House of Horrors: The Legal Podcast For Real Estate Investors

If you’ve ever thought, “I’ll worry about the legal stuff once I get bigger”... I want you to pull the podcast emergency break and tune in to this episode. Because judges, attorneys, and plaintiffs don’t care if this is your first property or your fiftieth. In this episode you’ll learn:      1️⃣  Why more properties don’t mean more risk      2️⃣  The reasons why asset protection doesn’t work retro...

The way you approach repairs should be the way you approach legal. You prepare for the worst-case scenario, but you also prepare to manage the little annoying stuff - especially so it doesn’t turn into the big stuff. Legal is the same.  Tune in to learn:       1️⃣  Why I’d pick a house flood over a leaky faucet      2️⃣  How to identify the “leaky faucet” legal problems in your investing business...

Contractors are legal landmines. They can sue you, they can blow up your budgets and deadlines, they can put liens on your houses, and they can run away with your money. What's an investor to do?! In this week's episode, you'll learn the 5 steps you can proactively take to avoid contractor problems. In this week’s episode you’ll learn: 1️⃣ How defensive asset protection tools like L...

Getting sued is awful, even if you win. This week I pull back the curtain on an awful personal lawsuit so that you can hopefully avoid a similar fate.  In this week's episode of House of Horrors you’ll learn: 1️⃣ Unexpected situations that arise in lawsuits 2️⃣ What to do if and when you get sued 3️⃣ When you should consider having additional LLCs and insurance 4️⃣ How to fill in the gaps tha...

John Oliver, the host of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, shared his thoughts on rental housing crisis in America  from evictions, to rental increases, to proposed solutions and Bonnie has thoughts! Tune in to this special bonus episode to hear real estate lawyer and investor Bonnie Galam react to John Oliver. In this episode you'll learn: 1.  How we as small housing providers need to refr...

LLCs aren't the magic bullet most lawyers make them out to be. Whether you have all your eggs in the "LLC basket" or are investing without one, understanding that LLCs won't make you or break your asset protection plan is key.  In this week's episode you'll learn:   The situations where LLCs won’t make a difference   How I realized that reliance on LLCs left real esta...

Could you imagine wanting to get rid of a paying tenant? Now imagine the law getting in your way BECAUSE they are paying! The frustration is palpable in this week's episode with Frank Semo. In this week's episode you'll learn: Navigating your tenant calling the police on you Tenant due diligence best practices Selling a tenant-occupied property DISCLAIMER: Although Bonnie is an atto...

If you've only had easy tenants, your world can feel turned on its head when a tenant becomes nonpaying, destructive, or emboldened by bad attorneys..... or in the case of this week's horror story all of the above.   This week on the podcast we'll share: The emotional difficulties that come alongside an eviction What to do when Section 8 providers throw in the towel The value of de-...

Most property owners will breathe a sigh of relief when they hear their insurance is going to foot the bill. However, what happens when the insurance's "fix" just makes things so much worse? Tune into this week's horror story to find out! In this episode you'll learn: 1. The ugly side of working with insurance-"vetted" contractors  2. How the legal system often d...

Love, lies, and hundreds of thousands of dollars of loss. This week's episode is about the story of a Philadelphia area contractor who befriended investors and their families. Ingratiating himself into their lives with good deeds... sometimes even getting romantically involved before conning them. Join my free legal workshop DISCLAIMER: Although Bonnie is an attorney she doesn’t give legal ad...

In case you need the reminder, there’s no such thing as retroactive asset protection so the best (and frankly cheapest) way to tackle the legal stuff is as early as possible. This week’s podcast guest, Amelia McGee ran into trouble in the FIRST week of owning her FIRST investment property. This week's episode of House of Horrors is all about: 1️⃣  Tenants doing the wildest and craziest things...

I know none of us would ever start a Ponzi scheme but what are the red flags? What should you put in every contract to make sure the Seller isn't doing this? And what should you know before your next refi so you don't trap yourself as this investor did!   In this week's podcast episode you'll learn: 1️⃣ The importance of beefy seller’s representations (and buyer’s attorneys to...

