John Lee Dumas and his partner Kate Erickson launched the Entrepreneurs on Fire Podcast 5 years ago. More than 2,000 episodes later, and over 65 million downloads, he has one of the most successful business podcasts in existence. Today's episode is a glimpse of a...

Sometimes the best clean tech involves using less energy. On today's episode we examine 3 things that can save major expense in an office building.  

Adam asks a great question. He asks if clean energy is worth investing in? It's a complex question which requires an understanding of the linkage between energy consumption and economic output. It also requires and understanding of energy density. The short answer is...

Big data refers to the mining of gazillions of unstructured data looking for trends and in some cases specific information that can give a business advantage. It's simultaneously an opportunity for business and a massive invasion of privacy for private citizens. What...

Today is another AMA (Ask Me Anything) episode. Michael asks about a specific building that appears to be at a discount to the market when compared with similar properties that have sold in the area. This is a very common situation, and requires a structured way of...

On today's show we're talking about how a 1% increase in total investment can create a true market differentiator that will keep clients engaged. The fact is, most real estate investors don't know how to design a world class Internet distribution network. Let's keep...

Matthew Mesick and Ricardo Rodriguez are the principals at Park Place Property Group in Chicago where they perform full gut renovations of homes in high value neighborhoods in the city. It's an aggressive strategy that is paying off for the young company....

NFL Legend Keith Elias is my guest today. He was a star running back for the NY Giants and the Indianapolis Colts. After the NFL he went into real estate working with developers to raise capital for development projects. Today, he's back in the NFL coaching players...

Prices are so high today that you might conclude there are no good markets. Some markets like Seattle are overbuilt. Are there any good opportunities left? We think so. But it requires a very structured thought process to select a market that meets investment...

Today there are 8 million vacant homes in Japan. How did this happen? Who should be held accountable for such a major mistake? Could it have been predicted?  

Its estimated that only one in thirteen businesses owned by baby boomers will sell when the owner retires. The rest will shut down. 72% of business owners have no succession plan even though they plan to retire. This has to be the opportunity of the century for...

We're continuing our look at demographics as a predictor of real estate markets. On today's show, we examine the fortunes of Harley Davidson and what it can tell us about the future of the housing market.  

On today’s show we will be focusing on demographics as a predictor of the housing market demand. Baby Boomers inhabit 32 million owner-occupied homes in the US, accounting for two out of five homeowners in the United States. These folks are due to retire and will exit...

David and Gina Fabry invest in recreational camp grounds. This is a different take on investing, and one that you probably have not heard about before. Enjoy this conversation and learn about a new asset class.  

On today's show I'm talking with George Ross about making sense of the conflicting market data that is out there. Supply surplus in some areas, and major shortages across the nation. George sets me straight.  

A lot about the economy can be predicted by human behavior. Demographics predicts behavior. Yet few economists look at this. They look to government as the driver for the economy. In truth, they're missing one of the biggest sources of economic activity....

On today's show we do a deep dive on a strategy for getting site plan approval. We examine a specific case study whereby we got a zoning variance with a separate variance application instead of requesting the variance up front. as part of the initial site plan...

On today's show we're examining the impact of the currency and financial crisis in Turkey. It has the potential to create a ripple effect through-out the European banking system. Eventually, the impact could be felt here in North America.  

Today's show is a rare rant about the insanity I'm seeing in the stock market. Bubbles are formed when expectations deviate too far from the fundamentals of making money. Our case study is one of my favorite companies, Tesla.  

Folks, I’m here to report that the next real estate downturn is already upon us. It’s not 18 months away or 24 months away like many have predicted. It’s here now. I’m going to show this conclusively with the example of Seattle.  

A few days ago I took a tour with Robert Helms, one of the developers of Mahogany Bay Village and host of the Real Estate Guys Radio Show. This ambitious project is impressive in its own right. Even more impressive is how it was built in an environment of virtually no...

On today's show I'm speaking with special guest Russ Gray, co-host of The Real Estate Guys radio show. We're talking about the market cycle and how we prepare.  

Market analysis should examine all the potential choices a new resident could make. They could buy or rent, and they could consider more than one type of property. A complete market analysis should show you clearly all sources of competition. Otherwise you risk making...

David from Pittsburg asks, Since you came from tech background, how did you decide to go into real estate development instead of other options?  

Today a listener from Pittsburg asks how we can establish a rule of thumb to guide investment decisions. It's a great question. Check it out.  

