Investor Cheat Code Podcast with Mike Simmons

Inspiring interviews with today's most successful real estate investors!
Investor Cheat Code Podcast with Mike Simmons

Cncover the “Cheat Codes” used by some of the most successful real estate investors and top performers in the world. What exactly is a 'cheat code'? In gaming, a cheat code is a secret key that unlocks new abilities or levels, giving players an advantage. Here, we apply that concept to real estate investing by revealing the personal strategies and habits our guests use to achieve uncommon success. Each episode is a chance for you to learn these cheat codes directly from the experts, giving you actionable advice and powerful strategies to create your own unfair advantage in business and in life!

  1. From Bigger Pockets to a Better Life with Brandon Turner

    13 MAY

    From Bigger Pockets to a Better Life with Brandon Turner

    From Bigger Pockets to a Better Life with Brandon Turner Join us as we dive into the incredible journey of real estate investor and podcaster Brandon Turner. Discover how he went from buying a deal a year to building a portfolio of over 13,000 units, and learn the strategies and mindset shifts that fueled his remarkable success. Table of Contents Brandon's Entrepreneurial Awakening Surrounding Yourself with the Right People Blowing Past a 1,000-Unit Goal Why Mobile Home Parks? Avoiding Problematic States and Markets Transitioning from Biggerpockets to The Better Life Podcast The Importance of In-Person Podcasting The Devastating Lahaina Fire and its Impact Redefining Success: Prioritizing Family and Happiness Ttance of Adaptable Goals Lessons Learned from Leaving Biggerpockets Educating Children on Alternative Paths in Life Brandon's Entrepreneurial Awakening It all started with a realization at Joe Ferrellus' best ever conference in Denver. Surrounded by successful real estate investors, I came face to face with my untapped potential. I was only buying a deal a year, barely scratching the surface of what I could achieve. It hit me that I could build a big business, have a team, and aim for something much bigger. Surrounding Yourself with the Right People Surrounding yourself with successful and motivated individuals can have a profound impact on your own success. When I started associating with people who were achieving greater real estate volume, I began to see new possibilities and opportunities for growth. Through engaging with the BiggerPockets podcast and interacting with accomplished investors like Grant Cardone and Chris Clothier, I gained valuable insights into scaling businesses and leveraging resources effectively. Learning from Successful Individuals Observing individuals who were handling significantly larger real estate portfolios than mine helped me realize that scalability doesn't necessarily equate to working more hours. Engaging with people accomplishing substantial deals highlighted the importance of strategic delegation and building efficient teams. Witnessing others achieve exponential growth while working fewer hours shifted my perspective on the relationship between effort and success. The Power of Association By surrounding myself with ambitious and accomplished individuals, I was able to challenge my own limitations and expand my vision of what was achievable. This environment of success and ambition propelled me to surpass my initial goals and achieve remarkable growth in a relatively short period. Blowing Past a 1,000-Unit Goal After making the decision to go all in on mobile home park investing, I set a goal to acquire 1,000 units within a year. This ambitious target pushed me to take massive action and think outside the box to achieve rapid growth. Strategic Acquisition Tactics Implementing creative financing strategies enabled me to acquire properties with minimal capital and maximize returns. Utilizing innovative negotiation techniques allowed me to secure deals that surpassed my initial expectations. Forming strategic partnerships and leveraging my network played a pivotal role in rapidly scaling my portfolio. Building a High-Performing Team Assembling a dedicated and skilled team was crucial in managing a large number of properties effectively and ensuring seamless operations. By delegating responsibilities and empowering my team, we were able to surpass the 1,000-unit milestone with remarkable efficiency. Why Mobile Home Parks? Investing in mobile home parks offers unique advantages and opportunities that make it an appealing venture for real estate investors. The following factors highlight the reasons behind the strategic choice of mobile home park investments: Scalability and Efficiency Mobile home park investments provide the potential for rapid scalability and efficient management, allowing investors to oversee a large number of units with relative ease. Ope

