033. Adaptive Reuse and Renovations with Mike Sowers

Adaptive Reuse and Renovations with Mike Sowers

Mikes mission is to humbly and gratefully find pathways to creatively unlock potential in people, places, and ideas. He is the Founder and CEO of Commercial Investors Group whose core business is repositioning commercial real estate assets in the Midwest. Mike is the author of the book "Commercial Real Estate Investing: A Step-By-Step Guide To Finding & Funding Your First Deal" being released Q2 2021. Mike heads the commercial investing mastery program where he coaches implementers of his 7 step system across the country. This proven system helps investors transition from residential investing to commercial and structure real estate partnerships using equity partners. Mike hosts the "CREative Commercial Real Estate" Podcast and the "This Old Building" TV Show. He is also an acclaimed keynote speaker. His passions outside of work are traveling the world with his wife Lisa and children Andi and Brody, playing guitar at Creative Church, volleyball, kiteboarding, snowmobiling, boating, and writing.

Adaptive Reuse and Renovations with Mike Sowers
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381. He Doubled His Cash Flow Without Buying a Single New Property
381. He Doubled His Cash Flow Without Buying a Single New Property

Chris Thorndike bought a rundown $400K warehouse in Gainesville, Florida and converted it into six micro retail suites. Over 120 people applied to rent the six spaces. It has not had a single vacancy in two and a half years. Most investors would have moved on and gone hunting for the next deal. Chris almost did too. Then he looked a little closer at what he already owned.

380. Graham Stephan Just Made the Case for Commercial Real Estate
380. Graham Stephan Just Made the Case for Commercial Real Estate

If you've been waiting for the right time to buy commercial real estate, this is it - join the CRE Accelerator Mastermind and I'll help you make it happen: https://accelerator.crecentral.com/OO I'm Selling Everything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJx58bOo5g0 Graham Stephan just made the case for commercial real estate and I don't think he realized he did it. In his recent video "I'm Selling Everything," Graham walked through exactly why he's exiting his entire LA rental portfolio: 4-5% cash flow on equity, the $400 permit fee to replace a $500 fence, the constant "background noise" of being a residential landlord, and a California regulatory environment that's actively pushing capital out of housing.

379. The Tax Code Was Written for Real Estate Investors
379. The Tax Code Was Written for Real Estate Investors

Most investors focus on making more money. Sophisticated real estate investors focus on keeping more of it.

In this episode, we break down the tax strategies commercial real estate investors use to build long-term wealth while legally minimizing taxes. From depreciation and cost segregation to 1031 exchanges and refinancing strategies, this conversation covers the exact framework many high-net-worth investors use to compound their portfolios faster.

378. He Stopped Buying Airbnbs and Built a $20M Hotel Portfolio
378. He Stopped Buying Airbnbs and Built a $20M Hotel Portfolio

Michael Russell built a portfolio of luxury Airbnbs in Maui and then regulation shut the door on scaling any further. So he did what most investors wouldn’t: he bought a hostel in the middle of COVID, when occupancy was zero and everyone thought he was crazy.

377. I'm Building 43,000 SF of Flex Space at 1/3rd of The Cost - Office Hours
377. I'm Building 43,000 SF of Flex Space at 1/3rd of The Cost - Office Hours

The going rate to build 43,000 square feet of flex space from the ground up right now is somewhere between $6 and $8 million. I'm doing it for around $2 million and in this week's Office Hours, I'm showing you exactly how.

The answer isn't a secret or a shortcut. It's a structure called the master lease and it's the most powerful tool in commercial real estate that almost nobody teaches.

376. Gold Doesn't Pay You. This Does.
376. Gold Doesn't Pay You. This Does.

Gold doesn't pay you. It doesn't give you tax benefits. And you have zero control over whether it goes up or down.

In this video, I'm breaking down why commercial real estate is a better hard asset than gold — and I'm using a real deal from one of my Mastermind members to prove it. Matt Barbaccia joined the CRE Accelerator feeling underqualified, then 45 days later closed a 70% vacant flex warehouse with zero dollars out of pocket and no debt payments for the first two years.

375. Why I'd Rather Buy an Empty Building Than a Full One Right Now
375. Why I'd Rather Buy an Empty Building Than a Full One Right Now

Everyone wants a fully-leased building. I'd rather have the empty one, and in this week's Office Hours, I'm going to show you exactly why. Vacant buildings scare most investors off. But in today's market, that vacancy is your biggest advantage: negotiating leverage, below-replacement-cost pricing, and a forced appreciation setup that a fully-leased deal can't match.

374. He Traded His Apartments for a Commercial Building and Made $100k
374. He Traded His Apartments for a Commercial Building and Made $100k

Chad Acerboni isn't a full-time real estate investor. He's a tech sales executive who's been quietly building a portfolio on the side — one intentional move at a time.

His latest move? Selling his apartment complex, paying zero taxes on the sale via a 1031 exchange, and closing on a 30,000 sq ft mixed-use commercial building for $2.1M. The appraisal already came back higher than his purchase price.

373. Is Market Uncertainty Actually Good for Commercial Real Estate Investors? — Office Hours
373. Is Market Uncertainty Actually Good for Commercial Real Estate Investors? — Office Hours

Everyone's watching the tariff headlines, the stock swings, the Fed drama...and deciding to wait. But here's what the data actually shows: real estate prices went UP in 7 out of the last 9 U.S. recessions.

Market uncertainty isn't the obstacle. Waiting for it to go away is.

In this week's Office Hours, I'm breaking down exactly why the current market environment might be one of the best setups commercial real estate investors have seen in years — and what you should actually be doing right now.

372. 33 Rental Houses vs. 1 Commercial Property (The Math Will Shock You)
372. 33 Rental Houses vs. 1 Commercial Property (The Math Will Shock You)

Most residential investors are grinding toward financial freedom one door at a time and nobody's telling them there's a ceiling. Today I'm pulling back the curtain on exactly where that ceiling is, why it exists, and what the move looks like when you hit it. Including the deal where I changed one piece of paper and made almost $200,000 in profit.