A Passion For Real Estate Investments A Passion For Real Estate Investments

The current economic climate has undoubtedly brought about challenges for many real estate investors, with interest rates doubling and lending becoming more difficult. This has impacted the cash flow of many investment properties, including self-storage and multifamily assets. However, despite these challenges, self-storage remains an attractive investment option for many reasons. Self-storage facilities are subject to the same market trends and fluctuations as multifamily properties. However, given the lower purchase price and operating expenses associated with self-storage, this asset class offers a strong return on investment.
 
Despite being the son of a serial entrepreneur, Steven Wear started his career in Advertising and worked in the branding and marketing industry prior to his real estate career. Taking his advertising skills to real estate, Steven and his business partner Fernando Angelucci created the largest residential wholesaling business in Chicago while building a rental portfolio. However, toilets, tenants, and trash led Fernando and Steven to self-storage. Today, Steven Wear is co-owner and Chief Marketing Officer of Self Storage Syndicated Equities (SSSE), based out of Chicago. He joins the episode to share his insights and experiences with the self-storage asset class, from lease structure, tax, advantages, financing strategies, and rental rates to break-even occupancy. 
 
From his experience, Steven shares that self-storage is the most resilient and lendable real estate asset there is, and with the uncertainty in the market, banks are looking for assets that are able to collateralize the deposit. Self-storage also has the lowest default rate compared to any real estate asset making it very attractive. With this stability, even during economic downturns, it's not surprising that self-storage has become an increasingly lucrative investment option for both lenders and investors.
 
Listen and learn how to leverage self-storage resilience to diversify your investment portfolio and take advantage of a secure and potentially profitable opportunity. 
 
Highlights from the Interview
Steven Wear’s transition from advertising to real estate The advantages of investing in self-storage Vs. residential properties  Why Steven is so passionate about real estate investing  Self-storage resiliency and why it’s the best asset class in the market right now  Challenges that Steven has had in the self-storage space Self-storage lease structure, rental rates, and break-even occupancy  

Despite the rising interest rates, which are not going down soon, life must continue, and investing must go on. The demand for residence will not vanish because of economic uncertainty. Therefore as an investor, what should you do to pivot and make better decisions to stay in the game? Viktor Rybachuk joins us in this episode and spills all his secret strategies you can copy, from scaling down your team and digging deep into your pockets to having a network of trusted people across the country. 
 
Viktor’s early plan was to be a nurse, then advance to become a doctor. But along the way, he realized that to be a doctor, you needed to make a lot of sacrifices at the workplace, and somehow he was not ready to pay the price. That is when he made a turning point. He started reaching out to find out what he could do with his life and career. The more he researched how to make money, the more real estate kept coming up. So he decided to give it a try with the wholesaling. Several deals led down the road became years, and he has grown a company with a team of about 15 people doing consistent deals every month.
 
In his wisdom, Viktor advises that these are not the right times to reinvent the investing wheel. It is time to go back and stick to the basics or fundamentals. These include having the right team and ensuring they are the best fit for the position they hold. Provide them with the right systems and processes and get out of the way.
 
Listen and learn what you need to do to continue being a successful real estate investor, even with high-interest rates. 
 
Highlights from the Interview
Viktor Rybachuk’s backstory into the real estate Struggles and challenges Viktor has had along the investment journey What Viktor is doing in the current market where interest rates aren’t going down The increasing demand for housing Value addition he does while flipping Greatest challenges Viktor is experiencing currently and his ways of overcoming Golden nuggets to invest and succeed in the current market Why is Viktor so passionate about real estate investing Best ways to reach out and connect with Viktor Rybachuk

Is it possible to work on a business with your spouse? How do you complement each other and handle family and business separately? Sometimes it’s hard to draw the line between family and business, but it is possible and doable.
 
Tiffany and Josh have been working as a team, overcoming all the barriers to building a multi-million-dollar real estate business. They began their journey in 2015 by buying rentals and flipping houses. They flipped around 40 houses in their first year but unfortunately lost $106,000 on a flip. They realized they didn’t want just to flip houses anymore and learned how to wholesale. In their 2nd year in business, they wholesaled 165 houses, and in their 3rd year of wholesaling, they did over 300 flips/wholesales and have done over 300 flips and wholesales a year since. Along the way, they have built a small rental portfolio they hope to have fully paid off in the next couple of years!
 
Tiffany and Josh used their corporate training backgrounds to implement strong systems, recruiting, onboarding, training, and leadership in building a well-oiled phone sales floor. They have built Results Driven REI, where their team teaches other experienced and novice real estate investors how to build, stabilize, and scale teams correctly.
 
They have adjusted their business strategies in the current market, which she shares with us in today’s episode. What happened before the market shift does not mean that is what is working now, so there is a need to pivot. As first-timers, Tiffany shares tips on proactively preparing themselves for any change.
 
