Multifamily Strategies for Success with Ava, CEO of CPI Capital

 

Multifamily Strategies for Success with Ava, CEO of CPI Capital

 

Guest: Ava Benesocky is the CEO and co-founder of CPI Capital, a successful real estate investment firm specializing in multifamily assets in the Sunbelt States. Known for her strategic approach and data-driven decisions, Ava focuses on acquiring stabilized properties and implementing targeted renovations to generate significant returns for investors. With a hold time of 3 to 5 years, she leverages growth indicators and business-friendly markets like Orlando, Jacksonville, and Tampa to capitalize on market opportunities. CPI Capital offers attractive preferred returns and provides monthly distributions, while Ava remains committed to delivering consistent results, education and value creation for investors.

 

Big Idea: Join us in this insightful episode as Ava, the CEO of CPI Capital, shares her expertise and experience in multifamily real estate investing. Discover how CPI Capital’s strategic investment approach and data-driven decision-making have led to remarkable returns for investors. Explore the key lessons learned, including the importance of educating investors, building trust, and addressing potential risks. Gain valuable insights into identifying value-add opportunities, navigating market conditions, and maximizing returns. Whether you’re a seasoned investor or new to real estate, this podcast provides actionable strategies and valuable information to unlock success in the dynamic world of multifamily investing.

 

 

    

 

Ava: Yes, I would love to, Daniel. I’m the CEO and co-founder of CPI Capital. It’s a real estate investment firm where our mandate is to really partner with limited partners, passive investors, to acquire institutional Multifamily Assets in the Sunbelt States. When I say institutional, I mean 100-plus stores. Our business model is very black and white. We always look for already built stabilized, cash-flowing assets that are 90% or more occupied. What we really love to do is we love to go in there and be fixing flippers on a large scale. We always look for a value-add component. Nothing crazy. We go for properties that we like to call Class B properties.

We do a lipstick renovation. Take out the flooring, add new floors, paint light fixtures, kitchen appliances. My favorite thing is to add washers and dryers to units that don’t have washers and dryers. Then we turn over the tenants. The 10% that’s not occupied, we renovate those. As we’ve done a unit, we go to the current tenants living there, and we kind of say, “Hey, for a brand-new unit, would you like to move in for a $150 premium?” In most cases, they say, “Yes.” This is where the numbers start to get really exciting for investors because this is what we call our CPI Capital wealth creation system. It’s this forced appreciation aspect of how you can literally take one of these multifamily assets. Do these lipstick renovations, turn over the tenants, and increase the value by millions and millions of dollars in the first one to two years of owning the asset.

Daniel: Good stuff. The washers and dryers, 100 units with washers and dryers does what to the water bill?

Ava: Oh, that’s a good question. I’ll tell you one thing it does. Well, we have a community washer and dryer as it is, right? Everybody has all their laundry in the community washer and dryer. When we put it in the unit, it can actually increase the rent up to $50 to $60 per unit. To put it into perspective, say on a 200-unit, if you’re doing all these renovations and you’re increasing a unit by $150 a unit, you can increase the value by about 10 million dollars in the first two years of owning the asset. That’s just forced appreciation. Now, we also purchase in regions that are significantly growing: job growth, population growth, income growth, and rent growth. You’ve got that natural market appreciation as well. We kind of get the best of both worlds. I like to tell investors when I’m kind of explaining the business model.

 

This Episode of The REI Diamonds Show is Sponsored by the Deal Machine. This Software Enables Real Estate Investors to Develop a Reliable & Low Cost Source of Off Market Deals. For a Limited Time, You Get Free Access at http://REIDealMachine.com/

 

This Episode is Also Sponsored by the Lending Home. Lending Home Offers Reliable & Low Cost Fix & Flip Loans with Interest Rates as Low as 9.25%.  Buy & Hold Loans Offered Even Lower.  Get a FREE IPad when you Close Your First Deal by Registering Now at  http://REILineOfCredit.com

 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

https://CPIcapital.ca/

 

For Access to Real Estate Deals You Can Buy & Sell for Profit:

https://AccessOffMarketDeals.com/podcast/

 

Ava  Benesocky & I Discuss Clean Tech Meets Real Estate:

  • The “fixing flippers” strategy: Learn how CPI Capital implements targeted cosmetic renovations to enhance property values and rental rates, generating substantial returns for investors.

