Apartment Building Investing With Michael Blank Podcast

Did you know that there are many parallels between investing in oil and gas and real estate syndications?Grant Norwood is CEO of Norwood Energy Corp, an oil and gas exploration company out of Southlake, Texas.Grant’s specialty is recognizing opportunity hotspots in undiscovered areas of the country where his team can operate significantly below the costs of oil giants like Exxon or Chevron.On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Grant joins Garrett to discuss the two kinds of deals Norwood Energy does, investing in new wells or distressed assets.Grant shares what he does to find off-market deals on wells and walks us through the tax advantages of investing in oil and gas assets.Listen in for Grant’s insight on financing oil and gas deals and learn the similarities between investing in energy and multifamily syndications.For full episode show notes visit: https://themichaelblank.com/podcasts/session352/

Mindfulness matters. The more self-aware you become, the better your relationships and the more fulfillment you get out of life.That’s why I take an entire week off at the end of every year, not to eat bonbons, but to reflect on the past 12 months, celebrate my wins and plan for the future.On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, I’m sharing my process for evaluating 2022 and looking ahead to 2023.I discuss what we achieved at the Michael Blank Brands and Nighthawk Equity in 2022 and explain our goals for the coming year, challenging you to set aims in each of the same 7 areas of your personal and professional life.Listen in for insight into the multifamily market outlook and get my advice for investors on where to look for opportunities in 2023!For full episode show notes visit: https://themichaelblank.com/podcasts/session351/

Every week, we bring you conversations with elite investors and entrepreneurs, in hopes that you’ll learn from their experiences to accelerate your success.On this Best of 2022 edition of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, we reflect on some of our favorite episodes and share the top insights from this year’s interviews with inspiring real estate entrepreneurs.We revisit Dan Brisse’s story of transitioning from professional snowboarder to full-time real estate investor and Jilliene Helman’s mission to democratize real estate investing.Lee Prosenjak inspires us to live our purpose, Veena Jetti explains how to raise capital at scale, and Sterling Griffin shares creative ways to add value to high-profile people as you build a network.Listen in to understand how Alvin ‘Hope’ Johnson is innovating in affordable housing and learn to fast-track your success with advice from ten of our top guests of 2022!For full episode show notes visit: https://themichaelblank.com/podcasts/session350/

There's a lot of pundits who say that entrepreneurship is about the hustle and grind. We’re supposed to work harder and harder and sacrifice our lives for the sake of the business.But Mike Michalowicz argues that entrepreneurship is not about doing the job. It’s about creating jobs.So, how do you remove yourself from the day-to-day operation of your business? Can you get to a point where your syndication firm runs itself?Mike Michalowicz is a well-known keynote speaker and bestselling author on a mission to eradicate entrepreneurial poverty.Mike has built four multimillion-dollar companies and exited two. But he has also launched ten failed businesses and lost his fortune twice.And it is those struggles that inspired Mike to serve other entrepreneurs through books like Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine and Clockwork: Design Your Business to Run Itself.On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Mike joins Garrett and me to discuss t

How does a schoolteacher overcome her limiting beliefs to become a full-time syndicator?For Julie Holly, community was key in helping her shift from anxious single-family landlord to self-assured multifamily GP.Julie is Founder of Three Keys Investments, a multifamily firm committed to helping investors build passive income and legacy wealth. She also serves as Host of The Conscious Investor Podcast.Julie began her career as a schoolteacher with a portfolio of single-family homes before transitioning to syndications. Today, she’s a passive investor in 300 doors, she's partnered in 68 units and GP for another 120.On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Julie joins me to explain how Arnold Schwarzenegger launched her investing career and what she did to overcome the WHAT IF mindset that held her back early on.Julie discusses why now is the right time to get into multifamily investing and describes how she is adjusting her underwriting to protect her LPs.Listen in for Julie’s insight on

Building a platform is an important part of raising money at scale. But you need more than a website to demonstrate your credibility with potential investors.Becoming an author gives you authority. It allows you to share your investing thesis with many, many prospects and generate leads as well as referrals.But what does the process of writing a book look like? And why would you publish yet another real estate book when there are already so many others on the market?Chandler Bolt is Founder and CEO of Self-Publishing School, a platform that has helped 7,000 entrepreneurs publish books in the last 7 years.Chandler also serves as host of the Self-Publishing School Podcast and author of six bestselling books. His latest release is called Published: The Proven Path from Blank Page to 100,000 Copies Sold.On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Chandler joins Garrett and me to explain what writing a good book does for your business and how to use a book to build your email list.Chandler wal

How do you become a full-time investor who owns more than 1,000 doors by the age of 27?According to Adrian Salazar, the secret is having the guts to go out and be different.Adrian started wholesaling SFHs as a freshman in college and closed on his first apartment building as a sophomore. Today, he is Managing Member at Two Ten Management, and he controls $8.8M in multifamily assets.On this episode of the podcast, Adrian joins Garrett and me to explain how the sales skills he developed early on help him succeed as a young real estate entrepreneur.Adrian shares the wholesaling strategies he uses to find off-market deals and describes his approach to building rapport with owners.Listen in for Adrian’s advice on putting yourself in the right rooms and learn to take action on YOUR real estate investing goals—no matter how young or old you are!For full episode show notes visit: https://themichaelblank.com/podcasts/session345/

