THINK Podcast

We are talking with Scott Lewis, with Spartan Investment Group, and he takes us through Real Estate syndication. Confused with what that means? He takes us through what his company offers and how there are syndication opportunities everywhere and most investments (big-time movies, dog groomers, etc.) use syndication. He walks us through key strategies that he and his company use. He talks us through investing in syndication vs. investing in a single-family rental and he poses a simple question — what is your time worth? It is time-consuming and is an active endeavor. They say people ask if they should quit their job to invest in real estate, but the reality is that it’s your wealth driver! Self storage is another type of investment that Scott and his team manage. Scott was never interested in residential Real Estate and never had a desire to work with other people. He says no matter what is happening in the economy, people need storage. Not necessarily grandma’s belongings, but so many different types of people have different needs, regardless if the market is up or down. Email Scott at Scott@Spartan-Investors.com or visit Spartan-Investors.com

Kevin Ortner, with Renters Warehouse, is back on air with Abhi to discuss real estate investing for the long-term. Abhi brings up some recent statistics that are shocking — one in three Americans have nothing saved for retirement, and half of all Americans have less than $10,000 saved for retirement. Abhi and Kevin discuss ways for you to start saving. Hint: It has to do with real estate. They get into the differences between Millennials and Generation Z and the differences between their saving habits. The Generation Z population has seen that Millennials are a little bit more frivolous with their spending habits and they have felt more compelled to save their money. Are you betting on Social Security to help you out in retirement? Abhi and Kevin have a good conversation on what that will look like for the next generations. Regardless of what that might look like for each person, they both agree that it can’t be the only resource that carries you into retirement, and there needs to be a financial plan in place. Real Estate investing is definitely a tool that you can start using now to plan for your retirement! Tune in now to hear more from Abhi and Kevin and be sure to find out how you can start saving for retirement by visiting RentersWarehouse.com

Eddie Speed, Founder of NoteSchool, is on air with Abhi to lend his expert advice and insight on creative financing. He has been doing owner financing since 1980. Learn what owner financing is and find out if this is an option for you! Get the edge you need so you can do more deals and have one foot up in the game. Anyone can run numbers on a calculator, what Eddie and his team teach at NoteSchool is how to negotiate and close the deal. He breaks down the strategies and tactics that he uses and wants to help others who are interested! Learn about the mistakes and challenges he has seen his students face so you don’t make those same mistakes. Eddie gives a great example and he and Abhi do a little real estate role play on air so you can understand just how easy owner financing can be. It’s all about being patient and negotiating and this is something a traditional lender would never touch. Learn more about Eddie Speed and NoteSchool by visiting NoteSchool.com or email info@noteschool.com today!

Bill Mencarow, Paper Source Online, is on air with Abhi and he fills us in on what note investing is and how people can go about investing in them. There is some management in the notes themselves, but it is not near as intense as constantly managing a tenant. Not sure where you buy a note? Bill has the inside scoop! Bill invests in both real estate properties and real estate notes so he can speak to investing in both. While he believes in both forms of investments, he shares his insight on the major differences that might seem so obvious to the average investor. He wants to make sure people know what notes are and his mission is to put it on peoples’ radar! Learn about liquidity and how you save for retirement and invest in notes during retirement. This is a way of life for everyone, regardless if they have started their real estate journey or not! Tune in to find out all about notes now! To learn more about Bill and the Paper Source visit PaperSourceOnline.com now!

Greg Rand, Renters Warehouse, is on air with Abhi to give his insight on some listener questions. First, Greg sheds light on an “interesting” thing he saw while he was in Charlotte, but is definitely happening around the country. Lots of gimmicks and “get-rich-quick” schemes from people claiming to have all the answers to make fast cash in real estate investing. The guys jump right into listener questions and start off with a question from Samuel from Southern California. He wants to get out of his market because it is too expensive Greg gives him some great ideas on how he can invest out-of-state. Another listener, Charlotte from Oklahoma City, wants to hear all about the acquisition of Greg and Abhi’s first five rental properties. Dwayne from Nashville wants to know if it’s possible to get into real estate investing debt-free and he wants to know more about “sweat equity.” Greg and Abhi give their opinions and explain a little more about sweat equity. They tell Dwayne to do the research on markets he is interested in and do the due diligence, and that’s the most important part! Our final listener is Christine from St. Louis and while she is shy and introverted, she wants to know more about networking with her shy personality. Think you know how Greg and Abhi will answer these questions? Think again. Tune in now to find out! Visit ThinkRealty.com to listen to all of our episodes!

