The Lo-Down

In this episode of the Lo-Down, I sit down with Neil Shah, who brings 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry and now owns 10 hotels. We dive into his journey from hotel management to ownership and what it really takes to build and operate successful hospitality businesses. Neil breaks down the differences between independent, soft-branded, and flagged hotels, and shares the pros and co...

In this episode of The Lo-Down, Lorenzo Mercado sits down with hotel investor and entrepreneur Alex Kang, who shares his inspiring journey from a 15 year career in consulting and tech into full time real estate and business ownership. Alex opens up about his transition into short-term rentals 🏡, scaling into hotel acquisitions 🏨, and the critical lessons he's learned along the way—from rais...

Join in on this episode of The Lo-Down as we welcome Kristiana Torregosa, a passionate Filipina fitness coach who transitioned from corporate to thriving fitness entrepreneurship. With over seven years in bodybuilding and powerlifting, Kristiana reveals how fitness and a disciplined mindset directly enhance your productivity and success in business. 🚀🏋️‍♀️ In this episode, we discuss: -Kristiana’...

On this episode of The Lo-Down, we explore the ins and outs of real estate lending with Brenda Chen, Managing Director at Conventus Lending and Founder of Venus Ventures. Brenda demystifies the lending process, offering practical advice for anyone looking to dive into real estate investments or expand their portfolio. We talk about hard money loans, DSCR loans and other loan products offered by Co...

In this episode of the Lo-Down, Lorenzo Mercado interviews Chris Luna, a multifamily developer and founder of the Backyard Billionaires community. Chris shares his journey from running a cell phone repair business to becoming a successful real estate investor. He discusses the importance of cash flow versus equity, the differences between multifamily and single-family investments, and his strategi...

In this episode of The Lo-Down , I sit down with Bay Area real estate flipper and residential developer Tom Tran. Tom started his journey as a realtor before diving into the world of fix-and-flips. Over time, he transitioned into larger projects, including home extensions, additions, and ADUs. We dive into how he’s scaled his business, the key partnerships that have helped him grow, and the system...

What does it take to build a successful winery from the ground up?  In this episode, Lorenzo Mercado interviews Akash Patel, the owner and operator of Akash Winery- a successful winery in Temecula, California. Akash shares the inspiring journey of how his family transitioned from the motel business to establishing a winery, emphasizing the importance of vision, hard work, and resilience. We discus...

In this episode, Lorenzo Mercado interviews Nick Sehy, an investor based in Seattle who has made big moves in the Detroit real estate market. Nick shares his journey from working at Microsoft to becoming a successful real estate investor, detailing his experiences with the BRRRR strategy, the challenges of investing in Detroit, and the importance of having solid contracts in place. He discusses hi...

In this soLo episode, I’m sharing what’s been going on behind the scenes and how I’m making moves to grow my real estate business. First, I talk about my decision to switch real estate brokerages—what led to the change, how it’s helping me align with my goals, and why being surrounded by like-minded, action-oriented people is a game-changer. I also dive into my latest projects: two new flips, and...

In this episode of The Lo-Down, Addie Ning, share her story as a successful real estate investor who transitioned from a career in biotech to full-time real estate investing. Addie tells of her first real estate deal out of state, the challenges, and her recent acquisition of a 12-unit apartment building. She discusses the importance of relationships in real estate, the lessons learned from her ex...

In this episode of The Lo-Down, I sit down with Laith Nsour, a trailblazing entrepreneur in his early 20s who’s proving that success doesn’t have to follow the traditional route. After deciding to skip college, Laith dove straight into the world of business and entrepreneurship and he’s been making big moves ever since. We talk about: -How Laith started a gym right out of high school - His role in...

This is a great episode, especially for all my fellow healthcare workers. I sit down with Alex Sabio, a successful entrepreneur in the hospitality space, particularly in Airbnb and hotel management. Alex shares his journey from being a respiratory therapist to investing in real estate, detailing his experiences with long-term rentals, the transition to short-term rentals, and the challenges he fac...

What does it take to turn a single real estate career into a multi-business empire? In this episode of The Lo-Down, I sit down with Brian Tran, cofounder of Fifty Hills real estate brokerage in Millbrae,CA and the visionary behind seven other successful businesses. I am also joined by Raymond Cho, the CEO of the Fifty Hill's house-flipping business and acquisition manager for real estate lead...

In today's episode of The Lo-Down, I sit down with  Raman Sidhu, who shares his journey in Residential Assisted Living. Raman discusses his transition from wholesaling and flipping houses to operating care homes for the elderly. He emphasizes the benefits of having a nursing background in this field, the financial potential of assisted living facilities, and the regulatory hurdles involved in...

In this episode of the Lo-Down, Lex Orosco shares exactly what it takes to be San Jose's #1 realtor. Transacting over $400 million in the past four years, Lex represents true success and hard work. Lex shares his journey from struggling in the early years to becoming a top agent, emphasizing the importance of mentorship, continuous learning, and adapting to market changes. He discusses the ch...

In this episode of The Lo-Down, Jacob Sandoval shares his journey into real estate investing, detailing his progression from long term rentals to luxury airbnb, the challenges of his first deals, and the importance of taking action. He emphasizes the importance of having a clear vision for financial freedom and how he has been able to acquire seven rentals in a few years. Jacob also shares valuabl...

In this episode of The Lo-Down, I interview Hemant Toteja. He is the first house flipper to come on to the show and he is crushing it here in the Bay Area. Hemant works full time in cybersecurity tech but has been able to build a successful million dollar house flipping business. He shares his journey and dives into key strategies for finding off-market deals, building relationships with agents, a...

In this episode, Jay Maranan shares his inspiring journey from a military background to becoming a successful real estate investor. He discusses the importance of understanding financial tools like VA loans and cash-out refinancing, the pivotal moments that shifted his mindset towards investing, and his transition into multifamily properties. Jay emphasizes the significance of building relationshi...

In this episode of The Lo-down, I sit down with Michelle Yu, a former corporate high-achiever who made the bold decision to walk away from a successful career and embrace a life of growth, purpose, and coaching. Michelle shares her powerful story of corporate burnout, taking a leap of faith, and ultimately transforming her life to help others as a certified growth coach. We dive deep into the impo...

In this episode of The Lo-Down, I am joined with Ray Tran, a financial literacy teacher, wealth-building coach, and real estate investor. Ray shares his inspiring journey from a corporate job in finance to educating middle school students in Brooklyn about money management, entrepreneurship, and investing. We dive  into the importance of financial literacy, how to build a strong foundation for wea...

In episode 3 of The Lo-Down, I am joined by my guest Sargam Tandon who started off as a designer in the commercial space. She eventually went off to start her own design consulting business. We dive into her experiences in both commercial and residential design which can be useful for any of your next projects. Sargam talks about house hacking, a 2 million dollar flip project, and her goals in dev...

Thank you guys for checking out my very first episode of my new podcast #TheLo -Down. In todays episode, I dive into why I started the podcast, what to expect and my background. Please like, favorite and share the video to help this podcast grow. Thank you and see you on the next one IG- lorenzo.mercado_ Youtube- TheLo-Down

In today's episode of The Lo-Down, Matt Nguyen discusses how he got into real estate investing, his first two out of state BRRRRs and the transition into commercial real estate. Matt also dives into his own online marketing company and how mindset has changed over the years. Thanks for tuning in! Please like, favorite and give a 5 Star review to help the channel grow.  IG- lorenzo.mercado_