    51 min
  2. Done For You Dispositions with Paul Wakim, Founder of TwnSqr

    14/08/2023

    Done For You Dispositions with Paul Wakim, Founder of TwnSqr

    Today's Guest: Paul Wakim Paul is the co-founder of TwnSqr, a real estate technology startup devoted to breaking down the barriers of the real estate industry by providing homeowners and real estate professionals full control over the connections they make for their next real estate transaction. Paul started TwnSqr as a project to create an algorithm to predict who was going to sell their house next so he could buy more deals. Today, TwnSqr has reimagined how the real estate process works for buyers, sellers, agents, and investors, and it’s the most secure and fastest way to connect with the best person for your next real estate transaction on your own terms.   Highlights From The Show: We begin the episode with Paul sharing the evolution of TwnSqr since its inception right before COVID and how it currently works. Paul details how it has changed from being a real estate tool to a service that is one aspect of a real estate investor’s process.    Paul detailed a new program that they just launched called TwnSqr Enterprise that caters to investors that have a significant amount of properties to sell to form a direct integration with their Boost service, or their dispositions marketing service. Paul also gives a ton of credit to his partner Mitch that does most of the coding, and who he says is brilliant. Some customizations occur for each individual client, so Paul details this process.   I asked Paul to describe their avatar, or ideal client, and also to describe how the pricing works for their service. It is a monthly subscription service, but Paul goes into detail on how it actually works. He also goes into the integration of AI into their services.   This was a super detailed interview where I asked a lot of nitty-gritty kinds of questions so you want don’t miss another amazing episode of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast with Paul Wakim and get valuable information on how to unlock the potential of your dispositions process with TwnSqr! Notable Quotes:   “All TwnSqr is as of August 7th is a way for you to interface your existing systems and processes, your CRM, with our Boost service. There is no more seller-facing aspect to the platform.” Paul Wakim   “We have simplified things quite a bit to just being a plug-in for your CRM with the sole purpose of getting you interest in the properties that you have for sale.” Paul Wakim   “Any investor that has at least two properties to sell per month is our target market.” Paul Wakim   “You are using the existing client’s buyers list in addition to going out and getting more people to opt into TwnSqr to maximize who is seeing the properties - more eyeballs.” Mike Simmons   “Tell me why I would want to utilize your done-for-you service when I already have a fully operational, successful, talented dispositions team and/or person and/or process. Like why would I hand over the reins to something that is working really well?” Mike Simmons   “We found out not only was that sales pitch incorrect but also the execution was incorrect.” Paul Wakim   “It is worth combining your existing systems and processes with our boosting system because it is a supplement - it is like a turbocharger for an engine.” Paul Wakim   “Once the integration is built, we are off to the races together.” Paul Wakim   “Simplicity is where the actual value is.” Paul Wakim   “Simple is scalable.” Mike Simmons   “TwnSqr today is as bad as it is ever going to get. It is only going to get better.” Paul Wakim Thank You for Listening! Connect with Mike on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Linkedin, Facebook   Help Out the Show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help, and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes.   Resources and Links From Today's Show: Mike’s Email TwnSqr Paul Email  Paul on LinkedIn Paul on Instagram Paul on Twitter  Paul on Youtube   More R

    40 min
  3. From Military Mom to Full-Time Real Estate Investor Helping Other Military Members Build Wealth with Erin Helle

    31/07/2023

    From Military Mom to Full-Time Real Estate Investor Helping Other Military Members Build Wealth with Erin Helle

