Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing

What’s stopping you from doing your first multifamily deal? Whatever your perceived weakness may be, you can overcome it and achieve the same kind of success in commercial real estate that you’ve had in other areas of your life. English is Jonathan Wei’s second language and he’s a quiet, introverted guy. And yet, he’s raised millions of dollars for real estate syndication deals. What’s his secret? Jonathan serves as Cofounder and CEO of Greystone Capital Group, a commercial real estate firm that focuses on multifamily and self-storage assets. He left a successful career as a CPA to become a full-time investor, quitting his job in February 2022. On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Jonathan joins cohost Garrett Lynch and me to share his fears around raising capital, explaining how he got comfortable talking to brokers and investors with the help of a mentor. Jonathan discusses how the connections he made at Deal Maker Live led to JV partnerships that helped him build a portfolio of 500 multifamily units and another 500 in self-storage. Listen in for Jonathan’s insight on overcoming limiting beliefs by leveraging prior personal and professional successes—and applying the same work ethic to real estate! For full episode show notes visit: http://www.themichaelblank.com/session319/

Before you invest with a multifamily operator, it’s important to understand their track record. To know that they’ve got experience overcoming obstacles and making a deal work. Prior to joining our team at Nighthawk Equity, podcast cohost Garrett Lynch owned and operated a class D real estate portfolio on the south side of Chicago. And learned how to solve problems on a life-or-death level in the process. On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Garrett is flying solo, discussing how he acquired 300 properties in six months and describing some of the challenges he faced managing assets in crime-ridden neighborhoods. Garrett shares his experience owning and operating a 381-unit, class D apartment building in Memphis, walking us through the steps he took to end gang violence onsite and increase occupancy to 90%. Listen in for Garrett’s insight around the pros and cons of investing in class D properties and find out what he learned about problem-solving in a high-stakes situation that he brings to the team at Nighthawk! For full episode show notes visit: http://www.themichaelblank.com/session318/

A 2017 Forbes headline reads, ‘Median Wealth of Black and Latino Families Could Hit Zero by the Middle of the Century.’ That hit home for Puerto Rican-born Duamel Vellon. And he’s made it his mission to raise awareness in his community, making multifamily investors out of his friends and peers. Duamel Vellon is Cofounder of Ten15 Capital, a multifamily investment firm with assets in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. A former engineer in the theme park industry, Duamel quit his job in December of 2021 to be a full-time investor, and he currently manages a 203-unit portfolio. On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Duamel joins cohost Garrett Lynch and me to share the ‘chess versus checkers’ mindset that helped him transition from flipping to multifamily. Duamel describes his grassroots approach to raising capital, discussing how he grows his network and educates potential investors before he has a live deal. Listen in for insight on Duamel’s mission to serve the Black and Latino communities and learn his uncommon strategy for ensuring regular deal flow. For full episode show notes visit: http://www.themichaelblank.com/session317/

If you finance a multifamily syndication through Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, you’re securing non-recourse debt with a fixed interest rate. But if you want to exit anytime sooner than the loan expiration date, you're going to pay a BIG penalty on the back end. So, how might we leverage credit unions to avoid these big-ticket prepayment penalties? Are there other benefits to financing real estate deals through a credit union? What’s the downside? Mark Ritter is CEO of Member Business Financial Services or MBFS, a business lending credit service organization owned by credit unions for credit unions and their members. An expert in credit unions and business lending, Mark is dedicated to helping commercial real estate investors secure the financing they need. On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Mark joins cohost Garrett Lynch and me to explore the pros and cons of financing multifamily through a credit union versus traditional loans. Mark describes the credit union philosophy of people helping people, discussing how real estate investors benefit from having a personal relationship with our lender. Listen in for Mark’s advice on how to approach a credit union for a loan and learn about the flexible terms and low cost of capital available if you finance your next deal through an organization like MBFS! For full episode show notes visit: http://www.themichaelblank.com/session316/

