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The Best Ever CRE Show

The Best Ever CRE Show

4,238 episodes — Page 3 of 85

S1 Ep 4136Best of 2025 Replay: Inside Cardone Capital: Portfolio Growth, Investment Strategy, & Bitcoin Integration ft. Ryan Tseko

*Previously aired episode* Ryan Tseko, Executive Vice President of Cardone Capital, shares insights from managing a 15,000-unit portfolio valued at over $1.6 billion. Drawing from his unique journey from commercial airline pilot to Grant Cardone's right-hand man, Tseko discusses their strategy of combining fixed-rate financing with 10-year hold periods to weather market cycles. He reveals details about their innovative approach of bundling Bitcoin with multifamily investments, their focus on simple fee structures, and their success in raising capital from 18,000 retail investors. Tseko also provides candid perspectives on current market opportunities, particularly in acquiring assets below replacement cost, and explains why they're choosing to buy deals all-cash in today's high interest rate environment. Ryan Tseko | Real Estate Background Cardone Capital Based in: Miami Say hi to them at: ⁠www.cardonecapital.com Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 31, 202547 min

S1 Ep 4135Best of 2025 Replay: Creative Deal Structuring Insights, Seller Financing Strategy, & Leveraging Low-Rate Mortgages for Portfolio Growth ft. Casey Mericle

*Previously aired episode* Amanda Cruise and Ash Patel talk with Casey Mericle about his innovative approach to commercial real estate investing through creative financing. Mericle shares his strategy of acquiring properties at higher prices in exchange for favorable seller financing terms, which he then leverages by moving the mortgages to other value-add properties. He explains how he structures deals to solve multiple parties' problems simultaneously, particularly in helping 1031 exchange investors find temporary parking spots for their capital. The conversation provides detailed insights into using options, navigating seller financing, and creating win-win scenarios in today's high-interest-rate environment. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 30, 202530 min

S1 Ep 4134Best of 2025 Replay: Housing Starts, Rising Wages & AI: Three Major Market Forces That Will Shape Multifamily in 2025 ft. J Scott

*Previously aired episode* J Scott, Partner at Bar Down Investments and Host of the Drunk Real Estate Podcast, discusses the current state of the multifamily housing market, focusing on trends, challenges in new construction, the impact of wages on rent growth, and the dynamics of supply and demand. They explore the implications of low housing starts, the importance of tenant affordability, and innovations in construction methods, including modular housing. The discussion highlights the complexities of the market and the interplay between economic factors and housing availability. J Scott | Real Estate Background Partner at Bar Down Investments and Host of the Drunk Real Estate Podcast Portfolio: About 1,000 units of SFR and multifamily 5,000 units as an LP Based in: Sarasota, FL Say hi to him at: ⁠jscott.com⁠ Best Ever Book: ⁠Thinking, Fast and Slow⁠ by Daniel Kahneman Greatest Lesson: The value in holding property for the long-term. That's where real wealth building happens. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 29, 20251h 8m

S1 Ep 4133Best of 2025 Replay: Authenticity Over Clickbait, Generational Funds Myths and Infinite Banking Exposed with Ash Patel

*Previously aired episode* Ash Patel goes full-send on authenticity in real estate and social media, calling out clickbait growth hacks and the hollow vanity metrics behind them. He unpacks why “generational funds” and decade-long holds often mask weak deals, and why infinite banking is just expensive life insurance dressed up with fancy marketing. Ash also takes aim at sloppy capital raising, urges investors to prioritize net worth over door count or passive-income theatrics, and shares how being real on LinkedIn helped him move capital quickly. The throughline is simple and spicy: authenticity wins, and anything less will cost you. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 28, 202529 min

S1 Ep 4132Best of 2025 Replay: AI in Capital Raising ft. Dr. Adam Gower, Tim Mai, and Irwin Boris

*Previously aired episode* Joe Fairless interviews Dr. Adam Gower, Tim Mai, and Irwin Boris to explore how AI is transforming capital raising in commercial real estate. The panel shares their most effective AI tools and how they use them for investor outreach, appointment setting, and content creation. Tim explains how he automates prospecting via Facebook and LinkedIn, while Irwin details his lead generation workflows through LinkedIn scraping and email campaigns. Adam emphasizes building inbound investor interest through consistent LinkedIn content and engagement, powered by AI for scalability and authenticity. Adam Gower - Founder - Based in: Beverly Hills, California - Say hi to them at ⁠gowercrowd.com⁠ ⁠⁠linkedin.com/in/gowercrowd⁠⁠⁠ Tim Mai - Fund Manager - Based in: Sugar Land, Texas - Say hi to them at ⁠linkedin.com/in/timmai⁠ ⁠HEROWealthFund.com ⁠ Irwin Boris - Senior Managing Director - Based in: New York City, New York - Say hi to them at ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/irwinboris/ Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 27, 20251h 0m

S1 Ep 4131Best of 2025 Replay: Off-Market Wins, Market Resilience, and Capital Strategy ft. Brad Johnson

*Previously aired episode* Amanda Cruise and Ash Patel interview Brad Johnson, co-founder and CIO of Vintage Capital. Brad shares his journey from institutional private equity to building a $200M+ mobile home park portfolio and discusses why he’s doubling down on the asset class today. They dive into due diligence strategies, creative seller financing structures, and why Brad prefers long-term holds with strong operators over short-term flips. The trio also tackles current legislative risks, how rent control could impact MHP valuations, and why Brad isn’t chasing distressed multifamily deals. Brad Johnson Current role: Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Vintage Capital Based in: Irvine, California Say hi to them at: ⁠[email protected]⁠ | ⁠vintage-funds.com⁠ Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 26, 202551 min

S1 Ep 4130Best of 2025 Replay: Multifamily Investing, International Expansion, and Market Cycles ft. Jonah Bamberger

*Previously aired episode* Matt Faircloth interviews Jonah Bamberger of Aulder Capital, diving into his journey from growing up in Maryland, serving in the Israeli military, and transitioning into real estate investing. Jonah shares how he started with rent-stabilized multifamily in Brooklyn, expanded to suburban areas along the East Coast, and recently ventured into development in Portugal. The conversation covers the importance of networking, regulatory challenges in different markets, and the shift in real estate opportunities amid changing economic conditions. Jonah also discusses how Aulder Capital is focusing on value-add multifamily deals in the U.S. while leveraging unique opportunities in international markets. Jonah Bamberger CEO Based in NYC, Maryland, Myrtle Beach, Portugal Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 25, 202556 min

