Real Estate Junkies: Coast 2 Coast
Join Rick Abiatti and Russell Ham as they share their incredible journey from meeting almost five years ago to becoming successful real estate entrepreneurs. Despite having no prior real estate experience, Rick and Russell decided to start a business, which revolutionized their lives. Moving from systems engineer/program manager and teaching careers, they found passion and freedom in creative financial real estate. Rick and Russell focus on the 3 pillars to being a successful entrepreneur and the 4 Game Plans (Lease Purchase, Owner Finance, Subject To, & Executive Lease Purchase, which launched their business to a point where they were able to leave their W2 jobs.
Episodes
In this episode of Real Estate Junkies: Coast to Coast, Rusty Ham and Rick Abbiati get raw and real about the ups and downs of creative real estate investing. From mindset struggles before the first deal to navigating sub-to hybrid deals gone sideways, they unpack what it really takes to build a sustainable real estate business.
👉 Rusty shares how one tenant-buyer dropped $100k down—then stopped paying
👉 Rick re...
On this episode of Real Estate Junkies: Coast to Coast, Rusty and Rick discuss the three pillars of real estate success, focusing on how mindset, skill set, and systems all contribute. They also share tips on classifying buyers and earning more money, plus discuss contract optimization. Click subscribe and join us weekly as we help you build a business that supports the life you want to live.
Are you losing r...
On this episode of Real Estate Junkies: Coast to Coast, dive into the world of creative property solutions and real estate investing. They explore how to provide tangible value to tenant buyers and the importance of a solid money mindset. Get ready to take action and explore property solutions!
Rusty and Rick share actionable examples from their own transitions out of W-2 jobs, plus real stories from associat...
What does it really take to break free from the W-2 grind?
In this inspiring episode of Real Estate Junkies: Coast to Coast, hosts Russell Ham and Steve take a deep dive with special guest Judy Richards, a former pharmaceutical professional who used grit, mindset, and the Smart Real Estate Coach community to close a $175K owner-financing deal — after 13 months of persistence.
You’ll hear Judy’s full journey:
- Why she ...
In this episode of Real Estate Junkies: Coast to Coast, Rusty Ham and Rick Abbiati dive deep into the importance of key performance indicators (KPIs) in creative real estate—and how they’re more than just numbers on a spreadsheet. From Southern California to New Hampshire, the duo shares real-world insights on how tracking dials, leads, and appointments ties directly to mindset, motivation, and ultimately, success.
Rus...
What separates struggling investors from the ones who crush creative real estate?
In this episode of Real Estate Junkies: Coast to Coast, Rusty Ham and Rick Abbiati reveal the 9 traits that drive consistent success for investors using creative financing—whether you're doing sub-to, lease purchase, or owner financing deals.
🎯 You’ll Learn:
Why "showing up" is more powerful tha...
In this episode of Real Estate Junkies: Coast to Coast, Rusty Ham and Rick Abbiati go deep on one of the most common questions in creative financing: "What if the seller wants a down payment?"
You'll learn exactly how to respond, negotiate, and pivot when down payment objections come up—without blowing the deal.
💬 Topics Covered in This Episode:
- Real-world scripting and objection handling for down pay...
Join Rusty Ham and Rick Abbiati on this episode of Real Estate Junkies: Coast to Coast as they take you behind the scenes during live Office Hours with associates.
▶️ What’s Inside This Episode:
- A real-life breakdown of a subject-to/owner-finance hybrid contract
- Why follow-ups matter: one deal took 3 months and 7+ touches!
- How to qualify rent-to-own buyers and protect your payday
- The power of using REI Blackbook and wh...
In this episode of Real Estate Junkies: Coast to Coast, Rusty Ham and Rick Abbiati break down one of the most common stumbling blocks new investors face—the mindset of self-defeat before the real work even begins. From projecting buyer fears to pre-judging properties before ever making a call, many associates unknowingly talk themselves out of opportunities. Rusty and Rick share how to reframe those thoughts and lean ...
