The Commercial Real Estate Investor Podcast

Key Takeaways: Leverage Your Existing Network Share what you do professionally Have one-on-one conversations Tell stories about successful clients Ask for specific referrals Hyper Local Farming Focus on a manageable geographical area Walk and know your target market About 5% of properties may be interested in trading at any time Door knocking, cold calling, and direct mail can be effective Positio...

Key Takeaways: Commercial Real Estate Investment Insights: Returns vary based on risk and market conditions Long-term real estate investing is more stable than short-term speculation Look for risk-adjusted returns, not just raw percentage numbers Current Projects: Salt Ranch boutique hotel is near completion Started construction on a 350-unit self-storage facility in Chattanooga Restructuring his...

Key Takeaways: The $370K underwriting mistake that changed everything How Marcus scaled from one car wash to a multi-property empire Why strong banking relationships are a growth cheat code The power of treating tenants like partners • How he’s setting his kids up to run the family portfolio

Key Takeaways: Commercial Real Estate Misconceptions: Making money is not just about rent exceeding expenses Commercial real estate investing is not 100% passive Bigger numbers shouldn't scare investors Having the right sales team can help get better deals Advice for Investors: Treat commercial real estate like a business Build strong systems to manage properties Network with brokers and use strat...

Key Takeaways: Embrace Adversity Challenges are constant in commercial real estate View obstacles as opportunities for growth Always be prepared to solve problems Build Your Personal Brand Become an expert in your specific market or asset class Use social media to provide valuable, authentic content Network within industry associations and communities Add Value Consistently Focus on helping client...

Key Takeaways: Tariffs will significantly impact commercial real estate, especially industrial and retail sectors, by increasing construction and material costs. Manufacturing relocation back to the US will take 4-5 years minimum, with full impact potentially taking 10+ years. Businesses are likely to face immediate price increases due to tariffs, potentially causing economic uncertainty and reduc...

Key Takeaways: Occupancy dropped from the seller's claimed 93% to as low as 58%, but has now climbed to the high 70s. Partnering with a moving company (Six Demand Movers) provides unique advantages in filling units and getting above-market rates. Major operational challenges included: Transferring property management software Onboarding a call center Fixing maintenance issues (gate, HVAC, doors) T...

Key Takeaways: Location Matters: Choose a location that fits your specific investment strategy and asset class. Cash Flow is Critical: Aim for properties that can cover debt service, especially in the current interest rate environment. Environmental Due Diligence: Always conduct a phase one environmental report to identify potential contamination risks. Property Age Considerations: Older propertie...

Key Takeaways: Tyler hosted a successful CRE Accelerator Mastermind event in Birmingham, Alabama, where they covered topics like developing flex space, underwriting, and case studies from members. Tyler is planning the next in-person mastermind event in Nashville, which will focus heavily on underwriting practice and property tours. Tyler is under contract to purchase a 4,000 sq ft building in Eas...

Key Takeaways: Unconventional ways to monetize commercial real estate include renting out parking spaces, using excess land for storage containers, implementing digital billboards/signage, and leveraging technology and experiential elements. In the industrial sector, there is a "tale of two cities" scenario, with oversupply in big box warehousing but high demand for smaller manufacturing spaces. R...

Key Takeaways: Being a generalist in commercial real estate is better than being a specialist, as it broadens your investment skills and opportunities. The numbers alone don't make a deal - you need to consider operational capacity, management ability, and local market conditions as well. Real estate doesn't always go up in value, and can experience significant drops in the short-term. Just becaus...

Key Takeaways: Industrial real estate remains resilient, with low vacancy rates, but older buildings may need upgrades to meet modern standards. The multifamily market is bifurcating, with Class A urban properties seeing more challenges, while Class B and workforce housing have stronger fundamentals in certain areas. The office market has structurally changed, with high vacancy rates, but there ar...