S1 Ep 4129Best of 2025 Replay: Capital Market Opportunities, Multifamily Absorption Trends, & Lender Relationship Strategy for Market Distress ft. Joe Fairless

*Previously aired episode* John Chang interviews Joe Fairless, co-founder of Ashcroft Capital, about navigating today's complex commercial real estate landscape. Fairless, who manages over $2.8 billion in assets across 14,000 apartment units, shares insights on finding opportunities amid market distress by cultivating relationships with lenders seeking capable operators for distressed properties. They discuss the record-breaking apartment absorption in late 2023, the decreasing construction pipeline, and how these fundamentals create buying opportunities despite challenging capital raising conditions. Fairless also candidly addresses lessons learned from previous deals and emphasizes the importance of "extreme ownership" when communicating with investors during difficult market periods. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 24, 202530 min

S1 Ep 4128Best of 2025 Replay: Land Development Strategy, Builder Demand, and Exit Options ft. Brandon Cobb

*Previously aired episode* Pascal Wagner interviews Brandon Cobb, a seasoned land developer and founder of HBG Capital. Brandon breaks down the highly misunderstood world of land development, revealing how value is created before a single house is built. He shares how his team entitles land and leverages national homebuilder partnerships to generate strong returns with mitigated risk. Brandon walks through real-world case studies, outlines the key due diligence steps LPs should take, and explains why the demand for affordable “little-a” housing remains strong despite market volatility. Brandon Cobb Current role: Managing Partner at HBG Capital Based in: Nashville, Tennessee Say hi to them at: ⁠https://hbgcapital.net⁠ or ⁠learnlanddevelopment.com Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 23, 20251h 7m

S1 Ep 4127Best of 2025 Replay: AI In Acquisitions ft. Paul Hopkins, Perry Zheng, Lance Pederson and Bo Barron

*Previously aired episode* Joe Fairless interviews AI-savvy investors Paul Hopkins, Perry Zheng, Lance Pederson, and Bo Barron to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping commercial real estate acquisitions. The panel shares practical tools—like Google’s Notebook LM, ChatGPT, AI21, and Claude—and strategies for deal analysis, underwriting, parsing PDFs, and even creating custom GPTs to automate offering memorandum reviews. They discuss how AI streamlines market research, transforms spreadsheets into semantic data, and helps underwrite deals more accurately and efficiently, while also acknowledging its limits in replacing human decision-making and deal sourcing relationships. Paul Hopkins COO and Partner ⁠https://cpicapital.ca/⁠ Perry Zheng Founder and CEO ⁠https://www.cashflowportal.com/⁠ Lance Pederson CEO and Co-Founder ⁠https://www.passiveadvantage.com/⁠ Bo Barron CEO ⁠https://barroncommercial.com/ Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 22, 202545 min

S1 Ep 4126JF 4126: Institutional Capital Returns, Slower Absorption and What Comes Next with John Chang

John Chang shares a year-end perspective on where commercial real estate stands after 2025 and what he’s watching heading into 2026. He breaks down the sharp slowdown in job creation following tariff uncertainty, rising unemployment among young adults, and how those trends are already impacting household formation, apartment absorption, and overall CRE demand. John also explains why institutional capital is quietly coming back off the sidelines, why retail may be the most resilient sector near-term, and how pent-up demand could drive a powerful rebound once economic clarity returns. Despite near-term choppiness, he makes the case that 2025–2026 entry points could set investors up well for the long-term cycle ahead. Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com with code BESTEVER Visit bestevercrypto.com today to get started and earn up to $2,500 in bonus crypto. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 21, 202531 min

S1 Ep 4125JF 4125: Modular Housing, Faster Builds and Solving Affordability ft. Keith Miller

John Casmon interviews Keith Miller about scaling from small backyard ADU and infill development projects into large-scale modular and manufactured home communities as a way to solve affordability and construction bottlenecks. Keith explains how subcontractor shortages, cost overruns, and timeline risk pushed his team toward factory-built housing, which offers faster delivery, more predictable pricing, and comparable quality to site-built homes. They break down the real differences between manufactured and modular housing, how Freddie and Fannie financing has changed the game, and why these homes can appraise and sell like traditional single-family residences. The conversation also covers Keith’s transition from a full-time teaching career to real estate, the importance of building a rental income base before going full time, and how thoughtful development can create both investor returns and meaningful social impact. Keith MillerCurrent role: Co-Founder, Upslope GroupBased in: MontanaSay hi to them at: https://upslopegroup.com/ Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com with code BESTEVER Visit bestevercrypto.com today to get started and earn up to $2,500 in bonus crypto. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 20, 202541 min

S1 Ep 4124JF 4124: Lifestyle Design Lessons from a 2000 Unit Investor ft. Maurice Philogene

Matt Faircloth interviews Maurice Philogene about designing a life around time freedom, personal fulfillment, and intentional investing, drawing from Maurice’s journey from corporate executive, military officer, and police officer to real estate investor. Maurice explains how buying and systematically paying down small condo assets created early financial freedom, why ego-driven over-leverage nearly derailed him in 2008, and how discipline and simplicity became his long-term edge. They explore his transition into multifamily syndication, lessons from scaling too fast, and why he ultimately chose to deleverage, simplify, and prioritize lifestyle over endless growth. The conversation also dives into overseas investing in Cyprus and Lebanon, emphasizing relationships over spreadsheets and redefining success beyond net worth. Maurice PhilogeneCurrent role: Real Estate Investor, Syndicator, and Founder of Try Life OnSay hi to them at: https://trylifeon.com/ Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com with code BESTEVER Visit bestevercrypto.com today to get started and earn up to $2,500 in bonus crypto. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 19, 20251h 9m

S1 Ep 4123JF 4123: 2025 Lessons, Liquidity and Discipline in CRE ft. the Best Ever Hosts

