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The era of "extend and pretend" is winding down — and for borrowers staring at distressed multifamily and office loans, the next move could define the next decade of their portfolio. In this episode, Carson sits down with Shlomo Chopp, Managing Partner of CASE and one of the most respected voices in distressed commercial real estate, to break down exactly how borrowers can negotiate from a position of strength when the loan starts going sideways.

With over 20 years in the trenches and nearly $5 billion in CRE deals invested, structured, or advised on, Shlomo has seen every flavor of workout — from CMBS nightmares to family-office repositions. He's also the inventor behind four CRE-related patents and the retailOS™ platform, and has been named a "Top Retail Expert" by RETHINK RETAIL five years running. In other words: when Shlomo talks distressed debt, lenders, borrowers, and operators listen.

Inside this conversation, you'll learn:

• Why relationships only carry you so far — and what actually moves a lender to grant relief
• The single biggest mistake borrowers make with their cash before walking into a workout (and why it kills their leverage)
• How to "re-underwrite" your own asset like a new acquisition so you can have an honest conversation with the lender
• What lenders actually want (hint: it's almost never the keys to your building)
• The negotiation tactics that work in high-stakes restructures — and the ultimatums that blow deals up
• When to fix it at the property level vs. when it's time to bring the lender to the table
• The early warning signs that your business plan has shifted from a real plan to "hope"

Whether you own a single value-add deal or a portfolio of 70+ properties, this episode is a masterclass in protecting your equity, your guarantees, and your reputation when the market turns against you.

If you're an entrepreneur, investor, or operator in commercial real estate, this is the conversation you need to hear before you make your next call to your lender.

🎧 Tune in to Carson's Corner: Entrepreneurship & Investing — and don't forget to subscribe, rate, and share with someone navigating a tough deal right now.

Support the show

For property evaluations you can reach me at 615-212-5524

Or Carson@passive.investments

Connect with me:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carsonjones/

Other Episodes:

https://carsonscorner.media/

https://passive.investments/podcast/

https://www.youtube.com/@CarsonscornerCRE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. Always consult your attorney, CPA, or financial advisor before making any financial decisions. All investments and property ownership carry risk, including the potential loss of principal.

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Impact investing isn’t just about returns—it’s about changing lives while building real cash flow.

In this episode, Dave Seymour shares how he went from firefighter and paramedic to starring on Flipping Boston—and ultimately into one of the most compelling impact investment models in real estate today: sober living facilities.

Now 36 years sober, Dave is combining purpose and profit by acquiring multifamily properties and converting them into recovery housing—creating strong returns through a “rent-by-the-bed” model while building environments that genuinely change lives.

We break down:

• How impact investing can outperform traditional real estate
• The sober living model (and why it works financially)
• The role of the Dover Amendment in scaling
• How insurance-backed outpatient programs boost revenue
• Structuring deals targeting ~14% returns over 24 months

This isn’t theory—this is a model where mission and margins align.

Support the show

For property evaluations you can reach me at 615-212-5524

Or Carson@passive.investments

Connect with me:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carsonjones/

Other Episodes:

https://carsonscorner.media/

https://passive.investments/podcast/

https://www.youtube.com/@CarsonscornerCRE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. Always consult your attorney, CPA, or financial advisor before making any financial decisions. All investments and property ownership carry risk, including the potential loss of principal.

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

Justin's journey is anything but a straight line. He spent seven years as a corporate attorney during the early e-commerce and offshore manufacturing boom, then built a contract manufacturing and online brand business that surpassed $100 million in sales over five years. Today, he channels that legal precision and operational discipline into a laser-focused Midwest multifamily strategy — and investors are taking notice.

We dig into the nuts and bolts of Real Estate Alpha's playbook: targeting C-class apartment complexes along the I-75 corridor in Western Ohio, converting them to B and B+ assets, and doing it faster than nearly anyone else in the market. Justin's team underwrites roughly 1,200 deals per year to hand-select just two to four "home run" acquisitions — then executes with a fully vertically integrated operation that turns units in seven days or less (with a goal of 96 hours).

We also get into the preferred equity fund structure Justin built to give investors something rare: a fixed 12% annual return, 90-day liquidity after year one, a return-of-capital tax strategy that can defer taxes until year nine, and $31 million in existing portfolio equity serving as a protective buffer — with Justin putting in 50% of acquisition capital himself.

