2026 focus: AI and operations

2025 forced a lot of Real Estate operators to pause and reassess what they were actually building. In this episode, Courtney sits down with returning guest Shaun Stephens, a full-time landlord and buy-and-hold investor in Ohio, to unpack what 2025 revealed about portfolio growth, management overhead, and lifestyle tradeoffs.

What starts as a conversation about buying rentals turns into a deeper discussion about simplifying operations, upgrading portfolio quality, using AI to remove bottlenecks, and intentionally designing a business that supports real life, not just door count.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

- Why having more rentals is not the same as having a better business

- How Shaun categorized his entire portfolio into A, B, and C properties and what qualified each category

- Why he stopped chasing more and started prioritizing ease, stability, and quality of life

- How trimming low-quality properties reduced management stress without sacrificing freedom

- Creative ways Shaun restructured equity with partners to exit properties tax-efficiently

- The hidden cost of staff, payroll, and management layers most landlords underestimate

- Why simplifying operations often matters more than scaling volume

- How Shaun is using AI in property management, including maintenance intake, scheduling, bookkeeping, and deal sourcing

- A real-world example of AI replacing expensive custom software development

- Why “AI or die” is becoming a real consideration for competitive Real Estate operators

- How Shaun thinks about referrals now that his goal is no longer shooting for the most volume

- The shift from cash flow accumulation to legacy, equity, and helping others build wealth

This episode centers around one core idea: quality beats quantity.

Shaun shares how stepping off the growth treadmill helped him reclaim time, reduce stress, and create space for what actually matters outside of Real Estate.

You’ll also hear a candid discussion about where AI fits into a landlord’s business today, not hype or theory, but practical use cases that save time and money. The conversation closes with reflections on long-term thinking, financial freedom, and building something that extends beyond yourself.

Who This Episode Is For:

- Landlords feeling stretched thin by portfolio complexity

- Investors questioning whether more doors actually mean more freedom

- Operators curious about using AI to reduce overhead and bottlenecks

- Anyone thinking about the next phase after financial independence

Connect with Shaun Stephens

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shaun.stephens1

His Business Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChillicotheInvestors

Link to Shaun's first podcast episode with Courtney: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy9HVa95Vd4&t=1s

Connect with Courtney Fricke:

Instagram: https://instagram.com/courtneyfricke

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@courtney.fricke

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/courtneyfricke19/

X: https://x.com/courtneyfricke

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@courtneyfricke

Website: www.CourtneyFricke.com for more resources.

If you have ever wondered whether scaling back could actually move you forward, this conversation will resonate. Shaun’s 2025 reset offers a grounded look at what it means to build a Real Estate business that supports the life you want, not just the numbers on paper.

Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode.