Real Estate Investing School Podcast

Steve Luther, founder of Cord Real Estate and Cord International, shares how a life-threatening COVID battle reshaped his priorities and ultimately led him and his wife to Panama. What began as a search for a Caribbean lifestyle shifted into a deeper focus on world-class healthcare, safety, and long-term optionality. Steve explains why Panama stood out, including its strong medical infrastructure, relative ease of doing business from the US time zone, and a dollar-pegged currency system that reduces currency risk. The conversation breaks down what investing in Panama can look like for Americans, including local financing options, typical deal sizes tied to residency-by-investment thresholds, and realistic return expectations. Steve also clarifies tax considerations, such as Panama's territorial tax structure, low property taxes, and key limitations like not being able to use a 1031 exchange on foreign real estate. The episode closes with practical ways to get started, including Steve's Invest Panama Summit experience designed to tour projects, meet vetted local partners, and evaluate opportunities firsthand. Book a free real estate investing strategy call! No experience necessary. Check out the Real Estate Investing School Youtube Real Estate Investing School Instagram Brody's Instagram Joe's Instagram ChordRealEstate.com

Jeremy Beland joins Joe Jensen to share how getting crushed in the 2007–2009 recession, nearly facing foreclosure, and joining the Air Force at 33 reset his life and ultimately set the stage for his real estate comeback. At 40, he made a bold move selling his townhouse, downsizing hard, and investing in coaching to start wholesaling in 2017, landing his first deal within 90 days and building momentum from there. His story highlights how fast life can change, and how real estate became the vehicle that gave him stability, options, and long-term control. The conversation dives into Jeremy's real strategy today: mastering off market acquisitions first, then choosing the best exit per deal including wholetails, flips, burrs, novations, and wholesales. He explains why wholetailing is one of his favorite plays, using true private lenders to buy deals, clean them out, and list them with minimal rehab, and why having multiple exit strategies helps him pivot through shifting markets. Jeremy also breaks down novations as a legal way to pre-market a deal for a retail buyer when an assignment won't work, and closes with a simple reminder: build a life you never want to retire from, and develop the acquisition and negotiation skills that turn leads into real closings.

Stephen Morell joins the Real Estate Investing School podcast to break down why tax lien investing has quietly been one of the most consistent real estate backed return plays for institutional investors and how his company, Jurisdeed, is working to open that world up to everyday investors. As a former title attorney with deep experience in property law, Stephen explains that tax liens are not really a "get cheap properties" strategy for most people. They are primarily a redemption play where the homeowner pays back the delinquent taxes plus interest and costs. The catch is the process is brutally complex, state by state rules vary, and small compliance mistakes can wipe out your position. Jurisdeed's mission is to make tax liens feel like a true investable asset class, simplifying the experience in a way similar to what Robinhood did for stocks. Stephen dives into the real problems investors face after buying liens, including time sensitive notice requirements, legal documentation, and ongoing monitoring while the lien matures. He explains typical timelines, why foreclosure is not automatic, and why even foreclosure does not guarantee you end up owning the property since auctions and legal steps vary widely. The bigger vision is building infrastructure that creates liquidity and clarity in a market that has historically been a manual good old boy system, including a future secondary marketplace and potential financing options. The episode closes with a practical warning about due diligence, the importance of volume and averages, and why the real edge in tax liens is systematizing compliance so investors can focus on strategy instead of paperwork. Book a free real estate investing strategy call! No experience necessary. Check out the Real Estate Investing School Youtube Real Estate Investing School Instagram Brody's Instagram Joe's Instagram Jurisdeed.com

Patrick Grimes, founder of Passive Investing Mastery and a former robotics engineer, shares how getting burned in the 2007–2008 crash reshaped his entire investing philosophy. Instead of chasing "get rich quick" returns, Patrick now treats real estate as one slice of a broader portfolio and focuses on building true financial security through non-correlated alternative investments, assets that do not all rise and fall together. He explains why resilient portfolios often include real estate alongside lesser-known options like legal and litigation finance, energy, and other niche strategies that behave differently during downturns. The episode dives into two big opportunities Patrick sees in real estate right now: buying distressed commercial assets at low prices (especially with cash) and lending at higher rates where banks have pulled back, particularly in small-balance commercial deals. Patrick also breaks down litigation finance in simple terms: lending against a diversified pool of late-stage contingency cases, cross-collateralized to reduce risk. The conversation closes with actionable portfolio thinking: do not over-index into one volatile asset class, diversify for resilience, and a simple reminder Patrick would text the world: choose loving over hate.

In this episode, I sit down with Debbie DiMaggio, a top-producing Northern California agent who's been in the game for decades, and we talk about the real difference between being an investor and being an agent. As an investor, you can move fast and get creative, but when you're representing a client and a brokerage, it's a whole different world. Debbie breaks down why disclosure matters so much, why agents have to walk a straight line, and how liability changes everything when you're the "trusted expert" for someone else. We also get into how messy certain markets can be, especially places like California and New York, where tenant laws can turn into a full-blown nightmare if you don't know what you're getting into. Then we go practical. Debbie lays out what actually wins deals in competitive markets, and it's not being aggressive, flashy, or pushy. It's being the agent people want to work with. She talks about building relationships with listing agents before offer day, staying on top of communication, writing clean offers, getting buyers truly pre-approved, and removing friction wherever possible so the deal feels like a guaranteed close. Her mindset is simple but powerful: colleagues, not competitors, because your reputation travels fast in real estate. And at the end of the day, Debbie reminds us why this business matters. You're not just selling houses, you're helping real people move into a better chapter. Book a free real estate investing strategy call! No experience necessary. Check out the Real Estate Investing School Youtube Real Estate Investing School Instagram Brody's Instagram Joe's Instagram Debbie Dimaggio