Brick by Brick - Wealth Building Conversations

What if an appraisal isn’t the whole story? Kelly Githens, a veteran appraiser and real estate investor, joins Loren Wernette to unpack what really drives property value, where appraisals can fall short, and how AI is changing the valuation process. Together, they explore why a property’s condition, comparable sales, buyer demand, and timing can all affect the number—and why an old appraisal may n...

"I left Tesla and got into mobile home parks because I wanted cash flow that didn’t depend on me showing up every day." But here’s what most people miss: mobile home parks aren’t “easy money.” They’re a complex mix of operations, taxes, infill, financing, and tough decisions. Leo Young, founder of Cornell Communities, joins Brick by Brick to unpack the realities of mobile home park investing. From...

He was a pharmacist. By 31, he'd retired. His strategy? Renting houses by the room. Dr. Ryan Chaw, PharmD, built a 14-property portfolio with student housing. In this episode he walks through exactly how he does it, and the early mistake he says cost him more than $30,000. We cover: 🏠 Why renting by the room can change what one house earns 🎓 How he picks college markets (and why hospitals and re...

What if you could turn underutilized land into recurring cash flow? Chris Long, founder and CEO of Long Yard Storage, joins Loren Wernette to unpack a niche real estate model built for contractors and businesses that need outdoor space for equipment, vehicles, and materials. He shares how a career in construction, a painful insolvency, and a need for more control led him to build a cash-flow-focus...

The deals banks say no to are where Ryan Hermansky says yes. Most hard money lenders are built to say no. Ryan Hermansky built a business around saying yes to the deals banks won't touch, and he explains exactly how he keeps it conservative, liquid, and profitable. Ryan, president of Private Money Funding, reveals how his Arizona-based team funds commercial real estate loans, pays investors 9% wit...

Why One Paycheck Is Riskier Than Most High Earners Realize Most people treat their paycheck like a plan - and it leaves them one surprise away from panic. Carl Lenocker reveals the side-income, real-estate, and relationship strategy that helped him build wealth without betting everything on one job. From a $23,000 debt load and a dot-com crash wake-up call to a portfolio built on rentals, side hus...

What Works at $18M Breaks at $100M — Here's Why In this episode, Loren Wernette sits down with David LaDue, owner of LA Management Consulting, Vistage Chair, and an entrepreneur with 35 years of executive leadership experience. David shares lessons from a career that includes helping grow a company from $18M to more than $100M, leading a $300M business unit, and driving 4x growth within a $1.5B No...

What if the secret to growth is going niche? Loren sits down with Cheri Martinen, owner of a family insurance brokerage in Oregon, for a conversation about building a business around specialization, strategic marketing, and a strong family legacy. Cheri shares her journey of growing up in the agency, taking over the business from her parents, building a niche serving wildland firefighters and othe...

What if the key to building wealth isn’t chasing higher returns—but giving every dollar a purpose? In this episode of Brick by Brick, Loren Wernette sits down with Gary Preisser, Managing Partner of Stonebriar Wealth Advisors, to explore his powerful “Function of Wealth” philosophy. Gary shares why wealth should do more than simply grow—it should serve a specific purpose at the right time in your...

Most experts think writing a book means spending years alone, trying to produce 100,000 words and hoping people will read it. Henry DeVries says that’s the wrong way to think about it. In this episode of the podcast, Loren sits down with Henry DeVries, publisher, ghostwriter, and co-founder of Indie Books International, to explore how the right business book can do far more than establish you as a...

What truly prevents a business from scaling? In this episode of Brick by Brick , Loren sits down with Mark Lim, CEO and Founder of Magnetic Alliance , for an insightful discussion on the challenges businesses face as they move from early-stage growth to scalable operations. Mark shares his perspective on the critical bottlenecks that can limit growth, including financial visibility, underutilized...

How can real estate investors use debt to build wealth without letting leverage control the deal? 🎙️ In this episode of Brick by Brick , Loren Wernette sits down with Phil Ganz, President of Next Wave Mortgage , for a practical conversation about using financing strategically, managing risk, and building long-term wealth through real estate. Phil brings his experience in mortgage lending and real...

