DREM Dream Homes and Development Corporation (PK)

Item 1A. Risk Factors

The Purchase of the Shares is highly speculative and involves a high degree of risk. Each prospective Investor is urged to consider carefully the risk factors discussed below, in addition to the risks set forth elsewhere, in determining whether an investment in the Company should be made and is appropriate for them. You should not invest in our common stock unless you can afford to lose your entire investment and you are not dependent on the funds you are investing.

Our business operations have been and may continue to be materially and adversely affected by the outbreak of the novel respiratory illness coronavirus (“COVID-19”).

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the novel respiratory illness COVID-19 a pandemic. The new strain of COVID-19 is considered to be highly contagious and poses a serious public health threat. The outbreak of COVID-19 emerged in China, where many of the Company’s material suppliers are located.

Any outbreak of such epidemic illness or other adverse public health developments may materially and adversely affect the global economy, our markets and our business. A prolonged disruption or any further unforeseen delay in our operations of the manufacturing, delivery and assembly process within any of our market areas could continue to result in delays in the delivery of products and services to our customers, increased costs and reduced revenue.

We cannot foresee whether the outbreak of COVID-19 will be effectively contained, nor can we predict the severity and duration of its impact. If the outbreak of COVID-19 is not effectively and timely controlled, our business operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected as a result of the deteriorating market outlook, the slowdown in regional and national economic growth, weakened liquidity and financial condition of our customers or other factors that we cannot foresee. Any of these factors and other factors beyond our control could have an adverse effect on the overall business environment, cause uncertainties in the regions where we conduct business, cause our business to suffer in ways that we cannot predict and materially and adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our Board of Directors contains two independent directors.

Our board is composed of three members, Vincent Simonelli, Christopher Deiterich & Richard Pezzullo. Mr. Simonelli and affiliated companies, current own or control 56.80% of the issued and outstanding common stock shares of Dream Homes & Development Corporation. Christopher Deiterich is the second board member, SEC counsel for the Company and an independent director. Mr. Pezzullo was previously an employee of Dream Homes, serving as the VP of Information Technology, but no longer holds that position, though he remains as third member of the board. The NASDAQ is the exchange that we selected in order to determine whether our directors and committee members meet the independence criteria of a national securities exchange, as required by Item 407(a)(1) of Regulation S-K. An independent director means a person who is not an employee (or a relative of an employee), who has no material business relationship with the company, and is not a significant owner of the company’s shares. Due to our small size, the Company does not presently have a separately designated audit committee, compensation committee, or nominating committee.

Our home sales and operating revenues could decline due to macro-economic and other factors outside of our control, such as changes in consumer confidence, declines in employment levels and volatile material and supply costs.

Changes in national and regional economic conditions, as well as local economic conditions where we conduct our operations and where prospective purchasers of our homes live, may result in more caution on the part of homebuyers and, consequently, fewer home purchases. These economic uncertainties involve, among other things, conditions of supply and demand in local markets and changes in consumer confidence and income, employment levels, and government regulations. These risks and uncertainties could periodically have an adverse effect on consumer demand for and the pricing of our homes, which could cause our operating revenues to decline. Failure to achieve revenues, or a reduction in our revenues once achieved, could, in turn, negatively affect the market price of our securities. The homebuilding industry is cyclical, has from time to time experienced significant difficulties, and is significantly affected by changes in general and local economic conditions such as:

● employment levels and job growth;

● availability of financing for home buyers;

● interest rates & volatile material and supply costs;

● consumer confidence;

● housing demand; and

● population growth

An oversupply of alternatives to new homes, such as rental properties and used homes could depress prices and reduce margins for the sale of new homes.

Weather conditions and natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods and fires can harm the local homebuilding business.

The difficulties described above could cause us to take longer and incur more costs to build our homes. We may not be able to recapture increased costs by raising prices in many cases because we fix our new home prices up to twelve months in advance of delivery by signing home sales contracts. In addition, some home buyers may cancel or not honor their home sales contracts altogether.

A substantial increase in mortgage interest rates or unavailability of mortgage financing may reduce consumer demand for our homes.