Pascal Wagner interviews Matt Faircloth, John Casmon, and Ash Patel in a year-end roundtable reflecting on the biggest lessons from 2025 across their own portfolios and hundreds of investor interviews. The group digs into why distress has been slower and more “behind the scenes” than expected, how liquidity, discipline, and deal structure mattered more than macro predictions, and why many LPs are now prioritizing cash flow and capital preservation over appreciation. They also debate bridge debt, LP risk assessment, and where opportunities may emerge in 2026—from small-cap multifamily inefficiencies to deeply discounted office assets—while emphasizing accountability, conservative underwriting, and adaptability as the cycle evolves. Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com with code BESTEVER Visit bestevercrypto.com today to get started and earn up to $2,500 in bonus crypto. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 18, 20251h 7m

S1 Ep 4122JF 4122: Bonus Depreciation, Tax Deferral and Cost Seg Timing ft. Chris Streit

Amanda Cruise interviews Chris Streit, CEO of CSA Partners, about where cost segregation stands at the end of 2025—why “100% bonus depreciation is back” doesn’t remove urgency, because cost seg is fundamentally tax deferral and the time value of money still matters. Chris explains how investors can run look-back/catch-up depreciation on properties bought in prior years without amending returns, and why doing accelerated depreciation “wrong” increases audit risk (including IRS use of AI). They also dig into the often-ignored pain point—1245 recapture—and Chris shares how a “1245 exchange” approach can revalue short-life assets at sale to potentially reduce ordinary-income recapture and shift more into capital-gains treatment. Chris StreitCurrent role: CEO, CSA PartnersBased in: Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex Say hi to them at: https://csap.com/ | YouTube | LinkedIn Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com with code BESTEVER Visit bestevercrypto.com today to get started and earn up to $2,500 in bonus crypto. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 17, 202535 min

S1 Ep 4121JF 4121: Self Storage Overbuild, Niche Plays and What Still Works ft. Ash Patel

Matt Faircloth interviews Ash Patel, and the two hosts do a 2025 look-back / 2026 look-forward on what they’re seeing across major commercial asset classes—plus where they think real estate operators are headed after the last couple years of “extend and pretend”. They start with why triple-net retail has stayed surprisingly strong (including the “no new supply” reality) and why office still feels “toxic” for many banks—creating an “office tsunami” of opportunities and pain as debt resets and distressed deals trade at steep discounts. From there, they dig into multifamily as a tale of two outcomes (legacy fixed-rate wins vs. floating-rate fights), the competitive “insiders only” nature of mobile home parks as private equity pours in, and why self-storage may be overbuilt—while still leaving room for niche plays like wine/boat/RV storage and service-heavy concepts. Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com with code BESTEVER Visit bestevercrypto.com today to get started and earn up to $2,500 in bonus crypto. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 16, 202555 min

S1 Ep 4120JF 4120: Bigger Checks, Better Terms and Less Stress ft. Maria Zondervan

Richard McGirr interviews Maria Zondervan, a fund-of-funds operator who pivoted from a career as an endangered-species wildlife biologist into multifamily investing after realizing she needed to build legacy wealth for her special-needs son. Maria explains why she disliked directly operating multifamily and instead built a model where she partners with other fund managers to write larger checks, negotiate better tiers/terms, and put more “eyes on the deal” during due diligence. She also breaks down how her group manages risk and investor expectations—doing fewer, higher-quality equity deals and leaning on an income fund for liquidity—plus how she qualifies investors to avoid placing “all their savings” into illiquid syndications. Finally, Maria shares her investor lead-gen approach: primarily in-person education and speaking, with social media used mostly to stay top-of-mind rather than as a primary acquisition channel. Maria ZondervanCurrent role: CEO, Blue Vikings CapitalBased in: Orlando, FloridaSay hi to them at: https://www.bluevikingscapital.com/ | https://linktr.ee/bluevikingscapital Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com with code BESTEVER Visit bestevercrypto.com today to get started and earn up to $2,500 in bonus crypto. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 15, 202554 min

S1 Ep 4119JF 4119: Recession Edge, Millennial Spending Wave and a New CRE Cycle Ahead with John Chang

John Chang shares a solo market update from ICSC New York City, outlining what he’s hearing from top researchers and brokers across the retail real estate world. He breaks down why uncertainty and slower job growth are stretching decision-making, while consumer debt headlines look less alarming when viewed against income levels, savings/money market balances, and delinquency trends. He also highlights tailwinds from millennials moving into prime earning/spending years and notes retail’s leadership in the NCREIF total return index. Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com with code BESTEVER Visit bestevercrypto.com today to get started and earn up to $2,500 in bonus crypto. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 14, 202535 min

S1 Ep 4118JF 4118: Depreciation Recapture, 1031 Exchanges and Opportunity Zone Strategies ft. Yonah Weiss

John Casmon interviews Yonah Weiss, a cost segregation expert known as the “Cost Seg King,” about how cost segregation works as an advanced form of depreciation and why it can be a powerful cash-flow tool for real estate investors. They break down who benefits most, plus other scenarios like the short-term rental “loophole” and income-based exceptions that can allow depreciation to offset active income. Yonah also explains depreciation recapture in plain English and shares common strategies investors use to defer or reduce tax impact at sale, including 1031 exchanges and Opportunity Zones. Finally, they shift into marketing—why Yonah built his brand on LinkedIn through consistency and real engagement, and why in-person networking is still hard to beat. Yonah WeissCurrent role: Regional Business Director, Madison SPECS Based in: New York City, New YorkSay hi to them at: https://www.yonahweiss.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/yonahweiss/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/cost-segregation-yonah-weiss/ | https://twitter.com/YonahWeiss | https://yonahweiss.madisonspecs.com/ Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com with code BESTEVER Visit bestevercrypto.com today to get started and earn up to $2,500 in bonus crypto. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 13, 202555 min

S1 Ep 4117JF 4117: Public-Private Partnerships, Industrial Growth and Urban Revitalization ft. Lindsay Greene