A career as a professional athlete is exciting, and if you’re among the best, you can make a lot of money in a short amount of time. But what do you do when your career is over? Dan Brisse was a professional snowboarder for over a decade, participating in the X Games four times and winning gold twice. But he noticed that older pros were suffering as their careers wound down, struggling financially and in their personal lives. And that inspired Dan to make his money work for him with multifamily real estate. Today, Dan is the cofounder of Granite Towers Equity Group, cohost of the Keeping It Real Estate Podcast and coauthor of 4 Steps to Successful Passive Investing. He and his partner, Mike, are GPs in 1,414 units worth $74M across five states, and he owns another 589 units as a passive investor. On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Dan joins cohost Garrett Lynch and me to discuss his transition from snowboarding to real estate and describe the steps he took to become a multifamily investor. Dan explains how his investing strategy has evolved over time, encouraging us to seek out a high-level mentor early on and avoid shiny object syndrome. Listen in for insight around the values alignment that makes Dan and Mike’s partnership work and learn how to make the leap from YOUR current career to full-time real estate investing. For full episode show notes visit: http://www.themichaelblank.com/session315/

Why do you do what you do? Articulating the WHY behind your work gives it meaning. And makes for a richer, more fulfilling life.  But how do you uncover your purpose and then apply it each day?  Lee Prosenjak is a serial entrepreneur and executive coach at LynchPyn. He's worked with thousands of entrepreneurs in 30-plus countries, cultivating cohesive work groups and facilitating conversations that truly matter.  An artist at heart, Lee is also the Cofounder of Cherry Creek Dance, former Igniter at Simon Sinek Consulting and current real estate investor on a mission to help others discover their own inspiration, love and greatness. On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Lee joins host Garrett Lynch to discuss his WHY and describe how clarity of purpose leads to better decision-making. Lee explores the relationship between purpose and identity, sharing the experience that inspired him to play BIGGER and expand his influence beyond Cherry Creek Dance. Listen in for Lee’s insight around being open to new opportunities and find out how he is living his purpose as the owner of a boutique hotel in the Bahamas! For full episode show notes visit: http://www.themichaelblank.com/session314/

Imagine earning cash-on-cash returns as high as 50%!  Inspired by sophisticated real estate investors in her network, Steffany Boldrini moved her money out of tech startups and into commercial properties three years ago. And while she’s faced a lot of challenges along the way, Steffany reached financial freedom in less than two years. So, what is Steffany’s approach to investing in real estate? And what does she do to earn such big-time returns? Steffany moved from Brazil to Silicon Valley 20 years ago and enjoyed a successful career in tech sales before shifting her focus to commercial real estate. As Principal at Monte Carlo Real Estate Investments, she has built a portfolio across three asset classes, achieving 36% cash-on-cash returns.  Steffany is also the host of Commercial Real Estate Investing from A-Z, a podcast about investing in retail, office, industrial and self-storage properties. On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Steffany joins host Garrett Lynch to discuss her transition from angel investing to real estate, describing why she likes the risk profile of commercial properties over tech startups.  Steffany shares her approach to building a commercial real estate portfolio, explaining the pros and cons of investing in car washes, self-storage and short-term rentals.  Listen in to understand how Steffany leverages technology in her real estate business and get ideas for adding value to force appreciation—in any commercial asset class. For full episode show notes visit: http://www.themichaelblank.com/session313/

When you work a traditional job, your ability to feed your family can be taken away from you at any moment. And your worth is determined by your employer.  But what if YOU can determine your own worth? What if you can earn enough passive income from real estate to walk away from your J-O-B and be your own boss?  Dustin Heiner is the creator of Master Passive Income, a platform and podcast where he shares insights on investing in real estate rental properties.  Getting laid off from his 9-to-5 inspired Dustin to pursue investing, and by 2016, Dustin had built a portfolio of 30 properties and quit his job in IT, becoming what he calls 'successfully unemployed.'  On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Dustin joins Garrett Lynch and me to discuss what he loves about passive income and share some of the mistakes he made with his first few investments.  Dustin explains why it's important to build your business first, challenging you to look for markets with good inventory and put a team in place BEFORE you buy properties.  Listen in for Dustin's insight on leveraging real estate to leave a legacy and find out how a mentor can support YOU in becoming successfully unemployed—like Dustin! For full episode show notes visit: http://www.themichaelblank.com/session312/