Virtually all purchasers of our homes finance their acquisitions through lenders providing mortgage financing. A substantial increase in mortgage interest rates or unavailability of mortgage financing would adversely affect the ability of prospective first time and move-up homebuyers to obtain financing for our homes, as well as adversely affect the ability of prospective move-up homebuyers to sell their current homes. As a result, once we commence sales, our margins, revenues, and cash flows may also be adversely affected.

If we are unsuccessful in competing against our homebuilding competitors, our market share could decline or our growth could be impaired and, as a result, our financial results could suffer. Notwithstanding that potential risk, the barriers to entry in the elevation/renovation portion of our business are very high, primarily due to the complexity of the home elevation process.

Though competition in the homebuilding industry is intense, and there are relatively low barriers to entry into the new home building business, there is markedly less competition in the elevation/renovation portion of the business. This is primarily due to the complexity and technical difficulty of the home elevation business. Increased competition in the new home building business could hurt our business, as it could prevent us from acquiring attractive parcels of land on which to build homes or make such acquisitions more expensive, hinder our market share expansion, and lead to pricing pressures on our homes that may adversely impact our margins and revenues. If we are unable to successfully compete, our financial results could suffer and the value of, or our ability to service, our debt, including the notes, could be adversely affected.

In the elevation/renovation portion of our business, competition has lessened over the last several years, due to the reasons listed above. Consequently, the Company’s market share of this portion of our business has increased, as competitors have abandoned the elevation / renovation business and focused on new home construction, which is markedly less difficult than completing elevation projects.

We could experience a reduction in new home sales and revenues or reduced cash flows due to our inability to acquire land for our housing developments if we are unable to obtain reasonably priced financing to support our homebuilding activities. Notwithstanding, the elevation/renovation portion of our business should suffer little or no effect for these reasons, since the primary source of funds for this type of project is private and client based.

The new homebuilding industry is capital intensive, and homebuilding requires significant up-front expenditures to acquire land and begin development. Accordingly, we incur substantial indebtedness to finance our homebuilding activities. Although we believe that internally generated funds and available borrowings under our revolving credit facility will be available to fund our capital and other expenditures (including land purchases in connection with ordinary development activities), the amounts available from such sources may not be sufficient. If such sources are not sufficient, we would seek additional capital in the form of equity or debt financing from a variety of potential sources, including additional bank financing and/or securities offerings. The amount and types of indebtedness which we may incur are limited by the terms of the indentures governing the notes and our other existing debt.

Although as noted above, the new homebuilding industry is very capital intensive, the elevation/renovation portion of our business should suffer little or no effect, since the primary source of funds for this type of project is private and client based. At this time approximately 75% of our revenue is based on elevation/renovation work, which is not subject to any great degree to the availability or lack thereof, of institutional capital. The Company may need to seek out loans from banks to finance these projects. As part of their financing agreements, the banks typically require Vincent Simonelli to personally guarantee these loans. If Mr. Simonelli cannot qualify as a guarantor and there is no one other than him in the Company to provide those guarantees, the financing of the deals may be adversely affected. The exact amount of funding required for each particular property is not clear at the present time but will be determined when full approvals have been obtained and the Company is prepared to take title for each individual property.

We are subject to extensive government regulation which could cause us to incur significant liabilities or restrict our business activities.

Changes in regulatory requirements could cause us to incur significant liabilities and operating expenses and could restrict our business activities. We are subject to local, state and federal statutes and rules regulating, among other things, certain developmental matters, building and site design, and matters concerning the protection of health and the environment.

We may incur additional operating expenses due to compliance programs or fines, penalties and remediation costs pertaining to environmental regulations within our markets.

We are subject to a variety of local, state, and federal statutes, ordinances, rules, and regulations concerning the protection of health and the environment. The particular environmental laws, which apply to any given community, vary greatly according to the community site, the site’s environmental conditions, and the present and former use of the site. Environmental laws may result in delays, may cause expensive compliance programs and us to implement time consuming and may prohibit or severely restrict development in certain environmentally sensitive regions or areas. From time to time, the United States Environmental Protection Agency and similar federal or state agencies review homebuilders’ compliance with environmental laws and may levy fines and penalties for failure to strictly comply with applicable environmental laws or impose additional requirements for future compliance as a result of past failures. Any such actions taken with respect to us may increase our costs. Further, we expect that increasingly stringent requirements will be imposed on homebuilders in the future. Environmental regulations can also have an adverse impact on the availability and price of certain raw materials such as lumber.

