Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast

Cameron Gaskill didn't start in Real Estate Investing from a place of wealth or privilege.  He was struggling to make ends meet and living paycheck to paycheck.  When he would tell people he wanted to become a real estate investor they would laugh at him.  After disaster struck he decided to follow his dream, and he's since rehabbed and flipped over 800 houses in Florida. Today Cameron is going to take us through his successful process of rehabbing and flipping, working with contractors, and the systems he's set up to be as efficient as possible.  You'll learn what type of home Cameron likes to buy, and what he avoids.  We'll also discuss the numbers - what he'll pay and how much he wants to make on each project.  Cameron also has advice on how to find the funds to become a successful flipper and rehabber. Cameron will also be one of our featured speakers at the RPOA's Annual Michigan Landlord & Real Estate Investor FREE Conference & Expo which is happening in Grand Rapids, Michigan from February 21 t

My guest today is an experienced buyer of Non-Performing Notes who got his start investing in Multifamily and Syndicating Apartment opportunities.  Adam Adams' first deal was an 11-unit apartment complex, and he has bought and sold over 500 units.  Currently he's a net-seller. Adam jumped into buying Non-Performing Notes by buying a pool (multiple notes) for just under $1 Million.  We're going to discuss that pool today, and Adam will share how he was able to profit while helping home-owners stay in their homes. There's a lot of pitfalls and mistakes that you can encounter when purchasing notes, and Adam has some very helpful advice and warnings on what to avoid, as well as the dangers he sees in today's market.  We also discuss the unintended consequences of the Dodd Frank Act, and how its impacting people's ability to purchase a home. Adam has a lot of great wisdom to share, and listening to this episode will help you avoid the Crying Game - which is what happens when you purchase notes the wrong way.  Adam

My guest today is a really interesting guy with a lot of great stories to tell.  Damion Lupo has a 5th degree black belt in real estate investing, and he's a financial transformation architect.  You'll have to listen to this episode to understand what both of those mean.  You'll also want to listen and learn how Damion built up a portfolio worth $20 million, and then lost much of it in the Great Recession. Damion shares many of his crazy stories about losing money, dealing with tenants, and why his investment career can be compared to the tv shows "Breaking Bad" and "Dexter".  Damion talks about spending over $1 million on seminars, gurus, and mentors, and what he's gained from those experiences.  He explains why he won't do business with anyone in their 20's, and discusses his thoughts on where we are in the current real estate cycle and what might happen during the next recession. Damion is also an expert on "QRPs", or Qualified Retirement Plans.  He'll explain what they are and the power they give investor

James Kandasamy has built an impressive portfolio of Value-Add Multifamily and Apartment Properties in San Antonio Texas.  He currently controls over 1,000 units worth $65 Million and oversees the management and construction through his company Achieve Investment Group. Today James tells us how he did it:  why & how he transitioned from purchasing single-family homes through the BRRR strategy to investing in multifamily, how he identified and acquired value-add properties, and how he bypassed the brokers by going to the sellers directly through direct marketing. James also discusses the thought process he went through before quitting his full-time job.  He and his wife didn't just want to replace their income with cash flow, they wanted to 2X or 3X their income. James is also the author of a soon-to-be released book for passive investors - "Passive Investing in Commercial Real Estate: An Insider's Secret to Financial Independence" which will be available on amazon.com This is a great episode for anyone wi

Kyle Zimpleman has a really great story to tell about his roller-coaster ride through the Great Recession - how he began investing in single & multifamily properties, why he got rid of them too soon, and the emotions he experienced during the ups and down's of the recessionary market cycle. Today Kyle is the President & CEO of Expand Capital Group which purchases discounted mortgages throughout the U.S.  On this episode Kyle is going to share his stories of the great investments he made in single and multifamily properties, and why he had to let them go during the Great Recession.  What you'll find particularly interesting is Kyle's take on the emotions he encountered as he rode the market cycle, from Optimism to Euphoria as the market reached it's height, to Anxiety and Despondence as it crashed to it's lows.  Kyle has been through all of it and come out much stronger as a result. Kyle is also investing in performing and non-performing notes.  We discuss the discounts he's finding on these mortgages

