Real Estate Espresso

On today’s show we are looking at the special considerations associated with developing a waterfront property.  There are some special risks associated with waterfront that might not exist in other more central locations. -------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

On today’s show we are taking a look at market inefficiency and why it occurs.  When I say inefficiency, we see markets oscillating between being vastly under supplied to over supplied and back.  The signs of inefficiency are everywhere if you choose to look. But why is it happening? -------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

On today’s show we are talking about the biggest things I look for when it comes to building on a new site. If you know the product that you are looking to build, then the hard cost of construction is fairly easy to estimate with pretty good accuracy. The largest variable is the site related costs. These can quickly spiral out of control. These risks are so severe that they can represent an existential threat to your project.  The risks break down into three main categories: servicing of utilities and access  Storm water management  Structural and Geotechnical ----------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

Chris Eymann is based in Arizona where he does a high volume of house flips. He is also a lender. On today's show we are talking about the state of the market from the perspective of a lender. He can be reached on Instagram at chris_eymann or visit his property website at sellwholesalehouses.com. ------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

Adam Goldman is a specialist in placing franchises with owners. Some commercial spaces struggle to find a tenant and a franchise can often be a solution to that problem. To connect with Adam visit franchisecoach.net or book a consultation with him directly at franchiseadam.com will get you a link to book a meeting time with him. -------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

Have you ever wondered how the mapping software on your phone can alert you to a traffic jam?  It doesn’t matter if you are using an android phone or an iPhone, the mapping software uses the same basic technique for determining what is happening in traffic. If your phone has location tracking turned on, then the operating system services will report back to Google or to Apple Maps the moving speed estimation of your phone and all of the other phones that are currently travelling along that stretch of highway.  By collecting the aggregate information, they can determine the average speed that phones are travelling along that stretch of freeway. Since most of those phones are located with their owners inside a vehicle, we can infer that the cars and trucks are traveling at the same speed as the phones. If the speed limit on that stretch of road is 60, and the average speed is 30, they will probably color code that section of freeway in yellow and if the average speed is 10, they will probably color code that se

On today’s show we are taking a look at a white paper that has been published on the White House website late last year. The document is called “COMMERCIAL TO RESIDENTIAL CONVERSIONS: A GUIDEBOOK TO AVAILABLE FEDERAL RESOURCES” This 54 page document outlines all of the programs that are available to at the Federal level to assist in these types of conversions. In addition to the Federal programs there are a number of local and state programs that are aiming to help facilitate these conversions. https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Commercial-to-Residential-Conversions-Guidebook.pdf ------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

Marc writes: I'm a real estate asset manager and developer with operations across Alberta, Quebec, and Ontario. I’m contemplating centralizing our legal operations to not only streamline communication but also consolidate all our legal documents into a single internal database, instead of having them scattered across different legal teams.  I'm thinking of employing an internal paralegal to work with external lawyers, similar to our model of using internal bookkeepers with external accountants. What advantages or complications could arise from such a centralized approach? How might this affect the efficiency and quality of legal services we receive?  Any thoughts in general? ----------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

On today’s show we are talking about the merits of having a high speed charging station on your property. A charger is an income producing asset, or at least it might be depending on the contractual arrangement.  ------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

On today’s show we are talking about the non headline revisions to economic data.  I’m here to tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that the US economy is in recession.  What I’m sharing today is the good work that is done by Danielle DiMartino Booth. She is the CEO and chief strategist at QI Research. Previously Danielle was at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas for nine years working under Richard Fisher.  This past FOMC meeting marked a significant departure from previous meetings where Fed chairman Jerome Powell described a change in Fed posture. This was not part of the initial remarks or the press release, but rather a response during the question period.  He said that the Fed was shifting posture from fighting inflation to a return to its dual mandate to both maximize and maintain price stability. That means that the Fed is seeing something in the employment data that is concerning. On this show I’ve been reporting inconsistencies in the employment data for many months.  Well now we have one more data p

Max Hansen has been practicing law for more than 40 years and is a true expert in tax sheltering with section 1031 of the US tax code. On today's show we are talking about some of the common pitfalls of using the 1031 exchange. Coming up on May 21 at 8PM EDT, 6PM MDT, we are going to be hosting an educational webinar where Max will be available to answer your questions live on sheltering capital gains. The best way to understand the process is with your own specific questions. To register for the webinar, click on the link below. https://event.webinarjam.com/register/25/n0n36u77 -------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

On today's show we are talking about land development in Florida, about buying at the right time, and the elongated timelines associated with land development. To connect with Josh, search for Joshua Pardue on all of the major social media platforms. ---------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

