Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing

Jonathan Greene sits down with Chris Grenzig, founder of JAG Property Management and JAG Capital Partners, a vertically integrated multifamily firm focused on Jacksonville and Orlando. Chris walks through his evolution from working at Toro to moving markets, taking on a 16-unit value-add deal, and learning property and construction management by doing. He and Jonathan explore what it's been like to operate through COVID, explosive ...

On this episode of Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing, Jonathan Greene welcomes Ari Rastegar, founder and CEO of Rastegar Capital and author of The Gift of Failure. Ari shares his journey from delivering pizzas and attending law school to building a vertically integrated real estate platform with institutional-scale developments across the country. The conversation centers on discipline, phi...

On this episode of Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing, Jonathan Greene is joined by longtime Milwaukee investor and lender Scott Lurie. Scott is the founder and owner of F Street Investments and The Hard Money Co., with deep experience in flipping, multifamily, industrial, private equity, and property management. Together, they explore what it really takes to build durable real estate and lending businesses across multiple cy...

Jonathan Greene sits down with self-storage investor and operator Joe Downs, CEO of Bellrose Storage Group, which sources, acquires, and manages self-storage facilities across the East and Southeast. With a background in commercial real estate, capital raising, and distressed second mortgages, Joe explains how he pivoted into self-storage after discovering just how mom-and-pop dominated and under-optimized the space re...

In this episode of Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing, Jonathan sits down with Tim Woodbridge, co-founder of WCG Investments, to discuss how he transitioned from a healthcare career to building a portfolio of 19 mobile home parks across the Southeast. Tim shares the lessons he's learned about scaling through partnerships, managing risk with conservative underwriting, and improving communities through value-driven operations.

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Jonathan welcomes Max Emory, founder of Time Capital Bookkeeping & CFO Solutions, a bookkeeping educator and active investor. Together, they explore why clean books form the foundation of every real estate business and how accurate categorization impacts both taxes and lending. Max explains what decision-ready financials allow investors to do, including timing acquisitions, managing cash flow, and avoiding costly tax s...

On this week's episode, Jonathan welcomes Jon Wells, a real estate matchmaker, syndicator, and longtime realtor with A Better Way Realty and managing partner at Alpha Network—for a candid look at what actually builds durable wealth. Jon traces his journey from early "fix-and-flips" to higher-conviction "fix-and-holds," and ultimately to group homes leased on commercial-style terms. He explains why patience, operator quality, and un...

In this episode of Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing, Jonathan sits down with Brett Swarts, founder of Capital Gains Tax Solutions, to explore strategies for minimizing capital gains taxes when selling real estate or business assets.

Brett Swarts is the founder of Capital Gains Tax Solutions, specializing in advanced strategies to help investors defer or eliminate capital gains taxes. With extensive...

In this episode of Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing, Jonathan sits down with Luis Belmonte, a lifelong real estate investor, to explore the lessons he's learned over decades of investing in multifamily, industrial, and commercial real estate across the U.S. and internationally.

Luis shares his early experiences, including navigating the complexities of San Francisco's real estate market in the pre-...

On today's Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing, Neil Henderson, investor relations specialist and general partner at Nomad Capital, joins Jonathan to share how he transitioned from Airbnb host to self-storage syndicator. His story begins with a guesthouse, an article from his mother about a new company called Airbnb, and a growing curiosity that led him down the BiggerPockets rabbit hole. Over time, that curiosity...

In this episode of Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing, Jonathan welcomes back John Bianchi, founder of STR Search and widely known as "The Airbnb Data Guy."

John specializes in data-driven short-term rental analysis, helping investors identify profitable properties that align with their personal and financial goals. Returning for his second appearance on the podcast, John and Jonathan dive into the e...

In today's episode of Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing, Jonathan welcomes Mike Zlotnik, a real estate fund manager and the CEO of TF Management Group, who is widely known in the real estate investing community as "Big Mike." With over two decades of experience in finance, technology, and real estate, Mike offers a clear and structured approach to helping investors understand how to diversify their portfolios, m...

In this episode of Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing, Jonathan welcomes Axel Ragnarsson, Founder and Managing Partner of Aligned Real Estate Partners.

Axel began his entrepreneurial journey by flipping cars in college, which eventually led him to real estate. Over the years, he built a personal portfolio of multifamily properties before expanding into syndication and capital raising. His focus is on...

In this episode of Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing, Jonathan Greene speaks with John Azar of Peak 15 Capital about the power of strategic partnerships in commercial real estate. John shares his experience in structuring co-GP deals, managing multifamily funds, and creating opportunities that enable investors to scale their portfolios while minimizing operational involvement. He emphasizes the importance of sel...

In this episode of Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing, Jonathan welcomes Mikkel Thorup, founder and CEO of Expat Money, a consultancy helping clients navigate second residencies, international investments, and asset diversification. Known as one of the world's most sought-after expat consultants, Mikkel has lived in nine countries over 25 years and built a portfolio of properties across ten nations. His work focu...

Real estate isn't just about properties and profits. It's also about the communities shaped by every investment.

In this episode of Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing, Jonathan welcomes seasoned investor, broker, and entrepreneur Joe Killinger. With more than 30 years of experience spanning auctions, multifamily, single-tenant net leases, and commercial brokerage, Joe shares how his career progressed...

In this episode of Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing, Jonathan welcomes Blake Rodgers, co-founder and principal at Steel Peak. Blake specializes in industrial outdoor storage (IOS). This niche asset class includes contractor yards, equipment rental facilities, and bulk material sites across the Western U.S. He shares how his early experiences in real estate shaped his career, why IOS presents such a compelling o...

In this episode of Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing, Jonathan welcomes Bree Hartman, a former gym owner turned commercial real estate investor and the founder of Self Storage School. Bree shares how she shifted from running gyms to building a portfolio of self-storage facilities, and how this asset class can create time freedom, financial independence, and long-term cash flow.

Multifamily real estate has long been one of the most powerful vehicles for creating generational wealth and consistent cash flow.