Your morning shot of what's new in the world of real estate investing. Daily real estate investment outlook from investor, syndicator, developer and author Victor J. Menasce. Weekday shows are 5 minutes of high energy, high impact awesomeness. The weekend edition consists of interview with notable g…
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The Real Estate Espresso podcast is a valuable resource for anyone interested in real estate investing and macroeconomics. As a small real estate investor, I have found that this podcast expands my knowledge and thinking in the industry. What sets this podcast apart is its short format, which allows me to listen to an episode every day without taking up too much time. The host, Victor Menasce, does an amazing job providing a wealth of knowledge and value in each episode.
One of the best aspects of this podcast is the variety of topics covered. Victor is knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects related to real estate investing and he brings on guests who provide unique perspectives and insights. Whether it's discussing the current state of the real estate market or delving into specific investment strategies, each episode offers something new to learn. I appreciate how Victor presents timely information that is relevant to what's happening in the ever-changing real estate market.
Another great aspect of this podcast is the high-quality guests that Victor brings on. These guests are experts in their respective fields and offer valuable insights and advice for both beginners and experienced investors. I have gained a lot of knowledge from listening to these guests share their experiences and strategies.
One minor downside of this podcast is its brevity. While I appreciate the short format for its convenience, there are times when I wish episodes were longer so that more depth could be explored on certain topics. However, considering the daily nature of this podcast, it makes sense that episodes need to be kept concise.
In conclusion, The Real Estate Espresso podcast is a must-listen for anyone interested in real estate investing and macroeconomics. With its short format and high-value content, it provides daily insights that can help listeners gain a better understanding of the industry. The host, Victor Menasce, does an excellent job providing valuable information through his own expertise and by bringing on top-notch guests. Highly recommended!
Last week we started a mini-series on Amenities. The deep dive into amenities is based on the outstanding work by apartment operator Greystar, the largest operator of apartments in the US with over 100,000 apartments in their portfolio. We are working with Greystar on our own active adult project in Spokane Washington. If you want to learn more about that amazing project, come and register to our portal at YStreetCapital.com and we will have more to share about the project. This is not a solicitation for investment and of course any investment would be by prospectus only in compliance with SEC regulations.We spoke last week about technology, storage, co-working space, outdoor amenities, kitchens, and security. Today we're talking about packages. Not financing packages, not incentive packages, but the literal boxes showing up at the front door every single day, and what they're quietly telling us about resident behavior, operational risk, and capital allocation in multifamily real estate.The data comes from Greystar's 2024 design survey, specifically focused on package delivery and handling inside apartment communities. On the surface, this looks like a narrow operational topic. But as with many things in real estate, when you zoom out, it reveals something much bigger about how people live and what they value.-------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Last week we started a mini-series on Amenities. The deep dive into amenities is was based on the outstanding work by apartment owner and operator Greystar, the largest operator of apartments in the US with over 100,000 apartments in their portfolio. We are working with Greystar on our own active adult project in Spokane Washington. If you want to learn more about that amazing project, come and register to our portal at Y Street Capital and we will have more to share about the project. This is not a solicitation for investment and of course any investment would be by prospectus only in compliance with SEC regulations.Greystar recently published their latest amenities and apartment features market study, based on year-over-year survey data from 2023 to 2024. We spoke last week about technology, storage, security. On today's show we're talking about kitchens. Not from a lifestyle perspective, but from a design, capital allocation, and investor-return perspective.--------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Nick Jain is based in Philadelphia where he is investing in a portfolio of single family homes within a small radius. This is similar to the redevelopment that my team has been engaged in for nearly a decade. On today's show we are talking about managing supply and demand as more supply enters the area. To connect with Nick visit https://www.eaglerockcfo.com/ or his personal website at https://nickjain.com/.------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Dave Becker is a principal at Time Equities, a Manhattan based equity player with $8B in assets under management. On today's show we are talking about how David is approaching the market even with asset classes that have some challenges like office. To connect with David, you can find him on LinkedIn, or visit timeequities.com------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
