For those that haven’t met me or are considering joining me in my journey, here’s the high level on me:
I’m Zach Molzer, a 23 y/o from Kansas City. I graduated from University of Nebraska (Go Big Red!) and immediately jumped into CRE. I got my start overseeing acquisitions and
I just bought a 99 year old, 16-story building in the heart of the city I grew up in, with plans to completely redevelop it.
More to come; but look at this beauty😍😍😍
Pickle ball is a FAD and you can’t convince me otherwise.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s fun, but it’s fat people tennis with booze. Will be so many pickle ball entertainment companies bankrupt in ~5 years
I’ve been in the Hamptons for 8 days now and I have 1 main question:
Where are the apartments? Do they not exist? If not, why? Am I blind?
I can imagine people would give up their kidney to rent a place here. Seems odd there are so few.
Want to see another unique adaptive reuse project? This developer took an old parking garage and converted it into 44 apartments.
Would you live in a building like this?
Key takeaways from NYC so far:
- Less fat people. Every city should take notes. Walkable cities create healthier people.
- Smells like cigs 95% of the time
- How do they build these high rises/ infill? Mind boggling to my KC brain
- Expensive as a whole, but nothing beats $2
hey everyone. let’s make this go viral. my bestfriend passed away in a car accident and as you can tell LeBron was his biggest fan.
@KingJames
let’s get him a signed jersey!!!
Big announcement:
In partnership with Free Heel Capital, I’m so excited to announce Molzer Development has acquired the historic Aladdin Hotel in downtown Kansas City with plans for future redevelopment. Tons more to come 🔜
@scrappyminnow
@lien_hunter
Follow along at
Case study on why smaller units are not only working, but thriving right now:
Let’s say you are a college graduate making $65,000 a year pre-tax. Your take home is ~$4,000/ month.
My generation does not want roommates, but it is hard to afford a spot without them. You should
Can’t wait til we can start construction on redevelopment of this beauty.
Really can’t wait til it is done & prove the haters wrong.
The journey is going to be a blast. Hop aboard for the ride.
Something that was not on my 2024 bingo card:
Becoming an internet meme and having
@DUDEwipes
send you their products in case of *another* emergency.
Blessed 🥹
A story full of lessons, and it all starts with a BBQ breakfast bowl from Kansas City Airport.
Here’s the story how I flew to New York City for
@realEstateTrent
&
@BobKnakal
RealEstateX Gala and ended up with food poisoning, almost dying, and bouncing back (if you don’t like
🚨Big announcement🚨
Excited for my next chapter & the journey I’m going to entail for decades to come:
Introducing Molzer Development. Molzer Development is a Kansas City based multifamily development firm.
I started Molzer Development with 3 goals in mind:
1. Bring a
Was at an investor meeting today with a gentleman & his son.
Get to talking and after about 30 min he goes, “So how old are you, 30? 29?”
One of the best compliments you can receive at a young age is when people think you are older because the way you talk & present yourself.
Looking to meet high net worth individuals for either capital partners, looking for a job, or just want to grow your network?
Find an “upscale” local bar/ restaurant that those people hang out at.
Every area has “a spot” like this.
Go there 4-6 everyday. You won’t regret it.
Just got off the phone with a Broker that has a property we would love to buy. He didn’t do anything “wrong” but I did not appreciate the tone in which he treated me. I get it, I’m 22 and sound 22; but you never know who is well capitalized & ready to close and who isn’t.
Any
Let’s talk about why not all buildings can just “be converted to resi!”
Let’s use a real example of a deal I pursued; The Scarritt Building in Downtown Kansas City.
The Scarritt Building at 818 Grand Boulevard is a 130,000 square foot, 12-story multi-tenant general historic
Our team has worked extremely hard on creating a mood and vibe that combines preservation, creativity & thoughtful touches throughout the entire project.
Introducing The Aladdin: A New History
A destination for all and a beacon of worldly influences, the Aladdin dates back to
Let’s see how wild this app really is.
Find me an off-market 100-300 unit 1970’s or newer multifamily property in either KS, MO, AR, IA, WI, ND, SD, NE, MT, IN.
If you are a broker I’ll let you buyer rep me.
If you aren’t, I’ll cut you into the GP.
DM’s open!
