Episode 20: Special Guest Eric Overton with Hilltop Residential

In this episode of the Texas Land Guys Podcast, Tom and Tim Dosch catch up with their longtime friend and experienced real estate developer Eric Overton for a deep dive into Texas land development and multifamily real estate. Despite the challenges coming up in Q2 2025, like rising interest rates, changing tariffs, and supply chain issues, Eric keeps things real and shares a hopeful outlook on how to navigate today’s market.

Listeners will hear about Eric’s journey, from his early days at JLB Partners to leading DHI’s multifamily division, along with some great takeaways on using data to make decisions, staying resilient, and leading well. The episode also shines a light on the 15+ year friendship between Eric and the Dosch brothers, giving a thoughtful look at the importance of trust and communication in broker-developer relationships.

This conversation sets up Part 2, where Eric talks about his next chapter at Hilltop. Whether you’re an investor or just interested in the industry, this episode has a lot to offer.

Key Takeaways

• Market Trends and Uncertainty (Q2 2025): Why uncertainty, driven by tariffs, inflation, and rate volatility, is the hardest challenge developers face today.

• Real Estate is a Long Game: From entitlement to close, deals often take 5+ years, requiring vision, resilience, and trust.

• Intuition + Fundamentals: The best developers blend data with gut instinct and know when a pioneering move will pay off.

• Building Developer-Broker Trust: Why transparency, honesty, and shared success over time are the foundation of strong partnerships.

• Scaling Leadership: How Eric built and led a 70-person team at DHI and what it taught him about growing talent and delegating effectively.

• The Value of Transparency: Whether with clients, capital partners, or brokers, straight talk builds better deals and better outcomes.

  
  

  In This Episode:

  • [00:00:34] Introduction to Eric and the topic of discussion

  • [00:03:14] Eric’s early support in helping DMRE expand into Dallas and the first land deals they closed together.

  • [00:05:45] The current development landscape: volatility, tariffs, and the long lead times on multifamily projects.

  • [00:09:07] Why 2027 could be “heaven”  year for developers, and why 2025 is focused on survival and preparing for the next wave.

  • [00:11:41] How Eric relies on intuition and fundamentals to identify the right land and bring big-picture visions to life.

  • [00:14:24] Reflecting on pioneering developments in Houston, and what sets great developers apart from the rest.

  • [00:17:45] Eric’s transition from Crow Holdings to JLB, and how he unexpectedly found his calling in development.

  • [00:25:12] The story of when Tom joined the team, and why Eric initially thought they couldn’t work together.

  • [00:29:20] The importance of trust in working relationships with developers.

  • [00:31:36] What brokers and developers value in each other, and how transparency and teamwork drive deals forward.

  • [00:34:50] How DMRE builds trust by addressing challenges up front in the sales process.

  • [00:36:35] DMRE’s commitment to client success and its non-transactional approach.

  • [00:37:54] Eric’s transition from JLB to DHI, and the performance of those deals.

    
    

    Resources and Links
    

    Podcast

    • Texas Land Guys Podcast

    
    

    Eric Overton

    • https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-overton-217aa482

    • http://www.livehilltop.com

    
    

    Tom Dosch

    • https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-dosch-37263b3b/

    • https://dmre.com/

    • https://ascentinv.com/

    • https://100xharvest.org/

    
    

    Tim Dosch