On today’s show we are talking about the kinds of questions that are helpful when determining the scope of a project.  We are often given estimates by contractors for work to be performed. Those elements that have the largest variability continually seem to be related to site work.  I often experience sticker shock with these estimates.  The key to getting an optimized cost starts with determining the proper scope of work. If you’re simply negotiating with a contractor to lower their price, that’s a pretty blunt instrument. The contractor is going to feel squeezed and they are simply seeing their margin being eroded.  But if you approach the conversation from the perspective of making sure the contractor gets fairly paid for their work. You just want to make sure that we have a common understanding of the scope of work, that context usually changes the nature of the conversation. The bottom line number may actually increase in the event that the estimate is low.  In order to have a meaningful conversation abo

Back in the 1960’s the first disposable diapers were introduced by Proctor and Gamble under the Pampers brand name. Cloth diapers had been the staple up until then and these new wonders were supposed to buy back time for new mothers who were previously saddled with massive amounts of laundry.  By the mid 1970’s, Kimberly-Clark, the makes of Kleenex introduced the Huggies brand of diapers. This alternative to Pampers started to gain market share. In the meantime, Proctor and Gamble also introduced another brand of diapers called Luvs. Throughout the years there were numerous innovations in diaper technology including different fasteners, better form fitting around the legs, increased gel content and so on. With each new innovation, the manufacturers had a choice as to where to introduce those innovations. Pampers had been the dominant brand. They owned the market. They were the world reserve currency of disposable diapers.  Huggies was there in the background with a distant second in market share.  -----------

Virtually every apartment project is going to be constrained by parking. That one factor will determine the density that is going to be possible.  In rental apartments, charging for parking is going to very from one area to another.  For example in a dense urban area like NYC or Boston, it’s fairly routine to charge for parking. In fact, in cities like NY, I consider a car to be more of a liability than an asset. Those areas have very effective public transit and finding parking at your destination is going to take so much time that you would spend less time and less money if you simply took an Uber or a Taxi to your destination.  In less dense areas and in places where public transit is not deeply ingrained into the culture like in Texas or Arizona, a car is a must. The distances are too large and public transit simply is not an option. Except in the rarest of instances, parking is free. So when you are designing your apartment project, how much land should you allocate to parking? Well, you’ll be surprised

On today show we are looking at whether increasing interest rates is effective at combatting inflation.  The theory is that when interest rates rise, people are encouraged to save money and benefit from the income that is available from those higher interest rates. This is particularly true if interest rates are higher than the rate of inflation, so that you get a real positive rate of return on interest-bearing instruments. When I think back to the early 1980s, I can remember conversations with my mother about putting my savings into high-yield bonds that were government-backed. I did not truly understand the math behind nominal interest rates versus real interest rates at the time I was particularly impressed when in that one year, I earned 18% interest on a $10,000 bond. For a teenager that $1800 in interest was a lot of money. In the late 1970’s the personal savings rate was around 9% and then in jumped in the early 1980’s to around 13%. These were the days when Pauli Volcker pushed Fed interest rates all

Dr. Noah has written 25 books on the topic of helping entrepreneurs achieve breakthroughs. On today's show we're talking about what holds people back from achieving those breakthroughs. To connect with Noah, visit http://breakthroughwithnoah.com. He also has a new book out at http://sevenfigureexpertbook.com. The book is free if you cover the cost of shipping. ------------ Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

Today's show is an extract of yesterday's livestream where I'm making some predictions for the upcoming period and answering listener questions live. -------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

Coming up later today at 5PM EDT, 4PM CDT, 3PM MDT, I'm going to be live on LinkedIn and Facebook giving my predictions for the upcoming period and opening up to live questions from the audience. To register and attend, visit https://www.linkedin.com/events/predictions-askmeanything7191469079046639616/about/ On todays show we are doing a dive into why sheltering from capital gains tax is not as simple as it sounds. There is nuance to the process and it can be more difficult unless you plan carefully. Let's be clear, I'm not offering tax advice. Talk to your CPA. I'm merely sharing my observations based on what I'm seeing in the market. ---------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com

Coming up on Friday May 3 at 5PM EDT, 4PM CDT, 3PM MDT, I'm hosting a live stream on LinkedIn Live. I'm going to be sharing my predictions for the upcoming period and then opening up to questions from the audience on any topic. To connect to the live stream, join me at 5PM EDT here: https://www.linkedin.com/events/predictions-askmeanything7191469079046639616/ On today's show we're talking about the FTC's recent ban on non-compete clauses in employment contracts. What does it mean for employers and for employees? -------------- Host: Victor Menasce email: podcast@victorjm.com