Today we’d like to introduce you to Randi Williams.
Randi, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
The year was 2019 when I started my journey to homeownership. I watched HGTV and couldn’t get enough of the new shows that used innovative ways to build homes. I sought out building my own home, but Baltimore City DHCD wasn’t going for it. Vacants to Value required proof of cash and not home loans. Even lenders looked at me as crazy when I asked to convert my home loan into a construction loan.
As I moved away from the idea of building a container home, I toured a few more townhomes and stopped searching just before Christmas. I restarted my search during the height of COVID-19 saving enough money to get me to closing, but not to maintain. The housing market during COVID-19 was intense. I lost 10 bids before finding an off-market deal through a friend from college.
I’ve been in my home for 3 years and found navigating the space as a homeowner quite degrading. You can make money and have equity and still not be qualified for additional funding to make improvements or grow your business. During this time I met with Baltimore City regularly and even became a Department of Planning Fellow. As I learned more about urban planning I continued my research discovering multiples nuances of building with sustainable materials to challenge construction cost and delivery time.
Honestly, Metallic Luxury was initially created to build disaster relief housing options for urban places that experience hurricane like New Orleans and Jamaica, but I saw a need for sustainable construction in Baltimore as well. The company was later redefined as a sustainable development company that creates space for generational families being priced out of their favorite neighborhoods using modular container frameworks. Modular containers allow us to challenge construction costs, sustainable material usage, steel framed structures, advocate for inclusive insurance and home loan options, reduce home buying competition, and educate each of our buyers about how to live sustainably.
Metallic Luxury is comprised of builders who live and work in Baltimore City. We have welders, architects, engineers, underground utilities, and housing manufacturers. We provide two home loan options and are supported by multiple entities in the DMV area.
Today, I operated as a Founder with a strong commitment to community. I am a Farm Steward with Acres for Change at Green Street Academy, Social Enterprise at Innovation Works, Seawall Development Black Developers Collective Member, JHU Social Innovation Lab Cohort Member for the 2023-2024 Year, Board Member of Smalltimore Homes and The LeadHership Project, and start a 2 year appointment with MD Comptroller’s Women Economic Council. Metallic Luxury has also been recognized by the Black Developers Collective Initiative spearheaded by the Low Income Investment Fund and the National Affordable Housing Trust.
I am a challenger of sustainable development to push Baltimore into becoming an environmentally friendly Blue Zone. I hope that I am doing myself justice, but I’ve been at this for 5 years and so much has changed, greatly, for us as developers, future home buyers, and farmers.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and International Studies & I have a master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration. Corporately, I’m trained as a policy and compliance analyst, so I took some of those skills to build a Baltimore building code-compliant house. This explains why I tried to build my own home, LOL.
ational Studies & I have a master’s degree in Public Policy and Administration. Corporately, I’m trained as a policy and compliance analyst, so I took some of those skills to build a Baltimore building code-compliant house. This explains why I tried to build my own home. LOL.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
HELL NO. I’m black. I’m a woman. I don’t take no for an answer. No just means Next Opportuniy. I’m also young, 29 years young at that. Obstacle is my middle name when it comes to housing. Let’s talk about it.
In the beginning, men didn’t want to listen and because I’m so new, they threw fear into the conversation rather than advice. One year I spoke to a guy who was recommended by an acquaintance but she explained that he was very well-versed in real estate development, etc. I took her word for it. I called this guy and he laughed over the phone and said, containers? Are you sure Baltimore City said yes? I replied and said yes, I’m sure, but I’d like your help. He said Baltimore isn’t going for it, so I’m not sure I’d be of any help because I tried that already and don’t think you’ll be successful either.
Another man told me that my idea was crap and the neighborhoods I chose weren’t worth this kind of investment. This guy happens to be black, not from Baltimore and has no idea I took that to heart.
Now as we move into the nuances of housing, well, building with steel is a risk and one that is costly to insure. Finding an insurance company that willfully stated they insured steel structures took about 3 years. Just about the same amount of time as it did to find a lender that would write a home loan for the steel structure. Building container homes on site is different than building in a manufacturer’s facility.
Unfortunately, it requires a lot more red tape to get around. Yet again, because I’m new, I left many a meetings in tears and upset after talking to men who truly had no clue. It was so bad that the only person I could talk to was a friend of mine from college, who happened to be a realtor. She set aside time to work with me on building out this product and still meets with me til this day.
Additionally, it’s complicated to raise money for a project that people deem impossible. Even a previous business partner expressed telling a friend not to invest because he can’t guarantee the project is going to work out. Meanwhile, Baltimore City DHCD is taking 11 months and counting to make a decision on land that we submitted a proposal for last year. Patience is the only skill that can hold you through development.
As you know, we’re big fans of Metallic Luxury. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We provide quality, affordable, and sustainable homes utilizing modular assembly of shipping containers and lumber with local manufacturing facilities that can be assembled in 30 days. We offer end-to-end design, construction, and move-in readiness within 4 months.
Each buyer has the option to purchase within four tiers of affordability (e.g., Studios are 90k, 1BD/1BA $150k, 2BD, or custom). Anything above $300k is custom and pricing no longer fits within the affordable housing parameters. We practice restorative justice in Baltimore’s real estate space. It allows us to rebuild communities utilizing new and restored materials local to Baltimore. Our solution allows the buyer or renter to redefine affordability for themselves. We are committed to advocating and designing equitable communities in West Baltimore.
It is essential to continuously evaluate and adjust the development plan based on the feedback of our work together expressed by the communities involved to ensure a meaningful and impactful study.
The following collectives work with or advise me on multiple housing projects deploying in West Baltimore: Baltimore City Department of Planning; Park Heights Renaissance; Organizing Black; Innovation Works & Ignite Capital; Alice Kennedy, Baltimore City Housing Commissioner; Kate Edwards, Baltimore City Housing Commissioner; Stephanie Staats, Director of Baltimore City Field Office for HUD; Joe Gallo, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Johns Hopkins Office of Economic Development; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Acres 4 Change; The Low Income Investment Fund; Enterprise Community Partners.
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Dream the dream, but fulfill the vision. My mother raised me to learn about all perspectives of each person participating and to never base it on how or why I like them. She would encourage me to just listen and learn from them.
Fortunately, using this advice has helped me engage some of the most savvy people here in Baltimore. She has always been the motivation every morning to push the envelope, talk to people of all walks, and do the work associated with keeping this business. Building communities is simply about creating connections.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.metallicluxury.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/metallicluxury
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100075897196093
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randi-williams-mpap/