  • Market selection and growth indicators: Discover Ava’s investment philosophy centered around identifying markets with robust growth indicators, such as population growth, job growth, income growth, and rent growth. Gain insights into the business-friendly states and regions where CPI Capital focuses their investments.

  • Investment returns and metrics: Understand the distinction between preferred return and annualized return, and the importance of grasping the true metrics of investment performance. Explore CPI Capital’s goal of doubling investors’ money within five years and their pursuit of above-average returns..

  • Portfolio overview and market readiness: Learn about CPI Capital’s portfolio of nearly 1,000 rental units and their cautious approach in pursuing buying opportunities, particularly in the Florida market. Discover the strategies they employ to mitigate risks and avoid capital calls.

  • Capitalizing on distressed assets: Explore the potential for acquiring properties at a significant discount due to distress and motivated sellers. Gain insights into CPI Capital’s investment strategy and their focus on value-add opportunities in the real estate market.

    

Relevant Episodes: (There are 224 Content Packed Interviews in Total)

 

The transcript of this episode can be found here.
Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

Clean Tech Meets Real Estate with Owen Barrett

 

Clean Tech Meets Real Estate with Owen Barrett

 

Guest: Owen Barrett is a dynamic entrepreneur with a decade of experience in clean technology and real estate. As the founder of Raven, he is revolutionizing the real estate industry by combining clean technology and net-zero principles with profitable investments. Owen’s expertise lies in implementing energy-saving solutions in commercial properties, and his company offers a unique opportunity for investors to participate in net-zero real estate with minimal capital. With a focus on integrating rooftop solar installations, Owen and his team bring a wealth of knowledge in clean tech, enabling them to optimize energy efficiency, reduce operating costs, and increase property value. His innovative approach extends to the development of proprietary software that automates solar billing, streamlining the process for multifamily properties. Owen Barrett is a trailblazer, democratizing net-zero real estate and paving the way for a sustainable and profitable future in the industry.

 

Big Idea: In this eye-opening podcast episode, Owen Barrett, founder of Raven, shares his investment philosophy centered around identifying overlooked secondary markets with strong economic tailwinds and integrating clean technology into real estate acquisitions. He discusses the Inflation Reduction Act, which offers tax credits and rebates for decarbonization and electrification projects, presenting lucrative opportunities for investors in single-family homes.

 

 

    

 

Owen: I’ve spent about a decade of my life being in clean technology, so anything that saves energy and saves money. And what I’ve noticed over time is that commercial real estate as a whole across an industry is the furthest behind when it comes to implementing clean technology into their properties, which is saying a lot because a lot of industry is pretty far behind. Three, four years ago you didn’t really need to get that creative to make money in commercial real estate. The market was going up, everything was going up, but now that’s different. Now rents are more stagnant, rents are even falling in some markets. And so now energy conservation’s an easy way, an easier way for property owners to make properties more valuable. So it’s interesting timing for us because there’s a lot of macroeconomic tailwinds or headwinds, I guess, that are happening that make our value add model a little bit more popular.

So we’re in this interesting space of combining clean technology with real estate acquisitions, we couple the two. Raven is the newest business, the newest brand. And the idea behind Raven is to democratize the ability to invest in net zero real estate. So we pay investors 10% annual interest, the minimum investment is $250 and we were really deliberate behind that because we wanted it to be an opportunity for everyone. I come from a past of regulation or 506D offerings, which is a lot of accredited investors, $50,000 minimum investments. And with Raven we just wanted to make it more attainable for everyone. So we really decreased the minimum investment, tried to make it an opportunity for everybody.

