The Real Estate Espresso Podcast

Victor Menasce

Welcome to The Real Estate Espresso Podcast, your morning shot of what's new in the world of real estate investing. Join investor, syndicator, developer, and author Victor J. Menasce as he shares his daily real estate investment outlook. Our weekday episodes deliver 5 minutes of high-energy, high-impact content to fuel your success. Plus, don't miss our weekend editions featuring exclusive interviews with renowned guests such as Robert Kiyosaki, Robert Helms, Peter Schiff, and more.

  1. 2D AGO

    What Amenities Matter Most?

    Today, I want to talk about amenities. Not in the abstract, not as a checklist, and not as a race to add more stuff, but as a lens into tenant psychology, capital allocation, and disciplined product design. Greystar recently published their latest amenities and apartment features market study, based on year-over-year survey data from 2023 to 2024. And while it’s tempting to read this kind of report as a menu of “what to add,” that’s exactly the wrong way to use it. This data is not a prescription. It’s a diagnostic. The folks at Greystar are the largest owner and operator of apartments across the US. So with 100,000 units in almost every state they can speak on the topic with some level of authority.  ------------- **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)

    6 min
  2. 3D AGO

    The Average Does Not Exist

    When developers talk about underwriting, they often focus on the numbers and forget the product. Yet in real estate, the product is inseparable from the math. One of the most common strategic mistakes I see is the instinct to blend into the average of the market. It feels safe. It feels conservative. And it is often the most dangerous choices you can make. It’s a choice that is made even more compelling by the appraisers who look at your project and force you into the middle. Appraisers can’t make up the data and if there are no comparable 3BR apartments on the 9th floor with a 400 SF roof terrace, they end up discounting the value of a product that may well be differentiated in the market. Market positioning is not about being different for the sake of being different. It is about understanding where comparable projects truly sit in the competitive landscape, and then making an intentional decision about where you belong relative to them. The problem with “average” is that it usually represents a statistical midpoint, not a customer, and certainly not a clear value proposition. ------------ **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)

    6 min
  3. 4D AGO

    Training Your Employees Faster Than Ever

    On today’s show we are talking about accelerating training by orders of magnitude and the impact that this can have on the global arms race for the best artificial intelligence. The key to learning fast is intensity. If you follow the human paradigm the key to learning is practice and repetition across a wide range of conditions. The problem is that humans learn very slowly if you think about it.  Think about the experience required to become an expert at driving a car. The vast majority of miles driven are completely uneventful and contribute next to zero in terms of driving experience. The same boring freeway driving mile after mile doesn’t make you a better driver. When you do improve it is the result of exceptional conditions. It’s when a cyclist comes into your lane without checking over their shoulder. It’s when a driver opens the door to a parked vehicle and you need to swerve to avoid hitting them.  But still, these events are relatively infrequent. The way to accelerate the learning process is the same way that pilots train. They use a simulator. The simulator can artificially generate exception events that are rare and difficult to recreate in the real world. Engine failure, hydraulic failure, fire, avionics failure, frozen pitot tube, ice build up on the wings. So many cases that a pilot needs to train on repetitively to handle the real world situations when they occur.  If you are a user of AI, you’re probably thinking about whether the tool is giving you good results or not. If the results are less than you would accept, then the natural reaction is to abandon the use of AI for that particular function. But what if you could train the AI with a minimum amount of effort? A well crafted prompt to generate a series of simulation use cases could change the quality of the output, not just for your single query. The simulation use cases will train the AI forever.  -------------- **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)

    5 min
  4. 5D AGO

    America's Housing Rules Are Changing

    The housing market is going to change again. I don’t mean the actual market. I’m talking about the rules and initiatives from the US federal government.  The person to watch is Bill Pulte, the current director of the Federal Housing Finance Authority. This agency oversees lending agencies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. If the last name sounds familiar, it’s because Bill is the grandson of William Pulte, founder of the Pulte Group, the third largest home builder in the US. Prior to joining the administration, Bill sat on the board at Pulte Group and founded Pulte Capital Partners, an investment firm focused on building and housing-related businesses. Over the next few weeks, the administration is evaluating over 50 initiatives aimed at improving home ownership affordability. So for the next few weeks, we can anticipate changing rules. That means nobody who is paying attention should be making any big decisions until the new rules are clear. But then investors are also accustomed to working in a relatively stable environment where the rules don’t change every year, or every month, or every week.  --------- **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)

    5 min
  5. 6D AGO

    George's 98th Birthday Party

    ATTEND George's Online Birthday If you can't attend in person and would like to wish George Happy Birthday, send an email to podcast@victorjm.com and put George in the subject line. I'll make sure he gets your best wishes. Today’s show is dedicated to my friend and advisor George Ross. If you’ve been listening to this show for a while, you’ll know that George has been a frequent guest on the show.  I’ve known George for 16 years and we’ve been spending time together monthly since that time. I’d like to invite you to a virtual online birthday party for George. I’m hoping for a huge turnout and for all of you to get some first hand wisdom from George in that session.  George is 98 years young. His actual birthday was earlier this week. The get together this month is going to be a surprise for George.  ------------------ **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)

    6 min
4.9
out of 5
131 Ratings

About

Welcome to The Real Estate Espresso Podcast, your morning shot of what's new in the world of real estate investing. Join investor, syndicator, developer, and author Victor J. Menasce as he shares his daily real estate investment outlook. Our weekday episodes deliver 5 minutes of high-energy, high-impact content to fuel your success. Plus, don't miss our weekend editions featuring exclusive interviews with renowned guests such as Robert Kiyosaki, Robert Helms, Peter Schiff, and more.

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