The Promote Podcast

ten31 Media
  • 4.9 (70)
  • INVESTING

Your Commercial Real Estate Insider guide. From profiles of the biggest dealmakers to skyline-shaping transactions, we bring you the deals, breakdowns and war stories that move the market — for insiders, by insiders. From bad-boy guarantees to CMBS tranche warfare to syndicator sins, we cover it all. Each week, The Promote Podcast explores three of the most interesting and consequential stories in CRE, taking you well beyond the headlines and into the heart of the action. Hosted by the award-winning “Bard of CRE,” Hiten Samtani, founder of ten31 media and author of The Promote newsletter, along with no-BS institutional insider Will Krasne. Also check out our 3x/week newsletter for industry insiders at https://www.thepromote.com/

  1. 2D AGO

    Limit-Up Hotel Kamikazes & AI's Brokerage Rout

    This week, we dive deep into the story of Anbang Insurance, the Chinese insurer that went on an epic US trophy real estate buying spree, but flew too close to the sun. We trace the origins of Anbang's founder Wu Xiaohui, his multibillion-dollar acquisition of top US hotels include NYC's Waldorf-Astoria, and Anbang's eventual collapse and government takeover. We then talk about a rare RICO case against a notorious DC landlord, Ali "Sam" Razjooyan, and how such extreme incidents can shape landlord-tenant policy. Finally, we look at why the big CRE brokerages are seeing their stocks getting hammered by the AI question. We also do a "Punch List" rundown of the newsiest industry happenings: Sumitomo Forestry's Tri-Pointe take-private; Nuveen buying Schroeder's; Kimco's unwanted assets; Fannie looking to wet its beak on license sales; and Adam Neumann invoking the wrath of his Miami neighbors.  Sponsors: 1) This episode is supported by Bravo Capital, a leading HUD and bridge lender. See how their precision underwriting means quicker approvals and higher proceeds for sponsors by visiting bravocapital.com2) This episode is supported by LoanBoss, the industry-leading debt management software. Featuring one-click covenant testing, instant cash flow forecasting, and our favorite nerdy delight: Live forward curves! Check them out at loanboss.comTo advertise: Reach out to partnerships@thepromote.com For feedback: Write us at podcast@thepromote.com And please rate us and write a review on Apple. Up your CRE game:  Consider becoming a premium subscriber to The Promote Insider to unlock access to expert CRE breakdowns, behind-the-deal stories, scoops, discounted swag and events and more. Take 10% off annual subscriptions by using this link: https://www.thepromote.com/upgrade?offer_id=b700858f-21e0-47a2-9695-a93055d3ed15 Further reading/listening: Chinese Shop Trophy Hotels After Decade of Pain Rise of Wu Xiaohui, Anbang’s low-profile, high-octane chairman The Waldorf’s Makeover Went a Billion Over Budget—and China Is Footing the Bill D.C. Attorney General Targets D.C. Slumlord With RICO Lawsuit How “Landlord” Became a Bad Word  AI Scare Trade Wipes Out Billions From Commercial Real Estate Stocks