Sherman Ragland, Dean of RealInvestors® Academy, is on the show with Abhi to discuss his business, the market, and Think Realty Conference & Expo in Baltimore. He shares how his life experiences brought him from commercial real estate to single-family homes to educating others on how to become real estate investors. He gets into what they cover in their program, RealInvestors® Academy, and the specific niches they offer for their students so they can become licensed investors. Abhi asks him about the Baltimore market and Sherman shares his excitement about a project he is working on because Baltimore is an opportunity zone. In relation to Baltimore, Sherman said it’s hard to ignore what’s going on with Amazon coming to D.C. There is talks there could be upward of 100,000 new jobs, which is great for investors! They get into commercial, residential and everything in between! Sherman is the keynote speaker for Think Realty Conference & Expo in Baltimore April 6-7th and is excited to share the inside scoop for his speech. Tune in now to hear more from Sherman and Abhi! To learn more about RealInvestors® Academy, visit RealInvestors.com today!

Noel Christopher, SVP of Corporate Development at Renters Warehouse, is on air with Abhi and they start off talking about the demand for housing and new building. Noel says he hopes that we can start seeing more moderate to affordable homes and he thinks the upper-price range housing is getting a bit outrageous. They touch on consolidation in the SFR space and why it’s a good thing. Abhi and Noel transition into the market and they are looking at a recent report that ranked the markets with the highest vacant households, and the markets that are doing really well! They have a lot to say on the topic and have some thoughts on this data report. They get into student loan debt and the cost of a college education and return on investment. Noel has some thoughts on the matter and how the astronomical prices could impact the economy. He brings up the recent topic of the celebrity parents who paid for their children to go to college (i.e. they aren’t getting any ROI). For more information on Renters Warehouse, visit RentersWarehouse.com

Robert Mulcahy, with Angel Oak Prime Bridge, is back with Abhi and they are starting off the show with what Robert has seen in the Atlanta, GA market. He gets into ROI, market trends they are seeing, a healthy “levelling off” of the market and he says that overall it is still a great market to invest your money in. Building your brand for your real estate investment business is so important and Robert discusses the critical pieces. Research a business plan and start from there so you have a base to go off of when you are first starting. Do you have a pitch or a tagline for your business that is catchy and describes what you do? Of course, a website and an online presence is also something to consider so that people can remember you are a great networker. When looking at the market at a whole, there is no such thing as a national market Abhi says. He said to look at each individual market and Robert agrees and gives some pointers on what lenders look for when lending money to borrowers in any market. There is a method to the madness and he’s got the inside scoop. Tune in now to find out more! Visit AOPBConnect.com or call 888-209-1333 to connect with Angel Oak Prime Bridge.  

Pam Goodwin, with Goodwin Commercial, is on air with Abhi and they hit a lot of important topics. She was a part of Think Realty Conference & Expo in Dallas and she shares her favorite moments from the conference. Learn all about the newest retail concepts that are opening and flourishing in the Dallas/Plano area. It might seem intimidating for first-time investors who are interested in commercial real estate, but Pam assures listeners that it is just like trying anything else for the first time and isn’t intimidating! She encourages you to team-up with someone and start learning and taking a chance in real estate. It is all about adapting to the needs of your consumers and that’s why a lot of retail spaces are getting so popular right now. Ever thought luxury RV parks would be trendy? There are many different pieces to the puzzle before investing in an RV park, and always performing due diligence is important in any real estate purchase. Find out all the tips and pieces of advice Pam has to offer on this episode of Think Realty Radio! To learn more about Pam Goodwin and her business, visit PamGoodwin.com today!

Greg Rand, Renters Warehouse, is back for another round of the Power Play. He and Abhi kick-off the show with Greg sharing his passion for giving excellent customer service when working with tenants. He compares a tenant/landlord relationship to a restaurant/customer experience — a tenant won’t sign a lease again if they don’t have a pleasant experience with a landlord just like a customer wouldn’t return to a restaurant if they were treated poorly. The guys start answering listener questions and the first question comes from Adrienne from South Carolina and she has a tenant who has been smoking marijuana in her property and it is a very strong smell. It is not legal in her state, and she is aware it’s very common and wants to know what she can do to warn her tenant without getting him in trouble. What would you do if you were faced with this situation? What about other illegal activities? Another listener, Chante from Houston, is in college and getting her minor in real estate. She knows of an 8-unit apartment complex nearby that’s going to be selling soon and is wondering if she should just go and purchase it! Greg and Abhi give a few pieces of insight for her to consider and give her some tangible advice, like running it by her professors. Another listener has a large amount saved in her 401k and she doesn’t have much of a cash-flow because she saves so much. The guys want you to know you can invest your 401k in real estate through a self-directed IRA. If this is something you’ve thought about then this is the episode for you! Be sure to visit ThinkRealty.com/Radio to listen to all of our episodes!