New Western founder sees a fix for the housing crisis

Deconstruct analyzes flips as a wealth builder and affordability solution

New Western's Kurt Carlton
New Western's Kurt Carlton

16 million vacant homes and not a drop to drink.

As the U.S. housing crisis deepens, some savvy investors are looking to the bounty of empty houses as a remedy for the supply crunch.

The Real Deal’s Deconstruct podcast spoke with Kurt Carlton, who co-launched the investment platform New Western during the Great Recession. Since, the firm has offered small-time investors the opportunity to pick up distressed assets and turn them around for a profit. 

Now, Carlton said the opportunity is in vacancies. And the pay-off is bigger than profits. 

Fix-and-flip investors can bring defunct homes back to market and offset a housing deficit that reached 6.5 million last year. 

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“I think real estate investors are going to be a big part of the solution, an unlikely hero at the end of the day,” Carlton said during his interview with TRD.

Listen to the full episode to hear more from Carlton and gain a better understanding of how Gen Z is tapping tech to reimagine real estate investments and why millennials have looked to New Western to build wealth. 

Access The Real Deal’s Deconstruct podcast on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Pandora and on TheRealDeal.com

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