Becker & Poliakoff

Diving Into the Developers’ Mindset with Becker’s Jennifer Bales Drake

Diving Into the Developers’ Mindset with Becker’s Jennifer Bales Drake

For more episodes of Take It To The Board, click here!


Have you ever wondered about the where, why, what and when questions that developers ask themselves before deciding on their new construction projects? Then this episode of Take It To The Board, is for you. Join us as host Donna DiMaggio Berger sits down with Jennifer Bales Drake, a key figure in Becker’s real estate practice, to break down the opportunities and obstacles developers face today and how those issues ultimately impact YOUR real estate purchasing options.

Very often, purchasers lament certain operational issues in their communities without fully understanding the developer documents which created the complex infrastructure under which they live. If you can get inside a developer’s mindset will it help you make better purchase decisions?  Donna and Jennifer’s conversation covers these issues as well the future of real estate, with trends like micro-units, mixed-use communities, and affordable housing taking center stage. They also tackle the Structural Integrity Reserve Study and how evolving regulations impact developers and homeowners alike.

And for a unique twist—Jennifer shares her passion for the arts as well as for bourbon and her role in the Bourbon Women’s Association of Louisville, celebrating the contributions of women in the bourbon industry.

Don’t miss this engaging episode packed with industry insights—plus a little bourbon wisdom to top it off!

Conversation Highlights Include: 

  • The biggest challenges developers face in today’s market
  • Trends in mixed-use and innovative development projects
  • Environmental factors influencing maintenance obligations
  • Changes in building safety and compliance standards, following the Surfside tragedy
  • How developers are integrating resilience and mitigation measures into projects, given Florida’s unique vulnerability to hurricanes and flooding
  • Are developers rethinking construction along the coastline?
  • Current state of Florida’s condo market from a developer’s perspective
  • How are developers finding ways to address the middle-market condo buyer?
  • How Public-Private Partnership projects are shaping real estate development in Florida
  • Bourbon BONUS:  Which bourbon brand would Jennifer recommend you bring along if you were stranded on a desert island!

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About Take It To The Board

Think you know what community association life is all about? Think again. Residents must obey the rules, directors must follow the law, and managers must keep it all running smoothly. Take It To The Board explores the reality of life in a condominium, cooperative or homeowners’ association, what’s really involved in serving on its board, and how to maintain that ever-so-delicate balance of being legally compliant and community spirited. Leading community association attorney Donna DiMaggio Berger acknowledges the balancing act without losing her sense of humor as she talks with a variety of association leaders, experts, and vendors about the challenges and benefits of the community association lifestyle.

If you’ve got a question, Take It To The Board with Donna DiMaggio Berger – We Speak Condo & HOA!

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