From Banker to 100+ Short-Term Rentals: How Fouad Bazzi Built a Real Estate Business That Runs Itself

In this episode, discover how a former banking consultant leveraged corporate finance expertise to scale from zero to 95 short-term rental properties through creative deal structuring, strategic capital raising, and innovative investor partnerships in just 6 years.

Former banking executive Fouad Bazzi shares his remarkable journey from corporate consulting to building a thriving short-term rental empire. After 20 years in banking and consulting for community banks nationwide, Fouad made the leap to entrepreneurship in 2019, initially starting coffee shops before pivoting to real estate after COVID. What sets him apart is his unique ability to apply banking and finance principles to real estate investing, creating sophisticated deal structures that maximize returns for both him and his investors. 

📖 What You Will Learn

• How to apply banking and finance principles to creative real estate deal structuring
• Advanced strategies for raising capital through customized investor partnerships
• Why short-term rentals qualify for active income tax benefits vs. passive rental income
• How to build scalable management systems for hospitality-based real estate businesses
• Market selection criteria for sustainable short-term rental investments
• Creative financing techniques that reduce cash requirements for acquisitions
• How to structure deals with multiple benefit streams (equity, cash flow, tax benefits)
• Building a real estate business that can be scaled and eventually sold

🕐 Time Stamps

00:02 - From Corporate Banking to Real Estate Entrepreneurship 
02:40 - Scaling to 95 Properties Through Strategic Acquisitions
03:02 - Banking Infrastructure and Federal Reserve Competition 
04:52 - Corporate Golf Budget vs. Entrepreneurial Reality Check 
05:28 - Starting Late vs. Starting Young in Real Estate 
06:28 - Creative Finance and Deal Structuring Lessons from Banking 
07:16 - Kent Cloutier Mastermind and Other People's Money Strategy 
09:34 - Customized Investor Partnerships and Multiple Revenue Streams 
10:51 - Short-Term Rentals vs. Traditional Real Estate Investment 
13:34 - Active Income Classification for Short-Term Rental Tax Benefits 
14:42 - Keeping Your Money vs. Making More Money Strategy 
16:06 - Sports Team Analogy and Overvalued Asset Discussion 
19:09 - Hotel Business Model vs. Real Estate Investment Approach 
21:33 - Management Company Quality and Scalability Challenges 
23:35 - Building Business on Real Estate for Exit Strategy 
24:49 - Family Legacy and Teaching Kids Entrepreneurship 
26:01 - Tangible Learning Through Real Estate for Children
26:41 - Contact Information and Social Media

#ShortTermRental #RealEstateInvesting #CreativeFinancing #RealEstatePartnership #Airbnb #RealEstateBusiness #PropertyManagement #RealEstateScaling #InvestorPartnerships #RealEstate

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