

The Real Estate Syndication Show
Whitney Sewell
With over 2000 episodes and counting, The Real Estate Syndication Show - hosted by entrepreneur, philanthropist, and investor Whitney Sewell - is your comprehensive guide to all things real estate and beyond. Here you’ll find real, raw conversations full of expert insights and practical strategies, along with powerful and inspirational personal journeys.From real estate tycoons like Scott Trench (CEO @ Bigger Pockets) and Spencer Rascoff (Zillow co-founder) to investing gurus like Joe Fairless (Best Ever CRE) and philanthropy leaders like Lloyd Reeb (Halftime Institute) – each conversation brings its own unique edge, inspiration, and actionable value.Tune in every Thursday for a new episode and start your weekend educated, inspired, and refreshed.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 8, 2022 • 25min
WS1509: Multifamily Investing through Creative Financing | Christian Osgood
Many investors build their portfolios without syndicating but through innovative methods such as creative financing. But can this work for other investors too? In today’s episode, Christian Osgood, the co-founder of Multifamily Strategy LLC, shares his multifamily investing journey and how he invested in a resort property. Plus, he describes the culture he built in his business that would inspire many CEOs today.VISIT OUR WEBSITEhttps://lifebridgecapital.com/Here are ways you can work with us here at Life Bridge Capital:⚡️START INVESTING TODAY: If you think that real estate syndication may be right for you, contact us today to learn more about our current investment opportunities: https://lifebridgecapital.com/investwithlbc⚡️Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealEstateSyndicationShow📝 JOIN THE DISCUSSIONhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/realestatesyndication➡️ FOLLOW UShttps://twitter.com/whitney_sewell https://www.instagram.com/whitneysewell/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-sewell/ ⭐ Be Our Guest!We are continuously working hard to help our listeners with their journey to real estate syndication. If you think you can add value in any way to our listeners who are in commercial real estate, then we’d love to have you over. Apply here: https://lifebridgecapital.com/join-our-podcast/

Dec 7, 2022 • 25min
WS1508: Keeping Yourself Informed Amid Inflationary Market | Craig Berger
The Covid-19 pandemic has shattered economies worldwide and it did not spare the U.S. Now, the Feds are raising interest rates to combat inflation. So, how does the current economic situation affect the real estate business, particularly the multifamily sector? And how can you keep yourself informed so that you can be prepared to face the challenges brought on by this economic situation?Craig Berger of Avid Realty Partners is back on the show for the final episode of our three-part series with him. Craig tells us how many reserves you need to have in place, how are you going to withstand some knocks, and how the economy and the market have changed the way he has done underwriting. Click the play button now!Key Points From This Episode: Craig discusses the current economic situation and how it is affecting the real estate market.Why inflation isn’t just 8% but 30%?What to watch out for in the economy?Where does Craig watch and find information that is helpful to his business?How’s the current economic situation changed how Craig is looking at deals right now?Craig talks about debt being very different at the moment.How a possible recession may affect real estate?Craig shares his company’s risk management techniques.How does Craig calculate the amount of safety capital reserves that he has on hand per deal, and at the corporate level?Craig’s best source for meeting new investors.Craig’s advice to passive investors.The metrics that Craig has personally and professionally.The daily habits that have produced the highest returns for Craig.The number one thing that contributed to Craig’s success.How does Craig like to give back?Tweetables:“2022 is pretty much the first time in history that stocks and bonds have both dropped 20% or so.”“Inflation is more or less on its way back down to more normal levels.”“We obviously listen very closely to what the Fed says because Fed speak is critical right now. Don't fight the Fed. When the Fed says the raising the economy goes down, when the Fed gets dovish and more accommodative, the economy usually heats up and valuations go up. So we pay particular attention to the Fed.”"Our underwriting is always changing. It's always in flux. There are some things that are always the same, but there are others other things that are alwVISIT OUR WEBSITEhttps://lifebridgecapital.com/Here are ways you can work with us here at Life Bridge Capital:⚡️START INVESTING TODAY: If you think that real estate syndication may be right for you, contact us today to learn more about our current investment opportunities: https://lifebridgecapital.com/investwithlbc⚡️Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealEstateSyndicationShow📝 JOIN THE DISCUSSIONhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/realestatesyndication➡️ FOLLOW UShttps://twitter.com/whitney_sewell https://www.instagram.com/whitneysewell/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-sewell/ ⭐ Be Our Guest!We are continuously working hard to help our listeners with their journey to real estate syndication. If you think you can add value in any way to our listeners who are in commercial real estate, then we’d love to have you over. Apply here: https://lifebridgecapital.com/join-our-podcast/