Turn key real estate investing is sold as a foolproof (albeit less profitable) form of real estate investing. You get the property, rehab, and property management all in one swoop. But what happens when the all-in-one Seller, contractor, and manager are corrupt? Tune into this week's house of horrors to find out as Bonnie chats with C/D class property manager Mike Bonadies about an investor w...

This week on the podcast, Bonnie Galam shares the story of the home that inspired the name of this podcast. How did a simple oversight end up in 6 figures of fines, multiple dead bodies, and nearly a 6 figure clean up? Tune in to find out! DISCLAIMER: Although Bonnie is an attorney she doesn’t give legal advice without a dually signed engagement agreement. All episodes of House of Horrors are educ...

Tune in for a quick update about a new direction for the podcast! DISCLAIMER: Although Bonnie is an attorney she doesn’t give legal advice without a dually signed engagement agreement. All episodes of House of Horrors are educational and informational only. The information discussed here isn’t legal advice and isn’t intended to be. The information you listen to here isn’t a substitute for seeking...

Who knew that weddings + real estate were a match made in heaven?! If you are a land, Airbnb, or commercial investor..... or someone like me who just loves a good party! Then tune into this week's episode where I chat with Lindsay Lucas about her business teaching people how to run profitable wedding venues. In this episode you'll learn: 1. What type of real estate is prime for a wedding...

In perhaps her fiestiest episode yet, attorney Bonnie Galam rails against the traditional legal strategies espoused by other attorneys. Basing her reasoning on statistics and both professional and personal experiences - what you'll find out in this week's episode may surprise you. In this week's episode you'll learn: Why traditional asset protection plans create a false sense o...

Ever get sued? I have. It was the greatest legal and asset protection I ever had although one I’d never wish upon anyone else. In this week’s episode, I explore the asset protection risk that doesn’t really feel like one. In this week's episode you'll learn: What makes a good "case" in court How many writings you should have with your contractors Why some evidence is weaker tha...

If you think an LLC is the end-all-be-all of asset protection, well I've got news for you 👉🏼 It's just a (potential) piece of the legal pie.   In this week's episode, you'll learn: 1. How LLCs play out in the event of a lawsuit 2. The legal problems where LLCs don't matter at all 3. Why creating an LLC is just half the battle ⭐️ Register for the free Mythbusting Worksho...

In this week’s episode, Bonnie answer’s real estate investors about asset protection...aka Bonnie’s favorite (legal) thing in the world In this episode, you’ll learn:  What asset protection do I actually like? How to protect paid off properties? Is an umbrella policy a good substitute for an LLC? Does it ever hurt to have an WY/NV/special state LLC? 🎉  Register for my FREE Mythbusting Workshop 👉...

In this week’s episode, Bonnie Galam chats with attorney Trevor Serine about how asset protection tools play out during a lawsuit. We cover things from offshore account to the insider threat no defensive tool can protect you from. In this episode you’ll learn:  Why LLCs sometimes provide limited asset protection in the event of a lawsuit What type of defensive asset protection is most protective W...

In this week’s episode, Bonnie Galam combines her background in economics and law to explain what real estate investors need to understand and evaluate when buying real estate in this WILD market.  In this episode you’ll learn: Why you’re inundated with risky messaging from trusted professionals How your financing today can put you in a pickle tomorrow What competing factors you need to think abou...

In this week’s episode, Bonnie discusses year-end evaluations and planning for your investing biz and why uncovering and tackling the messy or forgotten parts of our business is critical to level up. In this episode, you’ll learn:  How to identify and evaluate your weak spots so you can start tackling them and create a gameplan to tackle them The step-by-step strategy I use to tackle the tough stu...

In this week’s BONUS episode, Bonnie talks about the asset protection lessons to be learned from the recent home invasion of RHOBH star Dorit Kemsley.   In this episode, you’ll learn: How anonymity-style asset protection plays out in a lawsuit What to name your LLC or trust and The risks of sharing too much on social media  🎁 Enter the Q4 Giveaway! 👉🏼 Access the links and resources mentioned in...

In this week’s episode, Bonnie answers listeners’ questions about financing your portfolio. Unless you're Dave Ramsey buying your portfolio with all cash, then you'll want to tune in to learn more about legally leveraging other people's money. In this episode here’s what you'll learn: When to use HELOCs vs. Cash out refi’s to scale your portfolio The quirks of Seller financing...