The Best Ever CRE Show

Pascal Wagner interviews Bob Fraser, CFO and chief macro strategist at Aspen Funds, to break down how oil and gas can (or can’t) fit inside a diversified portfolio. Bob explains the three parts of the industry (upstream, midstream, downstream), why most LP horror stories come from drilling risk, and why he prefers buying already-producing, non-operated working interests to reduce geology/engineeri...

Ash interviews Michael Cobb, exploring how Michael built an international real estate, lending, and development platform across Central and South America by identifying gaps in foreign buyer financing and leaning heavily into community-centric development. Michael shares why legal systems, zoning assumptions, and cultural norms differ dramatically outside the U.S., and how misunderstanding those n...

Matt and Seth unpack how capital raising has evolved from informal, often non-compliant co-GP arrangements to a more structured, scalable fund-of-funds model. Seth explains why private markets are growing roughly twice as fast as public markets, tracing the shift from the JOBS Act to today’s AI-enabled infrastructure. The conversation dives into SEC compliance pitfalls, why transaction-based compe...

Richard McGirr interviews Matt Drouin about what actually makes paid ads work for high-ticket offers—and why most people fail when they try to bolt ads onto capital raising without the right infrastructure. Matt breaks down the core “go/no-go” checklist (starting with a crystal-clear offer), choosing the right channel for your ICP (Meta for older, Facebook-group-heavy investors), and why your CRM,...

John Chang shares a deep-dive outlook on the major forces shaping commercial real estate investing in 2026. He explains why job growth is expected to slow significantly, how policy uncertainty and AI-driven productivity are restraining hiring, and what that means for absorption and vacancies across property types. Chang also breaks down interest rate expectations, inflation risks, and why pricing...

John interviews Dave Foster, breaking down how investors can legally defer capital gains using 1031 exchanges and why timing, preparation, and the right intermediary matter more than most people realize. Dave explains common misconceptions around the 45-day identification window, how overlapping closings and contingencies can dramatically extend real decision time, and why many investors fail simp...

Matt Faircloth interviews Joe Fairless, sharing a practical and personal framework for goal setting heading into 2026. Joe breaks down how he’s used vision boards and written goals for more than a decade, evolving from image-based inspiration to clear, trackable outcomes that keep him focused daily. They discuss the importance of involving family and peers for accountability, tracking progress vis...

*Previously aired episode* Pascal Wagner interviews Russell Gray, the long-time co-host of the Real Estate Guys Radio Show and a seasoned LP investor. Russell dives deep into the critical role macroeconomics plays in investment success, sharing his personal crash-and-burn story from the 2008 mortgage crisis and the economic warning signs he missed. He breaks down the shift from Wall Street to Main...

*Previously aired episode* Ryan Tseko, Executive Vice President of Cardone Capital, shares insights from managing a 15,000-unit portfolio valued at over $1.6 billion. Drawing from his unique journey from commercial airline pilot to Grant Cardone's right-hand man, Tseko discusses their strategy of combining fixed-rate financing with 10-year hold periods to weather market cycles. He reveals details...

*Previously aired episode* Amanda Cruise and Ash Patel talk with Casey Mericle about his innovative approach to commercial real estate investing through creative financing. Mericle shares his strategy of acquiring properties at higher prices in exchange for favorable seller financing terms, which he then leverages by moving the mortgages to other value-add properties. He explains how he structures...

*Previously aired episode* J Scott, Partner at Bar Down Investments and Host of the Drunk Real Estate Podcast, discusses the current state of the multifamily housing market, focusing on trends, challenges in new construction, the impact of wages on rent growth, and the dynamics of supply and demand. They explore the implications of low housing starts, the importance of tenant affordability, and in...

*Previously aired episode* Ash Patel goes full-send on authenticity in real estate and social media, calling out clickbait growth hacks and the hollow vanity metrics behind them. He unpacks why “generational funds” and decade-long holds often mask weak deals, and why infinite banking is just expensive life insurance dressed up with fancy marketing. Ash also takes aim at sloppy capital raising, urg...

