Think in Decades,
Not Quarters

Whitney Elkins-Hutten, Director of Investor Education at PassiveInvesting.com, explains why her firm launched a real estate debt fund and how short-duration fix-and-flip loans differ from long-dated commercial bridge debt. Inside: the two risks every private credit investor should check first, why a borrower happily pays 13.75% when banks are at 6%, and the four stages of building generational wealth.

Nicolas Lares built Insur3Tech, a group cell captive where the owners are the shareholders instead of the carrier — roughly 20% lower insurance costs, over a million doors insured, and a projected 32% return to members. Inside: how the model works, why reinsurance caps a bad year, and why incentives keep claims down.

Mark Khuri, co-founder of SMK Capital Management, reviews two to three deals a day — roughly 700 a year — across 32 states and invests in only the top 1-2%. He breaks down mobile home parks, self-storage automation, triple-net industrial sale-leasebacks, and why he skips the coasts for secondary and tertiary markets.

Tim Elizer started sweeping floors at a 1,500 sq ft sign shop at 16. Today he owns that company — Magnitude — and has done over $30 million in business. He opens up about getting rejected by 11 banks before financing the buyout, growing 4X in two years, the chaos that came with it, and how he rebuilt his family stronger than ever.

What happens when you fire your property management company? Angel Williams and her husband Jason have built a portfolio spanning single-family rentals, multifamily syndications, mobile home parks, and oil & gas — and she makes the case for going wide across asset classes for true diversification.

The Deal Makers Roundup is headed to Knoxville, Tennessee! Join Carson Jones and co-hosts Eddie Austin, Adrian Del Rio, and John Vachon September 10th at The Vault for an evening of authentic networking — no hard pitches, just real conversations. They recap their first sold-out Murfreesboro event and preview the strategies coming to Knoxville: Opportunity Zones, cost segregation with 100% bonus depreciation, self-directed IRAs, 1031 exchanges, and deferred sales trusts.

Linda Holtz arrived in the U.S. from France at 22 with no network, no real estate experience, and a door-to-door sales job. Today she syndicates 200+ unit multifamily deals across Texas with her husband through Married 2 Real Estate. Linda shares how a property management job taught her the operations side most investors never learn, how house hacking a Chicago triplex during COVID became her on-ramp to commercial real estate, and why she and her husband moved to Texas to scale into large syndications — plus why "who's doing the deal with us" now drives 70-80% of their decisions, and why over communicating with passive investors beats surprises every time.

Paul Shannon walked away from corporate America in 2019 and built a 200+ unit portfolio through deep value-add deals. Then he did something most operators never do: he stepped back — right at the peak of the 2021 euphoria, when floating-rate bridge debt and 18% IRR projections were everywhere. That unpopular call saved his investors from the wipeouts that followed, and it shaped the perspective behind his new book, Both Sides of the Table. As founder of InvestWise Collective, Paul breaks down why yield on cost beats cap rates in value-add underwriting, how he builds margin of safety with multiple exit options, why he's hunting distressed deals through lender workout departments — and the mindset shift from "syndication consumer" to capital allocator.

What if you could earn the kind of returns banks make — without tenants, toilets, or 2am repair calls? Carson sits down with Shawn Muneio of Bequest Asset Management to break down how everyday investors can "be the bank" and build genuinely passive income. Shawn shares his journey from building the world's largest data centers for Google, Facebook, and Microsoft to mortgage notes — and explains the Bequest Bond, an SEC-approved Reg A offering with 70+ consecutive monthly distributions and a track record of never missing a payment.

Brian Walter has been trading markets since 1996 — through the Russian crisis, the dot-com bubble, the '08 financial crisis at UBS, COVID, and the fastest rate hike in recent memory. Today he's Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Fairbridge Asset Management. Brian breaks down how private lenders are filling the void left by regional banks pulling back after Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic — why private credit wins on speed and certainty of close, the sub-$50M lending sweet spot the multi-billion-dollar managers won't touch, why every default comes down to execution not valuation, where we are in the real estate credit cycle from Sun Belt oversupply to a tight Northeast, and how foreclosure timelines shape where they'll lend. A masterclass in risk, discipline, and finding the less-competitive corners of the market.

What happens when you buy a business, do everything "right," and it still blows up in your face? Jed Morris knows. After 10 years in Air Force financial management and acquisition (rising to the Pentagon), an NYU Stern MBA, and software engineering work at Microsoft, Jed jumped into entrepreneurship through acquisition — and his first deal, a landscaping company, failed spectacularly. Instead of hiding it, he interviewed 100+ buyers who lived through the same thing, and the patterns he found will save you from making the same mistakes. Carson sits down with Jed (founder of Sunset Coastal Partners and Searcher School) to pull back the curtain on what nobody tells first-time buyers: why roughly 60% of failed acquisitions involve direct seller fraud and how to spot a shady owner before you sign; the off-market search playbook and why "off-market is just sales"; why bigger businesses are actually safer than small ones — and how the SBA 7(a) program's incredible leverage can become "an anvil around your neck"; the truth about personal guarantees, insolvency, and why you need to call a bankruptcy attorney in your state before you ever sign; how to actually run diligence; and why "buying a portfolio of small businesses to run passively is just stupid." Whether you're a first-time searcher, an investor, or a commercial real estate pro, this is an honest, no-hype conversation about risk, integrity, and what it really takes to win. Connect with Jed on LinkedIn (send a DM — he replies personally) and join his free Searcher School community, with a paid coaching program available through the same platform. His book, Buyer Beware, is on the way.

