Episodios

  • Use Cases For Designing A Client Experience

    Use Cases For Designing A Client Experience
    Nov 21 2025

    In real estate, most operational mistakes are not the result of bad intentions. They are the result of assumptions. You believe the tenant will know where to park, how to receive packages, how to operate the thermostat, or how to submit a maintenance request. You assume your team will know how to prepare the unit, confirm utilities, or walk a resident through the lease.

    But assumptions are the enemy of predictable execution.

    Professional developers use a tool from the software world called use cases, sometimes known as user stories, to design a process that works for the client in the real world, not the world we imagine on paper.

    A use case is a simple story that describes how a specific person completes a specific task under specific conditions. It forces you to see the experience through the customer’s eyes, not the company’s.

    In residential real estate, this is invaluable.

    ------------

    **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:**
    Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)
    iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)
    Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)
    LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)
    YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)
    Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)
    Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)
    **Y Street Capital:**
    Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)
    Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)
    Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)

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    6 m
  • Parking In The AI Future

    Parking In The AI Future
    Nov 20 2025
    On today’s show we are talking about the impact of artificial intelligence on the design of apartment buildings. The most obvious medium term impact of AI is going to be on the automotive industry. Some people prefer to drive by car because they don’t want the experience of public transit. It’s noisy, it’s crowded. You can’t have a private phone conversation on a bus or on the subway. The bus doesn’t take you where you want to go. It may take you close by, not exactly where you want to go. Even in places where traffic congestion is high and parking is expensive, people prefer to drive over the alternative. The cost of a taxi might be expensive. But depending on how often you drive and how far you drive, even using a taxi service might be more cost effective than owning your own car.These days a ride sharing service like Uber or Lyft is typically costing between $2-3 per mile or between $1.25 - $1.87 per kilometre. Much of this is linked to the wage associated with having a human driver behind the wheel.If you take a typical leased vehicle that might give you 15,000 miles per year and that lease might cost you $600 a month and maybe a similar amount in insurance. If you spend $2000 a year in fuel to drive those 15,000 miles then your cost per mile for a vehicle that you own is going to cost about $1.09 per mile. If you have to pay for parking, you are probably going to break $1.25 per mile in terms of cost. That’s assuming that the car needs no maintenance. On the other hand, if you can save time because you don’t need to look for parking a robotaxi might be a competitive solution. Some recent numbers suggest that robo-taxis will cost between $0.25-$35 per mile in mass deployment.That’s a significant saving over car ownership. The other important question will be the balance of supply and demand. If you have to wait too long for a robo-taxi to show up, then people won’t use it. But if the supply is sufficient to keep wait times low, then robo-taxi adoption will change the entire auto industry. There will be no reason to own a car. For those really long road trips, it would be cheaper to rent a car. For trips within the city, a robo-taxi would even be preferable to owning a car for many people. -------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1) iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613) Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com) LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce) YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso) Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com) **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com) Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital) Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)
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    5 m
  • America's Nuclear Renaissance

    America's Nuclear Renaissance
    Nov 19 2025

    Sometimes in life you have amazing foresight and insight. And then other times you’re just lucky. This is one of those cases where we are just lucky. I’ll gratefully accept luck when it happens to benefit us. In fact we have no choice. We have have to accept unlucky bounces as well.

    This week there was an announcement of a major new nuclear power installation for Brigham City Utah. This suburb of Salt Lake City has a population of about 20,000. We know this area well because we have a 21 acre project currently under development just off the I-15 interchange and across the street from the Walmart SuperCenter. Our project consists of a Marriott Townplace Suites Hotel, 104 townhouses and 60,000 SF of flex industrial. The nuclear project will consist of an array of 4-10 small modular nuclear reactors with the first one being delivered in the early 2030’s.

    The country has finally woken up to the notion that the US will need a vast increase in the amount of electricity generation capacity.

    The area around Salt Lake City could be a candidate for data centres and manufacturing, were it not for the fact that the area has insufficient power to sustain the growth.

    -----------

    **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:**
    Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)
    iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)
    Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)
    LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)
    YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)
    Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)
    Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)
    **Y Street Capital:**
    Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)
    Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)
    Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)

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    6 m
  • Is It Better In The Office?

    Is It Better In The Office?
    Nov 18 2025

    On today’s show we are taking a look at the benefits of working in an office environment versus remote work.

