Category: Jewels of Wisdom Newsletter

4 Reasons Why I Write this Jewels of Wisdom Newsletter:

1. Sell Profitable Real Estate Deals (38 For Sale Here)
2. Invite New Partners
3. Invite Capital Partners
4. Invite Real Estate Deals 

 

1. Sell Profitable Real Estate Deals – This needs no further detail. Buy our deals!!
2. Invite New Partners – Our Acquisition Managers are PARTNERS on every deal they create, structure, & see through to a profitable closing.

Diamond Equity Support: Leads aren’t cheap, experiences makes good deals even better, and capital to close deals isn’t always easy to come by.

The Diamond Equity Standard: Being an Acquisition Manager, a Deal Maker, is NOT an easy, cushy path in life-it is a LIFESTYLE. Making & operating deals through to closing is a 50+ hour per week requirement. And partners don’t earn salary, the earn PROFIT SHARE. This can be tough, even unacceptable for most people. However, for some, this is the vehicle to create generational wealth.

Earlier this year one of our Acquisition Managers received $340,235.41 AS HIS PROFIT SHARE for the deal they assembled & closed. The total profit was about 4 times that amount. Not bad – especially since we provided the lead, the underwriting guidance, & the capital to get that deal closed. Talk about a “no money down” deal – it was for him!!

I’m not trying to brag here, instead to  illustrate the dream that I work toward every day, 365 days per year, to fulfill for every member of the Diamond Equity team – Create huge opportunities for those I work with. The Diamond Equity standard is HIGH, and so is our support system.

3. Invite Capital Partners – You loan me the money and I pay 10% annual interest & 2 points origination – personally guaranteed by me. I have a $500,000 offering coming up this month to buy a 37,000 sq. ft. warehouse, complete some renovation, and lease up or resell for a profit. If you’re interested in funding this deal, please reply to this email. Must be one investor making this loan, no partial funding allowed. If you’re interested in receiving emails when deals like this become available, register at www.FundRehabDeals.com
4. Invite Real Estate Deals – We buy profitable real estate deals-usually value add where we buy, invest in capex, & push the value by leasing at market (larger assets) or selling turn-key to an owner user (smaller assets, such as 5,000 sq. ft. industrial). We also invest capital alongside quality operators who are sourcing, developing, & operating their own deals. Have a deal like this which projects a $1M profit or more? Please email me directly and let’s get to closing!!

---

Current Portfolio & Ideal Acquisitions Include:

• Industrial & Commercial Property, 10K sq. ft. – 250K sq. ft.
• Farmland, 40 Acres or More Tillable & Producing Crops
• Mobile Home Communities (50 pad minimum)
• Well located Retail Development Sites
• Residential MFR & SFR
• Located anywhere in the U.S.

Recent Portfolio Exit Volume

• 2021 $54,615,000
• 2022 $54,547,000
• 2023 $57,489,000
• 2024 $52,164,000
• 2025 YTD $37,535,000

3 Key Take Aways from the Commercial Mastermind

1. Where The BEST Deals are Hidden – The best deals in real estate are often found in the follow up. The property comes to market, you make your offer, and it is not accepted. After a time, and maybe a dead deal or two for that seller, they come back around much more willing to do YOUR deal. This requires discipline to walk away at first and persistence to follow up in the face of rejection.
2. Risk Precedes Reward – While at the Diamond Inner Circle mastermind event, the largest deal of my career closed at a price of more than $16,000,000 – the reward is here. The risk was taken in 2022 when I wired away about 60% of net worth and 90% of my free cash to buy this deal. Waiting those first uncomfortable 18 months during construction was a lesson in risk taking. The cash flow in the past 18 months and now the exit are the lesson in reward-reaping the harvest!
3. Multi Family is in a State of “Reset” – The distress found in office has made it’s way into multi-family. Many markets have no rent growth & projects have debt coming due. This scenario is forcing undercapitalized operators to sell at a loss-often wiping the investors equity completely. Another lesson in risk.