Matt Faircloth interviews Lindsay Greene about how the Brooklyn Navy Yard evolved from a historic shipyard into a modern 300-acre industrial ecosystem that now houses 550+ businesses. Lindsay explains the Yard’s transformation—from 1800s wooden-ship buildings to today’s mix of TV/film soundstages, food manufacturers, tech incubators, and light industrial tenants—while highlighting its deep legacy as a hub of jobs, innovation, and opportunity. She walks Matt through how public-private partnerships power their redevelopment model, including layered capital stacks, long-term ground leases, and collaborative fit-out financing. Finally, she outlines the Yard’s future plans for new multi-story industrial buildings, mid-scale manufacturing space, and opportunities for private developers or investors who want to partner on underutilized sites. Lindsay GreeneCurrent role: President & CEO, Brooklyn Navy Yard Development CorporationBased in: Brooklyn, New YorkSay hi to them at: https://www.brooklynnavyyard.org/ | LinkedIn Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com with code BESTEVER Visit bestevercrypto.com today to get started and earn up to $2,500 in bonus crypto. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 12, 202540 min

S1 Ep 4116JF 4116: Multifamily Meltdown Risks, Operator Red Flags, and Today’s Opportunities ft. Rod Khleif

Pascal Wagner interviews Rod Khleif, a 40-year investor who has owned thousands of units and trained operators responsible for more than 260,000 multifamily doors. Rod breaks down today’s confusing multifamily environment, explaining why conservative underwriting, realistic assumptions, and deep operator due diligence matter more than ever. He shares the biggest mistakes GPs are currently making—from aggressive rent growth assumptions to risky debt structures—and outlines the practical questions every LP must ask before wiring money. Rod also highlights where he sees distress, opportunity, and risk heading into the next cycle. Rod KhleifCurrent role: Founder, Lifetime Cashflow Through Real Estate Investing; Multifamily Investor & EducatorBased in: Sarasota, FloridaSay hi to them at: https://rodslinks.com | https://www.youtube.com/@RodKhleif | https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodkhleif/ Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com with code BESTEVER Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 11, 202554 min

S1 Ep 4115JF 4115: Finding Messy Ownership, Negotiating with Heirs and De-Risking Huge Spreads ft. Logan Fullmer

Amanda Cruise interviews Logan Fullmer, a Texas-based investor who specializes in distressed property acquisition and solving complex title problems. Logan shares his journey from blowing a seven-figure inheritance and getting sober, to rebuilding his life in the oil fields and then parlaying small, risk-adjusted land bets into a multi-division commercial real estate business. He breaks down how he finds “unsellable” properties with tax issues, messy heirship, and judgments, then uses common sense negotiation and targeted legal strategies to unlock huge spreads. Logan also explains how he’s shortened his deal cycle, when he walks away from overly complicated files, and why he’s built a team and education platform to help other investors tackle these “wacky” but lucrative deals at scale. Logan FullmerCurrent role: Commercial real estate investor & founder, distressed property and curative title firm Based in: San Antonio, Texas Say hi to them at: Loganfullmer.com | IG @logan_fullmer | https://event.dpasummit.com/ Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com with code BESTEVER Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 10, 202546 min

S1 Ep 4114JF 4114: The Four L’s, Big Lessons and Bigger Goals for 2026 with Richard McGirr

Richard McGirr walks listeners through his 2025 retrospective using the “four L’s” framework—what he loved, learned, lacked, and longed for. He explains how abandoning distractions and doubling down on a single, high-performing debt fund produced seven to eight consecutive record-breaking months and over $24 million raised. Richard breaks down how this focus created operational mastery, recurring revenue, and a repeatable monthly closing machine that freed him and his partner to work on the business rather than in it. He also shares hard-won lessons about integrity, contracts, and protecting yourself in an industry where big dollar figures can test people’s promises. Richard then turns to his biggest breakthroughs of the year, including finally cracking how to identify, mentor, and launch high-potential fund-of-funds managers—leading to a standout case study of a new FOF raising $1.2 million in its first month. He closes by outlining what he lacked in 2025 (dedicated in-house accounting) and what he’s pursuing in 2026: co-GP relationships with top-tier debt funds, airtight long-term contracts, diversification, and a major scale-up of both direct raises and FOF-driven capital. Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com with code BESTEVER Start earning passive income today at gsprei.com/bestever Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 9, 202544 min

S1 Ep 4113JF 4113: When to Sell, What to Buy, and How to Think Like a Pro Investor ft. Bruce Stein

Richard McGirr interviews Bruce Stein, uncovering how his early dream of becoming an architect evolved into a decades-long career in real estate development, syndication, fund management, and now portfolio consulting. Bruce shares his path from working for a real estate syndicator, to a 16-year tenure at a family office deploying $300M, to running nationwide bridge-construction lending, and finally to advising investors on buying, selling, holding, and succession planning. He explains why beginner investors should stay local, focus on one property type, build a track record before raising capital, and avoid the common trap of chasing cap rates instead of chasing lifestyle alignment and reduced management burden. Richard and Bruce dive into when to sell a property, how to evaluate the “biggest headache” in a portfolio, using 1031 exchanges strategically, and why the true goal is to simplify your real estate life—even if the cash flow stays the same. Bruce also offers candid insights into raising three separate $100M funds: why specificity, transparency, investor expectation management, and sticking to your lane matter more than anything else. The episode closes with a practical capital-raising tip: be specific, be consistent, and give investors enough time to underwrite YOU as much as the deal. Bruce SteinCurrent role: Real Estate Consultant & Former Fund Manager Based in: CaliforniaSay hi to them at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brucejstein/ Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com with code BESTEVER Start earning passive income today at gsprei.com/bestever Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 8, 20251h 0m

S1 Ep 4112JF 4112: Healthcare Jobs, Medical Office Tailwinds, and Institutional Capital Flows with John Chang

John Chang interviews the commercial real estate market itself as he breaks down how healthcare hiring is propping up national job growth while most other sectors soften, and why that makes medical office one of the strongest asset classes going forward. He explains how an aging population and persistent healthcare labor shortages are driving durable demand, limited new supply, stable vacancies around 9%, and long-term leases with built-in rent bumps that support medical office performance. John then shifts to the multifamily outlook, highlighting Sun Belt oversupply and concessions versus tighter conditions in the Midwest and coastal markets, along with delayed household formation among young adults that is creating pent-up demand. He closes by outlining why institutional capital is ramping back into CRE—NACREIF total returns turning positive, higher fund-raising volumes, and rising target allocations—which should lead to more competition for deals and eventual cap rate compression in 2026, assuming policy and geopolitical risks stay contained Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com with code BESTEVER Start earning passive income today at gsprei.com/bestever Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 7, 202539 min

S1 Ep 4111JF 4111: Vertical Integration, Ferrari-Level Hiring and Passive Investor Alignment ft. Dani Lynn Robison