We are continuing our deep dive mini-series into amenities is was based on the outstanding work by apartment owner and operator Greystar, the largest operator of apartments in the US with over 100,000 apartments in their portfolio. We are working with Greystar on our own active adult project in Spokane Washington. If you want to learn more about that amazing project, come and register to our portal at Y Street Capital and we will have more to share about the project. This is not a solicitation for investment and of course any investment would be by prospectus only in compliance with SEC regulations.Greystar recently published their latest amenities and apartment features market study, based on year-over-year survey data from 2023 to 2024. On Friday last week we talked about the overall trends in amenities. Yesterday we talked about storage, technology, and security.On today's show we are talking about co-working space and outdoor amenities spaces and then next week we will cover kitchens, fitness, e-commerce, and parking. --------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Last week we started a mini-series on Amenities. We took a short break from the mini-series to cover a few consequential items from the World Economic Forum which is still underway in Davos. They're probably still more that we could be covering from Davos, but there are only so many things you can cover in a daily show. After all, this is not my full-time job.The deep dive into amenities is was based on the outstanding work by apartment owner and operator Greystar, the largest operator of apartments in the US with over 100,000 apartments in their portfolio. We are working with Greystar on our own active adult project in Spokane Washington. If you want to learn more about that amazing project, come and register to our portal at Y Street Capital and we will have more to share about the project. This is not a solicitation for investment and of course any investment would be by prospectus only in compliance with SEC regulations.Greystar recently published their latest amenities and apartment features market study, based on year-over-year survey data from 2023 to 2024. On Friday last week we talked about the overall trends in amenities. On today's show we are going deep into one aspect and over the next several days we will cover storage, technology, securitykitchens, social space, fitness, e-commerce, and parking. Today we're going to cover storage, security and technology packages and what is expected in new modern buildings. -------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
A new groundbreaking capability was conceived, developed, and released to the world in 10 days. Yes, you heard that correctly. 10 days can change the world. That sounds like some historic platitude. What I'm referring to is a new software application that was introduced only a few days ago. That's software application which runs on the Mac was developed from concept to release in the wild in 10 days. Let that sink in for a moment. Inside most companies, you would have trouble getting the marketing focus group to get together and convene a meeting to discuss the future content for the release of a software application may be sometime next year. The application I'm talking about is Claude Cowork from anthropic. Yes, it is an AI application. This is a Real Estate Investing podcast. So stay with me. We're not here to talk about AI. We are here to talk about the impact of this software application on your Real Estate Investing business.------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Every year at the World Economic Forum held in Davos, a panel of economists gives their economic forecast for the upcoming year. This was no exception. On today's show we're summarizing the results of those panel discussions. --------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Each year, the World Economic Forum convenes political leaders, central bankers, corporate executives, and institutional investors to take the pulse of the global economy. The headlines that come out of Davos often feel abstract, even theatrical. But buried beneath the sound bites are themes that matter deeply to real estate investors, especially those who think like capital allocators rather than speculators. This year's forum is dominated by a sober tone. Gone was the optimism of a rapid post-pandemic recovery. In its place was a recognition that the world is settling into a period of structural change rather than cyclical volatility. That distinction matters, because structural change reshapes how capital flows, how risk is priced, and where real assets fit in a portfolio.-----------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Scott Carson is based in Austin Texas. From there he invests in distressed debt on a nationwide basis. The idea is that you can purchase distressed debt at a discount, work with the borrower to modify it and then season the modified debt for 12 months. After that the loan is a performing loan which can be sold. Money is made between the purchase price of the distressed loan and the sale price of the performing loan. To connect with Scott, visit https://weclosenotes.com/------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Christina Kovacs is based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She is a multi-family apartment investor with assets across the midwest. On today's show we are talking about working with third party management at a distance and how to work with remote managers. To connect with Christina, visit https://www.christinakovacs.com/------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Today, I want to talk about amenities. Not in the abstract, not as a checklist, and not as a race to add more stuff, but as a lens into tenant psychology, capital allocation, and disciplined product design.Greystar recently published their latest amenities and apartment features market study, based on year-over-year survey data from 2023 to 2024. And while it's tempting to read this kind of report as a menu of “what to add,” that's exactly the wrong way to use it.This data is not a prescription. It's a diagnostic.The folks at Greystar are the largest owner and operator of apartments across the US. So with 100,000 units in almost every state they can speak on the topic with some level of authority. -------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