Powell Chee bought his first Single Family Rental in Kansas City by using his Credit Cards to pay All Cash.  His next purchase was a 40-Unit Multi-Family in Indianapolis, and Powell has been asset managing and improving this property while living and working in Los Angeles, California. Today Powell and I have a fun conversation discussing the process he went through to find, fund, and improve these investments, and the mistakes he's made along the way.  Powell will share his thoughts on the importance of using financial analysis software, budgeting enough money for improvements, finding out-of-state properties, and doing it all while working a full-time job. Powell also hosts one of the largest multifamily meetup groups in Los Angeles - "Out-of-State Multifamily Apartment Investors Meetup" - and he's going to share how building this network has improved his fund-raising capabilities and created new opportunities.  We also discuss Powell's daily routines, including the benefits he's enjoyed from doing Hal Elro

Today we're going to talk about an item that every Rental Property Owner has, but many of us don't think about or understand until something Bad Happens.  I'm talking about Your Rental Property Insurance Policy. There are many ways that you can use Insurance to protect your wealth and property, and there are many ways to make mistakes that will cost you money if and when the time ever comes that you need to make a claim against that insurance policy. So I've invited my Insurance Broker, Mike Murphy from J.B. Harrison Insurance, to talk about the common mistakes he sees investors making on their insurance coverage and policies.  Mike will also share his suggestions on how to make sure you have the proper coverage that will manage your risk, save you money, and add value to your portfolio. I also want to thank Mike Murphy for being a new sponsor to this show.  I've been working with him for five years now, and he's my "go-to" insurance broker for all my residential properties. You can contact Mike by phone or e

Quite often real estate investors start out by managing their own properties and once they acquire a certain number of units they decide to hire a Third-Party Professional Property Management Company to looks after their portfolio.  My guest today decided to go in the opposite direction. After working with several property management companies, Ben Blake figured that he could save himself money and headaches by taking control of the property management on his 12-unit portfolio in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Today we talk about how he went about doing that and the improvement in his cashflow as a result. Ben also shares how one of his celebrity teammates from his College Football days helped him get started in real estate investing, and the influence he had on his early career.  Ben also shares some of the early mistakes he made in screening tenants and the problems he encountered because of those mistakes. If you're going to manage your own properties you need to make sure you have the right team and technology

Sooner or Later, every one of us will be faced with the challenges of providing safe and comfortable housing for our aging population.  Whether you're looking for a housing solution for yourself or a family member, or you're an investor interested in profiting from this need while doing good for others, there is a lot of information you need to know before going down this road. Gene Guarino is a CFP, Founder of The Residential Assisted Living Academy, and is regarded as an expert in the residential senior housing space.  Gene has taught many investors how to profit from Residential Assisted Living while helping others at the same time.  Today he's going to share how you can participate as a real estate investor, business owner, or simply a passive investor in this fast growing field. Gene will also be one of our featured speakers at the RPOA's Annual Michigan Landlord & Real Estate Investor FREE Conference & Expo which is happening in Grand Rapids, Michigan from February 21 through 23, 2019.  This is

Many Savvy Real Estate Investors are making a lot of money by renting out their property as short term rentals through sites like Airbnb.com.  Some are getting 3 to 4 times what they would be making from a long-term rental.  But for every investor who's making a killing with their short-term rental, there's another investor who either hasn't gotten started or is losing money because they're doing it wrong. Today we talk about the nuts & bolts techniques involved in successful short-term rental investing with Frederick Kidd, who has been managing and operating short-term rentals for the past eight years.  Frederick owns and operates his own short-term rentals in the West Michigan area and the Chicago metro market.  he also provides full-service management of short-term rentals and rental properties through his company, Silver Lakes Property Management, which currently manages short-term rentals for clients located in Benton Harbor, Grand Haven, Spring Lake and Manistee, Michigan. Frederick is going to shar