In this episode, we sit down with Jim Boad, founder of Group Home Accelerator, to discuss the business, systems, and mindset behind successful recovery housing. With 10+ years in investing and entrepreneurship and more than 14 homes opened in the past two years, Jim shares practical insights on: • Why passive income requires active management • How regulation and market challenges can create oppor...

Senior living is one of the fastest-evolving sectors in real estate—but many investors still don't fully understand its potential. In this episode of Brick by Brick , Loren Wernette sits down with Jerry Vinci, Founder & CEO of CCR Growth and host of the From Leads to Leases podcast, to explore why senior living is becoming an increasingly important real estate investment opportunity. Together,...

Most real estate investors chase the deal. Will Harvey chased the lesson — and eventually followed it all the way out of operations and into running a fund.   In this episode of Brick by Brick, Loren sits down with Will Harvey III, founder of Harvey Capital Funding, a Richmond, VA-based hard money lending operation. Will’s path is anything but straight: a college dropout, a recovering mortgage ori...

Are you tired of the relentless grind, sacrificing precious family time for fleeting wealth? Joey Mure reveals the bold truth about escaping the 9-5 trap, building genuine passive income streams, and redefining what retirement really means. This episode is your wake-up call to take control of your financial destiny and live with purpose and freedom. In this episode: Why active income doesn't equal...

What if the real forces moving real estate had nothing to do with interest rates? In this episode, we sit down with Ari Rastegar — founder of Rastegar Capital , WSJ/USA Today bestselling author of The Gift of Failure , and one of the most contrarian voices in Texas real estate — for a conversation that cuts through the noise and gets to what actually drives markets: human behavior. Ari breaks down...

The conversation covers the transition from real estate to tax liens, the risks and opportunities in tax liens, and the differences between tax liens and tax deeds. It also delves into the process of tax liens and tax deeds, including the auction platforms and the risks involved. The conversation covers the distinction between tax lien and tax deed, the transition from tax lien to tax deed, the ta...

Summary In this engaging episode of Brick by Brick, Loren Wernette hosts marketing expert John Dwyer, known for his innovative direct marketing strategies and his collaboration with Jerry Seinfeld. They discuss the evolution of marketing from traditional methods to modern digital strategies, emphasizing the importance of direct response marketing. John shares insights on creating impactful marketi...

Summary In this episode of Brick by Brick, host Loren Wernette interviews Tim Street, a former Marine turned real estate entrepreneur. Tim shares his journey from the Marines to starting tech companies and eventually moving into real estate. He discusses the challenges and successes he faced along the way, including his transition to real estate investing and his current focus on helping others th...

Episode Summary In this episode of Brick by Brick Wealth Building Conversations , host Loren Wernette sits down with BETTER , a Triangle-based real estate firm focused on investment analysis and residential infill development . The conversation explores BETTER’s journey into real estate and their strategic evolution from traditional fix-and-flip and fix-to-rent models into new construction, infill...

In this episode of Brick by Brick , Loren Wernette sits down with Rebecca Irey , the founder and CEO of Blue Skye Financial , to talk about the new rules of money, retirement, and financial independence. Rebecca shares her personal journey—from growing up on a ranch to building a national financial planning firm—and how that shaped her belief that the American Dream isn’t broken… most people just...

In this episode of Brick by Brick Wealth Building Conversations , Loren Wernette sits down with Garrett Maroon — founder of the 2:10 Collective , host of The Faithful Agent Podcast , and author of The Balanced Breakthrough . Garrett built a seven-figure real estate business entirely by referral, then intentionally restructured his life to protect his faith, marriage, and time with his kids. Today,...

Episode: The Power of Open Banking in Today’s Economy Guest: Peter Maher — CEO of Ovanti USA & Founder of Flote In this episode, I sit down with Peter Maher to break down one of the most impactful shifts happening in today’s financial landscape: open banking —and how it’s completely reshaping the way lenders understand financial health. Peter leads Ovanti’s U.S. division and is the founder of...

In this episode of Brick by Brick Wealth Building Conversations , I sit down with Hugh Massie — Founder & Executive Chairman of DNA Behavior International and Chairman of the Behavioral Economics Institute. Hugh has spent more than a decade helping leaders, investors, and organizations make better, faster financial decisions by understanding the behavioral patterns that drive money. We get int...