Real Estate to Freedom

The Broker Who Creates Buyers: How Cody Watts Finds and Flips Commercial Deals Most commercial brokers list properties and hope the right buyer shows up. Cody Watts does something very different. In this episode, Beckie sits down with Cody Watts, a commercial broker and investor who has built a powerful strategy for creating buyers instead of waiting for them. Cody owns his own brokerage and focus...

Cost Segregation & Bonus Depreciation: The Tax Strategy That Changes Everything What if your property could generate significant tax deductions in year one instead of being depreciated slowly over decades? In this episode, Beckie sits down with Kim Lockridge to unpack the ins and outs of cost segregation and bonus depreciation — two of the most powerful tax strategies available to real estate...

Curious how to use retirement dollars to buy real estate? In this Real Estate to Freedom episode, Beckie Lambert sits down with Brenda Lambert, a self-directed IRA (SDIRA) specialist, to demystify how investors use tax-advantaged accounts to build wealth with real assets. What we cover: What a Self-Directed IRA is (and how it differs from a regular IRA) Eligible assets: rentals, syndications, note...

In this episode of Real Estate to Freedom, Beckie Lambert sits down with Faris Musa, co-founder of Disrupt Equity, to unpack his incredible journey from tech to real estate domination. 💥 Faris started his career at Microsoft as a Program Manager, armed with a Computer Science degree from the University of Texas at Austin. But he didn’t stop there — his entrepreneurial spirit led him to launch a s...

Bonus Depreciation: The Strategy That Could Save You Six Figures What if one tax strategy could potentially save you hundreds of thousands of dollars? In this episode, Nate and Beckie sit down with Bill Walpole and Robyn Fujikawa to break down one of the most powerful — and misunderstood — tools available to real estate investors: Bonus Depreciation. This isn’t generic tax talk. This is high-level...

In this episode of Real Estate to Freedom, Beckie Lambert breaks down the fundamentals of analyzing office buildings — one of the most misunderstood asset classes in commercial real estate. 🏢 While some investors claim the office sector is dead post-COVID, Nate reveals why savvy investors are still finding huge opportunities in the right markets with the right strategy. In this episode, you’ll le...

Is retail real estate dead—or is it one of the most overlooked opportunities in commercial investing today? 🏬 In this episode of Real Estate to Freedom, Beckie Lambert breaks down the truth about investing in retail centers—from strip malls and shopping centers to big box stores. You’ll learn: ✅ The six major types of retail properties and how they differ ✅ Why long-term leases and triple-net s...

In this episode of Real Estate to Freedom, Beckie Lambert breaks down one of the most overlooked — yet incredibly profitable — asset classes in commercial real estate: warehouse flex space. 🏗️ If you’ve ever wondered what makes this hybrid asset so powerful, this episode is for you. Flex warehouses combine industrial functionality with office or retail adaptability, creating unique opportunities f...

In this episode of Real Estate to Freedom, Beckie Lambert breaks down one of the most recession-resistant and consistent asset classes in commercial real estate — self-storage. 📦 Storage units are often overlooked, yet they perform strongly in both up and down markets. Whether the economy is booming or tightening, people always need extra space — and that makes this a powerful addition to any rea...

Tax Saving Strategies for Real Estate Investors What if you could legally keep thousands — or even tens of thousands — more of what you earn each year? In this episode, Nate and Beckie sit down with Matthew Meyer and Ryan Thompson to explore powerful tax strategies specifically designed for real estate investors. This conversation goes far beyond basic deductions. Instead, we dive into the advance...

In this episode of Real Estate to Freedom, Beckie Lambert breaks down one of the most important — yet often misunderstood — metrics in commercial real estate: the Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR). 💰 If you’ve ever wondered how banks decide whether your property qualifies for financing, this episode will give you the clarity you need. Beckie dives deep into: ✅ What DSCR means — and why it’s the...

In this episode of Real Estate to Freedom, Beckie Lambert breaks down one of the most critical — yet often misunderstood — topics in commercial real estate: financial statements. 📊 Before you can evaluate deals, negotiate terms, or verify returns, you need to know how to read and interpret a property’s financials. And as Nate explains, these numbers often tell a story — sometimes one the seller d...