    35 min

  2. FEB 11

    House of Brookfield, Wholesale Shopping and a Condo Buyout Coup

    This week, we discuss the House of Brookfield’s new overlord: Connor Teskey has a modest target – double AUM to $2 trillion. We talk about the labyrinth that is Brookfield’s corporate structure – Bruce Flatt's not going away – and what CRE’s role in the ramp-up will be. We then look at the flurry of REIT take-privates, from Peakstone to Plymouth. And finally, we slip into resort casual and discuss a princely condo buyout payoff in West Palm Beach – the goat Steve Ross makes an appearance.    We also do a "Punch List" rundown of the newsiest industry happenings: Michael Shvo's bitter breakup with German pension fund BVK; Blackstone & DivcoWest's SF triumph; and tranche warfare in the mall space. Sponsors: 1) This episode is supported by LoanBoss, the industry-leading debt management software. Featuring one-click covenant testing, instant cash flow forecasting, and our favorite nerdy delight: Live forward curves! Check them out at loanboss.com2) This episode is supported by Bravo Capital, a leading HUD and bridge lender. See how their precision underwriting means quicker approvals and higher proceeds for sponsors by visiting bravocapital.comTo advertise: Reach out to partnerships@thepromote.com For feedback: Write us at podcast@thepromote.com And please rate us and write a review on Apple. Up your CRE game:  Consider becoming a premium subscriber to The Promote Insider to unlock access to expert CRE breakdowns, behind-the-deal stories, scoops, discounted swag and events and more. Take 10% off annual subscriptions by using this link: https://www.thepromote.com/upgrade?offer_id=b700858f-21e0-47a2-9695-a93055d3ed15 Further reading/listening: Shvo Becomes Wurst Investment Top-Rated Bonds Hit Hard After Distressed Fund Seizes One of America’s Largest Malls Anthropic to take over an entire office building in downtown S.F.  Brookfield revamps unusual ownership structure Book recc: The Reichmanns: Family, Faith, Fortune, and the Empire of Olympia & York Brookfield Lines Up a 36-Year-Old Rising Star as Next Billionaire CEO Jon Gray Is Reshaping Blackstone Into Everybody's Investing Megastore Brookfield Puts Up $173M To Refinance Brookfield Place Tower Blackstone eyes more REIT privatizations amid "lagging" public markets Inside Steve Ross’ buyout of a West Palm Beach waterfront condo Podcast: Ross takes his talents to [West Palm] Beach

    38 min

  3. FEB 4

    Apollo's Sister Act, ICE Age & the Doomed Tower of Power

    This week, we discuss how the Chrysler Building has laid waste to the best-laid plans of so many global titans. With Tishman Speyer reportedly coming back for another go at the Art Deco icon, we trace its rich and rollicking deal history, from Jack Kent Cooke to Abu Dhabi. We then discuss how the ICE immigration crackdown is putting another big question mark on the Sunbelt multifamily market and leaving landlords in limbo. And finally, we discuss Apollo's sister act: REIT ARI is selling its $9B loan book to insurance arm Athene, and patting itself on the back for doing so. We also do a "Pardon the Interruption" style rundown of the biggest industry happenings: Carlyle's NYC self-storage mammoth sale to StorageMart; Brookfield's misplaced OZ fund; Fed chair nominee Kevin Warsh; and Donald Bren's Chicago tower listing.   Sponsors: 1) This episode is supported by Bravo Capital, a leading HUD and bridge lender. See how their precision underwriting means quicker approvals and higher proceeds for sponsors by visiting bravocapital.com2) This episode is supported by LoanBoss, the industry-leading debt management software. Featuring one-click covenant testing, instant cash flow forecasting, and our favorite nerdy delight: Live forward curves! Check them out at loanboss.comTo advertise: Reach out to partnerships@thepromote.com For feedback: Write us at podcast@thepromote.com And please rate us and write a review on Apple. Up your CRE game:  Consider becoming a premium subscriber to The Promote to unlock access to expert CRE breakdowns, behind-the-deal stories, scoops, discounted swag and events and more. Take 10% off annual subscriptions by using this link: https://www.thepromote.com/upgrade?offer_id=b700858f-21e0-47a2-9695-a93055d3ed15 Further reading/listening: The Chrysler Building: Doomed Art Deco tower of global power How tycoon behind Chrysler Building and Selfridges was forced out Curtains for Aby at Chrysler Immigration Crackdown Creating 'Havoc' For Some Apartment Owners Me, Myself & Apollo From Investment to Savings: When Finance Feeds on Itself