2 Benefits of attending this Diamond Inner Circle commercial mastermind:

1. Finding Quality Operators – I invest alongside operators with experience & track records. I also get to underwrite their performance & thinking at these events because they present details on deals I own on stage. We do deals here. This is where I find many of my deals.
2. Deal Making Mindset – Being in the room with Deal Makers who’ve amassed $100M-$500M portfolios is refreshing. I know of no other place where I can participate in this level of concentrated commercial real estate operators. Maybe ICSC, but you’re usually meeting brokers at those events. Plus, any operators you meet are hesitant to share their trade secrets with you.

---

Podcast Episodes with Commercial Academy Mastermind Members

• Danny Newberry on Commercial Real Estate Investing
• Jarred Elmar on Commercial Real Estate Investing
• Rafik Moore on Redeveloping Dying Malls
• Saul Zenkevicius on Redeveloping Dying Malls Part 2
• Jeremiah Boucher on Self Storage Development

Recent Portfolio Exit Volume (Excludes JV & Syndication Deals)

• 2021 $54,615,000
• 2022 $54,547,000
• 2023 $57,489,000
• 2024 $52,164,000
• 2025 YTD $35,552,000

5 Steps of “Deal Making”

There are 5 steps to close a real estate deal listed below. Increasing your skill at each of these 5 steps offers you the chance (not entitlement) to increase your earning power. Failing on any of these steps means a Dead Deal.

1. Finding the Deal – Once you decide on the asset class you’re going to buy, you need to build a pipeline of opportunities which you can work the remaining 4 steps. Developing a strong network of brokers in that asset class is a good place to start. H
2. Underwrite the Deal – Know your position in the deal. What must occur for this deal to be a success for you?  For example, buying a fix & flip deal you must know what it will sell for after repair, how much repair is needed, and what your anticipated profit will be at your target purchase price. You are better when you underwrite your 1,000th deal than when you underwrite your 1st-the key is many repetitions.
3. Structure the Deal – The easiest structure for most deals is “cash at closing.” It gets the job done and it’s easy to negotiate (see step 4). However, many of the best deals in real estate (for the buyer & SELLER) have a seller financing component. If you’re selling a building you’ve owned forever and earning a $1M taxable event (aka-profit), it might be better for YOU to hold a mortgage for that $1M at 5% interest only (better than the 3.25% at the bank-AFTER you pay the tax bill) and receive $4,166.66 per month without eating your $1M principle.
4. Negotiate the Deal – Once you decide your offer price & terms, you then find the best way to position these to the seller. In step 4 above, you’ll notice a short example of how to position a $1M seller finance deal to a Seller. It is a good deal for the seller, and I’d personally love this deal if I were selling and facing a $1M taxable event.
5. Close the Deal – Seems obvious, but you might be surprised at how many deals fall apart before closing. Buyer or seller get cold feet, or new information arises and the deal dies. Skilled Deal Makers learn how to keep deals on track to close.

The Diamond Equity team always welcomes a true Deal Maker to join the team. If this is you, or you have a strong desire to become a skilled Deal Maker, feel free to reach out to me directly.

I’m Always Making Deals on the Following Asset Classes: (aka- I’M BUYING)

• Industrial & Commercial Property, 10K sq. ft. – 250K sq. ft.
• Farmland, 40 Acres or More Tillable & Producing Crops
• Well located Retail Development Sites
• Residential MFR & SFR
• Located anywhere in the U.S.

Recent Portfolio Exit Volume

• 2021 $54,615,000
• 2022 $54,547,000
• 2023 $57,489,000
• 2024 $52,164,000
• 2025 YTD $34,530,000

Whom I Seek to Invest With

I am ALWAYS looking for strong operators with whom I can invest money.

• We Bring the Deal & Capital – You Bring the Construction, Leasing, Management, Reporting. We both bring capital. This is more of a joint venture.
• We Bring the Capital – You bring the deal and run the whole thing. Here I am more of a passive investor-writing a check only.

