Uncontested Investing

In this episode of Uncontested Investing, Nate Zielinski and Suzanne Andresen sit down with Phil Ganz, founder of Next Wave Mortgage, to discuss the lessons behind his 25-year career and more than a billion dollars in closed loans. Phil explains why patience, discipline, integrity, and attention to detail separate successful investors from those who struggle. He shares his approach to entering new markets, knowing when...

In this episode of Uncontested Investing, Nate Zielinski and Suzanne Andresen close out their customer service series with a discussion on how real estate investors can maintain a consistent tenant experience as their portfolios grow. They examine the shift from owner-operator to system operator, selecting property management companies and vendors, standardizing maintenance and communication processes, and using techno...

In this episode of Uncontested Investing, Nate Zielinski and Suzanne Andresen continue their customer service series by examining why an investor's reputation is one of their most valuable assets. They discuss how strong customer service creates repeat business, referrals, and lasting relationships with sellers, agents, contractors, lenders, and investors. The conversation also covers online reviews, word-of-mouth marketing, referr...

In this episode of Uncontested Investing, Nate Zielinski and Suzanne Andresen unpack the hidden return on investment behind great customer service in real estate. They break down how tenant experience drives income stability, reduces vacancy and turnover, and ultimately increases property value. From predictable communication and preventative maintenance to celebrating tenant milestones and leveraging online reviews, t...

In this episode of Uncontested Investing, Nate Zilinski and Suzanne discuss how real estate investors can create a five-star customer experience throughout every stage of a transaction. From the first phone call and property walkthrough to presenting offers, maintaining communication through closing, and following up afterward, they examine the habits that build trust, strengthen relationships, and generate referrals. ...

In this episode of Uncontested Investing, Nate Zelinski and Suzanne Andreessen examine how exceptional customer service can transform tenant relationships into long-term assets for real estate investors. They explore proactive communication, preventive maintenance, transparency during rent increases, and the small gestures that build trust and encourage tenant retention. The discussion also covers balancing professiona...

In this episode of Uncontested Investing, we sit down with Bryan Lysikowski, President of Property Services at Genstone, to talk about what it really takes to build and scale a vertically integrated real estate services company. Bryan shares his journey from starting ZVN Properties in 2005 on the field services and property preservation side, to navigating the challenges of COVID, taking on a strategic investment, and ultimately re...

In this episode of Uncontested Investing, Nate Zielinski and Suzanne Andresen conclude their series on the many paths to success in real estate investing by examining the role social media plays in today's market. They discuss how investors can leverage platforms such as Instagram,...

In this episode of Uncontested Investing, Nate Zielinski and Suzanne Andresen pick up where they left off, diving deeper into the traits that separate average investors from consistently successful ones. Focusing on how risk tolerance, risk management, decisiveness, and problem solving work together, they break down the decision-making framework that drives real results in real estate. Through practical scenarios including foundati...

In this episode of Uncontested Investing, Nate Zielinski and Suzanne Andresen continue their discussion on the characteristics that contribute to long-term success in real estate investing. They examine the relationship between risk tolerance and risk management, emphasizing how successful investors balance confidence with preparation.

The conversation covers due diligence, financial reserves, disaster prepare...

In this episode of Uncontested Investing, Nate Zielinski and Suzanne Andresen continue their discussion on the characteristics that help real estate investors succeed. Focusing on decisiveness, problem solving, risk tolerance, and risk management, they explain how these traits work together to create a strong decision-making framework. Through practical examples, including foundation issues, unexpected vacancies, finan...

In this episode of Uncontested Investing, Nate Zielinski and Suzanne Andresen continue their discussion on the characteristics that contribute to long-term success in real estate investing. They examine the relationship between risk tolerance and risk management, emphasizing how successful investors balance confidence with preparation. 

The conversation covers due diligence, financial reserves, disaster preparedness, portfolio...

In this episode of Uncontested Investing, we continue our conversation on one of the most underrated drivers of long-term real estate success: strong networking and relationship skills. In Part 1, we talked about trust, reciprocity, off-market opportunities, and why the best investors are usually the ones who hear about deals first. In this follow-up, we go deeper into the connection between networking and adaptability...

In this episode of Uncontested Investing, we kick off a new theme on one of the most underrated advantages in real estate investing: strong networking and relationship skills. After our recent conversation with Scott Brown from Steadily, it became even clearer that real estate is still a relationship-driven business at every level. Deals, referrals, off-market opportunities, strategic partnerships, and even smoother cl...

In this episode of Uncontested Investing, we continue our conversation with Scott Brown from Steadily and go deeper into the relationship side of real estate investing, specifically how strong partnerships, smart networking, and better insurance strategy can help investors protect and grow their portfolios. 

In Part 1, we talked about why landlord insurance should be treated like a strategic asset in...

In this episode of Uncontested Investing, we sit down with Scott Brown from Steadily to talk about one of the most overlooked but mission-critical parts of real estate investing: landlord insurance. A lot of investors think about insurance only when a lender requires it or when a policy is up for renewal, but that mindset can create expensive blind spots. Scott breaks down why insurance should be treated like a strateg...

In this episode of Uncontested Investing, we wrap up our AI review by focusing on the software platforms real estate investors can use every day to run a smarter, faster, and more scalable business. Earlier in this series, we covered communication, deal analysis, deal sourcing, and bookkeeping. In this follow-up, we move into portfolio tracking, investor reporting, maintenance prediction, tenant communication, commerci...

In this episode of Uncontested Investing, we step back and review the bigger picture of how AI is changing real estate investing in 2026. After covering script writing, communication, deal analysis, deal sourcing, and bookkeeping in earlier episodes, we wanted to pull it all together and talk through the software platforms investors should actually know about. If you are trying to figure out where AI fits into your bus...

In this episode of Uncontested Investing, we wrap up our conversation on how AI can help investors get ahead and stay ahead by digging deeper into one of the most overlooked growth levers in real estate: bookkeeping and administrative work. This is the side of the business that most investors do not love, but it is also the side that can quietly create chaos if you are not on top of your numbers, your vendors, your ren...