We may be subject to significant potential liabilities because of construction defect, product liability, and warranty claims made against us.

As a homebuilder, we have been, and continue to be, subject to construction defect, product liability, and home warranty claims, including moisture intrusion and related mold claims, arising in the ordinary course of business. These claims are common to the homebuilding industry and can be costly.

With respect to certain general liability exposures, including construction defect, moisture intrusion and related mold claims and product liability, interpretation of underlying current and future trends, assessment of claims and the related liability and reserve estimation process is highly judgmental due to the complex nature of these exposures, with each exposure exhibiting unique circumstances. Furthermore, once claims are asserted for construction defects, it is difficult to determine the extent to which the assertion of these claims will expand geographically. Although we have obtained insurance for construction defect claims, such policies may not be available or adequate to cover any liability for damages, the cost of repairs, and/or the expense of litigation surrounding current claims, and future claims may arise out of uninsurable events or circumstances not covered by insurance and not subject to effective indemnification agreements with our subcontractors.

Our operating expenses could increase if we are required to pay higher insurance premiums or litigation costs for claims involving construction defect and product liability claims, which could cause our net income to decline.

The costs of insuring against construction defect and product liability claims are high, and the amount and scope of coverage offered by insurance companies is currently limited. This coverage may be further restricted and may become more costly.

Increasingly in recent years, lawsuits (including class action lawsuits) have been filed against builders, asserting claims of personal injury and property damage caused by the presence of mold in residential dwellings. Our insurance may not cover all of the claims, including personal injury claims, arising from the presence of mold, or such coverage may become prohibitively expensive. If we are not able to obtain adequate insurance against these claims, we may experience losses that could reduce our net income and restrict our cash flow available to service debt.

Historically, builders have recovered from subcontractors and their insurance carriers a significant portion of the construction defect liabilities and costs of defense that the builders have incurred. Insurance coverage available to subcontractors for construction defects is becoming increasingly expensive, and the scope of coverage is restricted. If we cannot effectively recover from our subcontractors or their carriers, we may suffer greater losses which could decrease our net income.

Raw material and labor shortages and price fluctuations could delay or increase the cost of new home construction and adversely affect our operating results.

The homebuilding industry has from time to time experienced raw material and labor shortages. In particular, shortages and fluctuations in the price of lumber or in other important raw materials could result in delays in the start or completion of, or increase the cost of, developing one or more of our residential communities. In addition, we contract with subcontractors to construct our homes. Therefore, the timing and quality of our construction depends on the availability, skill and cost of our subcontractors. Delays or cost increases caused by shortages and price fluctuations could harm our operating results, the impact of which may be further affected by our ability to raise sales prices.

We experience fluctuations and variability in our operating results on a quarterly basis and, as a result, our historical performance may not be a meaningful indicator of future results.

Our operating results in a future quarter or quarters may fall below expectations of securities analysts or investors and, as a result, the market value of the common stock, whether trading or not, may fluctuate. Because of such variability, our historical performance may not be a meaningful indicator of future results. Our quarterly results of operations may continue to fluctuate in the future because of a variety of both national and local factors, including, among others:

● the timing of home closings and land sales;

● our ability to continue to acquire additional land or secure option contracts to acquire land on acceptable terms;

● conditions of the real estate market in areas where we operate and of the general economy;

● raw material and labor shortages;

● seasonal home buying patterns; and

● other changes in operating expenses, including the cost of labor and raw materials, personnel and general economic conditions.

Our future growth may include additional acquisitions of companies that may not be successfully integrated and may not achieve expected benefits.