Here’s what I look for when writing a check into a partnership:

1. Track Record – Have they successfully run a few deals full cycle?
2. Responsive – If I cannot get a timely text message reply-even on a weekend-I’m not going to write a check. I don’t bother my partners unnecessarily-but I DO expect them to be responsive in the event of emergency while running our deals.
3. Tax Advantage – I only invest in real estate deals that offer 1 to 1 depreciation for me, the check writer. This means if I write a $300,000 check, I receive a year one tax write off of $300,000. This is much easier to accomplish now that Bonus Depreciation has been restored.
4. Returns – My return requirements depend on WHEN distributions begin
   1. 1st Quarter of Ownership – If returns begin immediately, I aim for 8% annually in regular distributions on my invested capital. This 8% must come from the cash flow of the deal and NOT capital invested. This means the deal is supporting the distributions-NOT debt. This requires a stronger deal and disciplined operator who is more averse to risk. Upon sale, the total return should exceed 12% annually.
   2. Year 2 or Year 3 – When distributions begin in Year 2 or Year 3, I aim for 20% returns or more. The entire economy, market, and world order can change in a 2-3 year period, and I want to be rewarded for that risk if things go well.
5. Property Characteristics – The last thing on my list is the property itself. It must check out, but is has the lowest priority in my decision making framework in whether to invest.

If you operate commercial real estate deals like this, we should connect. Our smallest check size is $250,000 and we often invest up to $1M or more into joint venture deals.

---

Here’s What We Buy

1. Industrial & Commercial Property, 10K sq. ft. – 250K sq. ft.
2. Farmland, 40 Acres or More Tillable & Producing Crops
3. Well located Retail Development Sites
4. Residential MFR & SFR
5. Located anywhere in the U.S.

Recent Portfolio Exit Volume

• 2021 $54,615,000
• 2022 $54,547,000
• 2023 $57,489,000
• 2024 $52,164,000
• 2025 YTD $30,896,000

---

Industrial IQ Bootcamp with Saul Z

My friend & business partner, Saul Z, is hosting another Industrial IQ Bootcamp in California on Sept 13-14. I went to this event in Chicago and can vouch for the quality & value of attending. I have no affiliation with this event and am receiving no commission if you decide to go. Saul is a solid operator and this event is also solid. If you are at all interested in Small Bay Industrial investing, or perhaps becoming a great operator to whom I’d write checks, this is the event to attend.

 

2 Exits Coming Soon

Earnest Money is officially hard (non-refundable) on 2 retail strip centers we are working on closing. The price of both is just over $20,000,000. Both are stabilized-meaning the rents are at market & each center is in good condition.

I’d love to buy another retail center (or two) with below market rents OR some vacancy to fill. This is how we make our profit. Buy a property needing repairs and/or lease up, execute, then resell or refinance to pay off investors & reap a profit. Have a deal like this you can sell me??

Here’s What We Buy

1. Industrial & Commercial Property, 10K sq. ft. – 250K sq. ft.
2. Farmland, 40 Acres or More Tillable & Producing Crops
3. Well located Retail Development Sites
4. Residential MFR & SFR
5. Located anywhere in the U.S.

Recent Portfolio Exit Volume

• 2021 $54,615,000
• 2022 $54,547,000
• 2023 $57,489,000
• 2024 $52,164,000
• 2025 YTD $30,896,000

Whom I’d Partner With

I am looking for one more partner capable of making deals 100% remotely. From our office in Chicago, you make offers, sign deals, and managing small construction projects at a distance. We provide leads, capital, and underwriting/decision making guidance throughout the process of every deal. Average per deal profit is around $55K and you’d receive 20%. Your goal is to build a pipeline that does 2-3 per month.

Please don’t reply if you “might like this” or “this sounds interesting” no offense, but if that’s your first thought-you will not be successful in this roll. Obsessive & intelligent execution is required to succeed with Diamond Equity. Also helpful is a large library of books read on psychology, investing, negotiation, and/or business biographies, and the skill set of presenting & deal making using Zoom, email, docu-sign, & the telephone.

