The Best Ever CRE Show
Welcome to the Best Ever CRE Show, the world’s longest-running daily COMMERCIAL real estate podcast. Founded by Joe Fairless, a co-founder of Ashcroft Capital who went from buying $35,000 homes to controlling more than $2.7 billion in real estate assets, the Best Ever CRE Show provides commercial real estate expert insights, education, and timely information to our community of active and passive investors who want to build wealth, build a legacy, and do more good in the world.So if you want the real stories behind the good, the bad, and the worst ever deals — plus, insights into what really goes on i...
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Diversifying Beyond Real Estate: Exploring New Investment Horizons ft. Sandhya Seshadri
<p>Sandhya Seshadri shares her inspiring journey from being an engineer to becoming a successful multifamily investor. Starting with her first 86-unit deal in 2018, Sandhya discusses the importance of partnering with experienced sponsors, building strong broker relationships, and defining clear acquisition criteria. She emphasizes the value of reputation, credibility, and deep relationships in acquiring deals, and offers practical strategies for managing underperforming assets through communication, transparency, and investor relations.</p> <p>They also explore the significance of diversification beyond multifamily investments, discussing her ventures into oil and gas, stocks, and private credit funds. She highlights the importance of focusing on...
How Long Term Debt Protects Multifamily Investors During Downturns ft. Dwight Dunton
<p>Matt Faircloth interviews Dwight Dunton, founder of Bonaventure, who shares lessons from building a 10,000-unit multifamily portfolio and investing through multiple market cycles since 1999. He explains why multifamily remains resilient during downturns, emphasizing that housing is an essential need and long-term success depends on financing assets with fixed-rate, long-term debt to survive economic volatility. Dwight also discusses how emotional decision-making can hurt investors, encouraging rational analysis when deciding whether to hold or sell distressed assets. He highlights opportunities emerging from declining new construction starts, constrained supply, and value-add renovations, along with long-term growth potential in senior housing driven by...
Structuring Income, Growth and Liquidity for 2026 ft. Christopher Nelson
<p>Pascal Wagner interviews Christopher Nelson about how accredited investors can position their portfolios for 2026 while balancing income, growth, and capital preservation. They unpack the realities of living off portfolio income, including rising healthcare costs, taxes, and the importance of clean financial reporting across entities. Pascal shares how his family’s annual expenses increased significantly once depreciation benefits tapered off, prompting a strategic review of asset allocation and liquidity needs </p> <p>Christopher explains how he runs his micro family office like a business, using a structured “evergreen” framework that assigns every dollar a job: growth, income, or capital preservation . He out...
Mixed-Use Value, Retail Upside and Triple Net Strategy ft. Jamie Thiel and Jeni Burke
<p>Jamie Thiel and Jeni Burke join Ash and Amanda to share how they transitioned from residential real estate and limited partner investing into larger commercial opportunities, leveraging their complementary strengths to build a growing portfolio together. Jamie began as an LP in 2018 while working as a commercial roofer in multifamily, gaining exposure to ownership from the vendor side. Jeni, with over two decades of experience as a licensed real estate agent and a background in small multifamily investing, brought operational depth and acquisition experience. After reconnecting at a Women in Real Estate event, they launched their company and quickly...
JF 4184: How to Build a Multi-Asset Fund-of-Funds Program at Massive Scale ft. Ben Fraser
<p>Seth Bradley interviews Ben Fraser, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer at Aspen Funds, on how Aspen built a scalable fund-to-funds platform to support more than 40 independent capital aggregators in 2025 alone. Ben breaks down Aspen’s macro-driven investment philosophy, how the firm evolved from distressed mortgage notes after the Great Financial Crisis into a multi-asset platform, and why focusing on tailwinds matters more than sticking to a single asset class. The conversation dives deep into the structural shift from co-GP capital raising to compliant fund-of-funds models, the importance of simplifying backend infrastructure for promoters, and why recurring cash-flowing products ca...
The Hidden Power of Content in Raising Capital and Building Your Brand ft. Sean Flanagan
<p>Sean Flanagan shares real, raw lessons from failed land deals, capital raises, and the key mindset shift that can turn setbacks into success. If you're tired of spinning wheels and ready to make high-impact moves in industrial or water rights, this episode reveals how to get in the right room, build undeniable credibility, and create content that attracts your ideal investors and partners.</p> <p>Discover why focusing on one niche can skyrocket your authority and how to leverage simple content strategies to stay top of mind. Sean breaks down the exact steps to get your first few million...
Tariffs, Wage Growth and the AI Scare Trade ft. John Chang
<p>John Chang unpacks massive downward revisions to U.S. job growth and what they signal for commercial real estate. He explains how nearly 900,000 jobs were wiped out through revisions, why government data models are struggling in a post-pandemic economy, and how policy uncertainty and tariffs are weighing on hiring. John also addresses the recent AI-driven Wall Street selloff in brokerage stocks, arguing that fears of automation disrupting CRE brokerage and office demand are overstated. Throughout, he connects labor trends, wage growth, healthcare hiring, and consumer sentiment directly to property performance across sectors. </p> <p>Book your free demo today...
Building Dreams: The Art of Affordable Housing Development ft. Michael Oden
<p>Michael Oden shares his journey from Detroit to Atlanta, highlighting his innovative approach to affordable housing development. As a broker developer, Michael focuses on acquiring raw land and leveraging creative zoning strategies to unlock value and increase housing density. He discusses the importance of understanding local market factors, such as area median income, to set affordability thresholds and ensure that new construction projects remain financially viable even in challenging economic environments.</p> <p>Michael Oden</p> <p>Current role: CEO and Affordify Housing Fund, Dream Home Today, </p> <p>Based in: Atlanta, Georgia</p> <p>Where to find them:</p...
The Surprising Cost Difference: Building Student Housing vs. Traditional Multifamily ft. Zach Feldman
<p>Zach Feldman joins Matt Faircloth for a conversation about the intricacies of student housing, a niche yet highly profitable sector within real estate. He explains how student housing has evolved from informal setups to institutionalized assets, offering unique investment opportunities.They also talk about the importance of location, amenity design, and market research in achieving rent premiums, and how these factors differentiate student housing from traditional multifamily properties. He also highlights the significance of branding and community building in attracting tenants and ensuring high occupancy rates.</p> <p>Zach Feldman</p> <p>Current role: Partner, Aptitude Development</p> <p>...
Why Mobile Home Parks Are the Most Underappreciated Affordable Housing Asset ft. Amanda Cruise
<p>Pascal is joined by fellow Best Ever host, Amanda Cruise. This episode offers a comprehensive exploration of the mobile home park sector, highlighting its unique position as an affordable housing solution with declining supply. Amanda shares her journey from traditional real estate to becoming a successful mobile home park operator, providing valuable insights into the strategic decisions that drive success in this niche market.</p> <p>Listeners will gain an understanding of the critical factors to consider when investing in mobile home parks, such as choosing between seasoned operators and emerging managers, and the importance of market size and...
