Real Estate Espresso

Today we’re talking about the immediate impact of price escalation on construction projects. Not next quarter. Not next year. Right now.In the past few weeks, we’ve seen a growing list of U.S. building-product manufacturers announce price increases across roofing, insulation, siding, waterproofing, gypsum, and steel-related accessory products. This is not a theoretical inflation story. It’s not an abstract discussion about commodity markets. It’s a boots-on-the-ground problem for anyone with a project in design, in permitting, in tender, or under 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 Podca

Today’s show is sponsored by The Cost Segregation Guys. If you own investment real estate and haven’t looked seriously at cost segregation, you could be leaving significant tax savings on the table. The Cost Segregation Guys help investors accelerate depreciation, improve near-term cash flow, and make more efficient use of capital, all without changing the underlying asset. In a business where preserving cash matters, that’s worth paying attention to. If you’re interested in learning more, click on the link in the show notes and you’ll be able to connect with them directly, and qualify for a discount because you came from the show.  https://costsegregationguys.com/estateespressopodcast/------------Today we’re talking about leasing strategy for new buildings in a market that is over-supplied.This is a topic that matters a great deal right now, because in many markets, especially where there’s been a wave of new Class A deliveries, the challenge is no longer simply getting the building built. The challenge is g

Today we’re asking a question that sounds simple, but it is actually the wrong question. People ask, how many data centers will be required over the next decade? The research says the better question is, how much compute, power, cooling, and land will be required? Because one 15 megawatt enterprise facility is not the same thing as one 100 megawatt AI campus. Counting buildings without counting power is like counting apartment buildings without counting units. It does not tell you what you need to know. ------------**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

Chad Zdenek is based in Southlake Texas where he is working with PassiveInvesting.com. On today's show we are talking about pivoting during periods of difficult market conditions. To connect with Chad, visit https://www.passiveinvesting.com/Chad also has an engineering background in space and aviation. He was the host of the show "Inside Mighty Machines" on the Smithsonian Channel. You can check out some of his trailers at https://www.youtube.com/@chadzdenek5252/videos----------**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/real

Max Hansen is a lawyer and Managing Director at Accruit. He is an industry veteran when it comes to sheltering tax using Section 1031 and Delaware Statutory Trusts. On today's show we are talking about the family farmers and ranchers that are going to be divesting in the coming decade and how to create income passive streams for them while preventing a huge tax bite at retirement. Max can be reached at Accruit at 800-237-1031 or his direct line at 406-660-4206. Accruit at a lot of resources and more contact options at accruit.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

Today’s show is sponsored by The Cost Segregation Guys. If you own investment real estate and haven’t looked seriously at cost segregation, you could be leaving significant tax savings on the table. The Cost Segregation Guys help investors accelerate depreciation, improve near-term cash flow, and make more efficient use of capital, all without changing the underlying asset. In a business where preserving cash matters, that’s worth paying attention to. If you’re interested in learning more, click on the link in the show notes and you’ll be able to connect with them directly, and qualify for a discount because you came from the show.  https://costsegregationguys.com/estateespressopodcast/------------Today we’re talking about autonomous taxis, also called robo taxis, and how they’re going to revolutionize real estate.When people think about autonomous vehicles, they usually think about transportation. They think about convenience, safety, maybe labor disruption. Think about all of those folks driving for Uber wh

Today I want to talk about a very practical use of artificial intelligence, from a real world use case. I’m talking about using a well-written AI prompt to eliminate unnecessary engineering cost by finding existing tested assemblies that already solve the problem.This came up recently in the context of a wood framed floor assembly. The plans examiner at the city rejected the proposed assembly as not meeting the code. Now when that happens, you generally have two ways forward.The first is to use a prescribed assembly, something that is already recognized, already tested, already accepted.The second is to have an engineer design the assembly and stamp it.That second path is often perfectly valid, but it can also cost thousands of dollars. Sometimes many thousands. And if the assembly you want already exists in tested form somewhere in the world, then paying to reinvent it is not adding value. It’s just adding cost and time. If a published result exists, an AI tool can often find it in ways that a conventional s

Our sponsor is The Cost Segregation Guys. If you own investment real estate and haven’t looked seriously at cost segregation, you could be leaving significant tax savings on the table. The Cost Segregation Guys help investors accelerate depreciation, improve near-term cash flow, and make more efficient use of capital, all without changing the underlying asset. In a business where preserving cash matters, that’s worth paying attention to. If you’re interested in learning more, click on the link above and you’ll be able to connect with them directly. -----------Today we’re talking about an issue that at first glance sounds like an energy story, or maybe an airline story, but it is also very much a real estate story. There is a pause in the fighting in Iran. But significant damage to energy markets has already been done. The disruption in the Strait of Hormuz is now working its way through the travel economy. Airlines are facing sharply higher jet fuel costs. Some carriers have already warned that if fuel supply

Today I want to talk about artificial intelligence, not from the standpoint of hype, but from the standpoint of using it in your real business.There’s no question AI is powerful. It can summarize documents, draft communications, analyze markets, answer customer questions, and automate tasks that used to consume hours of staff time. But there’s a dangerous mistake I see many businesses making right now. They are trying to use AI to paper over broken processes and disorganized data.That is not a technology strategy. That is an accident waiting to happen.Most companies, including many of the major AI companies, are focused on the visible layer. They’re focused on the prompt, the chatbot, the agent, the interface, the demo. What they are often ignoring is the underlying organization of the data itself.--------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http