Dec 6, 2022 • 18min
WS1507: Source Deals Like A Pro | Craig Berger
Multifamily is a competitive market and finding deals can be a challenging task. So, how do you find deals like a pro? What strategies can you use to make sure that you are getting the deals that will make your investors happy? Craig Berger of Avid Realty Partners answers all these questions in this second part of our three-part series with him.Craig begins by detailing how he is finding deals now. He then talks about finding on-market and off-market deals, why you should build relationships with brokers, and how multifamily properties are mostly an institutional asset class. He also emphasizes why being kind and appreciative can go a long way in this business. Tune in now and start sourcing deals like a pro!Key Points From This Episode: Craig details how he’s finding deals.What metrics does Craig look at when sourcing and finding deals?The thought process behind deciding whether the deal is for the long-term or for trade.Craig details some strategies for finding deals right now.The importance of building good broker relationships.Why being kind and appreciative of brokers can go a long way?Craig shares that he and his team brainstorm ideas twice a week.What do most investors do wrong when it comes to broker relationships or networking with brokers?Tweetables:“We look for an asset that's going to deliver for our investors. Number one, something that we think we can generate cash flow and appreciation from, and we're pretty value conscious and value sensitive.”“We do want to build scale, and you don't build a scale by selling off all of your assets.”“We're looking to create value, we're looking for great locations, hopefully improving locations, growing locations.”“Even if you love an asset, you still have to at some point transact either internally or externally. Unless you're investing your own money, which would be a great place to be.”“The reality is multifamily is an institutional asset class. Most of the good deals are institutionally owned.”“Most of the quality assets are brokered are listed, and that's how we've built our business.”Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Craig Berger on LinkedInAvid Realty Partners websiteVISIT OUR WEBSITEhttps://lifebridgecapital.com/Here are ways you can work with us here at Life Bridge Capital:⚡️START INVESTING TODAY: If you think that real estate syndication may be right for you, contact us today to learn more about our current investment opportunities: https://lifebridgecapital.com/investwithlbc⚡️Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealEstateSyndicationShow📝 JOIN THE DISCUSSIONhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/realestatesyndication➡️ FOLLOW UShttps://twitter.com/whitney_sewell https://www.instagram.com/whitneysewell/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-sewell/ ⭐ Be Our Guest!We are continuously working hard to help our listeners with their journey to real estate syndication. If you think you can add value in any way to our listeners who are in commercial real estate, then we’d love to have you over. Apply here: https://lifebridgecapital.com/join-our-podcast/