Are you confused by cryptocurrency, the blockchain or NFTs?  As real estate investors, we’re all about wealth creation and owning physical assets as a hedge against inflation. But what about digital assets? Is it worth investing in cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin? What is blockchain technology all about? And how can it change the world for the better? Matthew Diemer is a small business entrepreneur and host of the Decrypt Daily Podcast. Prior to Decrypt Daily, he founded Crypto 101 and held the titles of COO and GM in the global hospitality industry. Matthew is also a Democrat running for Congress in Northeast Ohio dedicated to supporting entrepreneurship, promoting tech innovation and reviving manufacturing in the US. On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Matthew joins host Garrett Lynch and me to discuss the benefits of blockchain technology, describing what makes crypto a good investment vehicle and why Bitcoin is a strong hedge against inflation. Matthew explains how crypto allows us to control our own wealth and what we can do to keep our digital currency outside government control. Listen in for Matthew’s insight into buying digital real estate and learn how the blockchain can be used to create wealth by tokenizing properties. For full episode show notes visit: http://www.themichaelblank.com/session311/

Most entrepreneurs believe that we are the secret sauce in our business. We think that no one else can bake the cupcakes or design the websites or analyze the real estate deals quite the way we do.  But if you’re busy building the product, who’s building the business?  This is what Curtis Morley calls the entrepreneur’s paradox: In order to scale, you've got to shift your passion from working IN the business to working ON the business. Curtis is the five-time entrepreneur, mentor and thought leader behind The Entrepreneur’s Paradox, a platform dedicated to helping startup companies achieve next-level growth. Curtis has been named Entrepreneur of the Year and made the Inc. 5000 list six times. He is also the bestselling author of The Entrepreneur’s Paradox: How to Overcome the 16 Pitfalls Along the Startup Journey. On this episode of Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing, Curtis joins host Garrett Lynch to explain the entrepreneur’s paradox, challenging us to shift from the role of product manager to business leader and achieve the next level of growth. Curtis shares his concept of counterfeit emotions, describing how to turn fear into power with a simple shift from WHAT IF to WHAT IS thinking. Listen in for Curtis’ four-step success formula for entrepreneurs and learn how to make the mindset shift you need to scale YOUR real estate syndication business. Key Takeaways  How Curtis defines the entrepreneur’s paradox What got you into business prevents you from succeeding ‘If you’re building the product, who’s building the business?’ The first steps to becoming a business leader Make decision to replace yourself as product manager Identify and document your processes, teach to others Curtis’ 3 summits you can climb as an entrepreneur Lifestyle business Buy or be bought IPO Curtis’ 4-step success formula for entrepreneurs How much By when For what And why Curtis’ advice for deciding what’s next after an exit Stay committed to your WHY Must have purpose, make contribution Curtis’ concept of counterfeit emotions Every authentic emotion has counterfeit (e.g.: faith vs. fear) Authentic emotions connect, while counterfeit disconnect How to transform your FEAR into POWER Change WHAT IF into WHAT IS Brings you back to present and creates energy How Curtis uncovered the idea of counterfeit emotions Pain = gift to help us grow, suffering steeped in blame/shame Surrender to pain and turn it into something positive Connect with Curtis Morley The Entrepreneur’s Paradox Resources Learn More About Michael’s Mentoring Program Join the Nighthawk Equity Investor Club Access Michael’s Free Resources in the Freedom Vault  Review the Podcast on iTunes Financial Freedom with Real Estate Investing by Michael Blank  The Entrepreneur’s Paradox: How to Overcome the 16 Pitfalls Along the Startup Journey (Keys to Success for a Startup Company) by Curtis Morley  Summit on the Summit  Simon Sinek Richard Bass Michael on Facebook  Michael on Instagram  Michael on YouTube  Michael on TikTok Apartment Investor Network Facebook Group  Podcast Show Notes