309: Redefining the Standards of Commercial Real Estate Services with Greg Trotter

On this episode of Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing, Jonathan Greene sits down with Greg Trotter, CEO and founder of Commercial Building Consultants, to unpack what real estate investors often miss during commercial due diligence. With over 40 years of experience in construction, inspections, and forensic building analysis, Greg explains how his role is to act as a "bodyguard" for investors—protecting their equity by identifying real risks before they close.

Greg walks through how property condition assessments should align with an investor's hold period and exit strategy, why cosmetic upgrades are often a distraction, and how overlooked systems like roofs, drainage, lift stations, and life-safety infrastructure can quietly derail deals. He also shares stories from projects across the U.S. and beyond, highlighting how climate, weather events, deferred maintenance, and operational blind spots create long-term financial consequences.

Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of why transparency, conservative planning, and honest reporting matter more than optimism in underwriting—and how knowing the full story of a building can protect both operators and investors from costly surprises down the line.

In this episode, you will hear:

• How Greg's construction background led him into commercial inspection and consulting

• Why due diligence must account for hold period, capex timing, and exit strategy

• Commonly overlooked risks like drainage, roofing, lift stations, and life-safety systems

• How deferred maintenance compounds into multimillion-dollar problems

• Why weather events, storm surge, and climate risks are changing how buildings must be evaluated

• The difference between cosmetic improvements and protecting long-term asset value

Follow and Review
If you enjoy the show, please follow Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing on Apple Podcasts and leave a rating and review. It helps other listeners discover these conversations and supports the show's growth.

Supporting Resources

Connect with Greg

Website: http://thecbcteam.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebuildingguy/

Connect with Jonathan:

Website - www.streamlined.properties

YouTube - www.youtube.com/c/JonathanGreeneRE/videos

Instagram - www.instagram.com/trustgreene

Instagram - www.instagram.com/streamlinedproperties

Zillow - www.zillow.com/profile/streamlinen​j

Bigger Pockets - www.biggerpockets.com/users/jonathangreene

Facebook - www.facebook.com/streamlinedproperties

Email - [e-mail]

This episode was produced by Outlier Audio.