082. Are Micro-Units the Next BIG thing in Commercial Real Estate?

Are Micro-Units the Next BIG thing in Commercial Real Estate?

The buzzword in many commercial real estate circles over the last economic cycle has been “affordable housing.” As costs of living have continued to increase, developers, government officials, and special interest groups have been fighting to figure out how can we continue to provide affordable and attainable housing for those in need. But no one is talking about the affordability crisis for entrepreneurs and startups. The cost of commercial space has also risen dramatically - sometimes 50% or more in some cases around Nashville. Micro-units may be the way for entrepreneurship to continue thriving in an evermore expensive environment - here’s why.

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362. Most developers go broke before they ever break ground with Meg Epstein
362. Most developers go broke before they ever break ground with Meg Epstein

In this episode of Lessons Learned, Meg Epstein pulls back the curtain on what ground-up development really looks like when the wheels come off. A developer she invested with burned $1,000,000 on plans that didn’t pencil… and when the deal started falling apart, it escalated fast: subpoenas, legal threats, and a moment where it felt like everything she’d built could get wiped out overnight. Meg shares how she survived it, what she changed, and the business model she rebuilt afterward, including why chasing the “institutional” path can be a trap, why niche strategies win, and what it takes to keep your real estate business alive through a down cycle.

361. Backing Into an Offer Price on Vacant Commercial Property | Office Hours
361. Backing Into an Offer Price on Vacant Commercial Property | Office Hours

A vacant commercial building isn’t a problem — it’s a pricing puzzle.

Most investors either lowball and lose the deal, or overpay because they don’t know how to value a property with no income. But vacancy doesn’t mean the building is worthless. It just means you have to price it based on what it will earn, not what it’s earning today.

360. If You Can’t Find Deals, This Is Probably Why - Do This Instead | Office Hours
360. If You Can’t Find Deals, This Is Probably Why - Do This Instead | Office Hours

If you can’t find good deals right now, it’s probably not the market.

It’s probably your filter.

Most investors say they “want a deal” but they don’t have a defined Buy Box, clear red flags, or a fast way to screen opportunities. So they chase everything, underwrite endlessly, and burn out before they ever submit an LOI.

359. You Think Apartments Are a Safe Investment?
359. You Think Apartments Are a Safe Investment?

“Apartments are the safest path to financial freedom.”

But in today’s market, that belief could actually be holding you back.

In this week’s video, I sit down with Josh Friedenshon of Greenleaf Management—a friend and now business partner—who scaled to 4,000+ apartment units before making a bold move: selling off residential in 2018 and reinvesting into commercial real estate.

358. Stop Investing in Real Estate for Cash Flow - Do This Instead | Office Hours
358. Stop Investing in Real Estate for Cash Flow - Do This Instead | Office Hours

Stop investing in real estate for cash flow. It might be the very thing keeping you stuck.

“Passive income” sounds great. Who doesn’t want mailbox money? But if you are early in your investing journey, chasing 8 to 10 percent cash on cash returns could actually be slowing your growth instead of accelerating it.

What you need first is not cash flow. It is equity.

357. Using Energy Data to Find Vacant Buildings | Office Hours
357. Using Energy Data to Find Vacant Buildings | Office Hours

What if the most distressed buildings in your market don’t look distressed at all?

Some of the best off-market deals never hit LoopNet. They don’t show up in broker chatter. And on paper, they look “occupied.”

But the lights tell a different story.

In this breakdown, I dive into a fascinating strategy investors are using to uncover hidden vacancy by analyzing something most people ignore: energy usage. By comparing reported occupancy to actual electricity and utility consumption, you can spot buildings that are quietly bleeding—long before the market catches on.

356. McDonalds owns their real estate. Why doesn’t Starbucks?
356. McDonalds owns their real estate. Why doesn’t Starbucks?

Why did Starbucks ignore the billion-dollar real estate playbook that made McDonald’s rich?

Ray Kroc built McDonald’s into a $40+ billion property empire by owning the land under his restaurants. Howard Schultz knew that strategy… and deliberately did the opposite.

355. Waterfront Flex, Medical Office Boom, Multifamily Delinquencies, and More | The Deal Desk
355. Waterfront Flex, Medical Office Boom, Multifamily Delinquencies, and More | The Deal Desk

Heading into 2026, a lot of investors are still operating like it’s 2019—assuming industrial will bail them out, multifamily will never crack, and Silicon Valley will somehow innovate its way past fundamentals. But markets don’t reward nostalgia. They reward awareness. If you’re holding real exposure in today’s CRE landscape—whether that’s flex, medical, industrial, or even legacy office—your edge won’t come from speed. It’ll come from knowing which signals actually matter before the institutional money prices it in.

Most investors hit this point and keep moving as if every cycle works the same. That’s how portfolios grow… and quietly destabilize. Because what separates those who compound through volatility from those who stall isn’t hustle. It’s structure—understanding where demand is forming, which sectors are insulated, how freight and logistics are shifting, and what rising delinquencies are really telling you about capital risk in 2026. If you want next year to work for you instead of happening to you, you need to stop treating headlines like entertainment and start treating them like strategy.

354. 10 Ways to Make Money from ONE Deal | Office Hours
354. 10 Ways to Make Money from ONE Deal | Office Hours

Making real money in commercial real estate isn’t about finding ten different deals. It’s about learning how to get paid ten different ways on one deal. Most investors get stuck in the same cycle: grind to close, park the asset, and wait years for a payday that may or may not show up. Meanwhile, overhead keeps coming, momentum fades, and the business feels way harder than it needs to be. The truth is, if you structure your deals correctly, you can create income at closing, during the hold, and again on the exit—without needing a massive portfolio to survive.

The investors who last in this game aren’t just deal hunters. They’re deal architects. They understand that every transaction has multiple levers: brokerage, fees, operational cash flow, backend upside, and even debt positioning. You won’t stack all of them on every deal, but once you know the menu, you stop being reactive and start building predictable income around your acquisitions. That’s how you keep the lights on while your equity compounds in the background.

353. The Hidden Economics Behind Parking Lots
353. The Hidden Economics Behind Parking Lots

Most investors overlook one of the simplest and most profitable business models in commercial real estate: monetizing land.

In 2008, Chicago sold the rights to 36,000 parking meters for $1.15 billion. By 2025, the buyers had already collected every dollar back, plus roughly $500 million in profit, with decades of revenue still ahead. The city did not realize it was sitting on a land based cash flow machine.That deal is a clear reminder of a bigger truth in CRE. Some of the most boring properties quietly outperform the flashy ones.