When developers talk about underwriting, they often focus on the numbers and forget the product. Yet in real estate, the product is inseparable from the math. One of the most common strategic mistakes I see is the instinct to blend into the average of the market. It feels safe. It feels conservative. And it is often the most dangerous choices you can make. It's a choice that is made even more compelling by the appraisers who look at your project and force you into the middle. Appraisers can't make up the data and if there are no comparable 3BR apartments on the 9th floor with a 400 SF roof terrace, they end up discounting the value of a product that may well be differentiated in the market. Market positioning is not about being different for the sake of being different. It is about understanding where comparable projects truly sit in the competitive landscape, and then making an intentional decision about where you belong relative to them. The problem with “average” is that it usually represents a statistical midpoint, not a customer, and certainly not a clear value proposition.------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
On today's show we are talking about accelerating training by orders of magnitude and the impact that this can have on the global arms race for the best artificial intelligence.The key to learning fast is intensity. If you follow the human paradigm the key to learning is practice and repetition across a wide range of conditions. The problem is that humans learn very slowly if you think about it. Think about the experience required to become an expert at driving a car. The vast majority of miles driven are completely uneventful and contribute next to zero in terms of driving experience. The same boring freeway driving mile after mile doesn't make you a better driver. When you do improve it is the result of exceptional conditions. It's when a cyclist comes into your lane without checking over their shoulder. It's when a driver opens the door to a parked vehicle and you need to swerve to avoid hitting them. But still, these events are relatively infrequent.The way to accelerate the learning process is the same way that pilots train. They use a simulator. The simulator can artificially generate exception events that are rare and difficult to recreate in the real world. Engine failure, hydraulic failure, fire, avionics failure, frozen pitot tube, ice build up on the wings. So many cases that a pilot needs to train on repetitively to handle the real world situations when they occur. If you are a user of AI, you're probably thinking about whether the tool is giving you good results or not. If the results are less than you would accept, then the natural reaction is to abandon the use of AI for that particular function. But what if you could train the AI with a minimum amount of effort? A well crafted prompt to generate a series of simulation use cases could change the quality of the output, not just for your single query. The simulation use cases will train the AI forever. --------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
The housing market is going to change again. I don't mean the actual market. I'm talking about the rules and initiatives from the US federal government. The person to watch is Bill Pulte, the current director of the Federal Housing Finance Authority. This agency oversees lending agencies like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. If the last name sounds familiar, it's because Bill is the grandson of William Pulte, founder of the Pulte Group, the third largest home builder in the US. Prior to joining the administration, Bill sat on the board at Pulte Group and founded Pulte Capital Partners, an investment firm focused on building and housing-related businesses.Over the next few weeks, the administration is evaluating over 50 initiatives aimed at improving home ownership affordability. So for the next few weeks, we can anticipate changing rules. That means nobody who is paying attention should be making any big decisions until the new rules are clear. But then investors are also accustomed to working in a relatively stable environment where the rules don't change every year, or every month, or every week. ---------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
ATTEND George's Online BirthdayIf you can't attend in person and would like to wish George Happy Birthday, send an email to podcast@victorjm.com and put George in the subject line. I'll make sure he gets your best wishes. Today's show is dedicated to my friend and advisor George Ross. If you've been listening to this show for a while, you'll know that George has been a frequent guest on the show. I've known George for 16 years and we've been spending time together monthly since that time.I'd like to invite you to a virtual online birthday party for George. I'm hoping for a huge turnout and for all of you to get some first hand wisdom from George in that session. George is 98 years young. His actual birthday was earlier this week. The get together this month is going to be a surprise for George. ------------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Owen Reimer is based in Steinbach Manitoba, a small town in Manitoba. Like many communities, there is a shortage of housing and a shortage of new housing in particular. On today's show we are talking about how to maintain costs under control. To connect with Owen, visit https://www.stoneshorecapital.com/---------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Colton Pace is based in Austin Texas where he is the founder of OwnWell, a the largest company in the US by volume that specializes in lowering property tax bills. On today's show we are talking about the process of challenging property tax assessments. To connect with Colton, visit https://www.ownwell.com/------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