Most investors think you have to be a national homebuilder to profit from America's housing shortage — Brandon Cobb built a business proving otherwise. Founder of HBG Capital and creator of the Land Development Accelerator, Brandon joins Carson to break down what he calls the fastest-growing secret in real estate: American land development. He walks through the three phases that move raw land from dirt to a finished community — entitlement, infrastructure, and vertical construction — and his "reverse engineering" strategy for creating forced appreciation before he ever buys an asset. With more than 33% of buyers hunting for a first home and fewer than 10% of new builds actually affordable to them, Brandon makes the case that entry-level housing is one of the most recession-resistant plays in the country.

What does it look like to buy a business with zero industry experience, nearly go broke twice, and still build a 10-company HVAC roll-up out of McKinney, TX? Nathan Lindley lived it. After 15 years running a book publishing company, Nathan closed on his first HVAC acquisition in February 2020 — weeks before COVID shut down the world — using his own equity, his dad's retirement, and an inheritance loan from a friend. In this episode, Nathan and Carson break down the straight-commission overhaul that unlocked scale, his "buying at-bats" framework, how he competes against PE-backed HVAC giants without paying their Google ad prices, and the roll-up playbook he'd use if he had to start over today. Now working on acquisition number 11 and eyeing a potential exit within the next year, Nathan shares the hard-won lessons that only come from almost losing it all — twice.

A bucket on a fishing pole. That's how Gregg Trosper first watched a Nashville band collect tips, and that's the moment Band Buddy was born. Gregg, founder of Band Buddy, is turning live performances into interactive, cashless, revenue-generating experiences for artists and venues. After a five-month beta across 295 live shows, artists using Band Buddy saw an average 42% lift in tips. We dig into the gamification mechanic behind song-request bidding, the "stage mode" vs. "crowd mode" design, why 60% of venue patrons stay longer when interactivity is higher, and what it takes to build a startup inside Nashville's music ecosystem.

The era of "extend and pretend" is winding down — and for borrowers staring at distressed multifamily and office loans, the next move could define the next decade of their portfolio. Shlomo Chopp, Managing Partner of CASE and one of the most respected voices in distressed commercial real estate, breaks down how borrowers negotiate CMBS, multifamily, and office workouts from a position of strength — protecting their equity, their guarantees, and their reputation when the market turns.

Impact investing isn't just about returns — it's about changing lives while building real cash flow. Dave Seymour shares how he went from firefighter and paramedic to starring on Flipping Boston, and ultimately into one of the most compelling impact investment models in real estate today: sober living facilities. Now 36 years sober, Dave is combining purpose and profit by acquiring multifamily properties and converting them into recovery housing — creating strong returns through a "rent-by-the-bed" model while building environments that genuinely change lives.

What does it take to win a Pitch Slam in front of seasoned investors at one of real estate's biggest conferences? Justin Spillers — attorney, e-commerce entrepreneur, and founder of Real Estate Alpha — just did exactly that at the Best Ever Conference 2026, and in this episode he breaks down exactly how.

Co-founder of Ashcroft Capital, creator of the world's longest-running daily real estate podcast, and founder of the Best Ever Conference — on integrity, scale, and why giving back matters.

Salvatore Buscemi, founder of Brahmin Partners, a capital strategist at the highest levels of global finance — SpaceX, Stripe, AI.io and institutional CRE.

Managing Broker at Midwest CRE Advisors and former NFL athlete — discipline and clarity applied to commercial real estate.

Serial entrepreneur, Author, and CEO behind JE Capital Investments — business acquisitions, real estate, and capital strategy.

A masterclass in intentional growth, disciplined investing, and designing a life beyond the W-2. Freedom isn't accidental — it's engineered.

Building legacy through systems, relationships, and strategies that create lasting wealth through apartment investing and capital raising.

Yonah Weiss, the Cost Segregation King, explains how this powerful tax strategy can accelerate depreciation and boost investor returns.

Kamron Barr breaks down the next frontier of development — multi-tenant ecosystems powered by micro data centers.

A Nashville-focused conversation on faith, finance, and construction with two builders who are reshaping how deals get done.

Margot and Christy unpack the self-storage asset class — why it produces durable cash flow and how to get into the market.

Thomas Brachey demystifies 1031 exchanges, mineral deeds, and alternative wealth-building strategies for serious investors.

Where is commercial real estate headed? Dan Lewkowicz breaks down interest rates, AI disruption, and what brokers need to do to survive.

John Vachon breaks down how Opportunity Zones work, who benefits, and how impact investors are deploying capital strategically.

John Vachon returns to discuss boutique hotel mixed-use redevelopment — the strategy, the financing, and the opportunity.

The convergence of multifamily housing and data center infrastructure — Nic Espanet explains why this intersection is a massive opportunity.

How do you select the right site for a data center? Kris McGee walks through the criteria, market dynamics, and investment thesis.

Chris Maier unpacks how contractors, closers, and connections drive deals in the real estate world — and how to build the right network.

A deep dive into commercial real estate deals, strategy, and the mindset behind successful CRE investing with Danny Gould.

Michael Wagman shares his approach to commercial real estate — finding deals, building relationships, and executing at a high level.

Dustin Hauer breaks down CRE fundamentals, deal structures, and lessons from the trenches of commercial real estate investing.