    Back in 2019 average commute times in major cities had reached a peak. For example average commute times in San Francisco were 33 minutes. During the pandemic, that fell to 25 minutes. But in truth, since many were not commuting at all, the commute times for people working from home went to zero. Fast forward to this year and commute times are back above 30 minutes again, essentially mirroring times from 2019, despite the fact that many offices remain vacant. In fact the downtown vacancy in San Francisco remains at 34.4%, so there are still a lot of people not traveling to the office and working from home.

    When I was in the tech industry, the benefits of having teams co-located was well documented. In fact, the level of communication between team members dropped significantly when desks were more than 50 feet apart. Close working teams need to be close together to function optimally.

    -----------

    **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:**
    Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)
    iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)
    Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)
    LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)
    YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)
    Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)
    Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)
    **Y Street Capital:**
    Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)
    Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)
    Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)

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    5 m
  • AMA - Developing 100 Acres

    AMA - Developing 100 Acres
    Nov 17 2025

    Today's question comes from Zane in Georgia who asks:

    I was hoping to get a professional opinion or suggestion on how I should approach an issue with a small town council who won't update utilities and a seller who wants a premium price for their land but cannot get it because of utilities being maxed out. I am a residential and small multi investor and my knowledge of selling land for development is minimal. I have known the seller and family for several years and they trust me to represent them honestly, which is why they asked me to list their land. But, it has been a year and the few interested buyers we have gotten are bidding too low for the seller and then council ruins the DD.

    This is a 100 acre tract on two parcels in the city limits of Maysville, GA just off I-85N near Atlanta. Seller wants to get around 6.5M from the sale, I have warned that 4M is more likely but it's not a conversation they want to hear.

    The land has 18 acres of C2 zoning on the main road with major utility lines on the road, and is the largest undeveloped piece of land in the city limits. Jackson county is growing rapidly and building a lot of housing, but the city of Maysville has been underdeveloped. They did just approve 2 large data center projects which I think will jump start the city into more growth. The local city lines have water pressure limits due to poorly functioning wells and council is fixing the issue by purchasing water from surrounding counties. The sewer lines and reclamation facility are maxed out for residential use, but supposedly have retail/commercial capacity. The engineer I spoke to said the system needed to be replaced ideally, but they could increase capacity if needed.

    There have been several offers at lower prices, but all have fail in due diligence as a result of lack of utilities.

    ------------

    **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:**
    Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)
    iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)
    Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)
    LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)
    YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)
    Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)
    Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)
    **Y Street Capital:**
    Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)
    Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)
    Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)

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    8 m
  • Understanding Retirement Accounts with Joel Landon

    Understanding Retirement Accounts with Joel Landon
    Nov 16 2025

    Joel Landon is with Heritage IRA, based in Salt Lake City. On today's show we are breaking down the different types of retirement accounts and why you would choose one over another. To connect with Joel, visit heritageira.com or email him directly at joel@heritageira.com.

    -------------

    **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:**
    Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)
    iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)
    Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)
    LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)
    YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)
    Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)
    Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)
    **Y Street Capital:**
    Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)
    Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)
    Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)

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    15 m
  • Lessons From 2020 with Mike Zlotnik

    Lessons From 2020 with Mike Zlotnik
    Nov 16 2025

    Mike Zlotnik is based in New York City and he invests in multiple asset classes across the mid-western part of the United States. On today's show we are talking about how the investment thesis has changed over the past few years with a renewed emphasis on safety and cash flow.

    To connect with Mike, visit https://bigmikefund.com/ where you can find both his podcast and his corporate site.

    ---------------

    **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:**
    Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)
    iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)
    Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)
    LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)
    YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)
    Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)
    Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)
    **Y Street Capital:**
    Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)
    Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)
    Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)

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    17 m
  • Live From Tulum Mexico

    Live From Tulum Mexico
    Nov 15 2025

    Coming to you live from Tulum Mexico where we have just wrapped up our Build to Scale Mastermind. This is our annual event, held roughly at the same time each year. We choose this time because it is a chance to start planning for the next calendar year before the start of the next year.

    Unlike past years, this year focused on more than just goal setting. We still did spend considerable time on goal setting. But we also spent time on the topic of business scaling with an emphasis on mergers and acquisitions.

    -----------

    **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:**
    Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)
    iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)
    Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)
    LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)
    YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)
    Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)
    Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)
    **Y Street Capital:**
    Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)
    Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)
    Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)

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    5 m