The Republican party is known for being conservative, fiscally conservative, socially conservative, religiously conservative, and so on. The latest salvo from the White House is to ban large institutional investors from gobbling up single family homes. Conservative values are based on free markets. The solution to the cost of housing is not to artificially reduce demand. Imagine for a moment that government stepped in to reduce the cost of a burger at McDonalds by barring people above a specific income level from buying a Big Mac. The assumption is that the price of housing or a Big Mac is based on supply and demand. By crushing demand, houses will become more affordable all of a sudden? The problem is that the input costs for a Big Mac have gone up and McDonalds is not going to sell burgers at a loss. The same is true in housing. Builders want to build affordable homes. But their input costs are preventing that from happening. --------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Every year in early January the global tech industry converges on Las Vegas for the annual Consumer Electronics Show. I've attended this conference religiously in the past, and less frequently now that my focus is on real estate rather than technology. This year, as with last year, the central theme to CES is AI. Virtually everything being showcased at CES is AI enabled in some way. On yesterday's show we talked about some announcements at the show that pertain to the construction side of real estate investing. On today's show we are talking about some of the innovations in the Smart Buildings arena. To be clear, many of the products present at this year's show didn't wait for a trade show to be announced or deployed in the market. In fact, our team has been designing and deploying AI enabled security cameras for several months. This includes facial recognition for building entry systems. A lot of building management systems are using AI to predict weather, energy pricing, and usage patterns to reduce energy consumption and save on utilities. ------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Every year in early January the global tech industry converges on Las Vegas for the annual Consumer Electronics Show. I've attended this conference religiously in the past, and less frequently now that my focus is on real estate rather than technology. This year, as with last year, the central theme to CES is AI. Virtually everything being showcased at CES is AI enabled in some way. There are also some clear differences and advances compared with last year. We're going to be doing mini series on the podcast looking at some of the biggest advances and what will be the impact on real estate investing.CES this year, particularly from the major heavy equipment manufacturers, made significant announcements focused on embedding AI and autonomy directly into construction equipment and the entire job site workflow. The theme has shifted from "automation is coming" to "AI is the new operating system for construction."--------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
This is the first in a regular monthly feature on the podcast where we choose a particular architectural award winning project and see why it was award winning. What made it stand out? On today's show we are looking at an adaptive re-use project in Basel Switzerland which converted a wine storage warehouse into apartments. Here is a PHOTO of the project. --------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
On today's show we are looking at a new security threat that all property owners need to have on their radar. Ten years ago, a drone was a hobbyist toy. Today, a consumer quadcopter is a stabilized, GPS-enabled camera platform with live video, automated flight modes, and enough payload to carry small objects. That combination has created a new category of criminal capability: low-cost airborne access to your roofline, your yard, your loading dock, and your operational routines.The security mistake I see most often is treating drones like a novelty. They are not. For business owners and security professionals, the right mental shift is simple: treat low altitude airspace around your property as part of your perimeter, just like fences, gates, and door controls.--------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Recorded live in Tulum Mexico at our Build to Scale Mastermind. This annual retreat is where we bring together great people and focus on the systems and processes to scale your business. Today's show is the second in a two part segment on goal setting for 2026. --------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Today's show is the first in a 2-part series on goal setting, recorded at our annual Build To Scale Mastermind retreat in Tulum Mexico. ------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