Running a business is never just about the business. Being a successful entrepreneur means finding balance between your personal and professional life. But if you want your relationship to work, you need a partner who energizes you. Someone who helps you become the best version of yourself. So, how does a real estate investor build a fulfilling family life? How do you successfully navigate marriage, parenthood and business?On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Garrett sits down with me and my wife Vivian to find out what makes our 25-year marriage work.Vivian and I explain why we struggled with working on the business together and how we set boundaries around work and family time.Listen in to understand why we decided to homeschool our kids and learn how we set goals as a family to live intentionally, in alignment with our values!For full episode show notes visit: https://themichaelblank.com/podcasts/session345/

One of the beautiful things about investing in real estate is its tax benefits. And the 1031 exchange is a common strategy we use to avoid paying capital gains.But most of us haven’t studied IRC Section 1031 enough to know ALL the ways we can use the tax code to reinvest our real estate profits—rather than handing them over to Uncle Sam.Dave Foster is the 1031 exchange expert, qualified intermediary and tax strategist behind The 1031 Investor, a platform that helps investors build and preserve real estate wealth.Dave has supported thousands of investors in achieving financial freedom by maximizing their reinvestment opportunities.On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Dave joins Garrett to discuss the rules for doing a 1031 exchange in a syndication and describe what to look for in a qualified intermediary or QI.Dave shares his top strategies for buying time in a like-kind exchange and walks us through the tax benefits of converting an investment property into your primary residence.

Owning class D properties in neighborhoods plagued by gang violence, prostitution and drug abuse is not easy. But it does give an owner-operator the street smarts to keep themselves, their employees and properties safe. And it makes for some pretty crazy stories!On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Garrett follows up on his previous solo episode with more stories from his experience as an investor in Chicago’s most dangerous neighborhoods.Garrett discusses what he did to prevent theft at vacant multifamily properties and describes how firing a maintenance worker nearly caused a gang war at one of his buildings.Listen in for the story of how Garrett’s maintenance team caught a killer and find out what it’s like to collect rent at night not too far from Chicago’s infamous O Block.For full episode show notes visit: https://themichaelblank.com/podcasts/session343/

All CPAs are not created equal. And if you’re working with an accountant who doesn’t understand real estate tax strategy, you may be leaving tens of thousands of dollars on the table. Thomas Castelli, CPA, CFP, is Partner at https://www.therealestatecpa.com/ (Hall CPA), an entrepreneurial accounting firm that helps real estate investors minimize tax and maximize profit. Out of college, Thomas landed a ‘dream job’ at a traditional accounting firm but soon realized he wasn’t on the path to the lifestyle he wanted. To achieve financial freedom, he built a portfolio of passive investments in apartment buildings before participating in his first deal as an active partner. On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Thomas joins Garrett and me to discuss why he chose to put his money in multifamily over other investments. Thomas offers a high-level overview of how the taxation of real estate works, explaining who benefits from bonus depreciation and why we can report a loss despite earning subs

In the spring of 2020, store shelves were empty. And supply chain issues have disrupted businesses of all kinds ever since—including real estate. But what, exactly, is causing these problems in the supply chain? And when will things get back to normal? Jeff Davis is both a supply chain expert and real estate investor, serving as a senior sales executive for a Fortune 100 global logistics firm and Managing Partner at Bridgestone Holdings, where he has built a portfolio of 952 units. On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Jeff joins Garrett and me to explain what is causing our ongoing supply chain issues and why things haven’t normalized since the pandemic. Jeff discusses how rising interest rates impact the supply chain and shares his take on when construction costs might return to pre-COVID levels. Listen in for Jeff’s insight on underwriting deals in the current economic environment and learn how to navigate supply chain concerns as a multifamily investor. For full episode sho

When you’re a new real estate syndicator with a smaller network, you can keep track of investors with a spreadsheet and work through the process of raising money manually. But as you grow your investor database, it becomes more and more tedious to do things this way. The good news is, you can leverage investor management software to automate the process of drafting legal documents and wiring money, saving yourself and your investors a lot of time and trouble. So, how do you choose an investor portal that’s the right fit for you and your syndication business? Perry Zheng is Founder and CEO of https://themichaelblank.com/cashflow/ (Cash Flow Portal), a real estate syndication platform that helps syndicators streamline the process of raising equity, automate operations and attract more investors. Perry began his career as a software engineer, taking on roles at Twitter, Amazon and Lyft. He has also acted as lead sponsor on three apartment syndications, raising $20M to build a portfolio of 850 units. On this epis

https://michaeljflight.com/ (Michael Flight) used to be a crypto-skeptic. But as he learned more about the blockchain and its potential to make real estate more accessible to a wider audience, he became a crypto-innovator. Today, Michael is CEO of Liberty https://libertyfund.io/ (Real Estate Fund LLC), the world’s first net lease security token fund. With 34 years of investing experience, he is leveraging the blockchain to tokenize ownership of high-quality commercial real estate. On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Michael joins me to explain how his beliefs around freedom drew him to blockchain technology. Michael describes the connections between real estate and the blockchain, discussing how it makes syndications more accessible and solves the liquidity problem in multifamily investing. Listen in to understand how the SEC governs tokenized real estate deals and learn how to take the first steps in offering a multifamily syndication on the blockchain. For full episode show

