About
A developer and underwriter who can also build the tools.
As Executive Director at ROC Affordable Housing Corporation, I run deals end to end: site selection, pro formas, the capital stack, funding applications, zoning, and closing. I've secured over $2.5 million in public financing for a new-construction and rehab pipeline in rural Western New York.
I work across the full real estate capital stack: debt, equity, and the layered subsidy that makes hard deals pencil. My deepest specialty is affordable-housing finance (LIHTC and state credits, historic and brownfield credits, HOME and the housing trust funds, FHLBank AHP, USDA, FHA debt, and HUD rental assistance), the most complex stack in real estate. The same underwriting, pro forma, and structuring discipline carries straight into market-rate multifamily, mixed-use, and acquisitions.
I also build the software I use for this work. With AI, I turn deep domain knowledge into working tools: an underwriting engine, a geospatial site-selection tool, and workflow systems for predevelopment and public funding, without a full engineering team.
Experience
Development, finance, operations, and real estate work.
Jan 2025 - Present
East Aurora, NY
Executive Director
ROC Affordable Housing Corporation
- Secured $2.5M+ in public financing for a rural pipeline: SRDI ($1.999M), Erie County HOME ($300K), and HOME-ARP ($500K).
- Own underwriting end to end on a new-construction + rehab pipeline in North Collins, NY: pro formas, sources & uses, capital stack, and funding applications.
- Lead zoning, SEQRA, HDFC formation, and design to move projects to readiness.
- Built internal tools that automate funding compliance, reporting, and project tracking.
- Co-hosted Erie County's 4th Annual Housing Summit (Nov 2025) for elected officials and developers across Western NY.
Feb 2024 - Jan 2025
Buffalo, NY
Graduate Assistant
UB Foundations, Inc.
- Built program infrastructure for the Advanced Graduate Certificate in Affordable Housing.
- Conducted East Side field research on neighborhood conditions and revitalization.
Aug 2021 - Mar 2023
Bengaluru, India
Property & Investment Manager
Samrudhi Developers
- Led business development and client relationships across a 25-acre township and a 3-acre residential project.
- Ran investor outreach, lease negotiations, and investment analysis informing capital decisions.
Selected work
Built in the field, and written down for the sector.
Tools
The software behind the underwriting.
I build the models I underwrite with, so the analysis is mine end to end.
Underwriting engine
A decimal-precision Section 42 engine covering credit math, eligible basis, bond-test validation, pro forma, and investor IRR with DOCX/PPTX export and 1,700+ automated tests. Solo-built with AI.
Site-selection tool
A geospatial tool built on PostGIS that maps QCT/DDA boundaries, parcels, and zoning with row-level-secured data and an automated code auditor. Solo-built with AI.
Field notes
Writing at the edge of housing, finance, and civic technology.
01
LIHTC from the Ground Up
First edition, post-OBBBA, 2026. A practical guide to Low-Income Housing Tax Credits for developers, operators, and public-sector partners.
02
The hidden cost of administrative friction
Forthcoming. An essay in progress.
03
What software can actually fix in affordable housing
Forthcoming. An essay in progress.
Education
Aug 2023 - Dec 2024
M.S. Real Estate Development
University at Buffalo
GPA 3.6. Advanced Graduate Certificate in Affordable Housing. Capstone: Cobblestone District redevelopment. Thesis: sustainable affordable housing for Rust Belt cities.
2018 - 2022
B.E. Civil Engineering
BMS College of Engineering, Bangalore
GPA 3.2.
Publications & Service
LIHTC from the Ground Up
First edition, post-OBBBA, 2026: a practitioner's guide to Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.
ULI UrbanPlan
Judging panelist (2025, 2026).
Certifications
LEED Green AssociateA.CRE Accelerator (RE financial modeling)HUD Housing Counseling CertificationMcKinsey Forward Program (2025)
Skills
Real Estate DevelopmentReal Estate FinanceAcquisitions & UnderwritingFinancial Modeling & Pro FormasCapital Stack StructuringEquity Waterfalls & JV StructuringDebt StructuringAsset ManagementMarket & Feasibility AnalysisAffordable Housing FinanceLIHTC & Section 42 ComplianceZoning & SEQRAAI-Assisted SoftwareGeospatial / ArcGISAutoCAD
Contact
Working on housing, civic tech, or the messy workflows between them?
Emailrsvb404@gmail.com
Work emailvignesh@habitatiq.dev
LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/rsvigneshb
Phone+1 (716) 907-9562
LocationBuffalo, NY