Publications

January 2007
Teaching Note

Habitat for Humanity International in South Africa (TN)

By: Nicolas P. Retsinas and Arthur I Segel

Keywords: Nonprofit Organizations; Housing; Construction Industry

November 1999 (Revised April 2008)
Case

Revere Street

By: Arthur I Segel, John H. Vogel, Jr., Lisa Strope and Erich Dylus

Although inexperienced in real estate, Edward Alexander hopes in June 1999 that youthful enthusiasm and an $80,000 inheritance will help him enter the real estate business. His experience chronicles the process of finding, evaluating, and acquiring a four-unit... View Details

Keywords: Acquisition; Investment; Housing; Real Estate Industry; Boston

August 2008 (Revised January 2014)
Case

Polanco: A Fashionable Opportunity

By: Arthur I Segel and Ben Creo

Roberto Charvel is a young MBA graduate making his first personal real estate investment in his native Mexico City. Charvel is planning to purchase and renovate a nine-unit apartment building. Is the market good? Should he sell or lease the units? How should he handle... View Details

Keywords: Investment; Housing; Leasing; Property; Real Estate Industry; Mexico City

15 Mar 2010
HBS Case

Developing Asia’s Largest Slum

examine ongoing efforts to forge a public-private partnership between the state government and for-profit developers. The goal is to transform Dharavi into a neighborhood offering desirable, market-rate residential and commercial real estate while providing its... View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Construction; Real Estate

1980
Other Unpublished Work

Condominium Conversion in Massachusetts: An Evaluation of its Benefits and Costs

By: Dutch Leonard, J.F. Kain and K.E. Case

Keywords: Housing; Cost vs Benefits; Massachusetts

October 2014 (Revised June 2021)
Teaching Note

Making Room for the Baby Boom: Senior Living

By: Charles F. Wu and Ben Eppler

Tom Alperin's firm National Development is an experienced multifamily and commercial developer in the Northeast. It has a strong track record for working on challenging projects, delivering high quality products and generating strong returns for his investors. The firm... View Details

Keywords: Housing; Age; Investment Return; Construction Industry; Real Estate Industry; Massachusetts

June 2015 (Revised January 2016)
Case

To Buy or What to Buy: Your First Home

By: Charles F. Wu, Steven Hirsch, Beatrice Liem, Kevin Ryan and Derrick Snyder

Peter and Kate Rose are a young couple looking to buy their first home in the Boston area. They have narrowed down a target list to three homes, but are also considering whether it makes sense to buy a home in the first place. They must make decisions regarding which... View Details

Keywords: Real Estate; Real Assets; Investing; Personal Investing; Brokerage; Housing; Property; Private Ownership; Investment; Real Estate Industry; United States; Boston; New England; Massachusetts; North America

2002
Book

Low-Income Homeownership: Examining the Unexamined Goal

By: Nicolas P. Retsinas and Eric S. Belsky

Keywords: Poverty; Housing; Goals and Objectives

Find at Harvard

September 2003 (Revised September 2004)
Case

Hearthside Homes

By: Jason R. Barro, Brian J. Hall and Aaron Zimmerman

Investigates the "controllability problem" inherent in bonus systems. Ideally, an incentive system accurately measures performance in areas that the individual can control. But most measures are either too broad, including factors outside the influence of the employee,... View Details

Keywords: Motivation and Incentives; Housing; Performance Evaluation; Construction Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Real Estate Industry

1978
Other Unpublished Work

Baseline Analysis of the Urban Homesteading Program

By: Dutch Leonard

Keywords: Housing; Programs; Urban Scope

1989
Chapter

Permanent Homelessness in America?

By: Brian Hall and Richard B. Freeman

Keywords: Social Issues; Poverty; Housing; United States

Find at Harvard

2020
Chapter

Climate Change Is Going to Transform Where and How We Build

By: John D. Macomber

As fires, floods, and droughts increasingly threaten homes, businesses, and other institutions, climate risk has become financial risk. This implies that homeowners and investors have been making location decisions without properly pricing the cost of potential peril,... View Details

Keywords: Climate Change; Housing; Mortgages; Geographic Location; Real Estate Industry

Read Now

January 1992 (Revised March 1993)
Case

Maison Bouygues

By: John A. Quelch

The vice president of marketing is reviewing the 1991 marketing plan and budget for Maison Bouygues, the leading builder of new single family homes in France. Due to recession, the company's sales are forecast to be flat and adjustments may need to be made in the... View Details

Keywords: Housing; Marketing Strategy; Forecasting and Prediction; Brands and Branding; Construction Industry; France

April 2016 (Revised December 2019)
Case

Dan Gilbert: Crazy or Crazy Like a Fox?

By: Nori Gerardo Lietz

Keywords: Detroit; Rock Ventures; Dan Gilbert; Real Estate; Buildings and Facilities; Demographics; Financial Crisis; Government and Politics; Housing; Risk and Uncertainty; Real Estate Industry; United States

September 1993 (Revised January 1994)
Case

Habitat for Humanity International

Habitat for Humanity, a not-for-profit, volunteer-based home builder, is coping with years of rapid growth and success. They now face a series of options to continue their successful course and must make corresponding organizational adjustments. Teaching objectives... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Nonprofit Organizations; Growth Management; Housing; Service Industry; United States