You're the Developer. I'm the One Who Makes Sure Nobody Takes Advantage of That.
Developers hire me when they need someone who has actually been on a job site, read a contractor bid from the other side of the table, and understands exactly how margin disappears between groundbreaking and certificate of occupancy.
I am not a project manager who learned construction from a textbook. I am a construction professional who understands development. That difference protects your budget, your timeline, and your reputation.
✔ Decades of hands-on construction and development experience
✔ Residential & commercial, subdivisions, spec homes, retail, mixed-use
✔ Independent advisor, I work for you, not the contractor
Development Is Where Fortunes Are Made, and Lost
A developer came to me after buying a parcel of land and discovering that 40% of it was classified as wetlands. Unbuildable. The project they had planned was no longer viable on the footprint they had purchased and the numbers that made the deal work no longer existed.
Most people in that situation write the loss off and move on.
I worked with local and state regulators to challenge the classification, document the actual conditions, and make the case for reclassification where the data supported it. We got the unbuildable designation reduced from 40% down to 10%.
That single effort added over a million dollars in value back into the development.
That is not a contractor problem. That is not a construction problem. That is what happens when someone with 25 years of experience across every phase of development knows which battles are worth fighting, who to fight them with, and how to present the facts in a way that moves regulators toward a different conclusion.
Most developers never find out what is possible because they do not have anyone in their corner who has been through it before.
WHAT I DO FOR DEVELOPERS
Bid Review and Cost Control
I go through every bid line by line the way a contractor writes it because I have been one. I find what is padded, what is missing, and what will become a change order the moment work starts. Most developers recover my fee many times over in the first review alone.
Owner's Rep and Site Oversight
I am your boots on the ground. I show up, ask the hard questions, and make sure your contractors and subs know someone who actually understands the work is watching. That alone changes behavior on a job site in ways that protect your timeline and your budget.
Pre-Construction Planning
Before a shovel hits the ground I help you stress test your scope, your budget, and your contractor selections. Catching problems in planning costs nothing. Catching them mid-build costs everything.
Value Engineering Consultation
Not every cost cutting decision is equal. I tell you exactly where you can pull money out of a project without sacrificing quality, marketability, or structural integrity and where cutting corners will cost you significantly more later.
Contractor and Sub Accountability
Change orders, delays, and substandard work do not have to be the cost of doing business. I review every change order request, assess whether it is legitimate, push back where it is not, and keep your project moving.
THE TRACK RECORD
I have developed over a million square feet of retail space and hundreds of thousands of square feet of office space. I have managed ground up development of golf courses, marinas, medical facilities, financial institutions, and retail tenant buildouts inside national chains.
I served as construction consultant to a publicly traded NYSE listed REIT evaluating 25 plus properties averaging $30 million each and reporting directly to the board at weekly meetings.
Insurance companies and attorneys hire me as an expert witness on construction defect claims and disputes. I have been on every side of every type of construction project that exists.
Over 500 commercial projects. Every asset class. Every scale.
HOW TO GET STARTED
Tell me about your project. What you are building, where you are in the process, and what is keeping you up at night. No pitch. No pressure. Just a real conversation about your numbers.
If it makes sense to go further I review what you have including bids, plans, contracts, and scope and give you an honest picture of where your risks and opportunities are.
Every project is different. We agree on a structure that fits whether that is a one-time bid review, ongoing site oversight, or full owner's rep services.
TESTIMONIALS
"We saved time and money every time we work with you."
— David Blankenship, R.E.I.T. Board Member
"Your understanding of the legal ins and outs of startups was essential to our current success. And your ability to find a win-win in a time of stress was outstanding."
— Gina Gambrero, Private Capital Investor
"When I have a client that is upset I call Jeph and let him take over. Having a knowledgeable third party find solutions that work with someone who is already upset has been vital to keeping my good name with at least 8 clients so far."
— Bradley Mitchell
"I thought for sure we would lose everything in a lawsuit but then you came in and really changed everything."
— Emily Rothstein, Construction Manager, R.E.I.T. Houston
the Close
Every development project has moments where the right call versus the wrong call is worth six figures.
Having someone in your corner who has been on the contractor side, the investor side, and the developer side means you make the right call more often.
That is what I bring to your project. Not theory. Not templates. Real construction knowledge, real development experience, and a genuine interest in seeing your project succeed.
REI Guide Service | Jephery S. Burnett | Houston, TX
jeph@reiguideservice.com