Andrew Glisson is the founder and managing partner at Neighborhood Revival, a booming real estate investment firm based in Houston but with operations in Memphis and Indianapolis. Before establishing the business, Andrew worked with a Fortune 500 financial services firm as a senior vice president. Andrew did not initially have a large financial capacity to build this business. He made it by working hard his entire life and deploying all his capital into the company to see it through. Andrew has earned recognition as a Houston Top 30 Under 30 entrepreneur and served on various non-profit and municipal boards. He loves spending his free time with his family.
Andrew buys single-family homes and duplexes, renovates them to a high standard, and leases them, eventually making him stand out in the real estate industry. Most investors either buy/renovate/lease properties, but he does all three and efficiently controls all aspects of the process. When purchasing, Andrew applies unique methods to find the best deals on and off the market and purchase homes. He then incorporates an inspection process with his materials list and design book, making the planning process very efficient.
A licensed contractor, he’s crafted a construction process that contemplates code requirements and incorporates what tenants want while renovating. Andrew regularly runs surveys to an email list of thousands of people to narrow down what tenants want in a rental home. He has developed a specific and unique renovation process that is easy to train people in and duplicate. Besides this, Andrew has a materials list and design book that crews must follow to ensure his product delivery is the same.
Andrew doesn’t trust anyone to take care of his homes as he would, so he has created a property management company to manage all renovated homes. He usually leases homes before they are available, has a waiting list, and charges more than his competitors, making the business very profitable. “I have created a system that can buy 50–75 homes a year, renovate to a high standard, and manage tenants with just two full-time employees. “It’s a testament to how we use technology to do better than everyone else,” Andrew asserts.
Andrew recalls starting Neighborhood Revival with $3M in initial capital and growing it into an 8-figure business in just three years. He started with zero homes and currently has more than 200, although he has sold several along the way.
Andrew built the brand through the media. “I am huge on dramatic before-and-after pictures and videos. In the beginning, I pushed our business page hard because I was on the scene making big changes in the neighborhoods we did business in. I brought a new style to the Memphis market. Everyone was still stuck in ‘builder’s beige,’ and I used a Houston/Dallas color palette and taste, which people loved. At times we were renovating ten houses on the same street, getting great attention. I placed huge 4×8’ signs on the lawns of homes I was renovating, so people knew who it was,” shares Andrew.
Andrew plans to expand Neighborhood Revival into additional cities to save new neighborhoods. He also wants to bring people along for the ride; thus, his wish to take on students who could replicate his processes and strategies. As a real estate investor and entrepreneur, Andrew aims to network in other deals with investors around the country to do more significant projects in the coming years.