Acquisitions of companies may contribute to our growth and be a component of our growth strategy. Consistent with this strategy, we may engage in discussions with and evaluate potential acquisition targets, some of which may be significant, although we currently have no binding definitive agreements for any significant acquisitions of companies. In the future, we may acquire other businesses. Because of acquisitions of companies, we may need to seek additional financing and integrate product lines, dispersed operations, and distinct corporate cultures. These integration efforts may not succeed or may distract our management from operating our existing business. Additionally, we may not be able to enhance our earnings because of acquisitions. Our failure to successfully manage future acquisitions could harm our operating results.

The occurrence of natural disasters could increase our operating expenses and reduce our revenues and cash flows.

The climates and geology of the states in which we operate (currently solely located within New Jersey) present increased risks of natural disasters. To the extent that hurricanes, severe storms, droughts, floods, wildfires or other natural disasters or similar events occur, our homes that might be under construction in the future or any of our building lots in such states could be damaged or destroyed, which may result in losses exceeding our insurance coverage. Any of these events could increase our operating expenses, impair our cash flows, and reduce our revenues, which could, in turn, negatively affect the market price of our securities.

Future terrorist attacks against the United States or increased domestic or international instability could have an adverse effect on our operations.

Adverse developments in the war on terrorism, future terrorist attacks against the United States, or any outbreak or escalation of hostilities between the United States and any foreign power, including the armed conflict with Iraq, may cause disruption to the economy, our company, our employees and our customers, which could adversely affect our revenues, operating expenses, and financial condition.

Compliance with changing regulation of corporate governance and public disclosure may result in additional expenses, which as a smaller public company may be disproportionately high.

Changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, new SEC regulations, and stock market rules, are creating uncertainty for development companies such as us. These new and changing laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies, which could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. As a result, our efforts to comply with evolving laws, regulations, and standards will likely result in increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities. If we are unable to comply with the newly enacted JOBS Act regulations, which lessen if not eliminate the harsher impact of some of the reporting requirements, expenses will remain higher than other companies which are able to meet the new rules. In particular, our efforts to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the related regulations regarding our required assessment of our internal controls over financial reporting and our independent registered public accounting firm’s audit of that assessment will require the commitment of significant financial and managerial resources. We expect these efforts to require the continued commitment of significant resources. Further, our board members, chief executive officer, and chief financial officer could face an increased risk of personal liability in connection with the performance of their duties. As a result, we may have difficulty attracting and retaining qualified board members and executive officers, which could slow down our business. If we are unable to fully comply with new or changed laws, regulations and standards, or if our efforts differ from the activities intended by regulatory or governing bodies due to ambiguities related to practice, our reputation may be harmed and our stock price may suffer.

Failure to achieve and maintain effective internal controls in accordance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results. In addition, current and potential stockholders could lose confidence in our financial reporting, which could have an adverse effect on our stock price.

Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and effectively prevent fraud. If we cannot provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud, our operating results could be harmed. If we are unable to maintain the status of “Emerging Growth Company”, we will be required to document and test our internal control procedures in order to satisfy the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which requires annual management assessments of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting and a report by our independent registered public accounting firm addressing these assessments. Although we intend to augment our internal controls procedures and expand our accounting staff, there is no guarantee that this effort will be adequate.

We may need additional capital in the future, but there is no assurance that funds will be available on acceptable terms.

We may need to raise additional funds in order to achieve growth or fund other business initiatives. This financing may not be available in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us and may be dilutive to existing stockholders. Additionally, any securities issued to raise funds may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of existing stockholders. If adequate funds are not available or are not available on acceptable terms, our ability to expand, develop or enhance services or products, or respond to competitive pressures will be limited.

RISKS RELATING TO OUR COMMON SHARES

You will not receive dividend income from an investment in the shares and as a result, you may never see a return on your investment.

We have never declared or paid a cash dividend on our shares nor will we in the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain any future earnings, if any, to finance the operation and expansion of our business. Accordingly, investors who anticipate the need for immediate income from their investments by way of cash dividends should refrain from purchasing any of the securities offered by our company. As we do not intend to declare dividends in the future, you may never see a return on your investment and you indeed may lose your entire investment.