John Casmon interviews Dani Lynn Robison, co-founder of a vertically integrated “Freedom Family” of nine real estate businesses, about how she moved from Ohio turnkey rentals into larger multifamily and fund management. Dani walks through why she brought renovations, property management, acquisitions, brokerage, and capital raising in-house, and how that 56-unit “drugs, thugs and bugs” deal became a $2M proof-of-concept for scaling apartments. She shares her hard-won lessons on hiring “Ferrari-level” leaders, structuring roles with profit sharing, and keeping a 100% payout track record by always making investors whole—even on bad deals. Dani also explains why many turnkey buyers don’t actually want to be landlords, how she now focuses on truly passive vehicles like funds and syndications, and where she’s seeing opportunities in Sun Belt multifamily, senior housing, self-storage, and build-to-rent as bridge loans come due over the next few years. Dani Lynn RobisonCurrent role: Co-Founder and CEO, Freedom Family Investments & Freedom Real Estate Group Family of CompaniesBased in: Davenport, Florida Say hi to them at: https://freedomfamilyinvestments.com | https://www.linkedin.com/in/danilynnrobison/ Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com with code BESTEVER Start earning passive income today at gsprei.com/bestever Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com with code BESTEVER Start earning passive income today at gsprei.com/bestever Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 6, 202546 min

S1 Ep 4110JF 4110: Lone Wolf Operations, 10x Thinking and Zombie Deals ft. Andrew Cushman

Matt Faircloth interviews Andrew Cushman, founder and principal of Vantage Point Acquisitions, in a fireside-chat style episode that ranges from partnerships to banks to skiing 20,000-foot peaks. They break down why Andrew has avoided the typical “GP partner” model, how he instead built a tightly aligned internal team, and why operational control matters more than flashy capital-raising. The conversation digs into the dangers of ego-driven 10x scaling, the realities behind today’s “extend and pretend” lending environment, and where distress is actually showing up in multifamily. Andrew also shares why, if multifamily disappeared tomorrow, he’d be quietly rolling up laundromats—and what his extreme backcountry ski trips teach him about risk, preparation, and long-term thinking in real estate. Andrew CushmanCurrent role: Founder & Principal, Vantage Point Acquisitions Based in: Southern California Say hi to them at: https://www.vpacq.com/ | www.linkedin.com/in/andrewcushmanvpa Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com with code BESTEVER Start earning passive income today at gsprei.com/bestever Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 5, 20251h 14m

S1 Ep 4109JF 4109: Industrial Tailwinds, Multifamily Cycles, and The Future of LP Investing ft. Soren Godbersen

Pascal Wagner interviews Soren Godbersen, exploring the evolution of real estate crowdfunding, how platforms vet deals, and why LPs should understand platform incentives before investing. Soren breaks down the differences between aggregator platforms and vertically integrated operators, sharing lessons from his decade at EquityMultiple and his new work at Lightstone Direct. The two discuss LP psychology in today’s environment, platform vs. direct-to-operator due diligence, and why asset class selection and fee transparency matter more than ever. It’s an inside look at how deals get filtered, what red flags LPs should spot, and how investors can sharpen their decision-making in a confusing market. Soren GodbersenCurrent role: Vice President, Lightstone DirectBased in: New YorkSay hi to them at: https://lightstonedirect.com | https://www.linkedin.com/in/soren-godbersen/ Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 4, 20251h 0m

S1 Ep 4108JF 4108: Discipline Over Debt, Investor Transparency and Industrial Upside ft. Scott Lurie

Amanda Cruise and Ash Patel interview Scott Lurie, a Milwaukee-based investor, developer, lender, and syndicator who has scaled from single-family flips to $700M+ in AUM. Scott explains how discipline, conservative leverage, and a long-term mindset helped him not only survive but aggressively buy through the Great Recession—including a 410-unit acquisition for $9K per door. He shares why he focuses on value-add industrial and multifamily development today, how he underwrites and syndicates vacant industrial buildings, and why transparency and investor trust are more important than ever in 2025. Scott also breaks down his syndication philosophy, the pitfalls created by “cowboy” operators, and his belief that real estate success comes from 20 years of consistent, disciplined work. Scott LurieCurrent role: Founder, F Street Group; Founder, The Hard Money Co.Based in: Milwaukee, WisconsinSay hi to them at: https://fstreet.com/ | https://thehardmoneyco.com/ | LinkedIn Start earning passive income today at gsprei.com/bestever Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 3, 202555 min

S1 Ep 4107JF 4107: Hero’s Journey Frameworks, Epiphany Bridge Scripts & Investor Trust Building with Richard McGirr

Richard McGirr shares why facts alone don’t move investors and how a well-crafted personal story can radically improve your marketing and capital raising. He walks through Russell Brunson’s Epiphany Bridge script, showing how it builds on the classic Hero’s Journey to turn your backstory, “wall,” and breakthrough into a compelling narrative that breaks your audience’s false beliefs. Using his own journey—from a collapsed software company and wiped-out income to discovering real estate and reworking a failed Property Llama webinar into a six-figure sales engine—Richard illustrates how story-based presentations can dramatically increase conversions. He closes by challenging listeners to define their own “why,” clarify the moment they realized their old plan wouldn’t work, and use that narrative framework in every investor conversation, not just on webinars. Start earning passive income today at gsprei.com/bestever Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 2, 202527 min

S1 Ep 4106JF 4106: Niche Media, CRE Storytelling and Viral Growth ft. Hiten Samtani

Richard McGirr interviews Hiten Samtani, founder of ten31 Media and creator of The Promote. Hiten shares how his background running the newsroom at The Real Deal shaped his approach to storytelling, why he built a media company that treats real estate like the character-driven, high-stakes world it truly is, and how entertainment is the secret ingredient missing from most industry coverage. He and Richard dig into niche media strategy, viral growth, CRE culture, and why “knowing your audience” is the only real moat. They also explore Twitter/Retweet’s rise and collapse, the LP Whisperer saga, the structural issues behind traveling HFCs in Texas, and the massive power shift happening as Blackstone and other institutions move aggressively into retail capital. Hiten explains why syndicators face new competition, why pref is dominating the capital stack, and how storytelling shapes who wins attention—and deal flow. Hiten SamtaniCurrent role: Founder, ten31 Media & Creator of The PromoteBased in: New York, New YorkSay hi to them at: https://www.thepromote.com/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-promote-podcast/id1801355295 https://x.com/hitsamty https://www.linkedin.com/in/hitsamty Start earning passive income today at gsprei.com/bestever Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 1, 202556 min