    30 min

  4. JAN 28

    A Condo Kingpin’s Next Act and Proptech Falls off the Wall

    This week, we discuss second acts: Ziel Feldman has left the scandal-ridden past of his glitzy New York condo development firm HFZ Capital Group behind, and he's reinvented himself as an affordable housing player through his silent partnership in GoodHomes. We trace the wild arc of his career and his far more below-the-radar new game. Proptech's loudest voice and most prolific fundraiser Fifth Wall is now yelling into the fundraising void; we talk about how the firm's issues are emblematic of the broader sector. We also do a "Pardon the Interruption" style rundown of the biggest industry happenings: S2's REIT hiccups, Charles Cohen's latest foreclosure, Willis Tower woes, and Michael Shvo's media mastery.  Sponsors: 1) This episode is supported by LoanBoss, the industry-leading debt management software. Featuring one-click covenant testing, instant cash flow forecasting, and our favorite nerdy delight: Live forward curves! Check them out at loanboss.com2) This episode is supported by Bravo Capital, a leading HUD and bridge lender. See how their precision underwriting means quicker approvals and higher proceeds for sponsors by visiting bravocapital.com To advertise: Reach out to partnerships@thepromote.com For feedback: Write us at podcast@thepromote.com And please rate us and write a review on Apple. Up your CRE game:  Consider becoming a premium subscriber to The Promote to unlock access to expert CRE content. Take 10% off annual subscriptions by using this link: https://www.thepromote.com/upgrade?offer_id=b700858f-21e0-47a2-9695-a93055d3ed15 Further reading/listening: Ziel Feldman's Next Act S2 REIT Makes Capital Call The Ugliest Divorce in Manhattan Real Estate How HFZ became the face of Manhattan’s condo woes Fifth Wall cuts staff, pauses fundraising Fifth Wall’s Brendan Wallace On What’s Next After Closing $866M Proptech Fund Proptech graveyard 🪦/infirmary 🤒: Running list Shvo Business

    35 min

  5. JAN 21

    SNFing out Megadeals and Syndicator Patient Zero

    This week, we discuss a redemption tour by GVA’s Alan Stalcup, Patient Zero of the Sunbelt multifamily boom/bust. He’s battling PGs, LPs and maybe even the SEC, but Stalcup is unapologetic. He sat down with Hiten for a pretty unplugged conversation, and we chat through our key takeaways. We then dive into the 24-6 world of dealmaking in Skilled Nursing Facilities, a totally undercovered corner of CRE with big numbers and some batshit maneuvering. The Genesis bankruptcy case is all anyone in that world can talk about right now. We also do a "Pardon the Interruption" style rundown of the biggest industry happenings: Soho House Take II, Marty Burger's redo, Summit's Pinnacle deal going through, and a nightmare condo buyout scenario in Miami. Sponsors: 1) This episode is supported by Bravo Capital, a leading HUD and bridge lender. See how their precision underwriting means quicker approvals and higher proceeds for sponsors by visiting bravocapital.com2) This episode is supported by LoanBoss, the industry-leading debt management software. Featuring one-click covenant testing, instant cash flow forecasting, and our favorite nerdy delight: Live forward curves! Check them out at loanboss.com To advertise: Reach out to partnerships@thepromote.com For feedback: Write us at podcast@thepromote.com And please rate us and write a review on Apple. Up your CRE game:  Consider becoming a premium subscriber to The Promote to unlock access to expert CRE content. Take 10% off annual subscriptions by using this link: https://www.thepromote.com/upgrade?offer_id=b700858f-21e0-47a2-9695-a93055d3ed15 Further reading/listening: The Alan Stalcup Interview: Speaking With Patient Zero of the Sunbelt Syndicator Bust The Nursing Home Power Roster Landau Fails SNF Test Genie Rubbed the Right Way Dial Tress for Distress

    35 min

  6. JAN 14

    Pinnacle's Bankruptcy Summit & Life Sci's Midlife Crisis

    This week, we’re talking a glitch in the Morse code: MCR has failed to come up with the cash to consummate the take-private of Soho House, setting off a mad scramble. There’s more bad chemistry in the life-sciences space, with the venerable Beacon Capital Partners battling its operating partner and lenders in the space losing patience. And finally, we dive into the most closely-watched CRE bankruptcy auction in the country: The Pinnacle rent-stabilized portfolio in New York. Sponsors: 1) This episode is supported by LoanBoss, the industry-leading debt management software. Featuring one-click covenant testing, instant cash flow forecasting, and our favorite nerdy delight: Live forward curves! Check them out at loanboss.com2) This episode is supported by Bravo Capital, a leading HUD and bridge lender. See how their precision underwriting means quicker approvals and higher proceeds for sponsors by visiting bravocapital.com To advertise: Reach out to partnerships@thepromote.com For feedback: Write us at podcast@thepromote.com And please rate us and write a review on Apple. Up your CRE game:  Consider becoming a premium subscriber to The Promote to unlock access to expert CRE content. Take 10% off annual subscriptions by using this link: https://www.thepromote.com/upgrade?offer_id=b700858f-21e0-47a2-9695-a93055d3ed15 Further reading/listening: Taconic's Lab LeakSoho House’s $2.7 Billion Deal to Go Private Hits a Last-Minute Funding SnagDeathbed for life science incubator? Portal Innovations sues partner Beacon CapitalZohar Levy, the Man who Would be KingBidder For Pinnacle's 5,000-Unit Portfolio Has Ties To CEO Joel Wiener's Brother

