Racking Up Rentals

In this first episode of the new and improved podcast, Racking Up Rentals (formerly Sleaze-Free Real Estate Investing), host Jeff introduces the new show and explains the focus: investing in real estate with the goal of building long-term wealth through owning rental properties…and buying them directly, off-market from sellers using the timeless fundamentals of relationship and direct negotiation.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Like you have a huge vision, but it feels daunting? You're not sure what to do next, and as a result, you feel stalled out—like you're not making much progress? Well, it happens...in real estate investing, in life and even in podcasting. In this episode, host Jeff explains how he has been experiencing these feelings about this very podcast, and the changes that will b...

In this episode, host Jeff from The Thoughtful Real Estate Entrepreneur interviews rock-star real estate agent and industry community leader Kevin Kauffman. In this wide-ranging discussion, Jeff and Kevin discuss what makes a great real estate agents, how agents and investors can better work together, and how to build community within the real estate industry.

In this episode, host Jeff interviews guest Robb Crocker, a real estate entrepreneur who has built an incredible commercial real estate portfolio one deal at a time, without it even being his primary entrepreneurial focus. In this episode, Robb and Jeff discuss the wealth-building power of owning a building for your own business, the virtues of investing in small towns, using seller financing and...

In this episode, Jeff provides a live coaching session with an aspiring real estate investor who is interested in buying an off-market duplex with Seller Financing...from a Seller in a very unique scenario. The conversation is a great case study on the art of Seller Relations skills, and how the Thoughtful approach is applied in the pursuit of acquiring investment real estate off-market. Jeff and...

In this timely bonus episode of Sleaze-Free Real Estate Investing, Jeff from The Thoughtful Real Estate Entrepreneur and Mike Nuss from Investor Lab discuss the adjustments Thoughtful Real Estate Entrepreneurs need to be prepared to make in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. From investing to retail brokerage to property management and beyond, Mike and Jeff discuss the effects of COVID-19 on real est...

In this episode, host Jeff interviews Dill Ward, who is on a mission to raise the vibration on the planet one interaction at a time. Working as a life-catalyzing Realtor for the past decade she combines her unique perspective as a real estate investor, community builder, business mentor, and coach. In their encouraging and inspiring conversation, Dill and Jeff discuss the importance of aligning mo...

Though we find ourselves in very difficult and uncertain times, the COVID-19 pandemic has created the Perfect Storm of Ethical Opportunity for Thoughtful Real Estate Entrepreneurs. Beginning right now, and for at least months if not years ahead, Sellers will need the unique gifts and talents that TREEs can offer them: empathy, listening, tailored proposals and a relationship-oriented approach. In...

In this episode, Jeff interviews Josiah Smelser, host of The Daily Real Estate Investor podcast, and author of the new book "Dream It and Build It: How to Crush Your Real Estate Investing Goals." In this conversation, Jeff and Josiah discuss how Josiah has created a strong, synergistic business partnership, how he and his partner set a stretch goal for 2019 and crushed it, how to strike a balance...

When the phone rings with a new lead, most average investors begin collecting INFORMATION about the PROPERTY. But as Thoughtful Real Estate Entrepreneurs, we know the most important thing to do is collect INSIGHTS about the SELLER. Gathering information about the property is easy. Getting to know our audience and who we are dealing with takes more skill, and will give us the best chance of being a...

When you're marketing to off-market Sellers, you can either pitch your WHAT, or you can demonstrate your HOW. Lowbrow investors offer their WHAT in the first contact...what they can do, what they think the Seller wants, WHAT they think is attractive to the Seller. Instead, we Thoughtful Real Estate Entrepreneurs demonstrate our HOW. We don't say what we'd like to do; instead, we demonstrate HOW we...

In this episode of Sleaze-Free Real Estate Investing, host Jeff discusses several elements of successful direct mail marketing to off-market Seller leads. Topics covered include: 1) are all Seller leads equally valuable? 2) what's the difference between direct mail strategy and gimmicks 3) how you should NOT measure results in your direct mail campaign, and 4) two critical marketing lessons—persis...