    Today's Guest: Erin Helle In this episode, I interview fellow real estate investor and return guest, Erin Helle. Erin begins by giving us her background and what brought her to real estate investing. She began her career in the military, first attending West Point Academy and then serving on active duty. Because her husband was also in the service, they knew that both of them being on active duty would be short-lived as they planned to start a family. She resigned her commission after about eight years of active duty and she began to explore real estate as a way to earn an income and be present for her family.   Highlights From The Show: We go back over Erin’s story because it is so inspirational! Her business has just exploded since we last talked on the podcast in 2020. We discuss all of the different types of investing she is involved in and the various markets, as well. She related that she has invested in short-term rentals, but doesn’t like it as an investment model because it isn’t passive at all.    We then talk about the event that Erin is hosting called Financial Freedom Summit. It is being held at the Wynn Las Vegas on September 2nd & 3rd, 2023. It is an exclusive event to inspire personal, professional, and financial development. Military veteran leaders in the real estate investing industry will guide the participants to build their blueprint for total financial freedom. But Erin wanted me to understand that it was the community of veterans that gave her the courage to get started in real estate investing, which is why she decided to give back to veterans through her summit. Erin went over the different topics, speakers, and breakout sessions that will happen throughout the weekend. Erin also detailed how some of the sponsors backing the event are providing scholarships to the event for service members that may not otherwise be able to afford to attend.   Make sure you don’t miss another amazing episode of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast with Erin Helle and learn about everything she has been up to since the last time she was on the show! Notable Quotes:   “This is a great industry and there is a lot of opportunity, but it isn’t necessarily for everyone.” Mike Simmons   “I hate the short-term rental game. I hate everything about it.” Erin Helle   “We use any cash we can come up with to build our portfolio.” Erin Helle   “I am a very left-brain, logical decision-maker.” Erin Helle   “I don’t really have the personality to talk to STR guests.” Mike Simmons   “It was the network of other West Point grads, and other veterans, in the space that helped me get my start and help me take that first step and then scale.” Erin Helle   “There is a lot of value in networking events.” Mike Simmons   “I have been amazed at the generosity of the people speaking and putting on this event.” Erin Helle   “The value of being in a room with these investors is like an education on steroids.” Mike Simmons     Thank You for Listening! Connect with Mike on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Linkedin, Facebook   Help Out the Show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help, and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes.   Resources and Links From Today's Show: Previous Episode with Erin Financial Freedom Summit Erin’s Website Erin on Facebook Erin on Instagram Erin on YouTube More Resources From Mike: Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months WINNING DIRECT MAIL - How to CRUSH IT with direct mail!

    29 min
  4. 10/07/2023

    Virtual Wholesaling Made Simple with Chris Logan

    Today's Guest: Chris Logan I am excited to have my friend and fellow investor, Chris, on the show today! He is a super smart investor that is passionate about teaching people how to invest outside of their home market.   Highlights From The Show: We start the interview as we always do by getting some of Chris’ background and how he got started in real estate investing. He was introduced to real estate (like so many others) by reading Rich Dad Poor Dad and then signed up for an investing course with his wife, Heather. They began their business by wholesaling properties and Chris said during that time they tried fix and flipping, but that strategy did not appeal to them. They built their wholesaling business into a 7 figure business and wanted to focus on the one thing that they were really good at.   We then discuss wholesaling in markets other than where one lives, which is what Chris primarily does. He said when he is picking a new market, he looks at the population and median home prices. I asked him what specifically he is looking at regarding the population and he said they look for a population between 250,000 and 500,000 people because you know that many houses will be bought and sold and also that it is an area that people want to be in. Chris also recommends using the power of local Facebook groups to build your buyers list and network.   Make sure you don’t miss another amazing episode of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast with Chris Logan to learn the ins and outs of virtual wholesaling!   Notable Quotes: “You are just going to drop value, I know it.” Mike Simmons   “Rich Dad Poor Dad is like the gateway drug for real estate investing.” Mike Simmons   “Flipping is more of a construction business and wholesaling is a sales and marketing business.” Chris Logan   “I am not the biggest fan of flipping, either. I get burned out with the contractor situation.” Mike Simmons   “It is not like you take a wholesaling course and then money starts falling from the sky.” Chris Logan   “We don’t start investing in a market because we want to be there - we follow the money.” Chris Logan   “I like starting in an area where I have a runway to scale.” Chris Logan   “I think you should build your buyers list before you market for sellers, especially if you are a brand new investor.” Chris Logan   “Massive and perfect action is what you want to focus on.” Chris Logan   “Our mentality is ‘keep it small, keep it all.’” Chris Logan   “Let’s do deals together!” Chris Logan   “Massive action is the cure for most things.” Mike Simmons   Thank You for Listening! Connect with Mike on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Linkedin, Facebook   Help Out the Show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help, and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes.   Resources and Links From Today's Show: Rich Dad Poor Dad The ONE Thing Mailchimp Aweber PropStream Chris on Facebook Virtual Wholesaling Made Simple Mike on Facebook   More Resources From Mike: Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months WINNING DIRECT MAIL - How to CRUSH IT with direct mail!

