The Real Estate Espresso Podcast

On today’s show we are talking about the difference between two types of inflation. Economists have terminology for inflation that is used to describe the nature of the inflation. The first is cyclical inflation. This type of inflation is caused by a short term economic disruption, for example a supply shock. Once that supply shortage is resolved, prices tend to normalize and the inflation essenti...

On today's show we’re taking a look at the big picture of the housing market in both the United States and Canada and asking the simple question. Is this a healthy housing market? If so, then why and if not, why not? -------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

Ross Hamilton is the founder of Connected Investor, which was sold to First American Title a little over a year ago. On today's show we are talking about some of the technology innovations that are coming to the world of real estate transactions. To connect with Ross, you can email him directly at ross@successcap.com. His charity is savinghomes.org which is doing amazing work to help people ou...

Scott Carson is based in Austin Texas where he specializes in purchasing and repairing distressed loans from banks and commercial lenders. Scott is a real experr in the field and he shares some insights as to what is happening in the market today. To learn more or to connect with Scott, visit weclosenotes.com or talkwithscottcarson.com. ------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.co...

With tax deadlines coming up and only a few months remaining in the year, we are getting a lot of tax related questions at our development company Y Street Capital. These questions are often coming from prospective investors who are looking at our investment offerings. As always, we don’t offer tax advice. Most importantly, we advise our investors to never let the tax tail wag the investment dog....

Today's question comes from David who writes: Thank you for all the education you provide daily! It’s clear and concise and relevant and much appreciated. In talking with a Canadian associate this weekend I was informed that Canada doesn’t offer 30 year fixed financing like in the States. I never knew this! In talking with another Canadian today we were discussing that in his lifetime there ha...

On today’s show, we are putting some of the global financial risks on your radar that is not getting any air play in the news. If you have been a listener to this podcast for a while, it should be clear that we are in the throes of a global economic downturn. However, the manifestation of that is not identical on every single continent. There are three different predominant themes in the economy i...

This question comes from Ravi who writes:   I have been a long time listener of your prodcast. In fact I won a signed book a few years ago. I have a lot of respect for you and was hoping to get your opinion regarding the build to rent investment thesis. I have considered investing through a company called Southern Impression homes. I was not sure if you had any experience with them. They build sin...

Today is another AMA episode (Ask Me Anything) Jay writes: I recently bought a lot in a subdivision. Where do I find out what the developer has agreed to do exactly for the infrastructure?  I already discovered a public access walk path that is graveled and the plot said it’s supposed to be paved. Where can I go to get details of what is supposed to have been done to the infrastructure including p...

Angie Stauffer is based in Gilbert Arizona where she is a senior executive with YRefy. The company helps student loan borrowers in distress with loan modifications. These loans cannot be forgiven through personal bankruptcy. By lowering the interest rate and extending the amortization period, the company gives the borrower a realistic and affordable plan for repayment of the loan. To learn more, v...

Robby Butler recently joined our real estate development team. On today's show you're going to get a chance to meet him for the first time. You can reach him directly at robby.butler@ystreetcapital.com ------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

In his book "Building an Elite Organization", Don Wenner, the CEO of DLP Real Estate Capital, documents some of the principles that he has used to grow his company and has earned the honor of being on the Inc 5000 fastest growing company list for 8 years consecutively. Many of the ideas in the book are echo’s from other works. Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great is quoted frequently...

Today is another AMA episide (Ask Me Anything). Michael writes: "Hey Victor, I have been investing in multifamily properties for over a decade, mostly in smaller deals but a few in the $1M to $2M range.  I've been encouraged to do cost seg studies many times over the years and cannot get the math to pencil out.  As an actuary by trade, I have a high degree of confidence in my analysis, bu...

Today's question comes from Robert who askes: What is your criteria for selecting guests who appear on the weekend edition?  How do you vet podcast guests for your show? ------------------ Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

On today’s show we are talking about what is happening in the economy. There is a narrative of bumpy landing, to a soft landing, and now more recently, no landing. It seems as if the market is convinced that the US economy is strong and is going to emerge from this deceleration into recovery. The stock market is booming which quite frankly is delusional optimism. We have seen a rapid increase in l...

Today's question comes from Tracy who writes: I am a developer/builder in Eastern Washington State. I have been in talks for months with a regional bank for a new apartment building. We have satisfied all the preliminary requirements to be pre-approved. Recently, we went for final loan approval for the project and the bank came back with the determination that they did not have the liquidity t...

Scott Choppin is based in Southern California. His company specializes in purpose built urban townhouses for rent. On today's show we are talking about the challenges and merits of building in California. He publishes a weekly article on Substack called "The Real Signal". You can also connect with Scott on Twitter @ScottChoppin. ----------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@v...

Tim Milazzo is based in New Smyrna Beach, Florida where he is the founder and CEO of StackSource. The company focuses on driving transparency into the borrowing process for commercial real estate borrowers. To find out more, visit stacksource.com --------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

Today is another AMA episode (Ask Me Anything). Rueben asks: Can you suggest a good program for helping me build out my budget for a new single family 1500 sq. ft. construction? ------------ Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

On today’s show we’re talking about demographics and policy. In Canada, our fertility rate is 1.48. We’re not making enough babies to maintain population. Like most western economies, fertility rates are below the 2.1 required to maintain population constant.  The US is at 1.64 Italy is at 1.24 China is at 1.09 So countries with low fertility and rising populations are acquiring population through...

 Today’s question comes from Paul, who asks: I have a multi family apartment project that is currently up for renewal of its insurance policy. I have a quote for new insurance, but I’m having a difficult time, assessing whether the insurance being quoted is going to leave me over insured or under insured. I would like to have replacement cost insurance. How would I determine replacement cost for a...

On today’s show we are taking a look at the economy in China. China is the world’s second largest economy and it is the most systemically important from a consumer perspective. China is the factory of the world, at least for now.  As China’s industrial sector boomed over the past 40 years. People moved from the farms into the cities in order to work in factories. The growth in manufacturing was on...

As many of you are aware, the real estate development company that I’m a partner in is building several projects. On today’s show, I’m going to give you an update on the Norris Ranch project in Colorado Springs. It’s been about ten months since we closed on the purchase of this iconic property. While our investors get regular updates, we know that many of our listeners are also interested in follo...

Ken Gee is based in Cleveland Ohio and he invests in multi-family assets. On today's show we are talking about the merits of a fund model versus syndicating individual deals. To connect with Ken and to learn more, visit kripartners.com ------------ Host: Victor Menasce email: podast@victorjm.com

Kevin Amolsch is based in Denver Colorado where he runs The Pine Financial Group. They're a private lender with $130M in assets under management. To connect or to learn more, visit https://pinefinancialgroup.com/ or visit https://thepinereport.com/ to get a copy of their latest report on lending in the current environment.