Some of our most successful partners were in the real estate business before, on their own. They came with a background in flipping houses (ok experience), flipping contracts (better experience), and pretty much running a business they assumed was a lot like Diamond Equity prior to joining. Now that they’re here, I’m guessing they’d tell you we do things a whole lot differently than most folks in the game. Dare I say, “better”?  Or maybe “more profitably” better defines the difference. Plus we have fun.

The location for this would be in one of our 3 offices: Atlanta, Chicago, or Philadelphia, however, we might consider a fully remote situation. If this latter seems interesting to you, please know you’d only be interesting to us if you show up here-in Chicago-as needed on your dime. Far better results have been achieved by the folks on our team who simply relocate to the region.

To clarify success-the goal for your income from Diamond Equity should be $250,000-$500,000 per year, in your pocket. Several on the team have already hit that range this year-and there are another 5 months left in the year. You will work long & hard to make this happen and you will deserve the rewards you receive. This is the partner whom I am inviting to reply to this email.

Here’s What We Buy

1. Farmland, 40 Acres or More Tillable & Producing Crops
2. Well located Retail Development Sites
3. Industrial & Commercial Property, 10K sq. ft. – 250K sq. ft.
4. Residential MFR & SFR
5. Located anywhere in the U.S.

Recent Portfolio Exit Volume

• 2021 $54,615,000
• 2022 $54,547,000
• 2023 $57,489,000
• 2024 $52,164,000
• 2025 YTD $30,267,000

3 Steps to Volume Deal Making

1. Do 2 Deals Per Week
2. Make 6 Offers Per Week
3. Get 9 Counter Offers Per Week
   1. Review at least 50 deals per week
   2. Invest at least 40 hours in money making activity

These are the actions I’ve built my career on. Here’s how they work:

1. Do 2 Deals Per Week –If you make 2 deals in a single week, nothing else on the list really matters that week
2. Make 6 Offers Per Week – Consistently make 6 new offers each week. THIS IS THE MONEY MAKING ACTIVITY in volume deal making. This is also where most “wanna-be” investors fail. They tell themselves, “they won’t accept my offer anyway” and then DON’T make the offer. Do not fall into this trap-ALWAYS MAKE THE OFFER YOU’RE WILLING TO PERFORM ON.
3. Get 9 Counter Offers Per Week – Many make offers, but never follow up. If you’re offer is not accepted, follow up and find out what gets the deal done. Proactively following up often is a signal to the seller/broker that you are responsive & still interested-and an indicator of how responsive you’ll be during the contract cycle while closing your deal.
   1. Review at least 50 deals per week – If you haven’t made 2 deals or 6 offers in a week, nor gotten 9 counter offers on previous deals, you should have reviewed a minimum of 50 deals which you considered for an offer, but passed for some reason.
   2. Invest at least 40 hours in money making activity – Volume Deal Making REQUIRES effective investment of a significant amount of TIME. The actions above take most people 50+ hours per week-once you factor in the physical visiting of several properties each week.

No Interest in Doing a Volume of Deals?

No problem, just reduce those numbers. Maybe divide them by 2 or 3 and then do them consistently week after week. After a few weeks you will have deal flow-keep it up consistently-especially the MAKING OFFERS piece, and you will enjoy continuous deal flow for as long as you keep up the effort.

Diamond Equity does a High Volume (127 closed YTD, $26,362,997 total) of a Wide Variety of Deals. 

We buy, renovate, develop, & operate a wide variety of real estate throughout the U.S. There are more than 30 direct partners on the Diamond Equity team and about a dozen more JV operator partners running our deals. We are well funded and looking to buy more.

Here’s a few asset classes we consider:

• High Volume Residential SFR & MFR (259 last year)
• Industrial Single or Multi Tenant (5,000 sq. – 200K sq. ft+)
• Retail Strip or Shopping Center (10K sq. ft – 200K sq. ft+)
• Infill Commercial Development Sites (1/2 acre+, well located)
• Farmland (40 acres+)

---

Tax Incentives: The Hidden Lever in Development

Most investors focus on buy price and rehab costs, but the real pros know to dig into local tax incentive programs. In Chicago, for example, developers who secure a 7B designation or build in a TIF district can see their property tax bills slashed for years. That’s not just a line item on a spreadsheet—it’s the difference between a project that cash flows and one that sits idle.