On today's show we are looking at something that appears to be news, if you strictly follow the headlines. But if you're following the industry, you will recognize that the media are reporting news that quite frankly is several years old. The issue is the condo market. The problem is that the condo model is flawed, at least in its current incarnation.Any condo developer needs to achieve somewhere between 60-80% pre-sale of units in order to qualify for their construction financing, the pre-sales process is full of uncertainty. New condos are just not selling. The way developers in the past have got a jump on the sales process is to sell somewhere between 20-30% of the units to investors. That means designing units that are very small and will generate the most rent per square foot. Developers have also frequently relied upon the so-called friends and family contingent of buyers. These are sometimes subcontractors to the project who will commit to buy a few units, knowing that they will likely never take occupancy. These units will be sold after completion, or perhaps some of these contracts will be assigned prior to finalizing the condo registration.Even with that, many of these units are more expensive to purchase than existing units in the market. Even units that were delivered 5 or 10 years ago are experiencing negative cash flow at today's interest rates. So that eliminates 20-30% of the buyers right off the top. It's now almost mathematically impossible to achieve the pre-sales targets without the investor component.There are hundreds of incomplete condo projects across the US and Canada that are stalled and in danger of going back to the lender. -------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Happy New Year and Happy first of the month. On the first day of each month we review the book of the month. In order to be considered for book of the month a book needs to meet a simple criteria. It needs to be impactful enough that it might change your life or your perspective on the world. I would put this month's book into the category of philosophy. It is a thought provoking read called “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind”, by Yuval Noah Harari. The book has sold more than 25M copies since it was first published in 2011. His works have been translated into 65 different languages.The central thesis of the book is that Homo sapiens dominate the world because we are the only species capable of cooperating flexibly in large numbers, a feat we achieve by believing in "shared myths" —things like money, gods, nations, and human rights that exist only in our collective imagination.-----------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
On today's show we are looking forward to 2026. I'm going to make some predictions for the coming year. ------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
On today's show we are talking about the narratives that impact market movement. Throughout history there have been two truths:What happenedThe story about what happened.It's that narrative that can powerfully influence the perception of what happened and the way investors view the market. I'm going to use silver as an example. But the process applies to real estate, indeed to any investment vehicle. -----------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
On today's show we are talking about one of the greatest threats to real estate, and it doesn't come from real estate, or even have anything to do with real estate. The word bubble has been making headlines lately with an increasing number of pundits calling the level of investment in AI a bubble. Last week we talked about three styles of investing: fundamentals, momentum and arbitrage. On today's show we are talking about the level to which a bubble has been created, and the discussion is centering around which pin is going to pop the balloon. The emphasis on the pin is misplaced in my view. When you are in a bubble, it feels good. I know. I experienced it in the dot com bubble. My company went public in February of 1999. Much of 1998 was spent in the preparation for the public offering. There were some really good technology companies that lost most of their valuation in the wake of the dot com bubble bursting. Amazon lost 90% of its value. Nvidia lost 85% of its value. Intel lost 80% of its value and Microsoft lost 58% of its value. 1/3 of the value of the S&P 500 is based on just 7 technology companies. If the market wakes up one day and realizes that these companies are over-valued, there will certainly be a correction. If the value of those 7 companies were to be similarly cut down as the dot com related stocks were in the year 2000, what would be the impact on the overall stock market? Let's do a simple thought experiment. Let's say that these 7 stocks lose 80% of their value and that none of the other 493 companies in the S&P500 lose any value. If we see that happen, then the S&P500 would effectively lose 27.2% of its value. ------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
On today's we are looking at the Year in Review. We are going to look at Six Themes That Defined Commercial Real Estate in 2025.2025 was not an easy year in commercial real estate, but it was an important one. It was a year that forced clarity. If there was one central theme that defined the global economy in 2025 it was the word uncertainty. This was artificially and intentionally created by the White House and it permeated virtually all aspects of the economy. Commercial real estate was similarly affected. From one day to the next we didn't know if a sector of the economy was going to be impacted by tariffs. We didn't know if critical materials that are needed for construction or maintenance would be available, and at what price? ------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Michael Matthew is a CPA based in Toronto Canada specializing in international tax for real estate investors. He has both Canadian and US clients. On today's show we are talking about some of the distinct differences between the Canadian and US Tax code. To connect with Michael, email michael@askmichael.ca.--------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
On today's show we are talking about what I consider to be the number one risk in any construction project. This is one of those activities that forms part of the substrate of the project, but in a customer visible sense adds zero value to the project. It's necessary, but unwelcome. Furthermore, it's the number one area where subcontractors notoriously overcharge their clients. I'm talking about excavation, site preparation, backfill and grading. All of this falls into the category of dirt work.At the core of this work is a high quality geotechnical survey. The geotech tells you the condition of the soils beneath the surface. Some conditions might be suitable for construction, and others not. --------------*Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