If you want to save a ton in taxes, visit The Cost Segregations Guys and learn how cost segregation can improve your tax situation.--------------On today’s show, we’re talking about weakness in the labor market, and why the headline unemployment rate is telling a much more optimistic story than what many people are feeling on the ground. Moreover, the surge in energy prices is causing some people to sound the inflation alarm bell which has led to a surge in yields on Treasuries. But this is not telling the whole story and frankly I believe we will see a reversal in interest rates soon. Yes, the Fed has signalled that they intend to keep rates unchanged at the next meeting. But the Fed doesn’t set market rates. ------------**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:

John Casmon is based in Cincinnati where he invests in multi-family apartments. On today's show we are talking about how their investment thesis has shifted to meet market conditions. To connect with John, visit https://casmoncapital.com/, check out their podcast at Multifamily Insights on all of the major podcast platforms. Also download their 7 Questions Guide for investing in multi-family apartments. ------------**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: [podc

Jared Jones is based in Riverside California where he leads Middle Housing Partners. On today's how we are talking about how the zoning rules have changed and what is working in today's environment. To connect with Jared, visit https://middlehousingpartners.com/ or connect with him on LinkedIn. ---------------**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](

On today’s show, we’re talking about a real estate thesis that I believe deserves a lot more attention, and that is investing within a radius of major healthcare institutions.When I say healthcare institutions, I’m talking about hospitals, regional medical centers, specialty clinics, research hospitals, cancer treatment centers, rehabilitation campuses, and large outpatient networks. These are not simply buildings where doctors work. They are economic engines. They create employment, they attract patients, they generate supporting businesses, and they create demand for housing.Now, as real estate investors, we need to remember a very simple principle. People need a place to live close to where they work. Employment and housing demand are directly connected. If you can identify sectors of the economy that are growing, resilient, and difficult to automate, and then match your real estate strategy to those sectors, you’ve got the foundation for a very solid investment thesis.------------**Real Estate Espresso Po

On March 25, 2026, the Senate Budget Committee held a hearing called, “Social Security: A Discussion on the Facts and the Path Forward.”According to the testimony presented to the committee, the combined Social Security trust funds are projected to be depleted in 2034, and the retirement fund itself is projected to be depleted in 2033. At that point, absent changes in law, scheduled benefits would face an automatic reduction.That's 7 to 8 years away. Everyone in that room understands the math. It's is not a mystery. This is not an ideological debate about whether arithmetic is real. The testimony was very direct. Lawmakers will need to increase program income by about one-third, lower scheduled benefits by about one-fourth, or adopt some combination of the two. Those are not my numbers. Those are the numbers presented in the hearing.So why is the largest budget line item in government spending getting almost zero news coverage? In the meantime, the news is covering how the B52 is still flying. -------

We have a new sponsor on the show. The Cost Segregation Guys are the leading service provider in the US and they have helped tens of thousands of owners improve the tax efficiency of their assets. To learn more, visit The Cost Segregation Guys.------------The EOS Life by Gino Wickman asks a simple question: What would your life look like if your business actually served your life, instead of consuming it? Wickman frames that ideal around five conditions:doing what you love, with people you love, making a huge difference, being compensated appropriately, and having time for other passions. That is the central promise of the book. --------------**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://

On today’s show, we’re talking about the flurry of new capabilities being released in Claude, and more specifically, how these new tools can take real work off your plate as a real estate investor.There’s a big difference between a technology that is interesting and a technology that is useful. For a long time, artificial intelligence sat in that interesting category. It could summarize an article, write a paragraph, maybe help brainstorm a marketing idea. But that’s not where the real leverage is. The real leverage comes when the technology stops being a novelty and starts removing actual labor from your 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/

Today we’re talking about the deflationary impact of an oil shock.Now that might sound counterintuitive at first. After all, if oil prices spike, and if shortages appear in oil, aluminum, fertilizer, natural gas, and other key industrial inputs, most people’s first instinct is to call that inflationary. And at the consumer level, it certainly feels inflationary. You see it at the pump. You see it in groceries. You see it in utility bills. You see it in transportation and construction costs.But that’s only the first-order effect.The deeper question is this: what does a commodity shock do to the broader economy?History gives us a fairly consistent answer. Oil shocks are not ultimately expansionary. They are contractionary. They are not the fuel for growth. They are the tax that crushes growth. In the 1970’s we called it stagflation. -------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The R

Chris Seveney is based in Northern Virginia. He invests in distressed residential debt across the US. But not everywhere. There are some jurisdictions that heavily favor the borrower and make it difficult for a lender to protect their rights. To connect with Chris, visit 7einvestments.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.ystreet

Shane Pogue is based in Dallas Texas where he uses his investigative skills to help investors with due diligence. To connect with Shane, he can be found on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/shane-pogue-6b900a11a/

Today is another AMA episode, (Ask Me Anything). Our question comes from Tracy in Washington State who writes:I’m working on a 144-unit apartment project in an older jurisdiction where the city is charging about $7,000 per unit for water and sewer—so roughly a $1M fee. At the same time, we’re bringing the main to the site, installing all laterals, and handling all on-site infrastructure.Based on public records, the sewer system is operating at around 50% capacity, and the fees from this one project would represent a large portion of their annual water improvement budget. So it’s hard to see how the fee is tied to actual impact versus funding broader system upgrades.On top of that, they’re requiring roughly 1,000 SF of open space per unit plus additional private open space. This equates out to over 3A on a 6A site, obviously this significantly impacts density and overall feasibility.I have built in 5 different jurisdictions near by and they all have different requirements compared to this project. but similar