Data Driven Real Estate

Mike Cantu is undoubtedly one of Southern California’s best-known real estate investors. He’s been a full-time real estate investor and real estate entrepreneur for over 35 years. Mike runs a buy/sell business as well as managing a portfolio of rental houses out of Southern California. He’s the author of Don’t Get Voted Off Real Estate Island and Rental Properties and Management From A to Z. Prior to real estate, Mike was a professional skateboarder on the Pepsi Skateboard team from 16 to 21 years old. This week, we talk about Mike's continued love of real estate, his favorite deal sources, managing his rental portfolios, how the market has changed, and strategies he's using in 2021 to buy deals in his back yard.
Get your questions answered on the upcoming show by posting your questions in our community: https://bit.ly/ddre-31
00:00​ The Data Driven Real Estate Podcast Welcomes Mike Cantu, California real estate investor
00:06​ Why Mike still loves the game of real estate
03:29​ The important difference between investing in houses vs. homes
06:37​ How to find real estate deals in 2021
12:13​ Real estate flipping, wholesaling, and rentals. What's the mix?
14:27​ Wholesaling and creating a buyers list
19:03​ Understanding the tax ramifications when you flip and hold
21:26​ Why Mike still buys real estate. Appreciation, depreciation, or both?
24:45​ What is the average length of stay for tenants?
27:00​ How has Mike's landlord style impacted his rental portfolio during COVID?
32:06​ How Mike acquired his first rentals?
32:47​ What is subject to investing?
36:16​ Single-family homes or multifamily property investing?
38:43​ How has marketing mix changed over the past decade to get real estate deals? Direct mail still work?
44:29​ Are creative financing deals possible these days?
48:49​ Advice for new real estate investors
51:52​ People problems vs property problems

Retrofit1 is a California design and build construction firm specializing in soft-story retrofitting and commercial accessory dwelling units. California ordinances are currently targeting specific residential and commercial properties with structural designs that don’t do well in earthquakes. ADUs are all the rage for residential properties, but most don’t know the state allows commercial owners to add additional units on-site as well. Stack the ADU strategy with retrofitting and you've got a very interesting opportunity at play. This week, we are joined by David Tashroudian and Helen Fower with Retrofit1 to better understand the opportunity, what California law outlines in the rules about commercial and multifamily ADUs, and ways to find them in your local market.
Get your questions answered on the upcoming show by posting your questions in our community: https://bit.ly/ddre-38​
00:00​ The Data Driven Real Estate Podcast Welcomes Helen Fower and David Tashroudian of Retrofit1
01:09​ Commercial and multifamily accessory dwelling units?
02:54​ What is commercial retrofitting?
08:05​ What is an accessory dwelling unit?
09:28​ What does the California ADU ordinance say about ADUs for commercial and multifamily properties?
13:43​ What building type is uniquely suited for ADUs?
18:10​ Case study of the C-shaped soft-story apartment with tuck-under parking replaced with two new ADU units
21:00​ Is the soft story ordinance local or statewide?
24:22​ Earthquake brace and bolt program
27:38​ If a building is currently under rent control, will a newly build ADU also be rent-controlled or at market rates?
29:37​ Any insights on builder codes for commercial spaces?
33:53​ What's the minimum square footage of an efficiency unit?
38:11​ Can manufactured housing and tiny homes work as ADUs?
40:21​ How does Retrofit1 connect with their ideal client?
43:51​ Tips on dealing with the tenants before they begin with the construction on ADUs
52:05​ How to get in contact with Retrofit1

Spencer Rascoff is a serial entrepreneur and company leader who is now the chair and co founder of Pacaso, dot.LA, and Supernova. He also is co-founder and general partner of 75 & Sunny, a VC firm that focuses on early stage startups and he also serves on the board for Palantir. But most of us watching or listening to this show know Spencer from Zillow, which he co-founded in 2006, and served as CEO for a decade.
00:00 The Data Driven Real Estate Podcast Welcomes Spencer Rascoff, Co-founder and former CEO of Zillow, Co-founder and Chairman of Pacaso, dot.la and Supernova, Co-founder and General Partner of 75 & Sunny and Board Member of Palantir
00:54 Briefly mentioning the state of DDRE
1:10 How did Spencer get involved in so many industries?
3:37 Spencer's wide breadth of investing and investing philosophy
8:55 What is Pacaso and how does it work?
20:00 Supernova, Offerpad, SPACs and iBuying
20:31 What excites Spencer about Offerpad?
31:00 Spencer's past, present and future with iBuying
34:00 Can Wall Street and property technology survive another downturn?
44:02 What data does Spencer wish he had and the future of real estate
49:45 Spencer's favorite software collaborators
51:53 What technologies could we see changing the state of real estate?
55:04 The current state of the DDRE Podcast and its future

Jeff Tumbarello is the Broker/Owner of Steelbridge Realty LLC. He’s a data-driven expert in Southwest Florida that has survived hurricanes, a foreclosure crisis, and seasonal extremes. Jeff Tumbarello has performed market metrics and product modeling for capital markets and several private equity firms. His specialty is land acquisitions and sales in Florida which has unique challenges. He is also the founder of the Southwest Florida Real Estate Investors Association. Marine veteran.
00:00​ The Data Driven Real Estate Podcast Welcomes Jeff Tumbarello of Steelbridge Realty LLC
03:15​ How Jeff got started in real estate
05:57​ What is a real estate investor association
10:15​ What does a typical land investment look like in Florida?
18:49​ Jeff talked about what happened to the market after hurricane Charlie and how investors survived
25:47​ Is land banking a key strategy?
27:11​ The return on investment when it comes to land
29:25​ What type of leads are targeted
31:06​ What are key channels for marketing to potential land sellers
38:18​ Why investors should blame or be worried about ibuyers or proptech
40:24​ What makes a perfect team for land acquisition and sales?
48:58​ What technologies are used to help Jeff's land acquisition and sales teams market and close deals
53:10​ Jeff's predictions about the red-hot housing market in Florida

Kristi Cirtwill moved from Toronto, Canada to Long Beach, California in 2007 to start a full-time rehab/re-sell business. Since 2008, she has purchased over 250 houses in Southern California, and her specialty is buying “hoarded houses”. Her current projects include a lot-split and build-out of four houses in Los Angeles, as well as building multiple Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). Kristi currently lives in Los Angeles, CA. She enjoys outdoor activities, playing her guitar, good food and wine, and visiting her family in Canada.
Get your questions answered on the upcoming show by posting your questions in our community: https://bit.ly/ddre-32​
00:00​ The Data Driven Real Estate Podcast Welcomes Kristi Cirtwill, President, Cirwill Investments
04:32​ What is an ADU? JADU?
05:54​ What's the difference between and ADU and JADU?
09:04​ What is a cramlord
09:38​ How to spot a spot a good property to build an ADU?
13:18​ How did Kristi get started with ADUs?
18:00​ How much does it cost to build and ADU? Stick build or manufactured?
26:14​ How to maximize livable space in ADUs?
30:07​ How do tenants on properties with ADUs handle mail?
32:06​ How are utilities managed on properties with ADUs?
33:44​ Horror story of lot split plus ADUs
42:34​ What is liquefaction? Mistakes that cost so much extra money when building ADUs.
46:51​ What is upzoning? Why is this such a huge opportunity for real estate investors?
49:12​ How are properties with ADUs appraised?
52:21​ Investing in hoarder homes