Dec 5, 2022 • 18min
WS1506: Why I Left Wall Street for Commercial RE | Craig Berger
How do you know when it’s time to leave a career you’ve been doing for so long? What will make you decide to change careers? In life’s journey, it’s normal to experience bumps and turns along the way. These may lead you to different paths and you might discover your passion as you journey on.Today, our guest Craig Berger of Avid Realty Partners shares why he left his over a decade career on Wall Street to be a full-time commercial real estate entrepreneur. In this first episode of our three-part series with Craig, he talks about career transition, the lessons he learned from his previous industry that have helped him today as an entrepreneur, and how he’s growing his business in this market cycle. Click the play button now and learn many things from Craig!Key Points From This Episode: Craig talks about his background as a multi-award-winning equity research analyst on Wall Street and his transition to commercial real estate.The four reasons why Craig left his more than a decade career to pivot into commercial real estate.Why does Craig think he didn’t transition so well?Craig’s tip to those who want to make the shift into commercial real estate is to find a community of like-minded people.Why is it helpful to get experience first?Craig shares the lessons he got from working on Wall Street that helped him in his real estate career.Who are Craig's first hires?What’s pushing Craig’s business to grow?Craig shares they’ve recently hired seasoned professionals to help the business move forward.Tweetables:“Wall Street was a great experience. I learned so much. And, a lot of that I take forward with me to real estate. A few things, one, I wanted to make a change and do something new. Two, I really wanted to be entrepreneurial and work to build something more meaningful than working a desk job at somebody else's company.”“I really wanted to take control of my life, my future, my destiny, and as part of that, do something where I wouldn't be replaced by a computer.”“Find a community of like-minded people to join. There are a lot of different mastermind groups out there, there are a lot of different communities out there that are a mix of education and plus co-sponsorship and bring you up in a community with support and resources.”“Get as smart and as educated as you can.”“Keeping in mind that everything is a cycle is supVISIT OUR WEBSITEhttps://lifebridgecapital.com/Here are ways you can work with us here at Life Bridge Capital:⚡️START INVESTING TODAY: If you think that real estate syndication may be right for you, contact us today to learn more about our current investment opportunities: https://lifebridgecapital.com/investwithlbc⚡️Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealEstateSyndicationShow📝 JOIN THE DISCUSSIONhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/realestatesyndication➡️ FOLLOW UShttps://twitter.com/whitney_sewell https://www.instagram.com/whitneysewell/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-sewell/ ⭐ Be Our Guest!We are continuously working hard to help our listeners with their journey to real estate syndication. If you think you can add value in any way to our listeners who are in commercial real estate, then we’d love to have you over. Apply here: https://lifebridgecapital.com/join-our-podcast/

Dec 4, 2022 • 17min
WS1505: Switching Careers to Real Estate Investing | #Highlights
In today’s #Highlights episode, we look back at our conversations with successful real estate entrepreneurs Frank Palatano and Kevin McGrath. Frank is a former teacher before venturing into the real estate space, while Kevin was a former broker. The two share their transition to the real estate industry as operators.Frank talks about why he left his full-time job to focus on his real estate business and he emphasizes working hard and being consistent with being successful in the space. Meanwhile, Kevin dives into how the rise of e-commerce is increasing the demand for industrial space, further bolstering the resilience of his niche. Enjoy the show!VISIT OUR WEBSITEhttps://lifebridgecapital.com/Here are ways you can work with us here at Life Bridge Capital:⚡️START INVESTING TODAY: If you think that real estate syndication may be right for you, contact us today to learn more about our current investment opportunities: https://lifebridgecapital.com/investwithlbc⚡️Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealEstateSyndicationShow📝 JOIN THE DISCUSSIONhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/realestatesyndication➡️ FOLLOW UShttps://twitter.com/whitney_sewell https://www.instagram.com/whitneysewell/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-sewell/ ⭐ Be Our Guest!We are continuously working hard to help our listeners with their journey to real estate syndication. If you think you can add value in any way to our listeners who are in commercial real estate, then we’d love to have you over. Apply here: https://lifebridgecapital.com/join-our-podcast/

Dec 3, 2022 • 22min
WS1504: Short-Term Rentals Success | #Highlights
As the world recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, travel has slowly but surely made its way back to normal and that means business for the hospitality sector, and that includes short-term rental properties. In today’s #Highlights episode, we feature our conversations again with successful real estate entrepreneurs Alvin Cavalier and Christina VanDergrift. The two discuss how you can start leveraging short-term rentals today!Alvin continues to leverage his organizational leadership experience to create investments in deals for both new and experienced investors in short-term rentals. Meanwhile, Christina talks about the hows of running a successful vacation rental and why it continues to be a lucrative business even amidst the pandemic. Listen now!VISIT OUR WEBSITEhttps://lifebridgecapital.com/Here are ways you can work with us here at Life Bridge Capital:⚡️START INVESTING TODAY: If you think that real estate syndication may be right for you, contact us today to learn more about our current investment opportunities: https://lifebridgecapital.com/investwithlbc⚡️Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealEstateSyndicationShow📝 JOIN THE DISCUSSIONhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/realestatesyndication➡️ FOLLOW UShttps://twitter.com/whitney_sewell https://www.instagram.com/whitneysewell/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-sewell/ ⭐ Be Our Guest!We are continuously working hard to help our listeners with their journey to real estate syndication. If you think you can add value in any way to our listeners who are in commercial real estate, then we’d love to have you over. Apply here: https://lifebridgecapital.com/join-our-podcast/

