Our Investment Approach

Built on Experience. Focused on Value.

More than four decades of real estate experience have shaped a disciplined strategy for finding opportunities, improving assets, and building long-term value

At A Better Way Realty, our investment approach has been shaped by more than four decades of hands-on real estate experience. Led by founder Jim Flint, ABWR has invested across a wide range of property types and markets, from mobile home parks and self-storage facilities to commercial properties, land development, assisted living, and other specialized housing.

While the properties and markets have changed over the years, the approach has remained consistent: find opportunities in growing markets or identify properties where strategic improvements can create additional value.

Investing With a Purpose

ABWR looks beyond the purchase price when evaluating an opportunity. We consider the strength of the market, long-term demand, potential income, appreciation, operational performance, and opportunities to improve the property or its competitive position.

Our investment philosophy focuses on three primary benefits of real estate:

Income

Creating consistent cash flow from well-positioned real estate properties

Tax Advantages

Using depreciation and 1031 exchanges to maximize tax efficiency

Equity Growth

Building long-term value through appreciation and property improvements

Every investment emphasizes these benefits differently. Our goal is to identify opportunities that make sense based on the property, market conditions, and objectives of our investment partners.

Experience Across Real Estate.

Jim Flint has been actively involved in real estate since the early 1980s. Over the years, he has formed partnerships to acquire mobile home parks, self-storage facilities, commercial properties, development land, fix-and-flip projects, and specialized residential properties across multiple states.

One of Jim’s early partnerships acquired a Fort Collins mobile home park for $1.25 million using a $250,000 down payment and seller financing. Three years later, the property sold for $2.075 million.

That experience helped shape an important part of ABWR’s investment philosophy: making a smart acquisition is only part of the equation. Investors also need to understand when an asset has reached its potential and when capital may be better deployed elsewhere.

That means continually evaluating appreciation potential, cash flow, internal rate of return (IRR), and market conditions, along with whether an asset is positioned to grow, stabilize, or decline.

Creating Value Through Active Ownership.

ABWR has never relied on appreciation alone

Many of our investments involve properties where renovations, operational improvements, better management, repositioning, or changing market conditions can create additional value.

For example, ABWR partnerships acquired two self-storage facilities in Mobile, Alabama and made targeted improvements to both properties. One was eventually sold for a modest gain, while the other nearly doubled in value within three years. Capital from the investments was then reinvested into an assisted living property in Arizona.

This approach—acquire, improve, evaluate, and strategically reinvest—continues to influence how ABWR looks at opportunities today.

A Growing Focus on Senior Housing.

Since entering the assisted living sector in 2018, senior housing has become a significant part of ABWR’s investment strategy.

What began with a handful of acquisitions has grown into a diverse portfolio spanning Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Illinois, Maryland, and Texas. Our investments range from boutique residential assisted living homes with 8 to 16 beds to larger licensed communities accommodating more than 100 residents.

ABWR By the Numbers

76

Assisted Living Acquisitions

$134M
+

in Real Estate Investments

1,527

Licensed Beds

$97M
+

Currently Owned Assests

Through acquisitions, renovations, development, and professional management, ABWR has built a scalable approach to senior housing focused on improving properties, supporting quality care environments, and creating long-term value for investment partners.

Our continued ownership of more than $97 million in assets also reflects an important part of our philosophy: we are not simply acquiring properties to resell them. We are willing to own and improve quality assets when we believe the long-term fundamentals remain strong.

Why Senior Housing?

America’s aging population continues to create demand for quality assisted living and memory care communities. We believe this creates opportunities for experienced real estate investors who understand both the property and operational sides of the business.

ABWR combines decades of real estate experience with professional senior housing management to identify well-positioned properties, improve operations, and expand into markets where we see long-term demand.

It is the same fundamental approach we have applied throughout our history: identify strong markets, find opportunities to create value, and invest with a long-term perspective.

Strategic Reinvestment

Selling a successful investment does not necessarily mean the investment strategy ends.

ABWR has frequently used 1031 exchanges to transition capital from one real estate investment into another. Over the years, this has included moving from single-family rentals and self-storage properties into commercial real estate and senior housing opportunities.

ABWR partnerships have also acquired triple-net commercial properties leased to national brands, including NAPA Auto Parts, Dollar General, and Family Dollar. These investments provided another way for partners to diversify into professionally managed real estate while reducing many of the day-to-day responsibilities associated with traditional rental ownership.

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