On the morning of August 6th an associate of mine received an email from me requesting that he wire a vendor payment of $3,470.  Because of our relationship, it was not unusual that I would make this request.  Luckily, he texted me to ask what the payment was for, and that's when we realized that someone was impersonating me and attempting to commit Cyber Fraud! In the words of Tom Cronkright, my guest today, Cyber Fraud is "unhinged and has reached an epic level in real estate transactions."  This affects everyone who is buying or selling real estate. Tom is an expert on Cyber Fraud and started a company called CertifID to prevent fraud in the real estate, lending, and title industries.  You might also recognize Tom as the CEO of Sun Title, a Title Agency serving the Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan area. Tom has some Mind-Blowing content to share with us today, including clues to look for that indicate you're being scammed, ways to protect yourself, and Real-Time examples of Fraud that Tom has seen over the p

This is one of my All-Time Favorite Episodes, and since Halloween is coming up I wanted to Scare our listeners one more time. My apologies to "This American Life" - who's format I shamelessly ripped off!... Get Ready to Get Scared by this Special Halloween Episode with Real Ghost Stories from the perspective of Rental Property Owners, Homeowners, and Tenants. Whether you believe in Ghosts or not, sometimes strange and inexplicable things happen that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Our guests today talk about the creaking doors, the footsteps, the feeling of being watched, and the sensation of seeing an apparition of someone long dead. With stories from old and new guests: Ann Finkler, Gary Hall, Steve DeKoster, Brandon Krieg, John Potter, and Sue Dejonge. I know you'll enjoy this episode and I'd appreciate it if you'd share that enjoyment by giving us a review and rating in itunes. Happy Halloween!

Matt Theriault is a Marine Corps Desert Storm Veteran who built a hugely successful career in the Music Business and then watched it all Disappear seemingly overnight.  Eventually to the point where Matt found himself bagging groceries for $7 dollars an hour just to survive. It was while working this minimum wage job that Matt received advice from an unlikely mentor that would change his life and allow him to retire young.  Matt is now an accomplished Real Estate Investor and Mentor with a cash flowing portfolio of over 100 units that have made him financially independent. Today, you're going to learn what advice Matt's mentor gave him, and how it lead to his first deal where he turned a Single Family Home into a Four-Unit.  Matt will also discuss his Wholesaling experiences, the markets he invests in, how he finds good team members and avoids the bad ones, and what he says at REI meetings to attract investors and deals. Matt discusses many creative ways that investors can use to create passive income and I

Kenny Wolfe started his Multifamily and Apartment portfolio with a 76-Unit deal, and he's built that up to over 2,400 units in multiple markets.  Kenny also invests in Triple and Double Net Commercial "Dollar" Stores, and has created a fund to do Hard Money Loans. Kenny is the President of Wolfe Investments, and today he shares his wealth of experience and information as we discuss how he was able to build his portfolio remotely, how he had to fire several management companies along the way, and the value-add strategies he employed to increase the value of his properties. We also discuss his recent acquisition of a property management company and how he's using it to position himself for the next market downturn.  Kenny also talks about the systems and software he's employed in his business, the strategy behind investing in NN and NNN Commercial Dollar Stores, and the trouble he's been noticing in the Hard Money Lending space. I know you're going to get a lot of great information from this episode.  Kenny is

If you own and manage rental property, then keeping track of your income and expenses is something you've had to deal with.  And having the right systems and software in place can help you make more money, save time, and ultimately achieve a higher value when it comes time to sell. Today we're going to talk about what you should look for in accounting software, the information you should be tracking, and how you should set up your books for proper accounting and tax purposes. Steve Bjorkman is the CEO and Founder of Rental Hero, a simple and easy-to-use rental accounting software built for rental owners and landlords.  Steve and I discuss the pro's and con's of using excel and quickbooks, why you should always have a separate business account for your rental, the value of hiring a CPA, how to set up your books and categorize income and expenses, and how to keep track of your receipts. Keeping track of your income and expenses is just as important as taking care of your property.  Those who get it right are be