Today is my 23rd birthday so let’s talk about how I sourced a massive off-market deal:
I get a call on this random Tuesday afternoon from my financial advisor who’s playing golf in Branson, MO. He is wasted.
“Zach buddy! I got a guy you need to meet, he’ll make you a bunch of
The Aladdin has TONS of history, and over the next 2+ years we are excited to preserve everything we can.
Let’s start with the beautiful ballroom on the 16th floor.
These pictures are from over the years.
We can’t wait to bring the ballroom back to its glory.
After working on this deal since April 2023, I can finally share details on our latest acquisition.
We officially closed on a hotel that we will be converting to apartments. I’ve been hinting at this project for awhile now and so excited to get started.
The property currently
Why 95%+ office buildings can’t be converted into apartments👇🏽
- First, it would involve significant capital to reconfigure the mechanical layout of the building (HVAC, plumbing, fire suppression, electrical). This investment is so significant, it can often be the equivalent of
The old Westport High school in Kansas City is getting a new life.
Check out this adaptive use transformation taking an old school and converting it into apartments.
25 months until this is completely redeveloped.
Barney Allis Plaza, in the heart of downtown Kansas City.
Kansas City plans to rebuild Barney Allis Plaza's underground garage and build new public green space above ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Kansas City looks to kick
It takes a village to do anything. More importantly a massive project. If you aren’t already, you need to be following
@lien_hunter
&
@scrappyminnow
These two gents are my partners and are some of the smartest and kindest people I’ve ever met. When assembling a team, it’s
How about a first look at our design board for the amenity space at the Aladdin?
Take a step back into the roaring twenties right when you walk in.
This won’t be your generic apartment finishes.
This project will embrace history & challenge the status quo.
Been a while since I did an introduction to the abundance of new followers I've gotten!
I am Zach Molzer, a University of Nebraska alumni, born & raised in Kansas City and recently started my own development company, Molzer Development.
-------
After I graduated from UNL, I
The Young
#RETwit
Network group chat here on Twitter is filled with incredibly smart people. If you are young and in CRE, reach out so we can get you added! Tons of value to be shared.
Who would’ve thought all it took to go “viral” was almost dying of food poisoning in NYC and taking a selfie in the midst of it.
Pretty crazy! If there’s 1 lesson to be learned, it’s to not take everything so seriously. Have some fun!
Pretty crazy that I now have 5,000 people that are following me on my journey here on Twitter/ X.
Whether you are here because of the memes, think I’m a funny guy, interested in development or just following along my journey, you are all greatly appreciated.
Let’s build!📈🫡
Lots of lights out, but the lights at The Aladdin have been turned back on for the first time since March of 2020.
Still working on getting the neon working!
Going to be hosting a LIVE TWITTER SPACES walk through video of the Aladdin, showing all the spooky things, how wild it is, and some of our ideas! Q/A to follow!
106,000 sqft vacant hotel my partners and I will be redeveloping into apartments.
Stay tuned on the date/ time👀
People under estimate everything that goes into being a developer/ starting your own business in CRE.
Call my bluff all you want.
99% can’t do it. It’s exhausting. Time consuming. Stressful. And much more.
Experience in the industry does not always match your ability to do
Day 1 of Hospitality to Residential Conversion🚧🏙️
Today we have Habitat for Humanity at the hotel starting the process of removing every piece of furniture in every unit.
224 rooms of TVs, desks, beds, couches, chairs, fridges, safes, lamps, lights, fixtures, vanities, etc.
Got to walk through my mom, stepdad and little brother through the Aladdin today.
Showed them the vision, our plans etc.
My little brother: “It’s hot in here and smells weird”
Me: “Yes it is hot! And you know what that smell is? History & opportunity”
Development is sexy. Ground up, adaptive reuse, historic buildings, etc.
But you aren’t going to be seeing ANY cash flow for 3+ years. Higher risk, higher reward.
*Most* developers only develop. They don’t care for the “ugly ducklings”.
Not me! I started Molzer Development
Real phone call just now:
Mom: “How are you feeling? All better after NYC food poisoning?”
Me: “Yeah I feel great! And I’m a Twitter meme now”
Mom: “What’s a meme?”
Me: *Sends her all the memes posted so far”
Mom: “I raised a funny kid”
Yes you did, Mom. Yes you did.