In this episode:

• Winning the Pitch Slam at Best Ever Conference 2026 — and the strategy behind it
• Why Justin's firm underwrites 1,200 deals a year to buy just 2–4
• The 7-day unit turn model and how standardization makes it work
• How his legal and e-commerce background shapes smarter deal structuring
• The preferred equity fund built around transparency, downside protection, and liquidity
• Why "nervousness is just a lack of preparation" — and how that mindset drives everything

Support the show

For property evaluations you can reach me at 615-212-5524

Or Carson@passive.investments

Connect with me:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carsonjones/

Other Episodes:

https://carsonscorner.media/

https://passive.investments/podcast/

https://www.youtube.com/@CarsonscornerCRE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. Always consult your attorney, CPA, or financial advisor before making any financial decisions. All investments and property ownership carry risk, including the potential loss of principal.

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What does it actually take to build a $2.7 billion real estate platform from scratch?

Joe is the co-founder of Ashcroft Capital, a firm managing roughly $2.7B in assets across 14,000 doors through large-scale multifamily investments. He's also the creator of the world's longest-running daily real estate investing podcast, co-author of the Best Ever Apartment Syndication Book, and founder of the Best Ever Conference — one of the largest real estate gatherings in the country.

But what stood out most wasn't the scale. It was the mindset.

Joe went from the youngest VP at a New York City ad agency to closing an $6M, 84-unit multifamily deal in Cincinnati — and never looked back. He built his platform the old-fashioned way: showing up every single day, doing what he said he'd do, and then a little extra.

In this episode we cover:

• How Joe transitioned from Madison Avenue to managing billions in real estate
• Why he committed to a daily podcast for 2,000 straight days — and what it built
• What actually separates successful operators from everyone else
• His current investment focus: Class A & B multifamily with a distress component
• Why integrity compounds just like capital

Support the show

For property evaluations you can reach me at 615-212-5524

Or Carson@passive.investments

Connect with me:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carsonjones/

Other Episodes:

https://carsonscorner.media/

https://passive.investments/podcast/

https://www.youtube.com/@CarsonscornerCRE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. Always consult your attorney, CPA, or financial advisor before making any financial decisions. All investments and property ownership carry risk, including the potential loss of principal.

Send us Fan Mail

Salvatore Buscemi, is the founder and managing partner of Brahmin Partners, a capital strategist operating at the highest levels of global finance. From SpaceX and Stripe to AI.io, and institutional commercial real estate, Sal doesn’t just analyze big deals — he’s often in the room where they happen.

Two of his portfolio companies have secured investment from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) — widely considered one of the most sophisticated institutional investors in the world.

Sal works directly with ultra-high-net-worth families and sovereign wealth capital, structuring private direct investments across technology, venture, and real estate.

Sal is also a three-time author, including the acclaimed book “Investing Legacy: How the .001% Invest,” which pulls back the curtain on how elite investors deploy capital. My personal favorite is “Calling the Capital — 20 Ways to Incorporate Urgency Into Your Capital Raise Without Sounding Desperate,” a tactical guide every serious capital raiser and commercial real estate professional should read.

In this conversation we dive into:

• How family offices actually invest — and why many avoid traditional funds
• What sovereign wealth investors look for before writing massive checks
• Why Sal refuses to invest with first-time operators
• The dangers of today’s overbuilt multifamily markets
• Why disciplined underwriting matters when cheap capital disappears
• How personal relationships and trust drive institutional capital decisions
• A real story of raising $1M in four days using creative investor psychology
• Why charisma and personal brand matter when raising capital
• Sal’s strategy for hosting exclusive investor mastermind events
• His outlook on geopolitics, oil markets, and global trade routes

Sal also shares insights from his own career journey — from Goldman Sachs to launching institutional funds and eventually managing capital directly for family offices.

If you’re raising capital, building relationships with family offices, or trying to understand how the top 0.001% of investors think, this episode is packed with practical insight.

Free Book Offer

Sal has generously offered listeners a free signed copy of his book:

“Investing Legacy: How the .001% Invest.”