    36 min
  5. How to Build a Wildly Successful Short-Term Rental Company PART TWO

    10/04/2023

    How to Build a Wildly Successful Short-Term Rental Company PART TWO

    Today's Guests: James Svetec & Riley Oickle One of the world's foremost Airbnb experts and the co-author of Airbnb for Dummies, James has helped over 1,000 students all over the globe leverage the power of short-term rentals as a vehicle for cash flow and wealth. James is the industry's go-to expert when it comes to mastering performance and streamlining operations. He consults with more than 600 property management companies around the world. Riley is a Canadian real estate investor and mentor who specializes in multi-family residential investing through BRRRR and joint venture strategies. Throughout the journey of buying his first income property in the Southwestern Ontario area, he realized that there is a real need in the market to help people go through this process more easily. Today, he owns a real estate portfolio worth over $8 million and has helped new investors buy their first properties without wasting time and money on trial and error. Highlights From The Show: This is a continuation of the show we posted a couple of weeks ago, discussing the ins and outs of short-term rental investing. We talk about financing, management, software, the science behind listings, and so much more! Make sure you don’t miss another amazing episode of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast with James Svetec and Riley Oickle and learn more about how to build a wildly successful short-term rental company! Notable Quotes: “Typically, management costs 20% of your revenue.” Riley Oickle   “We find that if you have a short-term rental property 1-2 hours outside of a major urban area, it is a great opportunity for people to staycation.” Riley Oickle   “I would love to have the company motto: I don’t do anything personally, but my company handles everything in-house.” Mike Simmons   “Almost all issues will come from one-night stays.” James Svetec   “The check-in process is really important because it is your guest’s first impression of your property, so you want it to be very easy.” James Svetec   “I am the baby boomer of the group.” Riley Oickle   “We recommend that people price their STRs manually at the beginning.” James Svetec     Thank You for Listening! Connect with Mike on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Linkedin, Facebook   Help Out the Show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help, and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes.   Resources and Links From Today's Show: Minut Noise Monitoring NoiseAware Nest August Lock Hostaway Hostfully PriceLabs AirDNA AllTheRooms Mashvisor Motel Makeovers BNB Inner Circle James on Instagram Riley on Instagram   More Resources From Mike: Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months WINNING DIRECT MAIL - How to CRUSH IT with direct mail!