Scott Pollmann read the Purple Book, played the Cash Flow Board Game, paid for the Rich Dad Training, and set off to buy his first Real Estate Investment.  Most people would start with a Single Family or Duplex, but Scott managed to find, negotiate and acquire a 16-unit for his first deal. Today Scott tells us how he made this happen and the lessons he's learned along the way.  We'll talk about the value of the training he paid for, how it helped him pinpoint his offer price on the 16-unit, and how it prepared him to add value once he closed. Scott is also a High School Science teacher and has begun sharing his knowledge of Real Estate Investing with his students.  He's also learning from them.  One of his students used Robert Kiyosaki's lessons to invest in pigs!  Scott also has a strong belief in the value of mentoring and the changes it can bring into people's lives. This is a great episode for new and experienced investors to enjoy.  You can contact Scott by email: Scott@10talentsllc.com I'd also like to

The "BRRR" strategy works great for many investors.  Buy it, Rehab it, Rent it out, and Refinance (BRRR) can be a great way to build your portfolio and build cash flow.  But sooner or later, many of us realize that this is a very slow way to become financially independent. Chandler Spence reached this Pivot Point while investing in Single Family Rentals in Nashville, Indianapolis, Baltimore, and Chicago.  That's what led him to look into investing in airbnb properties, starting with renting out his own basement. Today we discuss Chandler's ability to build teams remotely, the red flags to look for with your rehab team, and why you should always check out the property before you buy. We'll also discuss his experience with airbnb investing: how he's automated his business, the technology and tools that simplify the process, and the new frontiers in airbnb investing he sees happening around the country. There's a ton of great information in this episode.  You can get in touch with Chandler through email or his w

By the time you listen to this episode, Justin Richards and Aaron Lenartz will have closed on a 144-unit Class C Apartment Building in Memphis Tennessee.  And they'll have raised $1.3 Million from investors to do so.  I thought it would be interesting to sit down & talk with them about what they went through to find, inspect, and acquire this property while its fresh in their minds. What you're about to hear is the nuts & bolts process from two investors and syndicators who have learned a great deal from the experience of closing their first large apartment syndication.  We'll talk about the importance of broker relationships, Best & Final offers, what it means to be a lifestyle investor, working with attorneys, and securing a bridge loan to complete necessary repairs. You'll also learn how Justin and Aaron were able to be taken seriously as investors even though they'd never closed a deal this large.  They also share the process they went through to raise $1.3 Million from qualified investors, as

Like many of us, Daniel Breslin started investing in real estate after reading "Rich Dad, Poor Dad".  The only difference is that he read it while serving time in prison. Daniel was able to scrape together $5,000 to do his first deal, and 12 years later he's now the Founder & President of Diamond Equity Investments, a real estate investment company specializing in Fix & Flips and Wholesaling. Daniel talks about the first deal he did after getting out of jail and how it changed his life, his philosophy on the Velocity of Money and how he likes to get in & out of a deal as quickly as possible, how he funds his deals and vets his partners, techniques on negotiating for the best sales price, tips on marketing to find good leads, and the historical biographies that inspire him. Theres a lot of great info packed into this episode that I know you're going to enjoy.  Daniel is also the author of the book "Become a Wholesale Real Estate Master: Buy & Sell Houses With No Money Down" and he can be contac

Gino Barbaro is an experienced investor in multifamily and apartments with over 900 units under his control, and he's built that portfolio without syndicating through his Refi & Roll strategy. Today Gino is going to share his unique perspective with us on many areas of investing and life skills:  multi-faceted multifamily and creating multiple streams of income, how Life Coaching helped get him to where he wanted to be, the challenges he faced in building his portfolio, and the partnership that accelerated his success. Gino is also the co-host of the "Jake & Gino Wheelbarrow Profits Podcast", and the co-author of "Wheelbarrow Profits:  How to Create Passive Income, Build Wealth, and Take Control of your Destiny Through Multifamily Real Estate Investing". Gino is a super successful and motivated investor with a lot of experience and helpful techniques.  I know you're going to enjoy this conversation as much as I did. You can contact Gino through email or his website: Gino@jakeandgino.com https://jakean