To request a copy, email Sal directly:

📩 sal@brahminpartners.com

Support the show

For property evaluations you can reach me at 615-212-5524

Or Carson@passive.investments

Connect with me:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carsonjones/

Other Episodes:

https://carsonscorner.media/

https://passive.investments/podcast/

https://www.youtube.com/@CarsonscornerCRE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. Always consult your attorney, CPA, or financial advisor before making any financial decisions. All investments and property ownership carry risk, including the potential loss of principal.

Send us Fan Mail

Carson’s Corner with Logan D. Freeman — Managing Broker at Midwest CRE Advisors, former NFL athlete, and a leader who brings a rare level of discipline and clarity to commercial real estate.

This conversation goes far beyond brokerage and deal-making. It’s about leadership. It’s about showing up for your family, your team, and your clients — especially when the pressure is on.

Logan’s message is simple but powerful:

Resilience in real estate isn’t just about surviving market cycles — it’s about integrity, self-mastery, and clarity under pressure.

Drawing from his football career, Logan explains how real estate mirrors the field:

-It requires consistency.

-It demands you perform under pressure.

-And sometimes you have to play through pain.

We dive into:

-Why habit-building is the single most important skill in his success

-Protecting “sacred mornings” (training, hydration, reading, journaling)

-Using “collision windows” — small, intentional blocks of time to attack hard things like tough conversations and sales calls

-Managing energy, psychology, and systems — not just your calendar

-Delegating “the noise” to stay focused on what actually moves the needle

If you want to understand what separates dealmakers from deal-chasers, this episode is for you.

Support the show

For property evaluations you can reach me at 615-212-5524

Or Carson@passive.investments

Connect with me:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carsonjones/

Other Episodes:

https://carsonscorner.media/

https://passive.investments/podcast/

https://www.youtube.com/@CarsonscornerCRE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. Always consult your attorney, CPA, or financial advisor before making any financial decisions. All investments and property ownership carry risk, including the potential loss of principal.

Send us Fan Mail

Eddie Austin BEX is a serial entrepreneur, Author, and CEO behind JE Capital Investments! We covered allot in this episode.

Eddie isn’t just a leader in commercial real estate — he’s building and scaling businesses that generate strong revenue and has a unique perspective on acquiring, growing, and integrating companies for long-term success.

In this episode, we go deep into:

🚀 Business acquisitions — why they matter, how to evaluate them, and what differentiates a good deal from a great one.

📈 Eddie’s framework for building businesses that scale and deliver impact beyond real estate.

🏢 How real estate investments and business operations intersect — and why entrepreneurs should care about both.

💡 His journey from welder to leading diversified ventures generating major returns.

If you’re curious about strategic acquisitions, building lasting enterprises, and navigating investment opportunities with purpose and profit, this one’s for you.

Support the show

For property evaluations you can reach me at 615-212-5524

Or Carson@passive.investments

Connect with me:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carsonjones/

Other Episodes:

https://carsonscorner.media/

https://passive.investments/podcast/

https://www.youtube.com/@CarsonscornerCRE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. Always consult your attorney, CPA, or financial advisor before making any financial decisions. All investments and property ownership carry risk, including the potential loss of principal.

Send us Fan Mail

Nkem Ezeamama, MD journey is a masterclass in intentional growth, disciplined investing, and designing a life beyond the W-2. Freedom isn’t accidental. It’s engineered. 🔥

We dive into her latest multifamily deal and break down what she’s seeing in today’s market — from underwriting realities and capital raising to risk management and execution.

Dr. Nkem shares how she transitioned from the emergency department to building a real estate investment firm focused on helping high-achieving professionals create passive income and long-term wealth.

In this episode, we cover:

• Her newest multifamily acquisition and how the deal came together
• How busy professionals can invest passively the right way
• Risk, red flags, and what LPs should be paying attention to right now
• Building wealth without sacrificing purpose

If you’re a physician, entrepreneur, or professional looking to reclaim your time while building real assets, this conversation is for you. https://phcinvest.com

Support the show

For property evaluations you can reach me at 615-212-5524

Or Carson@passive.investments

Connect with me:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carsonjones/

Other Episodes:

https://carsonscorner.media/

https://passive.investments/podcast/

https://www.youtube.com/@CarsonscornerCRE

Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered professional advice. Always consult your attorney, CPA, or financial advisor before making any financial decisions. All investments and property ownership carry risk, including the potential loss of principal.