2017 Women in Professional Services: Amy Cheng of Avant Capital Partners

Name: Amy Cheng

Title: Principal

Company Name: Avant Capital Partners 

Years in real estate: 16

What real estate associations or organizations are you a member of? MBA of NY

How have you navigated obstacles to achieve success in your career? Obstacles are to be expected in a male-dominated industry like commercial real estate but obstacles are also a part of life and it’s through finding my own way to navigate them that I’ve defined myself as a professional. As much as things have changed for the better, you still see that the challenge for women, and especially women with children, is that when it comes to networking and building relationships, it’s often done over drinks or on the golf course. Female professionals may not have the same access to those networking opportunities but hard work, responsiveness and knowledge of your business speaks for itself, so I show clients that I know my business inside and out and that I’ll work harder than anyone else to get the job done. Real estate is a particularly challenging industry due to its cyclical nature. Our investors rely on my 16 years of experience on the lending side to accurately assess where we are in the cycle and to adapt the strategy to appropriately manage risk while still getting deals done. 

How do you play your strengths to your advantage in your career? By nature, I’m highly organized and a bit of a perfectionist. Those aspects of my personality are translated into strengths when it comes to underwriting bridge loans and managing our company’s loan portfolio. Due to the short turnaround time that we are often faced with when closing a loan, and the complex nature of the bridge loans themselves, being highly organized, efficient and detail-oriented can ensure accurate valuation of the collateral properties and an efficient closing process. After loans close, they need to be properly managed to ensure that there are no losses in our portfolio, which we’ve successfully done to date. I’m very proud of that record.

What trends are you seeing so far this year? We’re continuing to see healthy deal flow from borrowers, signaling that the commercial real estate market is still strong in the New York area. We are seeing fewer condo development projects and more repositioning opportunities. We are seeing more conservative rent growth and sales price forecasts and have adjusted out underwriting to reflect those trends. We are also seeing increased investment activity in boroughs like Queens and the Bronx.

What do you do for fun? I like to stay active and enjoy cooking, reading and spending time with my family. We have a three-year old daughter who keeps us pretty busy!