Over the years, we’ve been pulled into real estate situations a little too late.
A lease already signed that never should have been.
A building purchased before anyone confirmed the use was actually permitted.
Renovations underway before the full scope of code, zoning, or life-safety requirements was understood.
What stands out is that these situations don’t come from a lack of intelligence or care. Quite the opposite.
Many of the people making these decisions are extremely capable at what they do. Teachers. Doctors. Executive directors. Leaders running complex organizations with real impact. But real estate is not their primary discipline, and in many cases, they don’t have a real estate department to lean on.
That gap is where problems start.
Real estate decisions are rarely just about finding a building and moving in. The moment there is a change of use, a relocation, or a renovation, the risk profile shifts. Zoning definitions matter. Permitted uses matter. Fire and life-safety requirements change. Accessibility, parking ratios, utilities, egress, sprinklers, and structural capacity all come into play. Any one of these can trigger delays, unexpected costs, or force a project to stop altogether if they aren’t addressed early.
Even before that, the process itself can be overwhelming.
Who is the right broker for this specific use?
Do you need an architect first, or a contractor?
How much due diligence is required versus what simply sounds good on paper?
What questions should be asked before a lease or purchase agreement is signed?
For organizations without internal real estate expertise, these questions often get answered in real time, sometimes after commitments have already been made.
We’ve seen too many nonprofits and mission-driven organizations forced to operate reactively because they don’t have the resources to maintain a real estate department. At the same time, the decisions they are making can affect their budgets, operations, and ability to deliver services for years, sometimes decades.
That reality is why TWYN stepped up its advisory work.
Not to sell more services.
Not to overcomplicate the process.
But to fill a real gap we kept seeing in the field.
In many cases, our role is to act as an extension of our client’s organization. We function as their real estate department from the very beginning. That means helping shape decisions before a site is selected, assembling the right team at the right time, and pressure-testing assumptions early, when changes are still manageable and options still exist.
It also means slowing things down when necessary.
Confirming a use is permitted before design dollars are spent.
Understanding what a “simple renovation” actually entails once code officials weigh in.
Identifying exposure points before they turn into budget overruns or missed timelines.
Good advisory work isn’t flashy. Its value is often in what doesn’t happen. Projects that don’t derail. Leases that don’t trap organizations in bad positions. Capital that stays focused on the mission instead of being redirected to fix preventable mistakes.
At its core, this work is about advocacy.
It’s about looking out for our clients’ interests from day one.
Helping smart people ask better questions in an unfamiliar space.
Reducing risk where possible and making informed decisions when risk can’t be avoided.
That’s why we’ve leaned further into advisory work. Too many organizations are being asked to navigate complex real estate decisions without a map, and the cost of getting it wrong is simply too high.