Dan: Yeah, that’s pretty interesting. This is the first time out of 223 guests I think that we’ve ever had that low of a minimum investment. So every single other syndicator is probably $50,000 or $100,000 and it’s going to be an accredited investor type of offering only. The 10% annual interest, how is that paid, sorted out? Is that going to be like a flat interest rate paid at the end of the deal no matter how good or bad Raven does on the deal? Or is that calculated in some other methodology?

Owen: No, yeah, we’ve structured it as preferred debt. So it’s a promissory note to Raven. We pool the capital, we buy and decarbonize buildings. It’s paid quarterly right now. The goal is to move that to monthly. That’ll probably happen in 2024. In investing there’s no such thing as a guaranteed return, so we don’t guarantee 10%, but we do pay our regulation A investors before we pay ourselves. So they earn 10% before we make any money. So we tried to structure it in a way that it’s not risk free, but it’s as low risk as you can get within the real estate realm.

 

This Episode of The REI Diamonds Show is Sponsored by the Deal Machine. This Software Enables Real Estate Investors to Develop a Reliable & Low Cost Source of Off Market Deals. For a Limited Time, You Get Free Access at http://REIDealMachine.com/

 

This Episode is Also Sponsored by the Lending Home. Lending Home Offers Reliable & Low Cost Fix & Flip Loans with Interest Rates as Low as 9.25%.  Buy & Hold Loans Offered Even Lower.  Get a FREE IPad when you Close Your First Deal by Registering Now at  http://REILineOfCredit.com

 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

https://JoinRayven.com/

 

For Access to Real Estate Deals You Can Buy & Sell for Profit:

https://AccessOffMarketDeals.com/podcast/

 

Owen Barrett & I Discuss Clean Tech Meets Real Estate:

  • Secondary markets with economic tailwinds: Exploring investment opportunities in smaller, overlooked markets that have significant economic growth potential.

  • Cash flow markets: Emphasizing the importance of investing in markets that generate consistent cash flow rather than relying solely on property appreciation.

  • Tax credits and rebates for decarbonization and electrification: Highlighting the benefits of leveraging incentives provided by initiatives like the Inflation Reduction Act to reduce renovation costs and promote sustainability.

  • Newer vintage properties: Discussing the advantages of acquiring properties directly from developers to minimize repair and maintenance issues.

  • Clean technology integration: Exploring the integration of clean technology, such as solar panels and electric heating solutions, into real estate investments to enhance property value and reduce operating costs.

    

Relevant Episodes: (There are 223 Content Packed Interviews in Total)

 

The transcript of this episode can be found here.
Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.

Real Estate Insights and Opportunities From Chicago to Austin with Drew Breneman

 

Real Estate Insights and Opportunities From Chicago to Austin with Drew Breneman

 

Guest: Drew Breneman is a real estate investor based in Austin, Texas. He began his journey at a young age, starting an online business and saving his earnings. As he delved into investing, Drew explored various avenues, including stocks and mutual funds, but found his passion in real estate. Inspired by books on investing, he realized the potential of leveraging properties and their appreciation. Drew purchased his first duplex as a college freshman in Madison, Wisconsin, and continued to expand his real estate portfolio while completing his education. With a focus on multifamily properties, Drew combines his business mindset with investment strategies to create successful ventures in the real estate market.

 

Big Idea: Join hosts Drew and Dan in this inspiring real estate podcast episode as they discuss Drew’s journey from Chicago to Austin, his early entrepreneurial ventures, and his success in real estate investing. They delve into various topics, including the reasons for Drew’s relocation, real estate opportunities in Chicago, Drew’s entry into real estate investing, his early ventures, transitioning to multifamily and value-add deals, expanding into new markets, the importance of real estate education, holding properties for the long term, and the significance of preparedness. Gain valuable insights and strategies from two experienced real estate professionals.