On today's show we're examining a recent report from Colliers International on different asset classes across several Canadian cities. We are seeing significantly high prices. I can't seem to make sense of how investors are willing to pay these high prices. They make...

On today's episode, a listener in Raleigh North Carolina ask about developing a small residential subdivision. There are a number of considerations that need to be deeply examined to determine if the project is viable.  

How resilient are your projects to increases in interest rates, or construction costs, or perhaps changes in international exchange rates? There are so many variables that have increased in volatility this year that planning has become much more difficult. Performing...

Kevin Day is one of the most distinguished and knowledgeable asset protection attorney's in the world today. You will learn a great deal from Kevin as I have from just spending time with him and hearing him teach the principles and tactics of asset protection....

Hilton Group of Hotels were recently sold from the Blackstone Group through an IPO process. They booked a $14.5 billion dollar profit on the sale.  

Having a separate deed for each room in a hotel is the latest twist on the condo concept. The question is, does the model make sense? We dive into that in today's episode.  

There are more changes coming in the hotel industry as providers become more specialized in their product offers to target the specific needs of clients. There are a number of new entrants in the hotel market with a new class of product offer, specifically addressing...

Most people know that if you don't pay your taxes, the city will put a lien on your property. But there are 4 ways the city can extract money from property owners that may surprise you. Buckle up.... Here we go.  

A listener in Pennsylvania asks which type of development do I prefer, infill or greenfield?  

Fortunes are changing in the market, just like at the casino. The key is to recognize the difference between investing and gambling. Sales are slowing and the days on market are extending to more normal levels.  

Today's episode is full of surprises. In truth, this is a small sampling of the myriad of surprises we routinely in experience in the world of development projects.  

I was reminded today why I invest in real estate. Analysts downgraded their estimate for Facebook's earnings, and the stock took a 24% hit overnight. As a small investor in the stock market you have no control. But as a real estate investor, one who focuses on...

In June, Chinese investors sold more US real estate than they purchased for the first time in 10 years. This reversal marks a huge shift in a growing trend of Chinese money buying marquis assets across the country over the past 5 years.  

Today's episode was recorded in front of a live studio audience at Podcast Movement 2018 conference in Philadelphia. In today's talk I outline the deliberate thinking that is behind the design of the podcast, and the daily commitment to value that most precious...

Recessions occur when producers expand in anticipation of continued growth in demand. They over estimate the true demand and by the time they realize their mistake, it's too late and they're sitting on excess inventory. How many places in the economy do you see this...

Today I'm taking you on a walking tour of several landmark properties in Manhattan and sharing some of the history behind those buildings. My mother was an architect on two of those projects and I give you a behind the scenes look (via audio) at what those buildings...

Yes, this time the Province of British Columbia is giving condominium corporations the power to ban short term rentals in their bilaws and fine owners or residents up to $1,000 per day. The City of Los Angeles just passed a new motion that limits owners from renting...

Earlier this week I spoke with George Ross about the current news cycle which is very focused on the outcome of the Helsinki Summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. George has a very clear way of looking at a situation and separating what actually happened...

This is one of the most complex areas of property ownership, and one where common sense doesn't apply. There are so many special cases that the same water will change ownership depending on what happens to it along its journey from the sky into the ground....

In the wake of last year's Hurricanes and tropical storms, very little has changed in terms of insurance coverage nationwide. In today's episode we discuss different types of insurance coverage and the merits of each one.  

Is Wind part of your property? Does it have value? Can you own it? Can you harvest it? Can you sell it, or rent it? All these questions and more on today's episode of the Real Estate Espresso Podcast.  

As more and more people install solar panels, does a neighbor have the right to cast a shadow on your property? Today we're discussing the conflict between development rights and solar rights, a key due diligence item that most developers are not paying attention to....

The National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care reported this week that the Nationwide, senior housing occupancy has reached its lowest level in over eight years. Data for the 31 primary markets shows that assisted living occupancy fell to 85.2% this...

Meagan Duhamel is an Olympic gold and bronze medalist in figure skating, two time world champion, and seven time Canadian champion. She's just a great person to hang out with and learn from. Meagan and I spent a day together this week. Some of it was recorded and I'm...

Today's guest is a CPA who believes that being a strategic consultant is far more important than simply a commodity number cruncher. His thoughts on tax reform confirm that philosophy  

We are experiencing a new wave of protectionism, but this is really about addressing the balance of trade and minimizing the risk of a global default on sovereign debt.  