When people talk about investing, they often speak as if there is a single correct approach. In reality, there are multiple styles of investing, each rooted in a different view of markets, human behavior, and risk. Confusion arises when investors mix these approaches without realizing they are playing different games. Three of the most common styles are value investing, momentum investing, and arbitrage. All three can work. All three can fail. And most importantly, all three require very different skills, temperaments, and operating environments. Understanding the differences is not academic. It determines whether you are acting intentionally or gambling unknowingly.----------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
When investors look at silver's performance over the past two years, it's tempting to focus on the headline numbers. Silver is up significantly. In percentage terms, it has outperformed gold, platinum, copper, equities, and bonds over much of that period. That fact alone has drawn attention. It's up 180% over the past 24 months. But as with any asset, the more important question is not what went up, but why, and whether those forces are durable.------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
On August 7, 2025, the Supreme Court of British Columbia delivered a decision that has captured international attention across Canada and indeed any country that has its legal system based on British Common Law.The Supreme Court ruled that 750 acres which now form part of the urban center of a Vancouver suburb have aboriginal land rights which precede the current system of land registration. They ruled that the title must be shared, but didn't say how. ----------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
On today's show we are looking at ways to optimize revenue for parking assets. Parking lots are often dismissed as low-yield, interim uses of land. In reality, a well-positioned parking asset is not a commodity, it is an operating business with multiple revenue levers. Most underperforming parking lots suffer from one problem, they are treated as passive dirt rather than an actively managed service.------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Spencer Patton is based in Atlanta where he is part of Calgary headquartered ICM Asset Management. On today's show we are talking about managing uncertainty. Spencer's company is actively invested in office, residential and industrial in both the US and Canada. To connect with Spencer, visit https://www.icmassetmanagement.com/------------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Jim Whitesides is based in St. Louis Missouri. On today's show we are talking about the use of a captive insurance company to save a bundle on insurance and to lower your tax exposure. This is an extremely informative conversation. To connect with Jim, visit sound-tract.com or call him directly at 314-363-9659 .--------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
On today's show we are talking about the design of an ideal one bedroom apartment. Architects can lead a project down a dead end path. If left to their own devices, architects can design what they think the market wants, but it's only from a perspective. The design process needs to be constrained to fit the needs of the market from a product definition point of view. It usually starts with design thinking about what the market demands with a knowledge of the competition and what the competition is building. At the same time the project needs to meet the cost, lifestyle, function, zoning, building code, and affordability in the market. Finally, the product has to meet the constructibility criteria for the local trades in the market. You might have an idea to build apartments that have plenty of space. In a competitive market, you don't want to build the exact same thing as everyone else. --------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
We are accustomed to the idea of growth. We love it when the wind is at our back and progress is effortless. We have experienced a lifetime of growth. If a growing market is an underlying assumption, then most people are unaware that they are operating with the assumption of growth. Growth becomes a law of nature, a little like gravity. What would change in your strategy if you needed to win in a shrinking market? Canada experienced the first major drop in population this past quarter. Outside of a slight drop during the height of the pandemic, this quarter is the first time that Canada's population has declined in at least the past eight decades. The trend is not limited to Canada. The US administration has set much more stringent immigration policies over the past year. The policies continue to evolve with citizens from a total of 39 countries now barred from entering the US, even as visitors. This is largely a reaction to the near open-doors policy of the previous administration. The US and Canada are not a strangers to shrinking population. Internal migration has caused population to shrink. The gains in the sunbelt have been at the expense of loss in the rust belt. Detroit has lost more than 50% of its population since the 1970's. Cleveland has lost 60% of its population since the 1950's. Immigration is the pathway to maintaining population and to maintaining economic growth. I'm hopeful that these reductions are a short term reaction to periods of excessive growth and that both countries the US and Canada return to a more normalized immigration policy that recognizes the significant necessity and long term benefit that comes from a functioning immigration policy. -----------Real Estate Espresso Podcast: Spotify: The Real Estate Espresso Podcast Website: www.victorjm.com LinkedIn: Victor Menasce YouTube: The Real Estate Espresso Podcast Facebook: www.facebook.com/realestateespresso Email: podcast@victorjm.comY Street Capital: Website: www.ystreetcapital.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital Instagram: @ystreetcapital
