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Over the past 15 years, RJ has outperformed industry entitlement timelines by 38.7%, delivered over $1.1 Billion in real estate, and consistently got Bldg Approvals in 2-3 plan checks, faster than industry average.
Since 2003, RJ Hernandez has established himself as a distinguished leader in the residential real estate industry. He combines tenacity and a results-driven mindset with extensive expertise in land acquisition, site design, architecture, construction, and strategic planning. RJ has worked with Fortune 500 real estate investment firms, managing projects with assets exceeding $1.1 Billion. Over the years, RJ has played a pivotal role in the development, construction, and remodeling of thousands of homes and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) across Southern California. Through his experience, he has become an expert at real estate law, however is not a practicing attorney. RJ is the Best Selling Author of the Land Planner's & Developers Guidebook and several other books.
A Southern California native, RJ has lived and worked across Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. This firsthand experience provides him with an in-depth understanding of the region's diverse real estate markets. Passionate about real estate as an investment, RJ is driven by a competitive spirit and a sharp eye for detail, allowing him to anticipate and adapt to evolving market conditions.
Today, RJ remains highly active throughout Southern California, balancing his professional endeavors with personal passions. When not negotiating deals or designing homes, he dedicates time to mentoring youth and advocating for education reform. His vision is a better world for everyone, made up of self-empowerment, kindness and respect. He enjoys salsa dancing, and spending quality time with his two daughters.
Award winning residential project manager with 20+ years experience in entitlements, acquisitions, land development & building construction for thousands of Single Family & Multi-Family units and amenities. In addition to my experience, I have developed systems & methods that have led to approvals in 2–3 review cycles, effective budget stewardship of budgets ranging from $4MM–$20MM, and efficient critical path scheduling multiple projects at a time. My track record is proven, in building agency trust, de‑risking projects, and establishing standards & project trackers, to drive cadence, speed, communication, certainty, and management toward Company/business plan metrics.
Author of Land Planner’s & Developer’s Guidebook.
Strengths Finders & DISC rated strong in creativity, responsibility, learning, strategic thinking & taking command.
Forward Planning & Entitlements: CEQA compliance; tentative maps; specific plans; conditions of approval; plan check coordination; final map approval; plotting; public hearing presentations
Land Development & Construction: Oversight of horizontal improvements & offsite improvements; dry/wet utility coordination; points of connection verification; inspector coordination; bond exoneration
Acquisitions & Due Diligence: Site feasibility; entitlements risk identification/mitigation; underwriting inputs; schedule & budget creation; municipal & seller engagement; corporate investment presentations
Project Operations: Multi‑project portfolio management of up to 20 at a time; Project sizes have ranged from 55-1045 lots (avg. 250 lots); Established & enforced Standard Operating Procedures, including architectural, landscape & improvement plan standards, toward consistency & efficiency
Project Controls: Created project/priority tracking systems managing toward business plan metrics & communicative reporting; Management of regular Division staff meetings; Utilization of MS Excel & Outlook workflows (email/calendar/notes, categories/flags)
Product & Site Design Leadership: Site planning, comprehensive reviews of architectural designs, civil engineering improvement plans & landscape architecture to value engineer, constructability review, conflict avoidance, & align elements with the market & the City
Special Districts & Financing: CFD formation & annexations; SCIP coordination; agency negotiations
Procurement & Vendor Management: Scopes of work; RFPs/solicitation; bid analysis; contracting/award; scheduling/managing: civil & soils engineers, landscape architects, LD subcontractors, vendors
Government, Stakeholder & Community Relations: City/county/state/federal agency coordination; school districts & utilities; HOA interactions & property management
Regulatory & Legal Documentation: DRE & FHA approvals; public report & disclosure packages; CC&Rs development; conditions tracking from start to project closeout
Leadership & Teaming: Department leadership of 6 at a time; hiring & coaching incl. underperformers
Relationships: Established trusted relationships with governing agencies and municipalities, including the Cities of Menifee, Riverside, Wildomar, Jurupa Valley, San Jacinto and more.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE
2003
BACHELORS OF ARTS, SOCIOLOGY
Commencement Speaker
Accepted to Honors Program
Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society
Golden Key International Honor Society
UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX, ENGLAND
2001-2002
STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM
FOCUS ON BUSINESS MANAGEMENT