Rule 144

In general, persons who have beneficially owned restricted shares of our common stock for at least six months, and any affiliate of the company who owns either restricted or unrestricted shares of our common stock, are entitled to sell their securities without registration with the SEC under an exemption from registration provided by Rule 144 under the Securities Act.

Non-Affiliates

Any person who is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding a sale, may sell an unlimited number of restricted securities under Rule 144 if:

Affiliates

Persons seeking to sell restricted securities who are our affiliates at the time of, or any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to the restrictions described above. They are also subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be required to comply with the manner of sale and notice provisions of Rule 144 and would be entitled to sell within any three-month period only that number of securities that does not exceed the greater of either of the following:

Additionally, persons who are our affiliates at the time of, or any time during the three months preceding, a sale may sell unrestricted securities under the requirements of Rule 144 described above, without regard to the six month holding period of Rule 144, which does not apply to sales of unrestricted securities.

Unlimited Resales by Non-Affiliates

Any person who is not deemed to have been an affiliate of ours at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale and has held the restricted securities for at least one year, including the holding period of any prior owner other than one of our affiliates, will be entitled to sell an unlimited number of restricted securities without regard to the length of time we have been subject to Exchange Act periodic reporting or whether we are current in our Exchange Act reporting.

Our common stock is a “Penny Stock,” and compliance with requirements for dealing in penny stocks may make it difficult for holders of our common stock to resell their shares.

Our common stock is currently listed in the public market in what is known as the over-the-counter market and at least for the foreseeable future, our common stock will be deemed to be a “penny stock” as that term is defined in Rule 3a51-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Rule 15g-2 under the Exchange Act requires broker/dealers dealing in penny stocks to provide potential investors with a document disclosing the risks of penny stocks and to obtain from these investors a manually signed and dated written acknowledgement of receipt of the document before effecting a transaction in a penny stock for the investor’s account. Compliance with these requirements may make it more difficult for holders of our common stock to resell their shares to third Parties or otherwise, which could have a material adverse effect on the liquidity and market price of our common stock.

Penny stocks are stocks with a price of less than $5.00 per share unless traded on NASDAQ or a national securities exchange.

Penny stocks are also stocks, which are issued by companies with Net tangible assets of less than $2.0 million (if the issuer has been in continuous operation for at least three years); or $5.0 million (if in continuous operation for less than three years); or average revenue of less than $6.0 million for the last three years.

Our stock price may fluctuate significantly, and you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the current market price.

The trading price of our common stock is likely to be volatile and subject to wide price fluctuations in response to various factors, including:

These and other factors may cause the market price and demand for our common stock to fluctuate substantially, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their shares of common stock and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of our common stock. In addition, in the past, when the market price of a stock has been volatile, holders of that stock have sometimes instituted securities class action litigation against the Company that issued the stock. If any of our stockholders were to bring a lawsuit against us, we could incur substantial costs defending the lawsuit. Such a lawsuit could also divert the time and attention of our management from our business.

Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public markets, or the perception that such sales might occur, could reduce the price of our common stock and may dilute your voting power and your ownership interest in us.

If our existing stockholders sell substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market, the market price of our common stock could decrease significantly. The perception in the public market that our existing stockholders might sell shares of common stock could also depress our market price.

Insiders have substantial control over us and could limit your ability to influence the outcome of key transactions, including a change of control.

As of December 31, 2022, our principal stockholders, directors, and executive officers and entities affiliated with them owned approximately 79.0 % of the outstanding shares of our common stock. As a result, these stockholders, if acting together, would be able to influence or control matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the election of directors and the approval of mergers or other extraordinary transactions. They may also have interests that differ from yours and may vote in a way with which you disagree and which may be adverse to your interests. The concentration of ownership may have the effect of delaying, preventing, or deterring a change of control of our company, could deprive our stockholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their common stock as part of a sale of our company and may materially adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

As a public company, we are required to:

These requirements entail a significant commitment of additional resources. We may not be successful in implementing these requirements and implementing them could adversely affect our business or results of operations. In addition, if we fail to implement the requirements with respect to our internal accounting and audit functions, our ability to report our results of operations on a timely and accurate basis could be impaired.