Dec 2, 2022 • 41min
WS1503: Learning Better Marketing Skills | Andy Hagans
For accredited investors, marketing is what they try to get better at. In today’s episode, Andy Hagans explains to us, in-depth, his personal marketing strategies and how he’s still able to attract numerous accredited investors. He gives off the right amount of value we need to learn better marketing skills we can apply to our business.But what is interesting about this episode is when he details his six-step process as a sponsor and guides us on how to do it as well. He even elaborated on the further importance of niching down, identifying your strengths, and crafting a concise brand story. Catch us now and also find out how to stand out in a crowded market and how to know your way around consistent content marketing that’ll scale up the marketing side of your business!VISIT OUR WEBSITEhttps://lifebridgecapital.com/Here are ways you can work with us here at Life Bridge Capital:⚡️START INVESTING TODAY: If you think that real estate syndication may be right for you, contact us today to learn more about our current investment opportunities: https://lifebridgecapital.com/investwithlbc⚡️Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealEstateSyndicationShow📝 JOIN THE DISCUSSIONhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/realestatesyndication➡️ FOLLOW UShttps://twitter.com/whitney_sewell https://www.instagram.com/whitneysewell/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-sewell/ ⭐ Be Our Guest!We are continuously working hard to help our listeners with their journey to real estate syndication. If you think you can add value in any way to our listeners who are in commercial real estate, then we’d love to have you over. Apply here: https://lifebridgecapital.com/join-our-podcast/

Dec 1, 2022 • 23min
WS1502: How To Improve Your Renewal Rates | Sandhya Seshadri
How do measure the success of your multifamily syndication business? Is it by the number of investors you were able to get, or is it by the number of tenants, or the low vacancy rate? There are different factors to consider to gauge the success of a multifamily deal, but Sandhya Seshadri measures it through their renewal rates.Sandhya is a returning guest on the show and today she talks about how you can improve your renewal rates. For Sandhya, making your tenants happy can give you advantages in many ways than you could ever think of. She emphasizes that for an operator to be successful, you have to consider what your tenants think of the property and it doesn't have to cost you much. Tune in now and find out how you can improve your renewal rates today!Key Points From This Episode: Sandhya talks about her journey into commercial real estate.Sandhya shares she realized early on that it's always the business folks who have the say on what to do and engineers just follow.Sandhya’s big passion is to improve the communities that they built by hosting different activities.How does Sandhya improve the renewal rates in her apartments?How often does Sandhya hold events in her community and how involved is she with the planning?Sandhya’s personal favorite event that they did in the community.What are the ways in which Sandhya and her team are finding ways to drive value to their investors?Sandhya gives emphasis on maximizing your in-house capabilities.The importance of asset managers paying close attention to the needs of the tenants.Sandhya shares that they are still able to get their pro forma rents across their properties.Where is the opportunity for growth in the next six to twelve months?Sandhya talks about the bridge loans that they have and her plans around them.Persistence led Snadhya to success in the commercial real estate space.Tweetables:“Once I became an investor, rather than just a W2 employee, that's when I really started seeing my money multiply.”“I stayed away from the 4 Ts (of real estate) – the tenants’ toilets, trash, and termites of single-family rentals. And I heard about multifamily, like really large-scale 100-doors kind of deals, where you could employ third-party property management to do all the work for you. And that just made a lot of sense.”“Find ways to add valuVISIT OUR WEBSITEhttps://lifebridgecapital.com/Here are ways you can work with us here at Life Bridge Capital:⚡️START INVESTING TODAY: If you think that real estate syndication may be right for you, contact us today to learn more about our current investment opportunities: https://lifebridgecapital.com/investwithlbc⚡️Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealEstateSyndicationShow📝 JOIN THE DISCUSSIONhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/realestatesyndication➡️ FOLLOW UShttps://twitter.com/whitney_sewell https://www.instagram.com/whitneysewell/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-sewell/ ⭐ Be Our Guest!We are continuously working hard to help our listeners with their journey to real estate syndication. If you think you can add value in any way to our listeners who are in commercial real estate, then we’d love to have you over. Apply here: https://lifebridgecapital.com/join-our-podcast/