S1 Ep 4105JF 4105: Slowing Hiring, Capital Costs and the Hidden Advantages for Today’s Investors with John Chang

John Chang shares why commercial real estate data has become less reliable following the DOJ’s settlement with RealPage, and how losing access to more precise rent and vacancy feeds weakens investor decision-making. He walks through the market’s wildly shifting expectations for a potential December 10 Fed rate cut and argues that political pressure and policy uncertainty—not the cost of capital—are what’s really slowing hiring and expansion. John then looks at how tariffs, tight immigration policies, and a softer job market could temporarily dampen household formation and apartment absorption in 2026 across apartments, retail, and industrial, while creating pent-up demand that returns later in the cycle. Finally, he explains why investors who can secure positive leverage today—higher cap rates against moderating debt costs—may be better positioned for the next upswing if they buy before sentiment and competition turn. Start earning passive income today at gsprei.com/bestever Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 30, 202530 min

S1 Ep 4104JF 4104: Raising Capital, Retaining Residents and Running Apartments the Right Way ft. Ed Mathews

John Casmon interviews Ed Mathews, a former Silicon Valley tech executive who walked away from a high-flying software career to build a more family-centered, freedom-focused life through real estate. Ed shares how missing too many “18 summers” with his daughters pushed him to leave DocuSign and go all-in on multifamily after seven years of flipping houses and small-building rehabs on the side. He explains how he scaled his Connecticut portfolio by finding “rock star” contractors through trade-to-trade referrals, building tight systems, and using process—not heroics—to let average people perform exceptionally well. Ed details why he prefers long-term residents over constant value-add turnover, how he achieved 4.2-year average stays, and why responsiveness, respect, and presence on site drive both mission and NOI. The conversation closes with his shift away from property management toward asset management, his expansion into AI-powered operations, and the launch of both a debt fund and private equity fund to pursue larger 150-unit-plus acquisitions. Ed MathewsCurrent role: Founder & CEO, Clark Street CapitalBased in: ConnecticutSay hi to them at: Website: https://www.clarkst.com Phone: (860)675-5800] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@clarkstinvestorsacademy Podcast: https://www.clarkst.com/podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clark-st-capital Twitter: https://twitter.com/clarkstcapital1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClarkStCapital Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clarkstcapital Start earning passive income today at gsprei.com/bestever Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 29, 202550 min

S1 Ep 4103JF 4103: Affordable Housing Incentives, Multifamily Cycles and Smarter Underwriting ft. Robert Beardsley

Matt Faircloth interviews Robert Beardsley, partner at Lone Star Capital (LSCRE), about navigating the current multifamily cycle, surviving 2021–2022 acquisitions, and why the most resilient opportunities today hinge on debt structure, affordability incentives, and supply-constrained submarkets. Robert breaks down how Texas multifamily has shifted from a “prices only go up” environment to a more balanced but still competitive market, where Class B suburban assets with little new supply outperform shiny Class A developments offering heavy concessions. He explains how LS CRE avoided major distress by minimizing bridge debt exposure and shifting early into affordable-housing-driven acquisitions—leveraging tax-exemption partnerships with housing authorities to create stable NOI without risky value-add pushes. The two dive deep into rising treasuries, soft-landing odds, rent-to-income resilience, recession risk, Texas HB 21 fallout, and why hundreds of improperly structured tax-exemption deals may implode when exemptions expire in 2026. Robert BeardsleyCurrent role: LSCRE, Founder/CEOBased in: Houston, TexasSay hi to them at: https://lscre.com Start earning passive income today at gsprei.com/bestever Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 28, 20251h 8m

S1 Ep 4102JF 4102: Cash Flow vs. Tax Benefits, Capital Raising Lessons and Navigating Today’s Market ft. Bronson Hill

Pascal Wagner interviews Bronson Hill, founder of Bronson Equity, about how LPs can invest confidently in today’s noisy and divided market. Bronson shares how raising $50M+ across multifamily, oil & gas, and alternative real estate has shaped the way he vets operators, evaluates risk, and structures deals more conservatively after recent market challenges. He explains why understanding your true investment objective—cash flow, tax benefits, or equity growth—is the key to picking the right deal, and why due diligence should start with the market, then the operator, then the deal. Bronson also walks through his shift toward more control as a GP, including his Altadena modular housing redevelopment project after the California wildfires, and why debt funds and royalties are gaining traction with LPs seeking stability and monthly income. Bronson HillCurrent role: Founder & CEO, Bronson EquityBased in: Pasadena, CaliforniaSay hi to them at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bronson.hill.37 | https://www.facebook.com/BronsonEquityLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bronsonhill | https://www.linkedin.com/company/bronson-equity/mycompanyYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc1KYJL8ZjF3GC3Wh5lYNfgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/bronsondavidhillWebsite: https://bronsonequity.com Start earning passive income today at gsprei.com/bestever Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 27, 20251h 3m

S1 Ep 4101JF 4101: Cross-Border Capital, Tariff Headwinds and Investing in Western New York ft. Thomas A. Kucharski

Amanda Cruise and Ash Patel interview Thomas A. Kucharski, president and CEO of Invest Buffalo Niagara, about how his organization has helped transform Western New York from a legacy manufacturing market into a growing tech and advanced industry hub. He explains how their team centralizes regional data, builds commercial listing systems, and acts as a neutral connector to incentives, infrastructure, and workforce programs—without taking commissions—so companies can de-risk expansions and relocations. Tom shares case studies ranging from Odoo’s tech expansion and Milk-Bone’s reinvestment to Tesla’s solar facility and large industrial site redevelopments on former steel mill land, highlighting the importance of shovel-ready sites and public–private collaboration. He also digs into cross-border Canadian investment, tariffs, and why developers and local businesses “pay to play” not for sweetheart deals, but to collectively grow jobs, investment, and the regional tax base. Thomas A. KucharskiCurrent role: President & CEO, Invest Buffalo NiagaraBased in: Buffalo, New YorkSay hi to them at: https://buffaloniagara.org Start earning passive income today at gsprei.com/bestever Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 26, 202544 min