    53 min
  6. How to Build a Wildly Successful Short-Term Rental Company

    27/03/2023

    How to Build a Wildly Successful Short-Term Rental Company

    Today's Guests: James Svetec & Riley Oickle One of the world's foremost Airbnb experts and the co-author of Airbnb for Dummies, James has helped over 1,000 students all over the globe leverage the power of short-term rentals as a vehicle for cash flow and wealth. James is the industry's go-to expert when it comes to mastering performance and streamlining operations. He consults with more than 600 property management companies around the world. Riley is a Canadian real estate investor and mentor who specializes in multi-family residential investing through BRRRR and joint venture strategies. Throughout the journey of buying his first income property in the Southwestern Ontario area, he realized that there is a real need in the market to help people go through this process more easily. Today, he owns a real estate portfolio worth over $8 million and has helped new investors buy their first properties without wasting time and money on trial and error. Highlights From The Show: We start, as we always do, with my guests providing us with a bit of their background and how they got into real estate investing. Riley originally went the multi-family investing route and James was managing short-term rentals for other owners. They met through a mutual contractor, realized they had complementary skills, and decided to begin investing in short-term rentals together. Additionally, they do short-term rental coaching.   I observed that the short-term rental industry existed before COVID but that it had exploded because of peoples’ need for a safer environment than a hotel when traveling. I asked the guys several questions pertaining to this so that we could dig into the state of the short-term rental industry in 2023. James pointed out another factor to this was that more people were staycation-ing because they didn’t want to get on airplanes to travel. Many of the STRs in rural areas within easy driving distance of large cities experienced a boom as well. He said overall the industry is still trending up from pre-COVID numbers, but it has slowed down somewhat as the pandemic fears have decreased.   We talk about market and property evaluation, market area regulations, resources for aggregating data, common mistakes, various portfolio-building ideas, and so much more! Make sure you don’t miss another amazing episode of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast with James Svetec and Riley Oickle and learn how to build a wildly successful short-term rental company! Notable Quotes: “So they were like dog years basically.” Mike Simmons   “Complete immersion in investing is different than dabbling on and off as a hobby for 10 years.” Mike Simmons   “I was totally immersed in the short-term rental and Airbnb space, but I had never bought and owned my own property.” James Svetec   “We each had those complementary skill sets.” James Svetec   “There is the bird’s eye view which is market analysis and then the more micro level which is property analysis. If someone has investing experience, they would be familiar with both.” Riley Oickle   “We not only look at what the regulations are in a particular area but where we suspect they might go in the future.” James Svetec   “Those properties are very expensive because the area is very prestigious.” James Svetec   “I wouldn’t say that an area having no regulations is a red flag, but it is a yellow flag, for sure.” James Svetec   “It is boring, but you need to read the actual regulation, not an article in the local paper outlining what they think the regulations are.” James Svetec   “The AirDNA data is really solid if you know how to use it.” James Svetec   “I call it paper napkin math.” Riley Oickle   “Beginning investors often evaluate properties based on emotion and that just doesn’t work. You need to be very analytical.” Riley Oickle   “There is no way around it - if you want

    50 min
  7. 7 Day House Flipper, Tyler Jensen

    20/03/2023

    7 Day House Flipper, Tyler Jensen

    Today's Guest: Tyler Jensen I am excited to have my friend Tyler on the show today! We are also fellow 7 Figure Flippers and he is just the kind of guest I love to have on - someone who is an expert in his field and willing to let me pick his brain!   Highlights From The Show: We start the interview like we often do with Tyler sharing his real estate background. He began flipping houses in 2008 as a way to help pay for his college education. He was taking classes and working full-time, so real estate was a side hustle at that point. For years, while working another job, he continued to flip houses because he knew it was an excellent vehicle for building long-term wealth. Tyler talks about how he honestly thought his career was going to be in corporate America but realized he could be successful with flipping when he was able to pay his tuition with the proceeds from his third deal. Joining the 7 Figure Flipping Mastermind was a turning point for Tyler and his business because he was surrounded by very successful investors that encouraged him and helped him scale.   Tyler explains his struggles with the lifestyle of being a corporate executive and how he was really trading time for money. He wanted to find a way to have both financial freedom and freedom of time so that he could be a good and present husband and father. After talking to his wife (and he tells us how this conversation went), he decided to pursue his dream of being a full-time investor. He went to Flip Hacking Live, joined the mastermind and his business exploded, doubling the deals performed several years in a row. We also dig into the process he created called the 7 Day Flip, in addition to Tyler’s thoughts on the current housing market.   Make sure you don’t miss another amazing episode of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast with Tyler Jensen and learn how you can succeed in finding both time and financial freedom through real estate investing! Notable Quotes:   “I knew that real estate was a great way to make income, so I started early.” Tyler Jensen   “On our first flip, we did everything wrong, so it was a great education in real estate.” Tyler Jensen   “When I started flipping houses, it was a side hustle with the goal of helping to pay for college.” Tyler Jensen   “The year 2008 was actually a great time to get into real estate.” Mike Simmons   “In my corporate job, I was trading time for money and I realized it was really hurting me because I could never unplug.” Tyler Jensen   “We have amazing women behind us that have our backs.” Tyler Jensen   “The biggest thing in any flip is that you have to control the time, the budget, and the quality of work you are putting out.” Tyler Jensen   “That system and process is critical to getting things done fast.” Mike Simmons   Thank You for Listening! Connect with Mike on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Linkedin, Facebook   Help Out the Show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help, and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes.   Resources and Links From Today's Show: Tyler’s Website 7 Day Flip 7 Figure Flipping   More Resources From Mike: Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months WINNING DIRECT MAIL - How to CRUSH IT with direct mail!

