, ready financing, and a commitment to confidentiality.

What’s Available? Opportunities range from 2 to 200 units in top markets like Charleston, Greenville, Columbia, Sumter, Spartanburg, Florence, and Rock Hill.