Feras Moussa

I was a program manager at Microsoft. Good job, good money, nothing wrong with it. I quit in 2013 to start a software company and then ultimately build Disrupt Equity to buy apartments. First deal was 99 units in Atlanta. It was a rough deal and complete reposition. Nine years later: $1B in multifamily acquisitions, and a property management company running the day-to-day with 150+ employees. Then started thinking about what else we could improve with systems and software, and give our investors strong cash-flow opportunities. So we bought a chrome plating shop. 175 people, industrial metal finishing, the kind of business nobody at Microsoft has ever thought about for one second. Three years in and it's been the hardest thing I've done. Not the manufacturing. The people. Then a water controls company. Now we're 45 days from closing a construction company that builds water and sewage treatment plants for Texas cities, the second company in the roll-up. 325 employees across three industries that have nothing to do with each other, and I'm the software guy in the room in all of them. That's what I'll be posting about.

Election Day in Houston. We're letting all our employees head home an hour early today so they can vote. How long was your line this morning, and did you go early or wait for the lunch lull?

Just closed on a business? Etinosa Agbonlahor makes the case for pricing research in the first 180 days: willingness to pay, competitors, segmentation, packaging. Examples from manufacturing, software, and services on the new M&A Launchpad. ma-launchpad.podbean.com/e/w…

42 of the top 50 apartment markets posted a month over month rent drop in October, per Apartments.com. Only 1 went up. Normal fall slowdown or something more? What are you seeing on concessions right now?

Had a great time taking the team to the McGuireWoods conference this week. Best part was the hallway conversations and meetings with ~2k folks active in M&A. Our Texas Water acquisition closes in a week, and most groups loved the story and want in on the next one! @CaseyMinshew

US News just put The Woodlands at No. 4 and Spring at No. 5 for best places to retire in the country. Pearland and Conroe made the top 20 too, out of 850+ cities. I'm 39 and already sold. Houston people, which suburb would you pick for the long haul?

If you could cancel one recurring meeting forever, no questions asked, which one goes?

Clocks fall back this weekend. Extra hour of sleep or extra hour of work. Be honest.

Houston's first halal food truck started here in 2011. Abu Omar Halal is now up to 25 trucks and restaurants across 5 states, and just opened a new spot in Webster. Love watching a Houston food truck grow like that. What's your go-to shawarma in town?

Eager to still try cybercab out, our office is *almost* inside the area!

Manufacturing folks: What do you do with your best operator who has zero interest in being a supervisor? Pay them like one anyway? Make a senior track? Or just hope they don't get poached?

Houston rents have been below the year-before level for 21 straight months per Apartment List. Median $1,269, down 2.3%. My read: the sticker rent isn't the fight. The weeks free is. Houston owners, are renewals holding up better than new leases for you?

Asked yesterday if capital got better or worse this quarter. Worse. A lot worse. NMHC debt financing index went from 46 to 10. 81% of execs said it's a worse time to borrow. Anyone actually closing a refi right now?

NMHC's quarterly apartment survey comes out today. In July, equity availability was at 44 and debt at 46. Both under 50, so tighter capital. Owners and lenders: better or worse this quarter? Guessing before the numbers land.