*Previously aired episode* Joe Fairless interviews Dr. Adam Gower, Tim Mai, and Irwin Boris to explore how AI is transforming capital raising in commercial real estate. The panel shares their most effective AI tools and how they use them for investor outreach, appointment setting, and content creation. Tim explains how he automates prospecting via Facebook and LinkedIn, while Irwin details his lea...

*Previously aired episode* Amanda Cruise and Ash Patel interview Brad Johnson, co-founder and CIO of Vintage Capital. Brad shares his journey from institutional private equity to building a $200M+ mobile home park portfolio and discusses why he’s doubling down on the asset class today. They dive into due diligence strategies, creative seller financing structures, and why Brad prefers long-term hol...

*Previously aired episode* Matt Faircloth interviews Jonah Bamberger of Aulder Capital, diving into his journey from growing up in Maryland, serving in the Israeli military, and transitioning into real estate investing. Jonah shares how he started with rent-stabilized multifamily in Brooklyn, expanded to suburban areas along the East Coast, and recently ventured into development in Portugal. The c...

*Previously aired episode* John Chang interviews Joe Fairless, co-founder of Ashcroft Capital, about navigating today's complex commercial real estate landscape. Fairless, who manages over $2.8 billion in assets across 14,000 apartment units, shares insights on finding opportunities amid market distress by cultivating relationships with lenders seeking capable operators for distressed properties....

*Previously aired episode* Pascal Wagner interviews Brandon Cobb, a seasoned land developer and founder of HBG Capital. Brandon breaks down the highly misunderstood world of land development, revealing how value is created before a single house is built. He shares how his team entitles land and leverages national homebuilder partnerships to generate strong returns with mitigated risk. Brandon walk...

*Previously aired episode* Joe Fairless interviews AI-savvy investors Paul Hopkins, Perry Zheng, Lance Pederson, and Bo Barron to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping commercial real estate acquisitions. The panel shares practical tools—like Google’s Notebook LM, ChatGPT, AI21, and Claude—and strategies for deal analysis, underwriting, parsing PDFs, and even creating custom GPTs to aut...

John Chang shares a year-end perspective on where commercial real estate stands after 2025 and what he’s watching heading into 2026. He breaks down the sharp slowdown in job creation following tariff uncertainty, rising unemployment among young adults, and how those trends are already impacting household formation, apartment absorption, and overall CRE demand. John also explains why institutional...

John Casmon interviews Keith Miller about scaling from small backyard ADU and infill development projects into large-scale modular and manufactured home communities as a way to solve affordability and construction bottlenecks. Keith explains how subcontractor shortages, cost overruns, and timeline risk pushed his team toward factory-built housing, which offers faster delivery, more predictable pri...

Matt Faircloth interviews Maurice Philogene about designing a life around time freedom, personal fulfillment, and intentional investing, drawing from Maurice’s journey from corporate executive, military officer, and police officer to real estate investor. Maurice explains how buying and systematically paying down small condo assets created early financial freedom, why ego-driven over-leverage near...

Pascal Wagner interviews Matt Faircloth, John Casmon, and Ash Patel in a year-end roundtable reflecting on the biggest lessons from 2025 across their own portfolios and hundreds of investor interviews. The group digs into why distress has been slower and more “behind the scenes” than expected, how liquidity, discipline, and deal structure mattered more than macro predictions, and why many LPs are...

Amanda Cruise interviews Chris Streit, CEO of CSA Partners, about where cost segregation stands at the end of 2025—why “100% bonus depreciation is back” doesn’t remove urgency, because cost seg is fundamentally tax deferral and the time value of money still matters. Chris explains how investors can run look-back/catch-up depreciation on properties bought in prior years without amending returns, an...

Matt Faircloth interviews Ash Patel, and the two hosts do a 2025 look-back / 2026 look-forward on what they’re seeing across major commercial asset classes—plus where they think real estate operators are headed after the last couple years of “extend and pretend”. They start with why triple-net retail has stayed surprisingly strong (including the “no new supply” reality) and why office still feels...

Richard McGirr interviews Maria Zondervan, a fund-of-funds operator who pivoted from a career as an endangered-species wildlife biologist into multifamily investing after realizing she needed to build legacy wealth for her special-needs son. Maria explains why she disliked directly operating multifamily and instead built a model where she partners with other fund managers to write larger checks, n...