New Housing Development Breaks Ground in Hampton

Michael Robins is a red seal licensed mechanic turned developer. Originally from the small waterfront town of Port Dover Ontario, Michael was drawn to the east coast to further pursue development opportunities. Following the success of his mechanical service company, he started investing in local real estate, and today he is making a mark in the Saint John Region through the development of White Pines.

He shares how when his parents moved to Port Dover, nobody wanted to live there, but the growth it has experienced has flipped perspectives, and it is now a sought-after location.

“I took that same experience from my own town expanding and growing like it had and connected that to a lot of the towns on the east coast,” he said. “I can just see the demand. I can see why people would want to live here.”

Michael’s company Robins Investments doesn’t focus on cities, but rather on where people want to move to from the cities.

“I look at a centre, and then I look at what's surrounding it,” he explained. “I ask where are people going? What does that community offer?”

And communities within the Saint John Region are offering the opportunity to live in perfect balance. He discovered land in Hampton and is breaking ground on White Pines, a mixture of one-story Townhouses, and a 24-unit apartment building spread across nearly seven acres.

Robins Investments has also purchased more than 37 acres of multi-use land in Rothesay for the future development of semi-detached, single-family homes, townhouses, and multi-unit apartment buildings.

He shares how he is trying to bring more modern development and real estate techniques to the area and understands there is an education process that comes with someone new in the community.

“I'm working really hard to build trust with the community and to build trust with my buyers. I feel like anybody that has the opportunity to talk to me, should give me the opportunity to tell you about myself,” he said. “Once we have that conversation, then people can trust a little bit more. I'm not some big scary developer. I am from a small town and run a family business.”
 

He explained how when he goes into a community, he is a guest, and how it is important for him to leave that community better than when I found it.

“I'll always make less money to ensure a better product is put out for the consumer,” he said.

As Michael continues to try and break a stigma towards the development industry, he shared how he wants community feedback to ensure he is not impacting anyone in a negative way. He looks forward to being part of the growth happening within the region and to watching the White Pines development come to life.

To learn more about the White Pines project and Robins Investments, click here: https://robinsinvestments.com/projects_rentals/whitepines/