On our recent REI Diamonds Show podcast episode with Ben Salzberg and Bill Kanatas (listen to the full story), we broke down how they navigated Chicago’s high property taxes by locking in these incentives. The result? Their projects not only penciled out—they outperformed expectations. If you’re not exploring what’s available in your target market, you’re leaving money on the table.

Local Regulations: The Double-Edged Sword

Of course, for every incentive, there’s a hurdle. Zoning boards, permitting delays, and shifting local ordinances can stall a deal for months. I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) that building trust with municipalities is just as important as building the project itself. Community engagement early in the entitlement process can mean the difference between a green light and a dead stop.

The BEST Development Advice I’ve received: before you buy, talk to people who’ve built in that town. Ideally, the Mayor, the code enforcement inspector and the city planner.

Find out what the real process looks like, not just what’s on paper. A property that looks like a steal might end up stealing from you!

Podcast Spotlight: Self Storage & the Power of Local Knowledge

For a deeper dive, check out my conversation with Ben & Bill on navigating the maze of regulations and incentives in self storage development. Their experience in Chicago is a masterclass in how to turn local challenges into competitive advantages. Listen to the episode now.

In this business, the edge goes to those who do their homework. Tax incentives and local rules aren’t just paperwork—they’re levers for profit, or pitfalls for the unwary. Stay sharp, ask the right questions, and always look for the angle others miss.

Let’s close a few deals together!!

We Bought a Farm this Week

Diamond Equity Investment is a MARKET MAKER. This is our role in the U.S. real estate market. In the same way that Citadel provides liquidity to the stock market, Diamond Equity provides liquidity to the real estate market.

While we buy quite a few houses (250+ per year), we often are presented odd & unique properties from sellers looking for liquidity- a quick cash sale. We’ve bought warehouses, land, even mobile homes with & without land. Provided sellers a quick exit strategy. It’s our job.

Many of our JV operating partners are highly asset class focused. One asset type, such as self storage, with an entire business built around optimizing those assets. Bring them a storage facility, in an area they like, and at fair pricing, then, and ONLY then, are the a buyer.

Contrast that with Diamond Equity. Bring us ANY property in ANY market and we will quote the price we are willing to pay. To be honest, there are a few properties which may have too little value or too many problems (think “old battery factory” where lead leaked into the ground for decades) which we would take a pass. However, even my partners are shocked at the wide variety of property we own, or have owned, and are willing to continue buying.

The farm we currently own is another example of an odd asset we chose to buy in order to provide the seller a quick exit strategy. I’d appreciate the opportunity to consider ANY unique properties you might come across-I ask only that you are the seller (or direct to seller, if a broker).

Here’s a few asset classes we consider:

• High Volume Residential SFR & MFR (259 last year)
• Industrial Single or Multi Tenant (5,000 sq. – 200K sq. ft+)
• Retail Strip or Shopping Center (20K sq. ft – 200K sq. ft+)
• Infill Commercial Development Sites (1/2 acre+, well located)
• Farmland (40 acres+)

“Everybody ’round me Rich, or Will Be”

Jay Z says this in “Nickels & Dimes”- a song about charity -vs- giving opportunity and also about going from broke (“scratchin’ for every nickel & dime”) to rich. I can relate to that. When I was broke, this line was like a divine message from God, a shift in my spirit- to not just get myself out of poverty, but find a way to help MANY others do the same. (Lyrics  / Song on YouTube)

Creating an opportunity larger than myself is how Diamond Equity went from just me flipping houses to more than 30 Deal Makers doing residential & commercial deals throughout the U.S. Now, I’ll talk about how we do the same with brokers.

First, YOU have to Bring the VALUE!!

In real estate investing,  REAL DEALS are like water in the desert. Hard to find & more valuable than rubies & gold. Imagine, needing a drink of water while stranded in the desert-you’d probably give ANYTHING for even a few ounces. A REAL DEAL is equally as valuable.