S1 Ep 4100JF 4100: Ten Years of Best Ever Con, Industry Shifts, and Lessons from Top Investors ft. Ben Lapidus

Matt Faircloth sits down with Ben Lapidus for a deep-dive into the origins, evolution, and future of the Best Ever Conference as it approaches its tenth year. Ben shares how a chance Skillshare class with Joe Fairless in 2012 sparked their partnership, how the conference grew from 175 attendees to a premier commercial real estate event, and why it remains intentionally focused on capital-raising and syndication. They walk through standout memories, the impact BEC has had on major companies in the space, and what attendees can expect from the 2026 agenda. The conversation also previews this year’s speakers, Pitch Slam details, and why the event consistently delivers high-value networking. Ben LapidusCurrent role: Coordinator, Best Ever ConferenceBased in: Denver, COSay hi to them at: https://besteverconference.com/ | benlapidus.com/coaching | playground.properties | Start earning passive income today at gsprei.com/bestever Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 25, 202543 min

S1 Ep 4099JF 4099: Building Systems, Teams and Enterprise Value in CRE ft. Nick Jones

Richard McGirr interviews Nick Jones, founder and CEO of Alakai Capital, about how he scaled his commercial real estate company from a solo operation into a multi-department organization. Nick shares how he transitioned from land brokerage into development, why retail provided the best entry point for his early deals, and how cultivating tenant and broker relationships became the backbone of his growth strategy. He also discusses building organizational infrastructure—accounting, asset management, operations, and culture—to transform a deal-operator model into a scalable business. Nick JonesCurrent role: Founder & CEO, Alakai CapitalBased in: Orlando, FloridaSay hi to them at: https://alakai-capital.com/ Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 24, 202557 min

S1 Ep 40984098: Cap Rates, Hiring Trends and the Next CRE Cycle with John Chang

John Chang breaks down the September jobs report, the ripple effects of tariffs, and what current economic uncertainty means for commercial real estate investors. He explains how healthcare employment is propping up national job growth, why stalled hiring across most industries is signaling caution, and how policy unpredictability is weighing on business decisions. John also outlines the markets most resilient to recessionary pressures and highlights why today's cap rate environment may offer strong long-term entry points for CRE investors. Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 23, 202528 min

S1 Ep 4097JF 4097: Scaling Mistakes, Mentorship Breakthroughs and Smarter Deal Structures ft. James Faillettaz

John Casmon interviews James Faillettaz, a Minneapolis-based investor who scaled from five units in a spreadsheet to restructuring an entire real estate company after an ambitious early strategy nearly collapsed. James shares how he over-hired, over-built, and over-extended while trying to operate like a Silicon Valley startup—then completely rebuilt his structure with the help of mentors and mastermind groups. He walks through how he created new momentum by taking over distressed properties through master lease with purchase option agreements, ultimately acquiring 101 units with zero money down. James also breaks down the value he brings to sellers, how he structures creative deals, and the lessons he learned from reinventing his model the hard way. James FaillettazCurrent role: Founder, Verus Praedium Holding / Revolution Renting, Investing, Construction & RealtyBased in: Minneapolis–St. Paul, MinnesotaSay hi to them at: https://veruspraediumholding.com Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 22, 202548 min

S1 Ep 4096JF 4096: Off-Market Strategies That Actually Work ft. Christian Macellari

Matt Faircloth interviews Christian Macellari, Head of Acquisitions and CIO at RSN Property Group, about how their team has grown more than 20% in the past 15–16 months by staying disciplined, data-driven, and relentless in sourcing opportunities. Christian explains how RSN underwrites roughly 400 deals a year to close just a few, why top-down market conviction matters before drilling into individual assets, and how their team blends off-market outreach, broker relationships, and distressed-debt conversations to secure deals. He also breaks down RSN’s buy box, when they’ll consider heavy-lift opportunities, and why Chicago is the market he “loves to hate.” Christian and Matt wrap by discussing JV/co-GP equity structures and how operators can realistically partner with larger institutional groups. Christian MacellariCurrent role: Chief Investment Officer & Head of Acquisitions, RSN Property GroupBased in: (Not explicitly stated in transcript)Say hi to them at: https://rsnpropertygroup.com | LinkedIn Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 21, 202554 min

S1 Ep 4095JF 4095: The 3 Types of Income Every LP Must Understand

Pascal Wagner breaks down how the IRS categorizes income into three buckets—active, portfolio, and passive—and why high-income earners often misunderstand how tax write-offs actually work. He explains common investor mistakes, including expecting real estate depreciation to offset W-2 or stock-market gains, and shares the simple rule that changed his entire tax strategy: “you can only offset like with like.” Pascal also walks through exceptions such as oil and gas, real estate professional status, and opportunity zones, along with how wealthy investors intentionally shift income toward passive buckets for long-term tax efficiency. This episode teaches investors to stop chasing IRRs and start choosing deals based on what problem they solve in their tax plan. Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 20, 202516 min

S1 Ep 4094JF 4094: From Truck Sleeping to Nine-Figure Net Worth ft. Jeremy Barker

Amanda Cruise and Ash Patel interview Jeremy Barker, a former firefighter turned serial entrepreneur who has built a nine-figure net worth through value-add industrial and office deals. Jeremy walks through how he bought nearly vacant, 100,000+ square foot assets, pre-leased them during due diligence, and created tens of millions in equity with very little cash out of pocket. He shares how going bankrupt twice, living in his truck, and then rebuilding through Murphy Door and commercial real estate reshaped his relationship with money, risk, and failure. Jeremy also talks about chasing “shiny objects” like short-term rentals, the hidden costs of wealth, and the challenge of raising grounded kids when your life includes private planes and big headlines. Jeremy BarkerCurrent role: Founder & CEO, Murphy Door Inc.Based in: Ogden, UtahSay hi to them at: https://jeremybarker.com | YouTube | LinkedIn Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 19, 202549 min

S1 Ep 4093JF 4093: Ads, Email and AI Voice That Actually Converts ft. Jeffrey Brogger

