Straight Up Chicago Investor

SUCI Podcast Co-Host Tom Shallcross is today's special guest and breaks down a fraud story on a West Town property that he purchased! Tom dives deep into a recent purchase in West Town that involved ownership fraud when transferring title. He explains how the fraud was detected and how he navigated the process to reach a resolution. Throughout this show, Tom emphasizes the importance of being due...

More Tenant Protections... Less Housing? Breaking Down Chicago's New RLTO ============= C onnect with Mark and Tom: StraightUpChicagoInvestor.com Guest: Mike Glasser, NBOA Link: Amendment of Municipal Code Chapter 5-12 regarding Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance Link: Oppose Mayor Johnson's Proposed Ordinance Email the Show: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com Link: Build Your Team | Strai...

Ignacio Gonzalez returns to discuss his Back of the Yards Coffee Shop development and his campaign for Chicago School Board! Ignacio jumps right in by sharing rent growth and property appreciation trends in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. He explains the struggles and lessons learned in completing the development of Dream Catcher Cafe. Ignacio talks about the impact of ICE raids in the neighbo...

Matt Katsaros of Wildwood Investments returns to break down ground-up development projects that he's taking down in Chicago! Matt jumps right in by explaining how his experience in commercial real estate brokerage and acquisitions led him to starting and scaling his development business. He dives deep into a Lincoln Park development deal and shares insights on raising capital, finding deals, and c...

Mark and Tom discuss the current fundamentals of the Chicago market with statistics provided by Jason Wagner. ============= C onnect with Mark and Tom: StraightUpChicagoInvestor.com Guest: Tom & Mark , Straight Up Chicago Investor Podcast Link: Jason Wagner's Market Reports Email the Show: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com Link: Build Your Team | Straight Up Chicago Investor Podcast Properties f...

John Preston of Horvath & Tremblay joins us to discuss opportunities in multifamily and mixed-use assets on Chicago's North Side! John begins by discussing what it takes to build a successful brokerage business including early struggles before hitting his stride! He breaks down his process for reaching out to and converting seller leads and also explains the work brokers do that leads to a success...

Tom and Mark interview some of Chicago's Brightest Real Estate Stars during a Renovo Networking Event featuring an interview of Thad Wong! Discussions range from areas investors are targeting in Chicago, breaking down the MRED and Zillow lawsuits, and lessons learned on luxury developments and operating apartment buildings. This show is full of wisdom from some of the best minds in Chicago Real Es...

What steps should I take to best prepare for my 2026 tax returns? ============= C onnect with Mark and Tom: StraightUpChicagoInvestor.com Guest: Aaron Zimmerman, Brick House CPAs Link: SUCI Episode 52 Email the Show: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com Link: Build Your Team | Straight Up Chicago Investor Podcast Properties for Sale on the North Side?  We want to buy them. Email: StraightUpChicagoI...

Asher Motew and Quinn Keenan of Essex Capital Markets break down keys to their early career success in the Chicago Commercial Lending Market! Asher and Keenan start by explaining their background coming from real estate families and how they've been able to pave their own path in commercial lending. They share their service offerings including creative solutions they bring that traditional lenders...

Jason Wagner, Managing Broker of Greystone Realty, returns to discuss the state of the Chicago Real Estate market and the power of buy and hold investments. Jason starts by discussing buyer expectations and demand in today's market. He dives into the data behind Chicago property value appreciation and rent growth across different neighborhoods! Jason shares client success stories involving house h...

What do I need to be aware of when assigning a contract?  ============= C onnect with Mark and Tom: StraightUpChicagoInvestor.com Guest: Chance Badertscher, Chance The Lawyer Email the Show: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com Link: Build Your Team | Straight Up Chicago Investor Podcast Properties for Sale on the North Side?  We want to buy them. Email: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com Have a v...

Duke Dennis and Bryan Sonn of GC Realty & Development join us to explain the ins and outs of Chicagoland Industrial Investments! Duke and Bryan explain how they got their start in industrial real estate. They dive deep on the differences between residential and industrial property investing. They discuss how they went from a property manager to an owner operator and share ways to add value to indu...