On today's show we are going to do a walk-through of a property offering memorandum in Arizona. Let me be clear, I'm not here to disparage any property. I'm simply going to share our perspective of how we would look at the property. The property in question is a conversion of a 1960's vintage motel in Tempe Arizona. The original property had 140 motel rooms with a two story structure. The centre courtyard has amenities including a swimming pool. All of the parking is surface parking around the perimeter of the property. When we look at a property, we are looking at the submarket and the specifics of the deal. This particular property is located in an area that I would consider to be a lower income area.Apartments in these neighborhoods have been the subject of ICE raids resulting in deportations. If residents fear being discovered, they will often leave and the question becomes who will rent these apartments? This particular property is being advertised as newly renovated. But the truth is, the physical layout of the units means the bedrooms do not have windows. They are tucked at the back of the old motel room design. If they were built today, they would not pass the building code as a legal bedroom. The financial model that accompanied the glossy package showed some stellar returns. But unfortunately some of the financial metrics did not seem credible when viewed through our lens. There is no way in our opinion that a 70 year old motel converted to apartments would value at over $500 per SF in the open market. The sad part is that these types of listings are out there. I never want to see an investor lose money. I don't want to see a property fall into disrepair and become blight within the community. But things do get old. Once they're functionally obsolete, the right solution is to demolish and rebuild. Extending the life beyond the useful life is rarely the right answer. I've had to demolish properties in Philadelphia. It's sad when that happens.--------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
On today's show we are talking about the street level process for getting a property leased up. Marketing is all about generating interest. Sales is about generating revenue.We have an industrial outdoor storage project that was built in central Florida to meet the needs of contractors who have equipment and materials that need storage. These are businesses that have valuable equipment like excavators that you can't just park in your driveway. The HOA won't allow it. These contractors have trailers full of battery powered tools that need a secure place to charge overnight. Many landscaping companies purchase composite decking materials for each job because they don't have the space to store materials. They have to charge more, and they lose some bids because their prices are not competitive. If they purchased materials by the truckload, they could get a 15-20% discount on those materials. In the landscaping business that kind of discount can make the difference between getting the job or not. It can make the difference between a profitable season and a break-even season. Not every customer will want the colors you chose. But if you have a few standard colors that are widely popular, you can win more bids for the modest cost of renting additional outdoor storage space. This is a relationship-driven outreach, not a passive listing exercise. The contractors who will sign leases are often busy doing project work, not browsing general property sites. To lease to these clients you need to target where they are, speak their language, and make the transaction clear and simple.---------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
REGISTER HERE for the December 16 live demonstration of VictorAI. ------------On today's show we are talking about the myth of the housing crisis. But first, I'd like to invite you to a webinar next week on December 16 where I will be demonstrating the use of our new AI tool which we affectionately call VictorAI. This is our own custom language model which is built on top of ChatGPT. We trained VictorAI with the contents of the Real Estate Espresso podcast and my book Magnetic Capital. It's the difference between going to a family doctor versus going to a specialist. The specialist is always going to give you a more precise answer. Click on the link in the show notes and we will talk to you on December 16 at 2PM.--------------Yes, there is a problem with affordability in the US. But affordability is not limited to housing. It is broadly based. Inflation has impacted virtually all aspects of daily life. The problem is that the US dollar has been devalued and that incomes have not kept pace with the devaluation of the currency. The problem is not a result of greedy landlords jacking up the rent above what ordinary people can afford. When landlords price their properties above market, they experience extended vacancy. A vacant property is losing money and will ultimately result in bankruptcy for the landlord.The crisis of affordability is the result of inflation which has eroded the purchasing power of ordinary citizens across the board. It's reflected in record levels of student debt, crushing levels of consumer debt, falling levels of home ownership, rising levels of automotive debt, and it's affected the ability to afford basic groceries. The solution is not rent control, any more than price controls at the grocery store will improve the affordability of groceries. We have had a succession of governments on both sides of the political spectrum who have been using devaluation of the currency as a way to fund excess government spending.