    31 min

  7. JAN 7

    Windy City Tailwinds & Stadium Arcadium

    This week, we talk Chicago – America’s Second City is now becoming top of mind for national multifamily players. We break down 2 significant deals: LaTerra’s monster AIMCO portfolio buy and S2’s debut. We then slip into our jerseys and look at the arcane world of stadium development – and all the freebies and surrounding action that comes with it. Finally, we schlep the streets of Brooklyn, where Carlyle & Greenbrook have pulled off a massive Freddie refi of their walk-up empire. Sponsor: This episode is supported by LoanBoss, the industry-leading debt management software. Featuring one-click covenant testing, instant cash flow forecasting, and our favorite nerdy delight: Live forward curves! Check them out at loanboss.com To advertise: Reach out to partnerships@thepromote.com For feedback: Write us at podcast@thepromote.com And please rate us and write a review on Apple. Up your CRE game:  Consider becoming a premium subscriber to The Promote to unlock access to expert CRE content. Take 10% off annual subscriptions by using this link: https://www.thepromote.com/upgrade?offer_id=b700858f-21e0-47a2-9695-a93055d3ed15 Further reading/listening: Deconstructing Data Center Megadeals with DigitalBridge's Marc Ganzi (DB is being acquired by SoftBank) Carlyle Takes the Stairs Aimco to sell Chicago-area multifamily portfolio for $455 million as REIT liquidates Chiefs Get Largest Public Funding Package Ever For New Stadium In Kansas Freddie Walks Carlyle/Greenbrook Home Chicago leads the nation in apartment rent growth amid tight supply

    28 min

  8. 12/31/2025

    The Mayweather Whisperer: Jona Rechnitz (Rerun)

    We're technically off this week. BUT, Business Insider dropped a banger of a read on Floyd Mayweather's tangled financial web, and somewhere at the center of that web is a character of great interest to The Promote Cinematic Universe: Jona Rechnitz was a New York real estate developer who was caught up in a massive NYPD corruption scandal before heading to LA and reinventing himself as a diamond dealer and Mayweather whisperer.  Rechnitz is the archetype of a netherworld character who somehow keeps popping up in real estate: the hustler with the incredible Rolodex and fuzzy origin story, someone who manages to whip up controversy wherever he goes but keeps escaping any real consequences. In May, we dove deep into his fascinating story, and we're re-upping that episode here. In the episode,  we also take a look at "structural corruption" in the development of supertalls, focused on a dispute at 432 Park Avenue. NOTE: This is a re-run of an episode that originally aired on 5/14/2025 Episode sponsor:  AirGarage – find out more about their full-service parking management solution at Airgarage.com To advertise: Reach out to partnerships@thepromote.com For feedback: Write us at podcast@thepromote.com And please rate us and write a review on Apple. Up your CRE game:  Consider becoming a premium subscriber to The Promote to unlock access to expert CRE content. Take 10% off annual subscriptions by using this link: https://www.thepromote.com/upgrade?offer_id=b700858f-21e0-47a2-9695-a93055d3ed15 Further reading: Inside Floyd 'Money' Mayweather's lavish, debt-filled post-boxing life Jona Rechnitz Atavist profile and The Promote's CRE-focused summary Harry Macklowe profile: 432 Park lawsuit: Downside to life in a supertall:

    34 min
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4.9
out of 5
70 Ratings

About

Your Commercial Real Estate Insider guide. From profiles of the biggest dealmakers to skyline-shaping transactions, we bring you the deals, breakdowns and war stories that move the market — for insiders, by insiders. From bad-boy guarantees to CMBS tranche warfare to syndicator sins, we cover it all. Each week, The Promote Podcast explores three of the most interesting and consequential stories in CRE, taking you well beyond the headlines and into the heart of the action. Hosted by the award-winning “Bard of CRE,” Hiten Samtani, founder of ten31 media and author of The Promote newsletter, along with no-BS institutional insider Will Krasne. Also check out our 3x/week newsletter for industry insiders at https://www.thepromote.com/

Information

  • Creator
    ten31 Media
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    50
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Ten31 Media, LLC
  • Show Website
    The Promote Podcast

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