In this episode of Real Estate to Freedom, Beckie Lambert sits down with one of the most experienced voices in self-storage investing — Ted Green. 📦 Ted has built a reputation as one of the smartest, most grounded investors in the storage space. Every time Nate meets him at conferences, he walks away inspired and impressed by Ted’s deep knowledge and practical wisdom. In this episode, you’ll disc...

💥 For a long time, I thought I could only handle three flips at a time. That was my ceiling—or so I believed. But once I challenged that limiting belief and secured $600,000 in private money, everything changed. Within months, I scaled from three deals to fourteen at once—and made more in real estate than ever before. In this episode, I’ll show you how to nail your process first and then scale yo...

🌍 Most people think travel is expensive—but the truth is, you don’t always need deep pockets, just creative arrangements. With the right strategies, you can sleep, explore, and adventure your way across the globe for a fraction of the cost. In this episode, I’ll share the exact hacks I’ve used (and taught my students) to unlock amazing travel experiences: 🏠 Creative Home Arrangements Couch surfi...

🤝 When I bought my first rental property, I quickly hit a wall. On my professor’s salary, I couldn’t qualify for another loan or cover a big down payment. That’s when I teamed up with another professor, Bryce—we combined my hustle and his credit, split the equity, and bought a property that we still own eight years later. That’s the power of partnerships. Unless you have millions sitting in the b...

We’ve all heard the phrase: location, location, location—but in this episode, we unpack exactly why it’s the most critical factor in real estate success. 🏡📍See how our passive investors are doing just that at www.dreamlifefund.com From job growth and unemployment rates to neighborhood demographics and infrastructure, the health of the local economy directly impacts tenant stability, buyer qualif...

In this episode of Residential Real Estate Tuesdays, we explore how to build a real estate portfolio faster, safer, and smarter—by partnering with others. I share the story of how I teamed up with a fellow professor named Bryce when I had no credit and limited capital left. That simple partnership still pays us cash flow eight years later—and launched a path that’s now included over a dozen credit...

🐂 From the grit of farm life to managing millions in multifamily, Joe Rinderconnect and Levi Allen, co-founders of Cowboy Capital, share how their ranching roots shaped their success in real estate. 🔥 In this episode, you’ll discover how they: Built detailed asset management plans to hit the ground running—renovations starting the Monday after closing! Turned a 54-unit property in North Salt Lak...

🔎 Every real estate investor knows that finding good deals is the hardest part of the business. But what if you could generate thousands of leads in your area with the right system and software? In this episode, I sit down with Edmund Fontana, a seasoned investor and guest speaker, who reveals exactly how he finds deals others miss. Here’s what you’ll discover: 💡 The strategies Edmund uses to co...

When it comes to getting financing and protecting your cash flow, one number rules them all: Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR). 📊 In this episode, we break down why banks demand a DSCR of 1.20–1.25 or higher—and what it really means for your investments. You’ll learn the simple formula (NOI ÷ Total Debt Service) and why a DSCR below 1.0 spells trouble. 🚨 But we don’t stop at the basics. We’ll s...

In this episode of Real Estate to Freedom, we dive into one of the most overlooked yet game-changing aspects of real estate investing: timely and accurate financial reporting. 📊 From income statements to balance sheets, financial reports aren’t just paperwork for the bank or the IRS—they’re your roadmap to profitability, cash flow management, and smart decision-making. Waiting too long to review...

In this game-changing episode of Residential Real Estate Tuesdays, we break down how using other people’s money (OPM) is the key to accelerating your path to financial freedom. You'll hear two contrasting stories—Chad, who limited his success by using his own savings, and Kapil, who built a real estate business flipping up to 14 properties at a time without ever tapping into his own reserves. The...

In this episode of Commercial Real Estate Thursdays, we’re diving into one of the most powerful tax-saving strategies in commercial real estate: Bonus Depreciation. We’ll explain what it is, how it works, and when you should use it to maximize your after-tax returns—especially in multifamily and syndication deals. If you’ve ever wondered how high-net-worth investors seem to pay little to no taxes...

Most people believe the path to financial peace is to pay off all their debt as quickly as possible. But what if that plan is actually slowing you down or even setting you up for disappointment? In this episode of Residential Real Estate Tuesdays, I share the story of Jim, who followed a traditional “debt-free” plan—only to find himself house-rich but lifestyle-poor in retirement. Then we contrast...