Key Takeaways: Leverage LinkedIn and social media to become a thought leader by creating valuable, client-focused content rather than self-promotional posts. Ensure your social media presence and brand aligns with the type of high-value clients you want to attract. Publish regular, data-driven market reports to differentiate yourself and stay top-of-mind with potential clients. Seek out speaking e...

Key Takeaways: Be very cautious of deals with extremely high cap rates (over 10%), as there are likely underlying issues with the property or tenant. Thoroughly vet the seller and ensure they are the actual owner of the property before proceeding. Verify ownership through title work. Conduct thorough due diligence, including a Phase 1 environmental study, to uncover any potential problems or liabi...

Key Takeaways: When determining the price per square foot to pay for industrial land for development, survey recent comparable sales in the area to see what the market is paying. Take into account the specific zoning as that can impact pricing. As a general rule of thumb, you'll want the land cost to be around 20-25% of your total development costs (including hard and soft costs). This can help gu...

Key Takeaways: Explore alternative financing options like bridge loans, floating rate loans with rate caps, assumable debt, and seller financing to make deals work in the high interest rate environment. Underwrite deals conservatively, stress-testing for debt sensitivity and ensuring NOI durability. Focus on realistic rent growth and expense assumptions. Plan for longer hold periods of 7-10 years,...

Key Takeaways: Don't invest with syndicators you don't know personally. It's important to thoroughly vet and understand how a syndicator operates before investing with them. Align incentives with your investment partners. The general partner should have significant skin in the game and be taking on meaningful risk alongside the limited partners. Be very conservative in your underwriting and stress...

Key Takeaways: Underestimating renovation costs and working with inexperienced contractors can lead to major challenges on your first commercial deal. It's important to work with seasoned professionals who can provide accurate cost estimates. Creative financing options like investor partnerships and seller financing can help new investors get started in commercial real estate without having to put...

Key Takeaways: Budget conservatively for unexpected maintenance costs when buying older commercial properties. Factors like HVAC issues, plumbing problems, and deferred maintenance can lead to significant unplanned expenses. Scaling up in commercial real estate can help minimize maintenance costs per square foot. Larger properties often have economies of scale compared to smaller, lower-cost prope...

Key Takeaways: Thorough due diligence is crucial when analyzing potential deals, especially when reviewing rent rolls, leases, and tenant mixes. The distress in the market is compartmentalized, so understanding the specific risks and opportunities in each asset class and submarket is important. Considering alternative financing methods, such as paying cash, syndications, or using creative structur...

Key Takeaways: Going "dark" in commercial real estate refers to when a tenant shuts down their business but is still legally obligated to pay rent. This can create opportunities for landlords to get properties at a discount. When a tenant goes dark, the landlord has to weigh the pros and cons of suing the tenant versus negotiating an early lease termination. Lawsuits often end up costing more in l...

Key Takeaways: Tyler and Jacob bought a failing self-storage facility for $1.7 million, with the goal of turning it around through operational improvements. The facility was advertised as 95% occupied, but was actually only 66% occupied when they took over. This was a significant discrepancy. The property had a poor reputation with many negative reviews, so Tyler and Jacob plan to focus on improvi...

Key Takeaways: The commercial real estate job market is challenging, especially in sectors like development. Factors like high interest rates, construction costs, and cautious banks make new development projects difficult. Leasing and asset management roles may be relatively stronger than sales/brokerage, which has seen significant declines in transaction volume. Building relationships, especially...

Key Takeaways: Hospitality experience is valuable when transitioning to real estate. Andrew's background in running restaurants and managing teams helped him in operating the Swepson Guest House. Focusing on a specific customer type and not trying to be everything to everyone is important. Andrew targeted large groups like corporate retreats and bachelor parties. Providing additional services like...

Key Takeaways: Tyler is excited about setting up a new studio to create more in-depth, longer-form content on commercial real estate investing and development in 2025. Tyler has been very busy recently, with several property transactions and projects, including selling a property with a 305% return, closing on a 105-unit self-storage facility, and developing a 215-unit self-storage facility. Tyler...