No matter what asset class you want to invest in, creativity is key—especially if you don’t have a rich uncle to help you get started! You just have to stop asking yourself, ‘Can I do this?’ And start asking yourself, ‘How can I do this?’ Christian Osgood left his sales job with CoStar Group to become a full-time investor at age 29. And in the last 18 months, he leveraged creative financing to build a portfolio of 95 units. Today, he is Cofounder of https://themultifamilystrategy.com/ (Multifamily Strategy), a platform that helps others achieve financial freedom with real estate and take back control of their lives. On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Christian joins Garrett and me to discuss his top creative strategies for buying property, challenging us to think beyond price when we negotiate a deal. Christian walks us through the fundamentals of seller financing, explaining how he introduces himself to property owners and why he focuses on understanding their goals to build a s

When I got started in multifamily, I was much too hands-off with property managers. Yes, I reviewed the numbers, but otherwise, I stayed away and simply let them manage everything. Then I realized that experienced syndicators are much more actively involved with their property management companies, and we started to build more collaborative relationships. So, where is the sweet spot between too hands-off and too involved? What does a healthy relationship between property managers and ownership groups look like? Nathan Ridgeway is Regional Vice President at https://www.firstcommunities.com/ (First Communities), one of the nation’s most successful property management companies. Founded in 1978, FCM has managed over 200K units in 100K communities, growing their market reach to include Washington DC, Dallas, Austin, Houston, Atlanta, Charlotte and Nashville. On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Nathan joins Garrett and me to discuss the relationship between property management companie

Think you need an Ivy League education or 20 years of experience on Wall Street to set up a fund? Think again! Once you've done a handful of syndications, you can easily launch a fund of your own and simplify the process of raising money for multiple real estate deals. Bridger Pennington is Cofounder and CEO of Fund Launch, an education platform that helps aspiring fund managers launch, build and scale a fund. Fund Launch has served more than 20K students with its hundreds of videos and dozens of downloadable assets. Bridger also serves as Founder of Black Bridge Holdings, where he established multiple funds and facilitated more than 326 transactions across a variety of industries. On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Bridger joins Garrett and me to discuss what differentiates a real estate syndication from a fund, describing when it's appropriate to start raising capital through a fund and how the process changes. Bridger walks us through the pros and cons of raising money w

Investor relations is not about selling a deal. It’s about getting to know individual investors and solving their problems. But what does that look like in practice? How do you connect with potential LPs and educate them around the benefits of investing in multifamily syndications? Travis Watts is Director of Investor Education at Ashcroft Capital. He got his start in real estate in 2009, investing in single family and short-term rentals. Travis became a passive investor with Ashcroft several years ago and was so impressed with their performance that he offered to join the Investor Relations Team in 2019. On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Travis joins Garrett and me to explain why he transitioned from active investing in single family to passive investing in syndications. Travis describes how he attracts new investors at Ashcroft and walks us through the pros and cons of raising capital through a fund. Listen in for Travis’ best practices for taking care of investors and l

Proximity is power. But how do you get in front of successful people when you're struggling yourself? Sterling Griffin was homeless when he made the decision to surround himself with the people he wanted to become. Then he found creative ways to add value so they'd want to be friends. And in just two years, Sterling went from living in his Honda Accord to making $1.68M. Today, Sterling serves as Founder of Life Changer Academy and https://sterlingcapital.cc/ (Sterling Capital), a real estate firm that provides high-net-worth individuals with access to tax-advantaged investments. On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Sterling joins cohost Garrett Lynch to share his journey to becoming a millionaire, explaining how he borrowed money and sold his car to invest in a mentor and why he's committed to inspiring others to see more for themselves too. Sterling describes his transition from fitness trainer to business coach to real estate investor, discussing his decision to focus on tri

The lack of affordable housing is a big problem in the US. And most developers shy away from these projects because it’s hard to make money. But Alvin ‘Hope’ Johnson is not most developers. He’s found a way to innovate in the affordable housing space and ‘do good while doing good.’ Alvin is President of the Hope Housing Foundation, a nonprofit positioned to be one of the country’s most effective affordable workforce housing organizations. He also serves as CEO of Multifamily Monopoly, an education platform for real estate developers interested in the process of multifamily development and ownership. On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Alvin joins Garrett and me to discuss his journey from painting houses to $225M multifamily entrepreneur and describe the tenacity it took to find a mentor in the space. Alvin shares his successes in affordable housing so far, explaining how he’s turning neighborhoods around, building sustainable workforce housing developments, and making a prof