Nov 30, 2022 • 29min
WS1501: Life Bridge Capital’s ‘Spreadsheet Guy’ | Luke Hall
Business growth entails more work and hiring more people to handle the change and do the job better. In another segment of Life Bridge Capital’s team series, find out the main functions of the ‘spreadsheet guy’ of the team, Luke Hall. He talks about how he’s constantly analyzing deals and mastered figuring out those spreadsheets and numbers.As an analyst, part of Luke’s job is to pick deals in the market, dive deeper into them, and make those models work for Life Bridge. And today, Luke shares with us how to do them and how he does the underwriting for Life Bridge. Catch us now and find out Luke’s recent research about the market and why your acquisition area has to be creative. VISIT OUR WEBSITEhttps://lifebridgecapital.com/Here are ways you can work with us here at Life Bridge Capital:⚡️START INVESTING TODAY: If you think that real estate syndication may be right for you, contact us today to learn more about our current investment opportunities: https://lifebridgecapital.com/investwithlbc⚡️Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealEstateSyndicationShow📝 JOIN THE DISCUSSIONhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/realestatesyndication➡️ FOLLOW UShttps://twitter.com/whitney_sewell https://www.instagram.com/whitneysewell/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-sewell/ ⭐ Be Our Guest!We are continuously working hard to help our listeners with their journey to real estate syndication. If you think you can add value in any way to our listeners who are in commercial real estate, then we’d love to have you over. Apply here: https://lifebridgecapital.com/join-our-podcast/

Nov 29, 2022 • 34min
WS1500: Starting A Debt Fund | Ruben Izgelov
Real estate debt funds have grown in popularity since the 2008 financial crisis offering smaller investors an alternative source of funding apart from banks with more stringent loan requirements. Not only have debt funds risen in popularity among borrowers but they have also become a favored form of investment for investors with the steady returns that they provide. But, how does one start a private debt fund?Ruben Izgelov of We Lend, LLC enlightens us about real estate debt funds in today’s episode. With decades of experience in real estate investing, Ruben saw the need to step up the private lending space and decided to put up his own private lending platform. Achieving major success funding a thousand loans worth $400 million in just a few years, Ruben has now shifted to debt funds. Find out what prompted the shift, what makes debt funds different from private lending, and why investors should take notice.Key Points From This Episode: How Ruben was introduced to real estate at the age of 10.How his family became a private lender for real estate developers and flippers.Dropping out of junior high school, how did Ruben manage to buy and flip houses?Why did Ruben eventually decide to go back to school?How has Ruben started and grown their private lending business?How does the debt fund operate differently from the loans they offer?Ruben compares the economic and market conditions of 2008 with that of today and how he plans to navigate uncertain periods.With the benefit of hindsight, what would Ruben do differently in his real estate career?Ruben’s predictions on the economy for the next six to twelve months and how he prepares for a downturn.How does Ruben find top talent and source new investors?The metrics that Ruben tracks and habits that have produced the highest return for him.The biggest contributor to Ruben’s success, his way of giving back, and his contact information.Tweetables:“One lesson that I would take back from my early real estate career is to learn how to bring investors together.”"You can hit similar returns being a lender as you could being a landlord. The only difference is the fact that you don't have to work as hard.""Just like there's a lot to learn in buying real estate, there's a lot to learn in lending against real estate."Links Mentioned in Today’s EpisodeVISIT OUR WEBSITEhttps://lifebridgecapital.com/Here are ways you can work with us here at Life Bridge Capital:⚡️START INVESTING TODAY: If you think that real estate syndication may be right for you, contact us today to learn more about our current investment opportunities: https://lifebridgecapital.com/investwithlbc⚡️Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRealEstateSyndicationShow📝 JOIN THE DISCUSSIONhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/realestatesyndication➡️ FOLLOW UShttps://twitter.com/whitney_sewell https://www.instagram.com/whitneysewell/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-sewell/ ⭐ Be Our Guest!We are continuously working hard to help our listeners with their journey to real estate syndication. If you think you can add value in any way to our listeners who are in commercial real estate, then we’d love to have you over. Apply here: https://lifebridgecapital.com/join-our-podcast/