Most real estate investors being their journey while they’re working a W-2. But many hesitate to step away from the perceived security of their regular job, even after they’ve replaced their living expenses. Others achieve financial freedom, leave the rat race, and then feel lost because they don’t have a sense of purpose. So, what is the best way to transition from a W-2 to full-time entrepreneurship? In addition to being a distinguished psychiatrist and mother of four, Dr. Elaine Stageberg...

What were the top AHA moments on Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing in 2023? As the year comes to an end, it’s time for a highlight reel of our most inspiring moments on the podcast in the last 12 months. On this Best of 2023 episode, we revisit our conversation with Faisal Ensuan and Dr. Sheri Fluellan on why real estate syndicators need the right coach and reflect on Joseph Kimbrough’s advice around building relationships with high-net-worth investors. We look back at Marc...

There are risks associated with running short-term rentals, especially when your Airbnb units are in a multifamily building. But Syed Lateef has found a way to scale a STR business in apartment buildings. And the landlords don’t just ALLOW Syed to rent their units, they WELCOME it. Syed stands out in the world of short-term rentals, currently managing a portfolio of 300 units with a dedicated team of 50-plus employees. Syed’s business earns over $30,000 a day, allowing him to give back by...

I'm not really a big fan of flipping anything. I flipped three dozen houses early in my real estate career. But couldn't figure out how to turn that into a financial freedom business. That's why I switched to apartments. And I am convinced that apartments are the number one way to become financially free with real estate. But Travis King found a way to earn passive income with land flipping. How does that work? On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Travis joins...

Mark Khuri’s real estate business survived the crash of 2008. And the lessons he learned through that experience can help us take advantage of similar circumstances in the current market. But how do you find good deals in tough times? Can you reduce risk without reducing expected returns? Mark is Cofounder of SMK Capital Management, a family-owned investment firm that focuses on providing diversified offerings and attractive returns via income-producing commercial real estate. With 17 years...

Wherever you are in the process of building a company (real estate or otherwise), it’s important to consider your exit strategy. Because even if you don’t plan on selling your business anytime soon, that pushes you to eliminate yourself from the day-to-day and move into what we call the owner’s box. So, what does it look like to position your company to sell? And how do you benefit from building a business that runs without you? Ross Hamilton is the former CEO of Connected Investor, the real...

Is your corporate job making you miserable? Are you tired of giving everything to your company for eight hours (or more) and being too exhausted to spend quality time with your family at the end of the day? What if you could get rid of those golden handcuffs with real estate? Brooke Ceballos-Pinero has not only achieved financial freedom through real estate, but she is also dedicated to empowering others on their path to prosperity. After 20 years in corporate America, Brooke left her W-2...

Robert Martinez has been a successful real estate investor for more than a decade. But he made headlines recently when MF1 Capital foreclosed on one of his Houston properties. So, how did it happen? What factors contributed to Robert losing the first deal of his career? Robert is the visionary syndicator behind Rockstar Capital, a multifamily investing firm with a portfolio of 21 apartment communities encompassing 3,762 rental units. In 10 years, Robert has led the underwriting, acquisition...

Former Marine Joseph Kimbrough was a successful wholesaler, but the work was a constant grind. Joseph realized that to achieve financial freedom, what he needed was equity. And he was already comfortable pitching investors on big-ticket wholesale deals So, Joseph started building a fund, raising capital from high-net-worth individuals and investing that money in multifamily deals run by the best operators in the business. Today, Joseph is Founder and Fund Manager at Apex Real Estate...

Mario Rapaj has been in our mentoring program for nine months now, but he hasn’t closed his first deal. And he’s frustrated. So, what’s holding Mario back? Is he doing the right activities? Does he have any limiting beliefs? What can he do to get unstuck and finally become a GP? Mario is Founder of Tex-Alb Real Estate Investment Group, a syndication business headquartered in Dallas, Texas. He has an LP portfolio of 375 multifamily units and owns several single-family properties. Mario is...

Ed Hermsen’s first multifamily deal fell in his lap, and he got it done fast. But because that initial success came somewhat easy, Ed hadn’t taken the time to work on his mindset. He didn’t have a morning routine. He hadn’t practiced writing down his goals. And no one was holding him accountable to take the next steps. That’s why it took Ed a full two years to buy his second apartment building! Ed is a former mortgage banker turned full-time real estate investor with a portfolio of four...

Andrew Elio is a 22-year-old recent college graduate, but he already knows that he doesn’t want to work for someone else the rest of his life. That’s what motivated him to join our Deal Maker Certification program a month ago. At the same time, he started working a full-time job. How is Andrew juggling both responsibilities? What’s he struggling with? What progress has he made so far? And what’s the most important thing Andrew can do to accelerate his success? On this edition of Business...

