The Real Estate Espresso Podcast

On today’s show we’re talking about hunting versus farming. Hunters go out in the morning, they catch their prey. They cook a big meal and they eat for a day, maybe longer. But the work of producing the food magically happened somewhere else. The same is true for fishermen. They catch their prey, but they don’t nurture it or do any of the hard work over a longer period of time to actually produce...

Video conference fatigue has definitely set in. I found myself NOT participating in three conferences this past week that I really wanted to attend.  I regularly attend the New Orleans Investment Conference each year in New Orleans. It’s the longest running investment conference in the US. The conference organizer Brien Lundin is a friend. Spending time with the attendees is one the highlight...

Our guest today is a repeat guest. George Ross is 92 years of age and has seen more in his business life than virtually anyone I know. On today's show we're talking about how to communicate any semblance of certainty to investors.

Ted Thomas is a nationwide expert on tax lien certificates and tax deeds. To connect with Ted or to learn more you can find him at tedthomas.com

On today’s show we’re trying to make sense of some of the latest statistics that are being reported in terms of national home sales. A new report yesterday in the Wall Street Journal reported that home sales rose to a new 14-year high in September, bolstered by robust demand and a shortage of homes for sale that is making the housing market one of the brightest spots for the U.S. economy. Existing...

On today’s show we’re talking about the role social media may be playing in our world becoming increasingly polarized. The extreme viewpoints that are making headlines in the US have been shocking to say the least. I never thought we would see the day when armed citizens were lined up outside polling stations. This is the United States of America, not some third world banana republic. Some think t...

The hospitality industry has been decimated by the Covid-19 pandemic perhaps more than any other industry. This spans everything from the major hotel brands to the individually owned short term vacation rentals. There is no doubt that we are entering a second wave of infection across many countries. We’re all tired of this and want it to be over and for life to return to normal. On today’s show we...

Hi Victor- Your podcast is fantastic - a perfect balance of brevity, and information without any noise or fluff. My question is: I have a multifamily renovation in progress which I want to refinance upon completion with 10 year fixed rate debt. As you mentioned, interest rates will likely increase post-election. Since my future rate will be based on the 10 year treasury, what investment could I ma...

On today’s show we’re taking a look at what’s happened in secondary and post-secondary education. Late last week The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center published data on the enrolment levels at universities and community colleges across United States. In most economic downturns there is a loss of employment and out of work people use the opportunity to retrain. In past downturns, unive...

Dr. Tom Burns is founder and partner in Presario Ventures, an Austin Texas based apartment development company specializing in Class-A new construction projects. In the mornings, he is a practicing orthopaedic surgeon. Tom just wrote a book "Why Doctors Don't Get Rich" which illuminates the path for other doctors, dentists, lawyers to replace and displace their professional income so that they can...

John Cooke specializes in disaster restoration and hazardous materials situations. His team of over 400 staff get involved in all aspects of property maintenance from commercial cleaning to assisting families during the depth of insurance claims. On today's show John and I are discussing how to clean in a Covid-19 environment. What are some of the right solutions and how to apply them. This was a...

Today’s show is another AMA episode.  Today’s question comes from Saadya in NYC. “I’m looking to conduct my first commercial deal. What is the most important thing to look for in that first project?” Well Saadya, this is a great question. When it comes to having a successful project, there are three main factors to consider. 1) The submarket 2) The people involved 3) The deal specifics You’re...

This year is creating a number of precedent setting situations. The Senior Housing industry is under extreme financial pressure these days. Prior to the pandemic they were experiencing dropping occupancy as more and more new supply entered the market, faster than demographics could support increased demand. Some markets have experienced occupancies in the 80’s and 70’s. The most over-built market...

We’ve been hearing for months how interest rates are going down and how the Federal Reserve is going to maintain rates at near zero levels until well into 2022. That all sounds like good news for real estate investors who are looking to borrow funds at the lowest possible interest rates. As we’re talked about before, the interest rate charged by the banks is often tied to one of two benchmark rate...

Commercial brokerage house CBRE conducted a survey of CBRE investment and valuation professionals in the last two weeks of August. One of the top items that I saw in that survey was the word risk. As we’ve talked about several time recently, risk has become top of mind for most investors this year. There are a number of sentiments in the survey that are worth noting. We’ll start by talking about i...

On today’s show we’re talking about chaos. This year has been anything but orderly. The handling of the pandemic by governments all over the world has been met with raging opinions across the board. There are those who believe governments are not doing enough to keep us safe. There are others who believe the entire response to the pandemic is overblown. In order to effect the best decisions the ri...

Phillip Vincent is the principal at MomsHouse.com where they specialize in helping families transition the elderly from their single family home to assisted living. During those moments, the families are experiencing a complex web of problems and Phillip's focus is on solving their problems. You can learn more and connect with Phillip at momshouse.com.

Valerie Malone is the principal at Quill Decor where she specializes in interior design for short term rental properties. Her clients are all across North America, even though she is based in Cambridge in the UK. On today's show we're talking about the design  elements that make for a winning short term rental property. You can connect with Valerie at quilldecor.com.  

One of the consequences of 2020 is that taxes are going to change in the coming year. I’m going on record as predicting that regardless who wins the Federal election in November, taxes are going to change. I know that I’m not saying anything terribly earth shattering. I suspect you all expect that. Tom Wheelright is one of the most well known accountants on the conference circuit. He’s one of Robe...

On today’s show we’re talking about the top 4 causes of erosion of our scarcest resource. Whether we’re talking personally or more broadly, the scarcest resource is time. Time wasters are the among the most tragic of outcomes. After all, that’s all we have is time. Time is the great equalizer. Many of those who have managed to amass wealth have learned to manage their time better than others. They...

On today’s show we’re talking about the materials cycle. Construction costs are influenced by the cost of materials. These commodities vary due to short term supply and demand fluctuations. Last year, the industry was buzzing about the rising cost of steel due to the trade negotiations with China. A lot of the steel used in US construction is sourced in China these days and the tariffs on imports...

On today’s show we’re talking about how multiple layers of red tape can kill a project. Today’s show is a real-life story of a project where the additional layers of red tape literally killed an industrial project. This is a project that should have been able to be built by right. When we say by right, we mean that the zoning lists a number of permitted uses. If your intended use falls within the...

This is another AMA episode. Anders from Ottawa asks. You can now report rent payments and non-payment to the Landlord Credit Bureau and this will be reported on the tenants Equifax credit report. It sounds like a great incentive for tenants to pay rent on time. Do you see any drawbacks for landlords except the cost ($19.95/month) and some administration? The landlord credit bureau is a concept th...

George is a repeat guest on the show. We are all so blessed to have access to a gentleman of such wisdom. He is distinguished by virtue of having represented some of the most iconic names in New York real estate. He worked for Sol Goldman, who was one of the pre-eminent landlords in New York for more than a decade. He worked for the Wilpons family who own the NY Mets baseball team. He taught negot...

Zandiee Hurtado travels the world while managing her real estate portfolio. She built her business on the premise of owning seller financed loans which pushes the responsibility for the physical management of the properties on her clients. She has mastered the art of lifestyle design using real estate investing as the tool to accomplish her life goals. You can find her on Facebook by her name Zand...