Publications & Resources

Which States

Gandolf is active in several states. We have established a list of states in which we are seeking land for new developments. If you know of a good piece of zoned land in any of these states call us. All brokers are protected.

Our Niche

Gandolf specializes in creating affordable housing. The housing we create offers rents which are targeted to people who make about 60% of the average medium income of the county. Residents who fall into this income category normally are policeman, fireman, teachers and factory workers. To meet the needs of our tenant base we are normally able to provide rents which are at least 10% below market. Because of the various financing programs that we use, we require that residents qualify based upon income.

Publications

There are a number of excellent sources of materials on the Section 42 project. Below is a selection of some web sites where you can find this material.

Neighborhood Reinvestment

For additional resources visit their website.

Property Development Resources:

Community Development Corporations and Smart Growth: Putting Policy into Practice VIEW
Elements of a Marketing Strategy VIEW (PDF)
Employer-Assisted Housing: Competitiveness Through Partnership VIEW
Expiring Affordability of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Properties VIEW
Facts: Getting Your Message Heard - A Comprehensive Guide to Media Relations VIEW
Financial Fitness Education for Potential Homebuyers: A Start-Up Guide for NWOs VIEW
How to Be Your Own Developer: Making the Development Decision VIEW
Loan Closing: A Workbook on Executing the Documents and Transferring the Funds VIEW
Loan Origination: A Workbook on Gathering and Verifying the Information VIEW
Loan Underwriting: A Workbook on Analyzing and Committing to Lend Workbook 2 VIEW
Low-Income Housing Tax Credits: A Guide for Community-Based Organizations VIEW
Managing Executive Transitions VIEW
Mortgage Lending: An Introduction for Community-Based Organizations VIEW
NeighborWorks Bright Ideas VIEW
NeighborWorks Multifamily Initiative Brochure VIEW
Turning Brownfields into Vital Community Assets: A Guide for Community-Based Orgs. VIEW
Understanding Predatory Lending: Moving Toward a Common Definition and Workable Solutions VIEW
Winning Strategies: Best Practices in Home Ownership Promotion VIEW

The Enterprise Foundation

For additional resources visit their website.

Property Management Resources:

A Guide for the Management of Low Income Housing Tax Credits
This guide is the first step in helping property owners understand the strict reporting requirements of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit. VIEW

Affordable Housing and Property Values
A review and summary of 14 different research publications affirming that affordable housing either has a positive effect or no negative effect on the market value of neighboring properties. VIEW

Asset Management of Tax Credit Projects: Know Your Numbers, the Code, and Plan for the Future
Understand key factors that result in solid asset management practices for tax credit properties.
VIEW

Cost reduction ideas for rental housing property management
A brief listing of a number of cost saving ideas for operation of rental properties. VIEW

Forms package: selected property management documents
The attached document is a brief guide developed by The Enterprise Foundation for nonprofit housing organizations.
VIEW

Life Expectancies of Components of Residential Structures
Typical useful lives for various parts of residential buildings, such as foundations, framing, finishes, mechanical components, and appliances. VIEW

Maintenance
This PowerPoint slide presentation covers virtually everything about physical maintenance of real property.
VIEW

Managing the Manager
This slide presentation would be a useful tool to generate discussion among property owners about establishing and refining the nature of the asset manager’s duties and responsibilities, and to help to develop appropriate performance standards by which the asset manager may be periodically evaluated. VIEW

Managing to Prevent Crime: A Guide for Property Managers
Learn how to create and maintain a secure, crime-resistant property. VIEW

Outline of a residential property management plan
This is an outline for developing a residential property management plan. VIEW

Property management: evaluating the competition
The decision between managing your own rental properties and contracting that service out is one that many nonprofits have agonized over. VIEW

Resident Involvement as an Asset
Understand the importance of educating, involving and engaging residents in the maintenance of the properties they inhabit. VIEW

Sample management agreement between transitional housing provider and property management agent
This document was adapted from an actual agreement between a transitional housing provider and a management agent regarding property management services for a 15-unit transitional housing facility. VIEW

Sample property management agreement - tax credit project
This document was adapted from an actual agreement used by a development firm in its rental housing development projects, which use financing raised with the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). VIEW

Sample tenant selection and certification plan - tax credit deal
This document was adapted from one actually used in several rental housing projects financed in part by use of the Low- Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC). VIEW

The Options of Property Management
Learn different forms of property management to improve the maintenance of your low-income housing property.
VIEW

What Is a Management Agreement?
Key components of a comprehensive management agreement; use as a checklist. VIEW

What is a Management Plan?
This document defines a management plan and outlines its fundamental contents. VIEW

What Is an Operations Manual?
Within the context of property and asset management, it is helpful to have an operations manual to define a property management organization’s basic policies, procedures and forms. VIEW

About the New Markets Tax Credit
This on-line document describes the New Markets Tax Credits that are allocated from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund to “qualified Community Development Entities” (CDEs) for qualified investments in low-income communities and businesses. VIEW

Property Development Resources:

Acquisition and Site Control: A Guide to Negotiating for Real Estate Acquisition
Important factors to consider when acquiring real property. VIEW

Creating Homes for People With Special Needs: A Complete Overview of the Skills and Roles Needed for Developing and Managing Supportive Housing
In this manual, housing for people with special needs is defined as affordable rental apartments or rooms built to provide the best possible environment for individuals with HIV/AIDS, mental illnesses or other disabling conditions.
VIEW

