Weekly Real Estate News
Simple Content Summary: Wafra and Hunt Companies launched Strata Land Partners on November 2, 2026, a U.S. residential land-finance platform led by former Landsea Homes president and COO Mike Forsum. The platform begins with projects comprising approximately 1,300 single-family lots. The sponsors did not disclose a total capital commitment or the locations of those projects.
Two investment groups have launched a new financing platform aimed at helping U.S. homebuilders secure land and fund residential lot development at a time when construction costs and borrowing conditions are complicating land decisions.
Wafra and Hunt Companies announced the formation of Strata Land Partners on Monday, November 2. The platform begins with projects comprising approximately 1,300 single-family lots and is designed to provide financing solutions for both public and privately held homebuilders.
Mike Forsum, the former president and chief operating officer of Landsea Homes, will serve as chief executive. Forsum has more than four decades of homebuilding industry experience, according to the sponsors.
A new source of capital for residential land
Strata plans to work with builders and developers on land acquisition, residential lot development and capital management. Rather than announcing a single completed loan or land purchase, Wafra and Hunt are establishing an investment and operating platform intended to support multiple projects.
The sponsors did not disclose the dollar amount committed to Strata, the financing terms available to builders, or the geographic breakdown of the approximately 1,300 lots associated with its launch. The number of lots should not be interpreted as homes already under construction or guaranteed future deliveries.
Wafra, a global alternative investment manager, reported approximately $30 billion in assets under management in its announcement. Hunt Companies, based in El Paso, Texas, has investment and operating businesses spanning real estate, infrastructure and financial services.
Why land financing matters to builders
Land is a major capital commitment for homebuilders. Buying and developing lots can tie up money long before finished homes generate sales proceeds. Land-banking and related financing arrangements can give builders a way to control future construction opportunities while managing how much capital they invest upfront.
Such arrangements carry their own costs and contractual risks, and Strata has not publicly disclosed the terms of its proposed transactions. The launch nevertheless adds an institutionally backed participant to a financing segment that can be especially important for private builders without the balance-sheet flexibility of large publicly traded companies.
Forsum said the platform was designed around the operational realities of homebuilding and the need for financing partners that understand those challenges. Wafra and Hunt described the venture as a response to demand for more flexible capital structures in residential development.
The announcement does not establish how many new homes the platform will ultimately finance or when the initial lots might be developed. Those results will depend on individual transactions, local approvals, builder demand and market conditions.
Primary source: Wafra and Hunt Companies launch announcement, November 2, 2026, 9:00 a.m. Eastern.
Featured image: Illustrative aerial view of residential housing; the pictured properties are not identified as Strata Land Partners projects. Photo: CHUTTERSNAP/Unsplash.
