Chris Lento is the founder and managing member of EM Capital. With a background in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon and professional development training at Boston University and MIT, Chris brings a unique perspective to our multifamily real estate investment approach.
Chris has over twenty years of experience in multifamily ownership, management, and investing. His vision and guidance drive us to remain dedicated to portfolio diversification through sustainable and socially responsible multifamily housing investments.
In addition to his academic achievements, Chris’ serves as a Board Member for Bay Cove, a nonprofit human services organization. His passion serves as testament to his dedication in building a better quality of life, which carries over into his professional commitment to EM Capital and its investors.
This unique blend of engineering expertise and real estate proficiency sets the foundation for our goal of making a lasting impact in the real estate industry and beyond, driven by our motto of “Building Communities, Engineering Wealth.”
Episode Highlights Here:
Chris
So, certainty of close is huge. You know, it’s not always the highest price that gets you know, that gets the contract signed. It’s the best value.
Brett
What’s the number one secret in today’s marketplace to find deals that actually make sense, right? When it comes to value, add force appreciation, multifamily properties. Where are you finding them? How are you finding them? And maybe you can give us a live deal that you recently closed, that you’re closing
Chris
now. Sure, sure. So, I mean, so right now, multi family is extremely popular. Demand is high all across the country. And for the type of deals that I’m looking for, which are really, I’ll say, three to $25 million properties. It’s all about brokers. It’s brokers, broker relationships, knowing, knowing brokers at a personal level, communicating with them, often, having, being clear with them on what you’re looking for why you’re looking for it, what your plan is, and then having them trust you and believe that you can close. So, certainty of close is huge, you know, it’s not always the highest price that gets you know, that gets the contract signed. It’s the best value, which is, you know, a combination of price and certainty of close and terms of the contract, as far as you know, how much money you’re putting hard, when so all those factors. But I know there are some people out there, you know, cold calling seller sellers or potential sellers, but that’s a tough road, and I’ve never, I’ve never had success at it personally?
Brett
Yeah, no, absolutely. Do what’s working right. Do what’s works in your strengths and what’s worked so far. You had something else to add to that.
Chris
Yeah, and you know, you asked for an example. So, there’s a broker that I sold a property through in Boston about probably four years ago, and we’ve and I’m not really looking to acquire in Boston on a primary I mean, I would for a good deal, but I still keep in touch with them. And we’re, you know, we’re friends, and we sort of talk maybe every two weeks or once a month about the market, about interest rates, just about how his property is doing, about our kids, and he heard that I was selling one of my properties in Boston and looking in North Carolina. And he had a business contact who was selling something in North Carolina, he acted as the intermediary. I got in an offer in before it went to market. And, you know, kind of putting everything together now, and we’re closing in 30 days. So, I would never have got that property if I waited for it to go to market. And just was one of, who knows, a half a dozen, a dozen people that were, you know, offering asking price, which is what I did. I offered, you know, asking price. And it was the relationship, I mean, you know, 100%
Brett
hands down. That makes perfect sense. And by the way, I would also kind of connect the connect the dots here with, with, with a statement that it goes like this. You know, we’re actually not in the business of buying real estate or selling real estate or selling a tax referral strategy. We’re actually in the business of solving problems, right? Absolutely. So, if you apply that to at the heart of it, right? At the heart of it, you know the outcome is, is, are those things, right? But at the heart of it is solving problems. And if you apply that to the way, and correct me, if I’m wrong here, but if I’m thinking correctly with what you were saying, your primary way of buying and finding deals is through relationships and also through commercial real estate world. What’s the number one problem with the commercial for the commercial real estate brokers world, or the broker who has the deal? Well, it’s certainty of the buyer performing right now, the second, second one might be the lender actually lending, right? Because those are the two most important people. Those are tied
Chris
together, right? I mean, yeah, certainty of the buyer performing is, is really wrapped right up in his lender relationships, or their lender relationships, his or her lender relationships. So yeah, that broker is going to sell the property. He’s not worried about it selling. He’s worried about it selling to someone who can close and not having to resell it in in 60 days, when the whole thing falls apart Exactly,
Brett
exactly, and you lose the momentum. You lose out on the multiple offers. You lose out on whatever achieving that price the market
Chris
might lose out on the sale, right? His seller may say, hey, what you know, I trust you to vet the buyers, and now I’m going to go to a different, a different sales broker, exactly,
Brett
exactly. So, yeah, their number one problem, it would be certainty of buyer performance and execution. So excellent. You.
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About Christopher Lento
As the Founder and CEO of EM Capital, I focus on providing turnkey real estate investment opportunities in emerging U.S. markets. With a portfolio exceeding $100 million, our team excels in commercial real estate acquisitions, asset management, and capital raising.
Curiosity and a passion for understanding how things work have driven my journey from engineering to real estate investing. I thrive on solving problems, analyzing complex systems, and discovering innovative solutions, connecting ideas across various fields.
Balancing analytical rigor with an open mind, I continuously explore new concepts. Outside of work, I enjoy cycling, skiing, CrossFit, and traveling with my partner, Rebecca, and our daughter, Cleo.
Integrity, honesty, and directness guide my actions. Investing isn’t just about dollars; it’s about creating enduring value.
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