Igor Mike Kajpust, president of Evolved Property Group, shares his REI journey which started at 17 years of age and spans across multiple states! Igor breaks down his first few deals which includes an $800 land deal in Colorado and a distressed single family home in Indiana! He shares countless stories on auction properties, cold calling, and learning the process of wholesaling to create deal flow...

What do real estate investors need to know about the Big Beautiful Bill? ============= C onnect with Mark and Tom: StraightUpChicagoInvestor.com Guest: Aaron Zimmerman, Brick House CPAs Email the Show: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com Link: Build Your Team | Straight Up Chicago Investor Podcast Properties for Sale on the North Side?  We want to buy them. Email: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.c...

Alderman Bennett Lawson discusses historical developments in his 44th Ward and how that success can be applied across the City of Chicago! Alderman Lawson jumps right in by explaining the successful development in Wrigleyville including partnering with the Ricketts family! He breaks down successful developments including Advocate Masonic Hospital in Lakeview and across the 44th Ward. Alderman Laws...

Mike Scanlon of the Axon Group returns to share his personal real estate journey with several insights on how he has reached his success! Mike starts by discussing his background prior to real estate and then jumps into his first property acquisition which was a rent-by-the-room condo house hack! He shares how he got gritty and creative to finance and acquire a pair of distressed properties in Uni...

What are the main differences in the 8.0 CAR contract vs the previous 7.0? ============= C onnect with Mark and Tom: StraightUpChicagoInvestor.com Guest: Chance Badertscher, Chance The Lawyer Email the Show: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com Link: Build Your Team | Straight Up Chicago Investor Podcast Properties for Sale on the North Side?  We want to buy them. Email: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@g...

Dan Nelson is a real estate agent and investor with over 2 decades of experience flipping properties and buying rentals! Dan jumps right in by explaining his start in real estate and how success in poker helped fund his real estate business! He breaks down his first few flip projects including lessons learned and great tips on vetting contractors. Dan talks through the challenges of getting off th...

Brendan McElhaney, founder of Cash for Chicago Houses, is a real estate wholesaler and investor who specializes in sourcing off-market deals through direct-to-seller marketing! Brendan explains how he started in real estate with a house hack and how that helped him leave his corporate job to pursue real estate full time! He talks about renovation mistakes and leasing insights that he learned on hi...

How do I best prepare for an upcoming appraisal? ============= C onnect with Mark and Tom: StraightUpChicagoInvestor.com Guest: Tom & Mark, Straight Up Chicago Investor Email the Show: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com Link: Build Your Team | Straight Up Chicago Investor Podcast Properties for Sale on the North Side?  We want to buy them. Email: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com Have a vacancy...

Ryan Bakke turns to discuss the power of smart business acquisitions and tax strategy to skyrocket returns and keep more money in your pocket! Ryan starts by reminding us the tax benefits of short-term rentals and real estate professional status. He explains the process of buying businesses including defining a buy box, identifying opportunities, and improving operations upon acquisition. He dives...

Adam Friedberg, CEO of Mavrek Development, joins us to discuss the ins and outs of large-scale developments in Chicago. Adam starts by explaining how he started in real estate and hustled early on to learn development and value-add construction. He breaks down pitching development deals to investors and various methods for raising money. Adam talks about projects during COVID and how his team pivo...

Adam Friedberg, CEO of Mavrek Development, joins us to discuss the ins and outs of large-scale developments in Chicago. Adam starts by explaining how he started in real estate and hustled early on to learn development and value-add construction. He breaks down pitching development deals to investors and various methods for raising money. Adam talks about projects during COVID and how his team pivo...

What is the process for assuming a VA or FHA loan?  ============= C onnect with Mark and Tom: StraightUpChicagoInvestor.com Guest: Mike Scanlon, The Axon Group (EXP Realty) Email the Show: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com Link: Build Your Team | Straight Up Chicago Investor Podcast Properties for Sale on the North Side?  We want to buy them. Email: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com Have a vac...

Josh Bandoch is the Head of Policy at the Illinois Policy Institute, TED Talk Speaker, and Author who joins to discuss his new book, How to Get What You Want! Josh jumps right in by explaining the concept of his book and the neuroscience of persuasion! He shares insights on how the brain works as it relates to persuasion and gives tactical negotiation tips. Josh describes the process of writing hi...