When I was broke, I declared, “NO ONE WOULD FIND & MAKE MORE DEALS THAN DIAMOND EQUITY.” We would be THE SOURCE for Fix & Flip deals-and we proceeded to do more than 1,800 since then. We are currently working on 183 at the moment, not including our commercial & industrial deals where JV partners are running point.

REAL DEALS are special, NOT a risky, thin margin flip, a listed handyman special that requires appreciation to make a profit, or a house “that works as a rental.”

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” -Jesus

You’d do anything to get THAT FIELD under contract and go to closing.  THAT is a REAL DEAL.

BE the SOURCE of the DEAL & YOU BRING the Value!!

Whether you are an agent, broker, or even an investor who hasn’t yet accumulated the wealth & momentum you expected when you got into the business, I can assure you that if you can BE the SOURCE of the DEAL (even better MANY deals!!) then bring those deals to other operators (like Diamond Equity), you can earn those big paydays that attracted us to get into the real estate business.

If you are already a consistent source of deals, but haven’t gotten you’re fair share yet, maybe these examples will help you structure your next deal for a bigger win on the backside.

How Residential Brokers Earn 25% Profit Share of a Deal

Residential REAL DEALS:

• Needs a Rehab, NOT suitable for an Owner Occupied Buyer
• Seller needs a Fast Closing (7-14 days)
• Can Buy well-below retail
• You’re Direct to Seller, or have inside information helping make the deal

Here’s How a Recent Deal Went: 

1. A broker made a direct introduction to a seller with a rough property and also needed a quick closing. The property was not listed and the seller did NOT want to list it. 
2. We bought the property & closed quickly, the completed repairs
3. Upon closing, the net profit was $38,000 on a $190,000 sale price.
4. The referring broker received $9,500 without any risk in the event we lost money on the deal. This deal took 90 days from start to finish. Broker simply made a warm intro.

How a Commercial Brokers Earn $300,000+ Profit Share on a $5M Deal

Commercial Brokers who have the potential to profit share on a deal are most-likely experienced in the asset class. They know the approx. price the deal should sell for and they know the market rent the property will produce. They also probably have construction contacts to assist with CapEx. Most importantly, they have a deal!

Commercial REAL DEALS:

• Below Market Rents. Ideally many month to month leases
• 30% vacancy or more.
• 100% occupancy where rents are half of market
• Selling willing to allow the buyer a fair shot at profit on the deal (Some sellers want to “win” and beat the other side so bad that they cannot make the deal work.  This is NOT a REAL DEAL)

If a deal like this were brought to me today and the broker was willing to assist in the deal for a profit share, here’s what that looks like:

• Broker double-ends their listing commission up front. Or, if seller is NOT willing to sign a listing agreement, receives a commission from my account.
• Broker KNOWS they can hit a certain NOI which is higher than my assumed NOI. If this higher NOI is hit, there will be a higher tier incentive profit share percentage than if they assist in hitting my assumed (safe) NOI expectation
• Broker profit share will be paid upon the exit of the deal and will be the listing side of the sale once the deal is stabilized.

For example, if a broker brought me a deal with details listed below, I’d hope they earn $297K for helping to run the deal. No capital at risk, no loans to sign. Just stellar execution during the stabilizing of the deal. Details:

• $2.5M purchase will pay the broker $125,000
• $5M sale price pays the broker either $100,000 or $200,000 commission, depending on the source of the buyer (coop commission -vs- double end)
• $1.8M Net profit (capex, carry, commissions $700K) at 4% profit share is $72,000. Plus the broker may have earned additional commissions for leasing, where applicable.
• $297,000 total proceeds to broker (assumes coop on exit)
• $397,000 total proceeds to broker (assumes lucky double end on exit)

Right now, my favorite asset class is small bay industrial or buildings which might have potential for conversions. If you have something like this, please email details.

Creating huge opportunities has been helpful throughout my career to build profitable, enjoyable, & sustainable partnerships. Looking forward to building many more!!