The Real Estate Espresso Podcast

Today, I want to talk about amenities. Not in the abstract, not as a checklist, and not as a race to add more stuff, but as a lens into tenant psychology, capital allocation, and disciplined product design. Greystar recently published their latest amenities and apartment features market study, based on year-over-year survey data from 2023 to 2024. And while it’s tempting to read this kind of repor...

When developers talk about underwriting, they often focus on the numbers and forget the product. Yet in real estate, the product is inseparable from the math. One of the most common strategic mistakes I see is the instinct to blend into the average of the market. It feels safe. It feels conservative. And it is often the most dangerous choices you can make. It’s a choice that is made even more comp...

On today’s show we are talking about accelerating training by orders of magnitude and the impact that this can have on the global arms race for the best artificial intelligence. The key to learning fast is intensity. If you follow the human paradigm the key to learning is practice and repetition across a wide range of conditions. The problem is that humans learn very slowly if you think about it. ...

The housing market is going to change again. I don’t mean the actual market. I’m talking about the rules and initiatives from the US federal government.  The person to watch is Bill Pulte, the current director of the Federal Housing Finance Authority. This agency oversees lending agencies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. If the last name sounds familiar, it’s because Bill is the grandson of Willia...

ATTEND George's Online Birthday If you can't attend in person and would like to wish George Happy Birthday, send an email to podcast@victorjm.com and put George in the subject line. I'll make sure he gets your best wishes. Today’s show is dedicated to my friend and advisor George Ross. If you’ve been listening to this show for a while, you’ll know that George has been a frequent guest...

Owen Reimer is based in Steinbach Manitoba, a small town in Manitoba. Like many communities, there is a shortage of housing and a shortage of new housing in particular. On today's show we are talking about how to maintain costs under control. To connect with Owen, visit https://www.stoneshorecapital.com/ --------------- **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:**  Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podc...

Colton Pace is based in Austin Texas where he is the founder of OwnWell, a the largest company in the US by volume that specializes in lowering property tax bills. On today's show we are talking about the process of challenging property tax assessments. To connect with Colton, visit https://www.ownwell.com/ ------------ **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:**  Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podc...

The Republican party is known for being conservative, fiscally conservative, socially conservative, religiously conservative, and so on. The latest salvo from the White House is to ban large institutional investors from gobbling up single family homes.  Conservative values are based on free markets. The solution to the cost of housing is not to artificially reduce demand. Imagine for a moment that...

Every year in early January the global tech industry converges on Las Vegas for the annual Consumer Electronics Show. I’ve attended this conference religiously in the past, and less frequently now that my focus is on real estate rather than technology.  This year, as with last year, the central theme to CES is AI. Virtually everything being showcased at CES is AI enabled in some way.  On yesterday...

Every year in early January the global tech industry converges on Las Vegas for the annual Consumer Electronics Show. I’ve attended this conference religiously in the past, and less frequently now that my focus is on real estate rather than technology.  This year, as with last year, the central theme to CES is AI. Virtually everything being showcased at CES is AI enabled in some way. There are als...

This is the first in a regular monthly feature on the podcast where we choose a particular architectural award winning project and see why it was award winning. What made it stand out? On today's show we are looking at an adaptive re-use project in Basel Switzerland which converted a wine storage warehouse into apartments. Here is a PHOTO of the project. -------------- **Real Estate Espresso P...

On today’s show we are looking at a new security threat that all property owners need to have on their radar.  Ten years ago, a drone was a hobbyist toy. Today, a consumer quadcopter is a stabilized, GPS-enabled camera platform with live video, automated flight modes, and enough payload to carry small objects. That combination has created a new category of criminal capability: low-cost airborne ac...

Recorded live in Tulum Mexico at our Build to Scale Mastermind. This annual retreat is where we bring together great people and focus on the systems and processes to scale your business. Today's show is the second in a two part segment on goal setting for 2026. -------------- **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:**  Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast]( https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq...

Today's show is the first in a 2-part series on goal setting, recorded at our annual Build To Scale Mastermind retreat in Tulum Mexico. ------------ **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:**  Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast]( https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1 )    iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast]( https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rea...

On today’s show we are looking at something that appears to be news, if you strictly follow the headlines. But if you’re following the industry, you will recognize that the media are reporting news that quite frankly is several years old.  The issue is the condo market. The problem is that the condo model is flawed, at least in its current incarnation. Any condo developer needs to achieve somewher...

Happy New Year and Happy first of the month. On the first day of each month we review the book of the month. In order to be considered for book of the month a book needs to meet a simple criteria. It needs to be impactful enough that it might change your life or your perspective on the world. I would put this month’s book into the category of philosophy.   It is a thought provoking read called “ S...

On today’s show we are looking forward to 2026. I’m going to make some predictions for the coming year.  ------------ **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:**  Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast]( https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1 )    iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast]( https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482...

On today’s show we are talking about the narratives that impact market movement. Throughout history there have been two truths: What happened The story about what happened. It’s that narrative that can powerfully influence the perception of what happened and the way investors view the market.  I’m going to use silver as an example. But the process applies to real estate, indeed to any investment v...

On today’s show we are talking about one of the greatest threats to real estate, and it doesn’t come from real estate, or even have anything to do with real estate.  The word bubble has been making headlines lately with an increasing number of pundits calling the level of investment in AI a bubble.  Last week we talked about three styles of investing: fundamentals, momentum and arbitrage. On today...

On today’s we are looking at the Year in Review. We are going to look at Six Themes That Defined Commercial Real Estate in 2025. 2025 was not an easy year in commercial real estate, but it was an important one. It was a year that forced clarity. If there was one central theme that defined the global economy in 2025 it was the word uncertainty. This was artificially and intentionally created by the...

Michael Matthew is a CPA based in Toronto Canada specializing in international tax for real estate investors. He has both Canadian and US clients. On today's show we are talking about some of the distinct differences between the Canadian and US Tax code. To connect with Michael, email michael@askmichael.ca. -------------- **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:**  Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Po...

On today’s show we are talking about what I consider to be the number one risk in any construction project. This is one of those activities that forms part of the substrate of the project, but in a customer visible sense adds zero value to the project. It’s necessary, but unwelcome. Furthermore, it’s the number one area where subcontractors notoriously overcharge their clients.  I’m talking about...

When people talk about investing, they often speak as if there is a single correct approach. In reality, there are multiple styles of investing, each rooted in a different view of markets, human behavior, and risk. Confusion arises when investors mix these approaches without realizing they are playing different games. Three of the most common styles are value investing, momentum investing, and arb...

When investors look at silver’s performance over the past two years, it’s tempting to focus on the headline numbers. Silver is up significantly. In percentage terms, it has outperformed gold, platinum, copper, equities, and bonds over much of that period. That fact alone has drawn attention. It’s up 180% over the past 24 months.  But as with any asset, the more important question is not what went...

On August 7, 2025, the Supreme Court of British Columbia delivered a decision that has captured international attention across Canada and indeed any country that has its legal system based on British Common Law. The Supreme Court ruled that 750 acres which now form part of the urban center of a Vancouver suburb have aboriginal land rights which precede the current system of land registration. They...