The Bank of Canada has been slower to raise interest rates compared with the US. Rates are currently at 1.5%, the result of the second increase this year, and the 4th in the past 12 months. What does this mean for you as a real estate investor?  

Beau in Toronto asks about a specific market opportunity to buy a townhouse as a Joint Venture partnership. He provided detailed information about the deal and I analyzed the deal live on air after doing no more than about 5 minutes of market research.  

As business owners we need the right people in our core team. Whether they are partners, or members of the executive team, each of those people are key. How do you forge a successful partnership? There are certain characteristics that make a partnership work. If...

As real estate investors we often focus on the real estate aspects of our work. After all, we're real estate people, not marketers. Today, I'd like to challenge that way of thinking. I'd like you to consider why you might stage furniture in a rental apartment. It's...

Volume Flipper Paul Kazanofski is my guest today. His no-nonsense approach is very refreshing. If you are wondering how to scale your business beyond a couple of projects, listen to how paul is scaling his business.  

Loe Hornbuckle is the founder and principal at The Sage Oak, specializing in residential senior assisted living. I love this conversation with Loe, where he takes a very refreshing common sense approach to how senior housing should be operated.  

Sustainable businesses require 7 key functions. You may be trying to operate a small business and can't afford to hire the staff, hoping someday to grow organically into a more sustainable business. You'll almost never achieve that kind of growth. There's a much...

Today's episode compares two different construction loans on two projects that are only a few blocks apart. One had a much more attractive interest rate, but ultimately was the more expensive loan. Yes, the devil is in the details. But in this case the details were...

Fallacies are mistaken beliefs. Today and every day this week we are talking about fallacies. On today's episode, we are talking about where you can find money.  

Deals are very hard to find these days. The market is so competitive. Projects are selling for stupid prices. You could easily come to the conclusion that there are no deals. Yet, that would be a mistaken belief.  

A Fallacy is a mistaken belief. We all have them. They're supported by evidence that confirms our belief. Today and all week we're talking about fallacies.  

Billy Brown is a professional lender based in Nashville, Tennessee. Our conversation centers around how to scale your team to create a sustainable business.  

Brien Lundin runs the New Orleans Investment Conference, the longest running investment conference in the world. He's an investor in gold, precious metals, and real estate. He has a fascinating perspective on real assets. Don't skip this episode.  

San Francisco median home prices are now $1.6M, the highest in the country. In fact, a family earning less than $117,000 is considered low income according to HUD. What's going on, and what's driving these prices?  

Most real estate has a business tied to it. Separating the business from the real estate can be very dangerous if you can't practically operate the business. You become dependent on the business for the financial health of your property.  

AMA - Ask Me Anything. Frank from Portugal asks about waterfall payments. What are they and what are some of the most common uses in syndications?  

Holding some gold in your portfolio is just a smart thing to do. How do you buy gold if you don't have the cash? What if gold later drops in value? Gold doesn't generate cash flow. Objection, objection, objection. On today's show, we discuss how to buy a large amount...

Coming to you live from the Loire Valley in NW France. We're looking at what a second home in France might mean for a foreigner. Big changes in the market that make purchase prices attractive, and cost of ownership unattractive.  

Tom Laune is a financial planner, unlike any other financial planner. He fundamentally disagrees with the way the financial planning industry uses clients money to maximize their commissions. This conversation is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise mirky segment of...

Doris is a very successful real estate investor. She lost her husband to illness and was left with $400,000 in debt. She used real estate to extract herself and her family from this predicament. She has an amazing story to tell and is a real educator. You won't want...

Jason asked how I changed career from corporate life to real estate investor. It's a great question and I share my journey and mistakes that I made in my early years during my transition to full time real estate investor.  

The Dallas industrial space market is expected to add another 20 million square feet of new space this year. What is driving the demand for all that space, and will it be absorbed?  

Do you have a key team member who is so vital that a resignation would severely damage your business? Today we're talking about how to create resilience in your business to single points of failure.  

Frank from Portugal asks about how to do a thorough job of market research on the Tampa Bay market. This is a great question and one that I get all the time.  

Federal Reserve Chairman Powell announced last Wednesday a 0.25% increase in interest rates. What does this mean for you as a real estate investor?  

Today's episode is extra special. These two gentlemen are among the smartest dudes I know. They have performed some of the deepest thinking around how our world and economy functions. They've seen things that most economists have totally missed. Don't miss this...

