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Since 2003, RJ Hernandez has established himself as a leader in the residential real estate development and construction industry. Throughout his career, RJ has worked with Fortune 500 real estate investment firms and he is the Best Selling Author of the Land Planner's & Developers Guidebook.
- $1.1B+ in residential assets capitalized, advised, developed.
- 20+ years focused on land, entitlements, and ground‑up housing development.
- Entitlement timelines averaging ~38.7% faster than local jurisdictional baselines.
- Most projects approved within 2–3 plan‑check cycles, through methodical quality control.
- Project scale from 8-922 units per community, across suburban, infill, and master‑planned sites.
RJ is a relentless executor who creates unfair advantages and finishes what others can’t. RJ helps partners achieve, by combining relentless execution, strategic navigation, and magnetic influence, so desired outcomes happen faster with fewer surprises. Put RJ on the hard stuff. He outworks, outthinks, and out-influences the chaos, so the outcome gets delivered when others stall.
RJ is a Southern California native, and has lived and worked throughout Southern California. Today, 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 mentorship, salsa dancing, travel, reading non-fiction, writing, and spending quality time with his two daughters. He lives in Newport Beach, CA.
Entitlements & Land Planning
Entitlements & Land Planning
Entitlements & Land Planning
- Designs entitlement strategies that align land plans, political realities, and capital constraints.
- Leads pre‑application, staff, and public hearing processes with cities, agencies, & communities.
- Coordinates full consultant teams to keep submittals clean and defensible.
- Navigates zoning changes, plan amendments, and overlays to unlock highest and best use.
- Negotiates conditions of approval to protect the project.
Development & Construction
Entitlements & Land Planning
Entitlements & Land Planning
- Translates entitlement packages into horizontal and vertical development plans.
- Builds realistic pre‑con budgets and schedules tied to absorption, capital requirements.
- Runs GC/CM selection, bid processes, and contract negotiations with clear scopes.
- Drives value engineering without compromising core positioning.
- Manages RFIs & submittals to hold schedule and budget.
Acquisitions & Due Diligence
Entitlements & Land Planning
Acquisitions & Due Diligence
- Sources and screens land opportunities through brokers, principals, and off‑market relationships.
- Underwrites deals with a strict entitlement, construction, and capital formation lens.
- Leads due diligence across title, environmental, soils, utilities, traffic, and political risk.
- Structures JV, debt, and preferred equity to align land risk with capital expectations.