On this week’s episode, Joe Fairless interviews Jeffrey Brogger. Jeffrey shares practical ways to revive “dead” contacts using AI voice agents that hold natural two-way conversations and surface real buying signals. He explains where these tools outperform blast emails and basic SMS, why latency and compliance matter, and how he builds lower-cost, highly customizable stacks with VAPI, Twilio and modern LLM voices. The discussion closes with an omnichannel playbook that uses ads, email, website activity and AI automations to turn quiet databases into qualified call-backs. Jeffrey Brogger Current role: AI Strategist, Growth Architect, Founder of JJB Industries Based in: Huntington Beach, California Say hi to them at: https://jjbind.com/ Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 18, 202525 min

S1 Ep 4092JF 4092: Why Cold Traffic Fails and Trust-Based Marketing Wins with Richard McGirr

Richard McGirr breaks down why most syndicators struggle with online ads and explains why cold traffic is the last place capital raisers should be spending money. He argues that private investments require a level of trust that interruptive ads can’t establish, and that most managers burn cash chasing low-quality Facebook leads with terrible conversion. Instead, Richard outlines a hierarchy of “trust-based traffic,” from podcast tours that borrow a host’s credibility to scalable paid influencer webinars that transfer trust at a fraction of the cost of ads. He walks through real-world examples—from George Foreman to Proactiv—to show how borrowed brands can outperform traditional marketing by orders of magnitude, especially in capital-raising. Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 17, 202536 min

S1 Ep 4091JF 4091: Cap Rates, Debt Costs and the 2025 Investment Sweet Spot with John Chang

John Chang breaks down the latest economic and market signals after a week of meetings in New York City. He explains how the temporary government funding deal both alleviates short-term pressures and extends broader uncertainty—impacting GDP, consumer spending, and investor sentiment. John also unpacks capital flows, interest-rate volatility tied to upcoming Federal Reserve changes, and why debt availability is improving even as risk factors persist. He contrasts Sun Belt oversupply with strong performance in low-construction markets, and ultimately argues that today’s elevated cap rates and stable debt costs may represent a rare “sweet spot” for long-term investors. Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 16, 202529 min

S1 Ep 4090JF 4090: Surviving Downturns, Picking Operators and Buying the Recovery ft. Travis Watts

John Casmon interviews Travis Watts, a long-time Best Ever contributor, full-time LP, and author of Passive Investor Tips. They dig into where we are in the multifamily market cycle, why the last three-plus years have felt so painful for LPs, and why Travis believes we’re entering a true recovery phase that could mirror the opportunity of buying in 2010. Travis shares how investing consistently from 2015 to today—even with about 30% of his portfolio “compromised”—still leaves him well ahead of where he’d be if he’d stayed on the sidelines. He and John also break down operator selection, capital calls, fixed vs. floating debt, and how to align your investment strategy with your life stage and risk tolerance. Travis WattsCurrent role: Full-time passive investor and author of Passive Investor TipsBased in: Orlando, Florida Say hi to them at: https://ashcroftcapital.com/our-team/travis-watts/ | LinkedIn Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 15, 202552 min

S1 Ep 4089JF 4089: Assisted Living Mistakes, Million-Dollar Lessons and Operational Excellence ft. Todd Dexheimer

Matt Faircloth interviews Todd Dexheimer, a multifamily and assisted living operator focused on steady, fundamentals-driven investing. Todd breaks down how he thinks about market selection—favoring job and population growth, sane rent-to-income ratios, and controlled new supply over “sexy” boom-bust metros. He then walks through a massive 99-unit value-add on the Mississippi River in the Twin Cities, where he transformed a mismanaged, dated asset into a lifestyle property with standout amenities and stronger rents. Todd also shares the hard lessons from scaling into assisted living—losing seven figures before dialing in operations—and why controlling payroll, culture, and leadership are everything in that business. Todd DexheimerCurrent role: Principal, Endurus Capital and VitaCare LivingBased in: St. Paul, MinnesotaSay hi to them at: https://www.enduruscapital.com/ | YouTube | LinkedIn Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 14, 20251h 12m

S1 Ep 4088JF 4088: Institutional Capital, Retail LPs and Choosing the Right Operator ft. Evan Polaski

Pascal Wagner interviews Evan Polaski, digging into what 18 years across retail and multifamily have taught him about raising capital through multiple market cycles. Evan shares what it was really like trying to raise an institutional fund heading into the 2008 crisis, how the “denominator effect” froze commitments, and why that experience still shapes his view of risk today. He contrasts institutional and retail LP behavior, explains why he’s gravitated back to necessity-based retail, and calls out the dangers of marketers-turned-operators who chase AUM instead of disciplined deals. Evan also walks through how he evaluates sponsors as an LP himself, what “conservative underwriting” should actually mean, and the specific questions passive investors need to ask about performance versus the original pro forma. Evan PolaskiCurrent role: Director of Capital Raising, BlackGate Partners Based in: Cincinnati, Ohio Say hi to them at: https://goblackgate.com | LinkedIn Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 13, 20251h 8m

S1 Ep 4087JF 4087: Solar-Powered Storage, Smart Financing and Future Growth ft. Steven Wear

Amanda Cruise and Ash Patel interview Steven Wear, chief marketing officer of SSSE, about the firm’s nationwide self-storage investments and how it’s evolving the model through creative financing and energy innovation. Steven explains how SSSE focuses on secondary and tertiary markets to avoid oversaturation and zoning risks, and why they advocate for local moratoriums once they’ve entered a market. He discusses using substitution of collateral strategies to maximize returns on seller-financed deals, creating a self-sustaining capital engine. The conversation also explores how SSSE integrates solar power, geothermal, and potential data center partnerships to turn storage facilities into power-generating assets, revealing a forward-thinking vision for the future of self-storage. Steven WearCurrent role: Chief Marketing Officer, SSSEBased in: Chicago, IllinoisSay hi to them at: https://ssse.com/ | LinkedIn Alternative Fund IV is closing soon and SMK is giving Best Ever listeners exclusive access to their Founders’ Shares, typically offered only to early investors. Visit smkcap.com/bec to learn more and download the full fund summary. Join us at Best Ever Conference 2026! Find more info at: https://www.besteverconference.com/ Join the Best Ever Community The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria. Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at⁠ ⁠⁠⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠⁠ Podcast production done by⁠ ⁠Outlier Audio⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nov 12, 202543 min