On today's show I'm speaking with George Ross about negotiating when there is a power imbalance and when a completed negotiation gets re-opened. ----------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Brandon Cobb is based in Nashville, Tennessee where he specializes in land development. On today's show we are talking about navigating the curveballs that municipalities throw our way. To connect with Brandon and to learn more visit https://www.hbgcapital.net/, or if you want to learn more about land development, visit https://learnlanddevelopment.com/---------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
REGISTER HERE for the live VictorAI demonstration.On today's show we are talking about something that has happened in the macro economy that is not getting much attention. But first, I'd like to invite you to a live demonstration of our new custom language model which we are affectionately calling VictorAI. This is our own custom language model which is built on top of ChatGPT. We trained VictorAI with the contents of the Real Estate Espresso podcast and my book Magnetic Capital. It's the difference between going to a family doctor versus going to a specialist. The specialist is always going to give you a more precise answer. Click on the link in the show notes and we will talk to you on December 16. On today's show we are talking about something that has happened in the macro economy that is not getting much attention. You have probably noticed that prices at the gasoline pump have been falling. That is usually welcome news for consumers. Politicians will probably be quick to take credit for this. Prices in the oil futures market are set by a combination of supply and demand. The futures price for crude oil is what gets the most attention. Today the WTI intermediate price for January delivery is $57.44 per barrel compared with $72 at the start of this year. Whenever something happens you have ask yourself whether you are looking at the cause or the effect. Falling prices at the pump are effect and not cause. The cause is further upstream in the economy. Falling gasoline consumption reflects falling demand which reflects economic weakness. You're not going to get any politician to come out an use the word recession. That's going to guarantee a loss during the midterm elections which are now only a year away. Instead, they will trumpet a victory of lower gasoline prices at the pump which are helping ordinary households. The American consumer has suffered very real loss of purchasing power since the pandemic. Most of this has been the result of the handling of the pandemic and the government response to the pandemic. Labor shortages in the wake of the pandemic did not translate into greater purchasing power for the average consumer. -------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
On today's show we are taking a look at the latest market report from data analytics firm ALN. This report is hot off the press this week and shows an continuation of an over-heated apartment market across much of the US. Here are the individual market stats across the US. http://public.alndata.com/newsletters/2025/December/aln/marketstats.pdfWhen you look at the individual market numbers, I'm left with a pit in the bottom of my stomach.------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Register for the VictorAI Demonstration WebinarI'd like to invite you to a webinar next week on December 16 where I will be demonstrating the use of our new AI tool which we affectionately call VictorAI. This is our own custom language model which is built on top of ChatGPT. We trained VictorAI with the contents of the Real Estate Espresso podcast and my book Magnetic Capital. It's the difference between going to a family doctor versus going to a specialist. The specialist is always going to give you a more precise answer. Click on the link in the show notes and we will talk to you on December 16. at 2PM EST.On today's show we are talking about what is happening at the Federal Reserve and I'm going to share some perspectives that are different from what you might be hearing in the mainstream media. ---------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
Register for the Victor AI Demonstration Webinar December 16-------------On today's show we are talking about real life network security and the importance of cyber security in today's connected world. But first, I'd like to invite you to a webinar next week on December 16 where I will be demonstrating the use of our new AI tool which we affectionately call VictorAI. This is our own custom language model which is built on top of ChatGPT. We trained VictorAI with the contents of the Real Estate Espresso podcast and my book Magnetic Capital. It's the difference between going to a family doctor versus going to a specialist. The specialist is always going to give you a more precise answer. Click on the link in the show notes and we will talk to you on December 16. This past week we commissioned a brand new network for a new apartment complex. The devices on the network were all installed in the early morning of Friday December 5. At that time, security protocols were implemented that were designed to keep hackers at bay. As part of that configuration we disallowed certain types of network traffic that represent risk to the integrity of the network and the devices on the network. No sooner than the new network had been commissioned when our network filters detected attempts at the banned network traffic. The destination of these packets was on a network based in China. ------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
In recent weeks, a number of macro indicators and market signals have begun flashing warning signs for the U.S. economy. While nothing yet screams “crash,” the collective pattern suggests slowing momentum — enough that many investors and central-bank watchers expect a forthcoming policy shift.--------------
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