Highlights from the Interview
 A bit about Josh and Tiffany  Tiffany’s journey in real estate Tiffany’s passion for real estate Flexibility and freedom from a real estate business The experiences of a husband-wife business How Tiffany and Josh are adjusting their business model for the current market Where Tiffany does her house rehab deals Importance of mentorship and a mastermind environment as a real estate investor Tiffany and Josh’s give-back mentorship and teaching program help people learn. Best ways to reach out and connect with Tiffany and Josh

Many private real estate investors are on the sidelines in the current market, just waiting to see where things will go. With inflation, you are losing about 30% of your money in the current environment by having it sit around and not investing it to gain value. Should you be on pause as an investor, or should you be actively engaged in finding deals? How should you pivot?
 
Being in the business for over 19 yeast, Michael has great experience and insights into different markets. Though you might not be a bulletproof investor, learning from the experiences of others and their tricks can help you greatly. Since starting in a one-bedroom apartment, Michael has completed over 1000 real estate transactions, including property rehabilitations, commercial buildings, high-end condo projects, land development, new construction, and wholesales. Michael’s rehabilitation projects often tie in with community revitalization efforts, and he has received numerous awards for his work and dedication. He is active in the community, serving on multiple advisory boards and commissions, and is a proud promotor of his town.
 
When you are in a long-term real estate investment, pivoting is inevitable because markets will always shift. There will be periods of economic downturns, and the market will take a downtrend trajectory.  You can still do deals in a tough market. Michael made over 100 flips in a bad market, though they didn’t sell as they would in a good market. It takes not panicking but restructuring and restrategizing your planning and figuring out the best strategies to keep your business moving forward.
 
Listen and learn why any market is good to invest in if you have a good operator.    
 
Highlights from the Interview
Michael Fitzgerald’s backstory and how he got into the real estate Why Michael is passionate about real estate Michael’s investing strategies How the current market is affecting Michael’s business planning and strategies What do private investors need to be doing with their money in the current market? Greatest challenges Michael is experiencing currently Best ways to reach out and connect with Michael Fitzgerald Golden key nuggets  

What can you do with your investment portfolio in the current market? Where can you invest your fresh money? Should you wait for the right time or pull the trigger when good deals come your way? How long will you wait before the market returns to normal? 
Mike Zlotnik says that it depends. The market obviously matters before investing, but if you sit on your capital and wait for perfect timing, how will you know it is perfect? You should deploy some of your capital in deals, even during a recession. Though Q3 and Q4 2023 are expected to be formally recession quarters, you must always be ready because you will start seeing good deals coming to you. 
Mike Zlotnik has been a debt and equity investor in real estate since 2000. He started his career and has spent nearly 15 years in the information technology field managing Risk, Business Intelligence, and Quality of complex systems, software, and processes.
While building a successful career in IT, Mike’s passion has always been real estate investing because of its predictability of outcomes and well-understood risks. In 2009, Mike joined Tempo Funding, LLC (Mortgage Pool Fund) as a managing partner and Vice President of funding operations.
 
Highlights from the Interview
Mike Zlotnik’s journey into real estate and becoming a fund manager Mike’s advice to people with idle cash who are missing great opportunities in the current market What can you do with the existing investment portfolio Plans and strategies you need to put in place in the next 24 months of the recession  The expected timeline for the recession to last and what you can do Differences we will see in this depression compared to the 2008 market crash Investor mindsets when the ROI does not match the expectations Mike’s takeaway tips and how you can reach out and connect

Real estate has always been considered a safe asset, offering a stable return with the potential to grow over time. But that is not always a walk in the park. Today's real estate market can be volatile, and your property could be worth less than you paid for it when conditions change.
Undoubtedly, we are experiencing a recession due to inflation and high-interest rates in the economy. Real estate has been affected in terms of demand, supply, and even financing. These new uncertainties demand a different approach and transition. You need to diversify your investment portfolio if you are to survive. Ron Walraven joins us for a chat on the current market, what investors need to be doing, and the predictions we can have in the next 24 months.
Ron is a full-time investor & Broker with 20+ years of Distressed/REO residential sales and management, with consistent closing excellence. He has many years of experience running a team of up to 9 people. From the market uncertainties in real estate, Ron took a different path in the last eight years to investing instead of REO/retail sales because the current market is very challenging in acquiring assets to resell.
Listen and learn more about Ron’s experiences with the current housing market, how he has transitioned, and the valuable lessons he has learned.
Tune in! 
 
Highlights from the Interview
A quick bio of the guest; Ron Walraven What Ron is doing in the current market to get traction in real estate How property financing has been affected by interest rates What Ron has transitioned to in the new market  Impact of covid 19 on the housing market Brace yourself for tough times in the housing market Best ways to reach out and connect with Ron Episode wrap-up and call-to-action