The Real Estate Espresso Podcast

Erik Oliver is based in Salt Lake City where he specializes in Cost Segregation. On today's show we are talking about how to handle the uncertainty of changing legislation in the realm of depreciation. To connect with Erik and to learn more visit costsegauthority.com You can also reach out the team directly at Cost Segregation Authority Scott Santiago  Phone Number: 385-853-7011 ssantiago@costsegauthority.com --------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

On today's show we are talking about some news items on short term rentals. 1 ) New policy at AirBnb governing the use of security cameras 2) European Union passes new rules for data sharing between the platforms and regulatory bodies 3) Some interesting short term rental stats from the European Union --------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

This question comes from Marc who writes: I’m not sure how I feel about corporately owned single family homes. Part of me thinks that ultimately this will destroy the fabric of a community if too much of the country’s single family housing stock is owned by large corporations. Maybe I’m not seeing it, but how in your mind does corporate ownership of single family homes benefit communities? -------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

On today’s show we are talking about the power of a platform. Amazon is one of the most widely used sites on the internet. In fact, they also have 1.5M employees. We will come back to that later.  Jeff Bezos and Marc Benioff recently entered the real estate game in a big way.  Marc Benioff is well known for being a founder at salesforce.com and he has a personal net worth of about 10.5B. Together, Bezos and Benioff seeded Arrived Investments with funding.  Arrived invests in single family homes and in short term vacation rentals.  The company has avoided some of the hottest primary markets like Atlanta, Nashville, Austin. Instead they have focused on up and coming markets like Augusta Georgia, Savannah Georgia and Knoxville Tennessee.  To date, they count over 551,000 registered investors totalling $128M in real estate and so far have paid out $4.5M in dividends to investors. They have raised $135M and have purchased 368 properties and counting. Clearly they’ve designed an organization with the intention of scaling much larger. Their website shows a pretty complete team with about 20 people and the role descriptions I would expect for a company of this type.  ------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

On today’s show we are looking at the most cost effective ways to value engineer a new build and still comply with the increasingly stringent energy codes that are permeating the building code across North America. These building codes are local. That is to say, they can vary from one place to the next.  When it comes to energy codes, there are two approaches that are used. The prescriptive method Comprehensive energy model Under the prescriptive method, the building department says that if you use this type of construction, with this specific insulation in the wall and attic cavity, and continuous insulation on the outside, and heat pumps having these specs, and these types of windows having no more than a prescribed percentage of window area, then you will comply with the code.  It should come as no surprise that this kind of paint by numbers approach is going to give you an energy efficient building. But it’s also going to cost you a lot more than it needs to. The second method is using a comprehensive energy model. This is where the energy consulting engineer will create a thermal model for your building based on your local climate. It will take into account the temperature averages throughout the year and determine how much heating is going to be required in the winter and how much cooling is going to be required in the summer.  --------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

On today’s show we are taking a look at pricing practices in the storage industry. Storage is a product that is fairly sticky.  That is to say, moving a lot of personal belongings into a storage locker is time intensive. It often involves renting a truck and taking a Saturday afternoon to make a few trips. The decision to rent a storage unit is often event driven. The storage company might even have a truck that they will rent you for “Free” to move your belongings on the way in.  But renting a truck is a hassle. It’s more expensive than renting a car. Even U-Haul has an inexpensive daily rate, but a high mileage rate. So while you might rent the truck for $29, you’re looking at a few hundred dollars when you take all of the extras into account.  Moving belongings has friction. The more friction, the more people will delay moving their belongings out of the storage. ------------ Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

Matias Daroch is based in Miami Florida where he specializes in both design and development of luxury spec homes. On today's show we are talking about some of the design considerations in that part of the world. To learn more and to connect with Matias, visit http://mikarchitecture.com ------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

Marc is a very "active" passive investor in the sense that he performs deep due diligence on potential investments. But deep due diligence is often beyond the capacity of a single investor. On today's show we are talking about a unique approach to due diligence. To connect with Marc, visit PartTimeInvestors.com or email him directly at Marc@PartTimeInvestors.com ------------ Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

Today's question comes from Rob who asks: What is the economic difference, and the difference in investment thesis, between the different types of RV parks? ----------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

The statistics are clear. Inventory is rising. But what does it mean? On today's show we are looking past the numbers alone. ------------ Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com