Who did you meet with today?

Today we met with Crystal Langdon, a Managing Director of Investments at Blueprint. Her key responsibilities at Blueprint include assessing the affordability of construction projects for schools, managing a team that identifies sources of financing for school construction projects, and overseeing Blueprint’s investments in projects. Her reason for taking on this role is that she believes every child should have access to an amazing school where they are safe and loved as there has been a negative history of unequal education in the United States. Also, she believes everyone deserves an affordable home and equal housing. She has a strong belief in trying to do what’s right when something is unfair.

Where do they work? What does the company do?

Crystal works at Blueprint as the Managing Director of Investments. Blueprint is a full-service nonprofit real estate development firm that manages the aspects of site search, construction, design, and financing. This company partners with charter schools to improve learning environments and even create new ones to provide more learning opportunities for all students, regardless of their background, in various under-resourced communities.

What did you learn today? What were some highlights?

During our meeting, I learned many more concepts related to financing, expanding my knowledge of different kinds of loans, such as student, home, car, business, and payday loans. Even the basic parts of loans, like the principal, interest, and term, all play a role. I needed to remember there is less interest if more principal is paid monthly, and longer loan periods increase interest paid even if the monthly payment itself is less. A highlight was watching a clip of the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, which is a favorite for or is known to many. Another highlight was the game “Shady Sam,” which helped us think more about how the basics can come into play in real-life situations, and how loan sharks can take advantage of many when they do not understand financial concepts.

What insight did you gain into the field of real estate development?

The insight that I gained from this session into real estate development is that projects will always need to be financed. There are various basics of loans, like collateral, which can be secure or unsecured, and the interest rates that can be predictable or unpredictable. I learned how people have to manage all of this and be able to understand this for personal gain. Financing plays a very important part in real estate development as it impacts the cost of the overall project.

What did you find the most interesting about the field of real estate after today?

I found the concept of loans the most interesting in the field of real estate after today.  I did not think interest had as big of an impact as it does when getting a loan. When you want to purchase anything and take a loan, you should really pay attention to the details to ensure you are not losing money. There is a loan, most of the time, taken out when purchasing something large, and there are many parts to it that contribute to its price and how the process can work.