Creating Multifamily Rental Housing Through Renovation: A Complete Overview of the Skills and Finances Needed to Run a Successful Program
Multi-family housing consists of rental apartments concentrated at one site. VIEW

Developing and Managing Scattered-Site Rental Housing: A Complete Overview of the Skills and Finances Needed to Run a Successful Program
In a scattered-site rental housing program, a nonprofit housing organization acquires and renovates rental properties for low- and very low-income households. VIEW

Developing Multifamily Housing with New Construction: A Complete Overview of the Skills and Finances Needed to Run a Successful Program
Multi-family housing consists of rental apartments concentrated at one site. VIEW

Developing Single-Family Subdivisions: A Complete Overview of the Skills and Finances Needed to Run a Successful Program
A single family subdivision is a group of homes newly built on undeveloped land. VIEW

Housing rehabilitation planning checklist: regulatory and financing requirements
This document is a checklist of the typical regulatory and financing requirements that may apply to a housing project that involves rehabilitation. VIEW

Introduction to Affordable Housing: An Overview of the Skills and Finances Needed to Develop Affordable Housing
This video-workbook set was designed to help people new to the affordable housing industry understand the fundamentals. VIEW

Land Use Restriction Agreement - Moderate-Priced Homes
This legal document was created and used by a nonprofit land developer in order to recapture windfall profits from the sales of moderate-priced homes. VIEW

New Construction of Single-Family Housing for Infill: A Complete Overview of the Skills and Finances needed for Running a Successful Program
New construction infill is the construction of single-family houses on vacant lots within existing neighborhoods.
VIEW

Risks in affordable housing development: Important factors to watch
The risks involved in affordable housing development can occur throught the development process. This brief factsheet gives an overview of how to avoid risk in every phase of a project, from inception to the operations and maintenance phase VIEW

Setting cost conscious design standards
Design standards create a balance between affordability and quality. VIEW

The Developer Support System
This resource, developed by The Enterprise Foundation, is a step-by-step system to walk nonprofit developers through the development process VIEW

Property Production Resources:

Acquisition and rehabilitation cost-saving techniques
This is a checklist of ideas for containing or reducing costs of acquiring and rehabbing older buildings, for reuse as affordable housing. VIEW

Agreement between Owner and Rehabilitation Specialist
This model contract is intended for use by an organization that requires design and construction management services for a housing rehabilitation project that does not require a licensed design professional. VIEW

Cost reduction ideas for real estate development projects
Some ideas for saving money on building construction, with added emphasis on money-saving strategies in non-construction areas such as: (1) land and building acquisition, (2) infractructure, (3) financing and (4) other soft costs. VIEW

Cost-saving techniques for new home construction
Cost reduction ideas for a wide-range of costs such as fees, land and on-site utilities, building design and building construction. VIEW

Forms package: construction management for single-family housing rehabilitation programs
This Forms Package contains typical forms and sample documents used in single-family rehab construction management from the bid stage to project close-out. VIEW

Forms package: qualifying contractors for single-family rehabilitation programs
This package of forms is intended to be used or adapted by local government or nonprofit agencies which are rehabilitating single-family housing. VIEW (wordperfect 5.1 file)

Job Descriptions-Construction-Related Positions
This set of documents contains job descriptions for the following positions: Construction Manager; Housing Rehabilitation Specialist; Housing Rehabilitation Program Manager. VIEW

Life expectancies of various parts of residential structures
This table describes typical useful lives for various parts of residential buildings, such as foundations, framing, finishes, mechanical components, appliances, etc. VIEW

Model rehabilitation standards for single-family housing
This model document consists of standards for rehabilitating single-family housing, in a form that might be used by an affordable housing agency that is doing the work and/or providing special financing.
VIEW

Planning a housing development project: checklists of tasks, products and data needs
This document was developed by The Enterprise Foundation for use in development training workshops.
VIEW

Possible problems with building contractors and how to avoid them
This is a brief narrative on major problems that are encountered with building contractors. VIEW

Request for proposals: rehabilitation specifications and construction management services
This document requests proposals from firms or individuals for providing full-service specification-writing and construction management for a housing rehabilitation program. VIEW

Sample Construction Management Schedule
See a sample Gantt chart which may help improve your management of construction projects. VIEW

Substantial rehabilitation & new construction
This manual was written by the Enterprise Foundation's Rehab Work Group. VIEW

The Cost Cuts manual : nailing down savings for least-cost housing
This book covers least cost strategies and methods for the single- and multi-family development and rehabilitation process, including acquisition, consultants, construction, labor, and material. VIEW

Thinking through housing production systems
Many, if not all, nonprofit developers with a staff of five or more can benefit from an occasional analysis of the way they operate in order to produce housing. VIEW

Using professional services in residential rehabilitation projects
This document guides nonprofits in the use of architects for housing projects. VIEW

Why GANDOLF?

Gandolf's management team has several years experience in the affordable housing market. They have successful developed in over 12 states and produced over 1,500 units.

Gandolf has experience in both senior and family affordable housing. Their management team has taken projects from the idea stage through city approvals, construction and lease up. They are experienced at managing projects from afar and have a hands on management style that produces a successful result whether it is for their own portfolio or in conjunction with a local housing authority, CHDO or another non-profit group.