    42 min
  8. Turning Her Wholesale Company Around with Erin Maney

    13/03/2023

    Turning Her Wholesale Company Around with Erin Maney

    Today's Guest: Erin Maney I am excited to have my friend Erin on the show today! She is a fellow 7 Figure Flipper and shares her recent real estate investing journey with us with the hopes that it will encourage other investors who may be struggling.   Highlights From The Show:  Erin begins by sharing a bit of her background with us. She began investing about four years ago while still working full-time. She has a wholesaling company in the Milwaukee area and decided to put in her notice last June to focus on investing. With the manner in which the market changed last year though, she began to have some struggles. She said they had never had to give a lot of attention to their buyer’s list or their disposition process before, but then their buyers started dropping out. Erin was trying to build a company and hire employees, but thought if she couldn’t make it work for herself, how could she possibly empower others?   Because we are both part of the 7 Figure Flipping Mastermind, when Erin expressed that she was having some difficulties, we were able to get connected and talk it out. She said she was thinking of their company as a marketing and sales company and was reminded through our conversation that her greatest asset was their buyers. Erin said that she had not marketed to grow their buyer’s list at all and so she set a goal of adding 40 people to their list every week. Very quickly she saw that her efforts were making a difference and it confirmed how important it was for her to focus on their buyer’s list.   I asked Erin what her plan is for 2023 and she talked about how much she loves wholesaling, but because of the strength of her team, she is looking at exit strategies. She would like to take herself out of the day-to-day operations so that she can focus on building long-term wealth.   What a transparent and honest interview with Erin Maney who is battling through some investing struggles and thriving! Don’t miss the latest episode of the Just Start Real Estate Podcast!     Notable Quotes:   “I was able to give her some advice to turn that ship around.” Mike Simmons   “You can survive in any market.” Mike Simmons   “I am a big fan of Mike Simmons.” Erin Maney   “While initially, I felt like the wind was at my back, with the market change I felt like I was running into the wind, and I hadn’t experienced that before.” Erin Maney   “I had so much fear as to what was to come.” Erin Maney   “You really reminded me of the fundamentals of underwriting that I really needed to get back to.” Erin Maney   “A wholesaling company’s value is completely linked to the strength of their buyer’s list.” Mike Simmons   “You probably saved me from going back to federal government employment!” Erin Maney   “Our most savvy, long-term buyers are not going to be our best buyers as far as profit.” Erin Maney   “Execution is the key.” Mike Simmons     Thank You for Listening! Connect with Mike on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Linkedin, Facebook   Help Out the Show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help, and I read each one. Subscribe on iTunes.   More Resources From Mike: Level Jumping: How I Grew My Business to Over $1 Million in Profits in 12 Months WINNING DIRECT MAIL - How to CRUSH IT with direct mail!

    20 min

Ratings & Reviews

About

Cncover the “Cheat Codes” used by some of the most successful real estate investors and top performers in the world. What exactly is a 'cheat code'? In gaming, a cheat code is a secret key that unlocks new abilities or levels, giving players an advantage. Here, we apply that concept to real estate investing by revealing the personal strategies and habits our guests use to achieve uncommon success. Each episode is a chance for you to learn these cheat codes directly from the experts, giving you actionable advice and powerful strategies to create your own unfair advantage in business and in life!

You Might Also Like

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada