43. CRE Investment Insights with Dr. David Hartzell & Caroline O’Neill, UNC Kenan-Flagler PE Fund

The University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler private equity fund was the first student-run real estate fund whose mission was to invest outside capital in an educational setting to deliver real returns for investors. In a special episode, we welcome Dr. David Hartzell, Director of the Leonard Wood Center for Real Estate Studies at UNC, and Caroline O’Neill, full-time MBA student and manager of UNC’s fund. We discuss their CRE investment strategies, deal sourcing for the fund, shifting demographics and consumer tastes, pockets of opportunity, and how the pandemic has impacted the market. Listen here.

Episode Notes:
Online learning and the post-pandemic job market (2:13)
UNC’s student run private equity real estate fund (7:09)
Fund performance and deal sourcing (9:51)
Shifting consumer tastes and demographics (21:32)
Pockets of opportunity (27:31)
Comparing the pandemic to the Great Financial Crisis (34:21)