In this packed episode of Real Estate Junkies: Coast to Coast, Rusty Ham and Rick Abbiati tackle a topic every serious real estate entrepreneur faces: When should you scale with a Virtual Assistant (VA)?
Rick shares his hard-and-fast rule for bringing on a VA and why too many investors jump too soon without mastering the basics first. They break down why getting fluent with the scripts yourself is critical be...
In this episode of Real Estate Junkies: Coast to Coast, Rusty Ham and Rick Abbiati dive deep into what really separates the successful from the stagnant in the world of creative real estate—mindset, effort, and consistency.
Rick shares his personal journey of going 15 months before landing his first deal, a $90,000 payday that made the wait well worth it. Rusty opens up about juggling a full-time teaching job...
In this behind-the-scenes episode of Real Estate Junkies Coast to Coast, co-hosts Russell Ham and Rick Abbiati come to you from Rhode Island, where they’re live on-site at the In the Trenches Bootcamp—a hands-on coaching event run by the Wicked Smart® community. Both coaches give a full recap of Day One, including the real conversations, real objections, and real deals that unfolded.
Listeners get an inside look at wha...
In this episode of Real Estate Junkies Coast to Coast, Rusty Ham (West Coast) welcomes guest co-host and fellow Wicked Smart® community coach, Rick Abbiati (East Coast), to dive into key skillsets every creative real estate investor must master—especially when talking to sellers.
Rusty and Rick unpack one of the most common questions sellers ask: "Are you a realtor or investor?"—and explain how to confidently...
In this milestone 500th episode of the Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast, the tables turn as host Chris Prefontaine is interviewed by three of his own coaching leaders: Mike Makredes, as well as, your Real Estate Junkies hosts, Russell Ham and Rick Abbiati. Together, they reflect on a decade of growth, grit, and groundbreaking deals within the Wicked Smart® community.
Chris opens up about the ever-evolving crea...
In this episode of Real Estate Junkies Coast to Coast, your co-hosts Rusty Ham and Rick Abbiati are diving into:
🔁 Trimester Reviews & Business Reflection
- Why Wicked Smart Investors use trimesters, not quarters
- The importance of reviewing goals, habits, KPIs, and mindset
- How to bridge the gap between your current activity and your income goals
- Why it's okay to adjust goals based on performance—without guilt
In this episode of Real Estate Junkies Coast to Coast, Rusty Ham and Rick Abbiati dive deep into two critical topics for real estate investors:
🚀 Scaling & Stacking Your Business
When is the right time to scale from a solopreneur to a real business owner?
The key hires every investor should make: VA, EA, seller & buyer specialists
The Chris Prefontaine strategy for growing a business...
In this episode of Real Estate Junkies Coast to Coast, Rusty Ham and Rick Abbiati break down advanced seller negotiation tactics and how to handle common objections when structuring creative real estate deals.
They dive into:
✅ The 4 Quadrants of Owner Financing – Price, Term, Interest, and Down Payment – and how to negotiate the best terms.
✅ How to respond when a seller insists on high interest, a large down ...
In this episode of Real Estate Junkies Coast to Coast, hosts Rusty Ham and Rick Abbiati break down how to accurately comp properties and overcome high-interest rate challenges when structuring creative deals.
The duo dives into comping strategies using PropStream, RealEflow, Zillow, and Rentometer—key tools for assessing property value and rental rates. They discuss how sellers overestimate their home’s worth, the impa...
In this episode of the Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast, host Chris Prefontaine sits down with Rick Abiatti to discuss his transition from a 30-year career in the defense industry to becoming a successful real estate investor.
Rick shares insights from his journey, including founding Colony Property Investments in 2016, overcoming challenges, and achieving significant milestones through the Smart Real Estate ...
In this episode, they delve into the specifics of real estate strategies, focusing primarily on the mindset required for lease purchase agreements, owner financing, and executive lease purchases.
They discuss the pros and cons of leading with an AO (Assignment of Option) and the mindset shifts needed for sustained success. Additionally, Rusty and Rick outline a three-year business projection plan, emphasizing team exp...
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