Toured another historic building today to explore converting to multifamily.
Most people don’t have an eye for what this space could be.
Do you? I see some BADASS units.
So excited to continue and share more about my first massive development project: The Aladdin Hotel
When the Aladdin Hotel was completed in 1925 it was considered one of the most luxurious hotels and the tallest building in Kansas City.
Below is the Aladdin back in the day. 😍
As my partners and I gear up for the redevelopment of this gorgeous 1925 historic hotel into apartments, outside of obviously retaining history, what are some unique things you think we should do?
Amenities, design, unit finishes, etc.
Love to hear ideas! Go⬇️
If you are against the Royals going downtown, comment so I can block you for not understanding how much economic development & growth this will create in our city.
Whether you're for or against the Crossroads Stadium, I went ahead and tried to recreate angles of three renderings so that folks can see the current vs the envisioned.
You never know who you are going to meet. Smile, don’t dress like an idiot, and be willing to shake hands with literally anyone.
You will win over the long run.
Everyone, so far i hope you all are having a LegenDary year. what is more LegenDary than Landon becoming homecoming king? nothing. make it happen.
#votelandon
for your hoco king.
#BeLegenDaryLD
👑🤟🏾❤️
I constantly talk about Kansas City being the most underrated cities in the nation. Want to learn about the city in the heart of America & why I love it? You are in the right place. ⬇️
Unlike many cities, Kansas City has a plethora of unique pockets, all of which are different.
Super excited to announce that I have been selected to serve on the Board of Directors of the Kansas City Downtowners.
The KC Downtowners is an informal association of Kansas Citians who live, work and/or play in downtown Kansas City.
This organization is for people who are
Almost 6 years ago I lost my best friend in a car accident out of the blue at 10:00am on a Thursday.
Today would’ve been his 23rd bday. We always called him the “King” due to his love for LeBron so I know this birthday would’ve been extra special.
I can’t help but think he’d
I have 4 deals in my pipeline and I feel confident that I’ll be able to “break ground” on all of them over the next ~24 months.
$150MM+ of development.
Scary, but exciting!
Alarm set for 4:40am
Uber coming at 5:20am
Flight boards at 6:35am
Land in NYC at 10:35am local time
Navigate to the famous map room by 12:00pm (
@BobKnakal
)
Lunch with
@WillHuebnerRE
& others at 1:30pm
Go to hotel by 4:00pm and get ready with
@mattfranciz
Hang with my
As my partners and I begin redevelopment of this gorgeous 1925 historic hotel into apartments, outside of obviously retaining history, what are some unique things you think we should do?
From unit amenities & design, color scheme, cabinets, etc.
Love to hear ideas! Go⬇️
Ground breaking day here at Barney Allis Plaza! Exciting times. This marks the start of a $120M redevelopment of the parking garage and all new green space on top.
Very exciting time for Kansas City!
Starting in August, I will be sending out a monthly “newsletter” talking about what I am up too, market trends, fun facts, & memes!
Nothing crazy, just a method of keeping people up to date with what I’m seeing as I grow my firm.
DM me your email to get added to the list!
5 pairs of pants, 6 layers of shirts + 2 heavy jackets, 2 pairs of gloves, 3 pairs of socks, hunting boots, ski mask, 2 beanies, hunting hat with muffs and plenty of hand/feet warmers.
Will be -5 real temp at kickoff with a windchill of -30°. LETS GO CHIEFS
One of my favorite adaptive reuse projects here in Kansas City:
Park 39. Developers took the old Westport Highschool and converted it into luxury apartments.
It turned out unbelievable.
What would you do with a 3,500 sqft ballroom/ event space on the top floor of a 16 story building at an A+ location?
What would you hope to expect annual revenue would be for said space?
More context:
Kansas City needs more rooftop bars/ restaurants.
I have a project I’m planning on doing just that.
Drop some of your favorite rooftop spaces below for inspiration ⬇️
Let’s talk a little bit about the Kansas City market and why smaller, more sustainable & efficient units are not only needed, but are some of the most sought after product type downtown.
Here’s a 🧵 with statistics & information:
The Aladdin was shut down in COVID and has sat vacant since March 2020.
80% of the hotel rooms have been locked with made beds & towels ready to go since then.
A true time capsule.
More about this will be in my next newsletter ⬇️