Sudhir Jarajapu took the first steps on his multifamily investing journey and invested in our mentoring program. But then he got off track. In fact, it took Sudhir nine months to work through the first 90 days of the program! So, what got in the way? And what did Sudhir do to get back in the game? Welcome to the first of our Business Boost with Michael Blank series on Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, where I do a live coaching session with a new syndicator! On this episode of the...

It took Chris Pomerleau four years to realize he didn’t have to replace toilets himself and another four years to realize he didn’t have to do his own books. That’s when Chris went from simply doing deals to building a real estate business. So, why does it take most investors so long to scale? And what can YOU do to achieve financial freedom much faster? Chris is Cofounder of LeavenWealth Capital, a real estate investment firm out of Omaha, Nebraska, with 2,700 multifamily units totaling...

Are you surrounding yourself with people who will get you to the next level? Five years ago, a group of seasoned multifamily investors got together and established a Mastermind to support each other as we scale our real estate businesses. And I’m proud to be part of that group with Matt Faircloth, who’s been in real estate full-time since 2005 Matt serves as Owner of DeRosa Group, a multifamily investing firm with a portfolio of 1,800-plus units and $150 million in assets under...

Chad Schieler saw himself as the numbers guy, so he let partners handle the task of raising money for his first big real estate syndication. But his team was short. At closing, they had $1M of a $1.4M raise, and Chad had to take out a bridge loan to cover the rest. That experience inspired Chad to overcome his limiting beliefs around raising money and take his syndication business to the next level. Today, he is Founder and Principal at Focused Capital, a multifamily firm that helps busy...

Does your business feel like a black hole? Are you feeding it all your time, energy and money? But it just keeps sucking away? Too many business owners get to the end of their career and don’t have much to show for it, selling for next to nothing or simply letting the business fade away. But what if you could leverage your business profits to build personal wealth? Todd Polke is an international educator and trainer in the realm of wealth creation and building strategic investment...

We all go through challenging life experiences, be it the loss of a loved one, a serious illness, or painful divorce. And the last thing we need in those circumstances is to worry about money. But what is the best way to build the kind of passive income you need to make it through tough times without stressing about finances? Rachel Richards is the creator of Money Honey, a financial education platform that helps young women manage their money effectively and achieve financial freedom. Rachel...

Asset management can be a real challenge for multifamily operators, especially if you’re managing properties from a distance. If a site is not working, how do you figure out what’s wrong? Is it the staff? Are rents too high? Do you have too many work orders? The good news is, new AI tools can give GPs transparency around what’s going on—helping us set pricing, manage expenses and optimize the performance of our real estate assets. Marc Rutzen is Cofounder and CEO of HelloData.ai, a...

A multifamily operator in Houston recently lost 3,200 units to foreclosure. Is that a sign of calamity to come? Or can we learn from their mistakes and ask better questions before we invest in our next syndication? On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, I walk you through nine important questions to ask before you invest in your next multifamily syndication. I explain why not-so-good operators (what I like to call NSGOs) are struggling in the current multifamily...

Caleb Johnson’s mother had just had surgery and was living off savings while she recovered. But after three months, she wasn’t healed and had to make an impossible decision: Return to work in excruciating pain or prolong retirement by several years. Inspired to help his mother financially and achieve financial freedom himself, Caleb started investing in real estate at the age of 18. Today, he is the 25-year-old Founder of Red Sea Capital Group, and Caleb has a $9 million real estate portfolio...

So, you’ve got some money set aside to jumpstart your real estate career. What should you invest in? An apartment building? Mobile home park? Something else? The answer is no. Don't do any of those things. If you have money to invest, the first thing you should invest in YOURSELF. John Manfredy has over 30 years of real estate experience as an architect where he was responsible for design, project management and construction supervision for projects budgeted over $500 million. But when John...

Scaling up a multifamily investing business starts with scaling up your capital raise. And one key strategy for expanding your investor network is to get referrals from friends and family who already invest with you. But how do you encourage your investors to talk about their experiences? How do you leverage referrals to build momentum in raising money for real estate deals? Dan Reilly and Greg Danielson are Managing Partners at Measured Capital, a private equity firm that sponsors value-add...

You say you want financial freedom. You want to build wealth and have money for extraordinary experiences. But if you’re doing what everyone else does, if you’re trying to save your way to wealthy, you’re never going to get results. So, what do you do if the path you’re on doesn’t lead to the outcomes you want? PJ Ghadimi is a self-made millionaire who’s taken the world of entrepreneurship by storm. He transitioned out of a lucrative but limited career in banking to build several successful...

The recent foreclosure on 3,200 units in Houston has investors nervous about putting their money in multifamily. But does that default mean we should all be sitting on the sidelines? John Casmon argues that investing in apartments is a business, just like any other. And if we avoid the red flags in the Houston deal, we can (and should) continue business as usual. John is Head of Acquisitions and Investor Relations at Casmon Capital Group, a multifamily investing firm committed to helping busy...