When you're trying to buy a property off-market from a Seller, when do you start negotiating? The answer will likely surprise you, and it's probably far earlier than you think! First, you must understand what negotiating REALLY is. In this episode, host Jeff discusses when--and how--negotiations with a Seller begin...whether you're ready for them or not!

In this episode, host Jeff continues a deep-dive into the topic of Opportunity Vision--the ability to not only see what a property already is, but more importantly to be able to see what the property COULD be. Once you see this vision for the greatest possible opportunity, what do you next? In this episode, Jeff teaches how to take this vision and optimize the deal to capture this opportunity--and...

In this episode, host Jeff introduces the concept of Opportunity Vision--the ability to not only see what a property already is, but more importantly to be able to see what the property COULD be. Jeff explains three big categories of Opportunity Vision: physical and value vision, income vision and financial structure vision. When you learn Opportunity Vision, you learn how to squeeze the most valu...

In this episode of Sleaze-Free Real Estate Investing Quick Takes, Jeff discusses the thoughtful perspective on three questions that come up often in real estate investing and entrepreneurship, and offers actionable wisdom: 1) Why off-market real estate deals are SO MUCH better than listed properties, 2) How to invest in real estate without risking your own money and 3) How you know if a rental pro...

Brian Trippe is the founder of REI LIVE--a real estate education platform created to develop and train new investors to go out and do deals immediately--and host of the REI Live podcast. Brian is also a speaker, an author and, of course, a seasoned real estate investor! In this episode, Jeff interviews Brian in an engaging conversation about how real estate is LIVE and LOCAL, covering topics from...

In this episode of Sleaze-Free Real Estate Investing Quick Takes, Jeff offers bite-sized nuggets of actionable and insightful wisdom covering three questions that people often ask: 1) What is the key to attracting Sellers? 2) How do you know if you have a truly motivated Seller? 3) Where is the best place to learn real estate investing?

Chad Carson, also known as Coach Carson, is a long-time real estate entrepreneur, educator, father, husband, world traveler and all-around good guy. Chad's motto is "Invest in Real Estate. Retire Early. Do What Matters!" In this episode--the inaugural interview on the Sleaze-Free Real Estate Investing podcast--Jeff interviews Chad in an engaging and wide-ranging discussion about many aspects of re...

For most real estate entrepreneurs and investors, the goal is freedom and financial independence. In this episode, we conclude our two-part discussion discussion about the principles of financial independence, and how those principles apply--often somewhat differently--to Thoughtful Real Estate Entrepreneurs. We cover the unique ways real estate entrepreneurs can build toward financial independenc...

As real estate entrepreneurs and investors, the topic of financial independence and financial freedom is a familiar one we think about often. In recent years, the topic of financial independence has become more mainstream, especially through the FIRE movement--Financial Independence, Retire Early. In this episode, we begin the first part of a two-part discussion about the principles of financial i...

Recently, Jeff had the pleasure of being the guest on The Daily Real Estate Investor podcast, hosted by Josiah Smelser. In this interview, Jeff and Josiah discuss many aspects of real estate investing, everything from Relationship Wholesaling—The Thoughtful Real Estate Entrepreneur's approach to wholesaling—to seller financing, to weird things happening in Portland, OR. We hope you enjoy this inte...

When you build a long-term rental real estate portfolio--and you use long-term debt to do so--you enjoy a benefit that most people don't seem to know, understand or talk about: the power of inflationary forces on your debt. In this episode, Jeff explains why many Thoughtful Real Estate Entrepreneurs love ong-term debt on rental properties, and how the macro-economic force of inflation helps them b...

Most people who invest in rental real estate do so to create financial freedom--which comes from cash flow. But while most people believe there's only one way to create cash flow through building a rental portfolio, there is indeed a second, more powerful way to go about it. In this episode we present both paths to creating cash flow, compare and contrast them, and explain why the second, lesser-k...

Many real estate investors think their goal is to create equity in a rental property; many others think their goal is to create cash flow in a rental property. In this episode, Jeff explains that Thoughtful Real Estate Entrepreneurs have a different goal with equity and cash flow than most real estate investors: the goal to create "leverageable equity." Jeff explains what leverageable equity is, h...