 

 

    

 

Dan: Yes, I love Chicago personally for the rental apartments that I own. I think Chicago is understated in the national investment context when we talk about apartment buildings, although I don’t necessarily know if that would hold true when we get into the main topic here of the size of deal that you are focusing on now. I think it probably is a good market, and I’m not super familiar with, let’s say, 20 to 34 units and up in the city of Chicago. But one unique thing, we do deals in Atlanta, Chicago, Philly, around the country, Florida, a lot of other markets as well. And the one thing I found and love about the Chicago market specifically, Drew, is the abundance of two, three, and four-flat buildings. So like, I’ve found no other market, maybe Los Angeles or New York offers that kind of opportunity to call the entry-level investor to get the two or the three or the four-unit buildings and kind of do the house hacking.

So I’ve loved this city for that reason. And when I got here, moved here from Philadelphia in 2015 to Chicago, I was blown away by the high prices in areas where I came from. In Philly, we have very, very low prices comparatively. People making the same kind of money in Philadelphia can buy a much lower-cost house in the city. And then the prices were probably almost double in Chicago. So we have expensive real estate and high rents. And my investment philosophy, buying those apartment units over the past couple of years, has been to get into the expensive property and take out, I don’t want to overpay, but I want to take out a higher and higher mortgage with higher and higher rents on a per-unit basis because I’m paying down that at a higher velocity over time. And then the two and a half percent increases are larger dollars. So it allowed me to play a little bit bigger than I might have been able to play in the city of Philadelphia. And there’s just such an abundance of that type of inventory. Whereas in Philadelphia or a lot of other cities, Atlanta having a duplex or a triplex is like a unicorn. It’s a really rare event. But I digress on that. Why don’t we, for listeners, Drew, why don’t you kind of do our evolution of the business model and your origination story so we can get a picture of who you are and what your business looks like?

Drew: Sounds great! And I’ve noticed the same thing about Chicago. If you wanted to get started in a two to four-unit, there might be more there than anywhere. I often give that advice to someone starting out, and one of the people I was talking to was in Phoenix, and he was like, “There’s no three units here. What are you talking about?” So I was like, “Well, you got to figure out where they are. I’m sure there’s some.” But anyway, yes. So I got started really young. So started from the Milwaukee area, and both my parents were teachers. I was living in the suburbs my whole childhood, and I started a business online just buying and selling items and video games. I didn’t make any huge money on any one sale, but I made five or $10 per sale, and I saved all the money.

 

This Episode of The REI Diamonds Show is Sponsored by the Deal Machine. This Software Enables Real Estate Investors to Develop a Reliable & Low Cost Source of Off Market Deals. For a Limited Time, You Get Free Access at http://REIDealMachine.com/

 

This Episode is Also Sponsored by the Lending Home. Lending Home Offers Reliable & Low Cost Fix & Flip Loans with Interest Rates as Low as 9.25%.  Buy & Hold Loans Offered Even Lower.  Get a FREE IPad when you Close Your First Deal by Registering Now at  http://REILineOfCredit.com

 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

https://www.Breneman.com/

 

For Access to Real Estate Deals You Can Buy & Sell for Profit:

https://AccessOffMarketDeals.com/podcast/

 

Drew Breneman & I Discuss Real Estate Insights and Opportunities From Chicago to Austin:

  • Reasons for Relocating: Seeking Safety and Lower Property Taxes
  • Real Estate Investing in Chicago: Abundance of Entry-Level Opportunities
  • Drew’s Early Entrepreneurial Journey: From Online Sales to Real Estate
  • Transitioning to Multifamily and Value-Add Deals: Maximizing Returns in Chicago
  • Expanding to New Markets: Venturing into Sunbelt Markets

    

Relevant Episodes: (There are 222 Content Packed Interviews in Total)

 

The transcript of this episode can be found here.
Transcripts of all episodes can be found here.