Mike Ayala is one of the principals at 4 Peaks Capital Partners. They specialize in portfolio investing in mobile home parks. They've scaled their business to a high level in a short time by bringing in the right team and a strong capital base.  

Today's episode is based on a real life situation of a fire that resulted in loss of life. To make matters worse, the owner of the property had made upgrades to the fire safety equipment in the home but still didn't meet code. They were fined and found to be liable...

Secondary dwellings can be a way of increasing density without changing the zoning of residential properties. Some of the most expensive neighborhoods in the core of a city often have deep lots that have enough space for a separate building. Many cities have started...

Sometimes a seller seems to take an arrogant position. It can almost seem like they aren't interested in selling the property. When you're dealing with a seller, it's important to understand both sides and how to negotiate assignment of responsibility for any...

The City of Philadelphia is talking about doing away with a 10 year property tax abatement and imposing a 1% tax on new construction projects across the city. The move is designed to raise funds for affordable housing. What are the consequences of such a tax? Will it...

AMA (Ask Me Anything). A listener from California asks about whether it's safe to hold debt in an inflationary environment. We measure inflation as an increase in prices. In truth, it's a devaluation of the currency. Savings become worth less. Debt goes down in value...

I had the privilege of spending several days with Robert Kiyosaki on the Investor Summit at Sea. There is nothing quite as intense as an early morning article study with Robert. In this episode we talk about being a life-long student, and the true meaning of team....

Seth Mosley is a Grammy Award winning musician, song writer, producer, and real estate investor. Seth and I spent a day together in Nashville at the Music and Money investment group. Our conversation centered around the interplay between his main gig in the music...

Today we are examining distortions in the market. These distortions result in many sellers putting a property on the market and asking too much for it. But you can’t blame the seller. They are simply trying to maximize their profit. Distortions in the market are...

A listener in NYC asked whether they should attend an upcoming family office conference. What are the chances of closing a deal at that conference? Is it a waste of time? Such a great question. I answer it in the context of the 5 principles of raising capital....

Short term rentals are under assault by many local governments. It's crazy to make long term loan commitments in an uncertain regulatory environment. Today we show how you can determine whether the short term rental market in your city is a good bet.  

I’m talking about what assets can you buy when we are at the top of the market. When the recession has already hit, and prices have fallen, there will be bargains in multiple asset classes. That market bottom discussion will be for another day. What we're looking for...

On today's episode we examine what is counter party risk and how even a stress test of your own balance sheet or your bank's balance sheet doesn't tell the full story.  

We're in front of a live studio audience, interviewing Mary Brauner who lives in a condo complex that handed each unit owner a $30,000 surprise special assessment, on top of condo fees that were already $800 per month. This situation is becoming increasingly common in...

Last week we spoke about Puerto Rico. When I was there I had the chance to meet face to face with John Lee Dumas, host of the Entrepreneurs on Fire Podcast. He just completed over 2,000 episodes and 65 million podcast downloads. Definitely at the top of his game. Love...

The recent election in Italy has thrown Europe into turmoil. The result has been a flight of capital from the Euro in US Treasuries, lower the yield on 10 year T-Bills. Since many commercial loans have their rate linked to the 10 year Treasury rate, a fall in T-Bill...

We continue our look into student housing. The US Department of Education publishes reports on university enrollment. We do a deeper dive into their numbers are look at some specific opportunities for investment.  

University enrollment fell by over 200,000 in the past year, marking the 6th straight year of decline. Overall, student enrollment in universities has fallen by 2.6 million students compared with 2011. That's a huge decline. If enrollment is falling, it stands to...

Today we're talking about student housing. This is one of my favorite asset types. But not everyone feels that way. I share why I like it and what it takes to run a successful student housing portfolio.  

CTV News reported that a large parcel in the East end of Ottawa will be site of a new 1M square foot warehouse. Sources close the project have confirmed off the record that the occupant will be Amazon. This is part of a growing strategy across North America for local...

George was Mr. Trump's advisor and right hand man for many years. In today's episode he's sharing his perspective on what we're seeing in the news media. I’m sharing this with you to underscore how difficult it is to make sense of what is being reported in the news. I...

Dave is the CEO of The Real Asset Investor. He's a real estate guy, but as the name implies, he also invests in multiple types of real assets. On today's show, we're talking about how he invests in ATM machines and why it made sense for him and his investors....

Warren Buffett famously said that he would go out and purchase a few hundred thousand single family homes if he had the ability to manage them. One company that took his advice was the Blackstone Group private equity firm. They aggressively went on a buying spree...