At just $5 a unit per month, it's worth checking out shukrentals.com or booking a live demo in the show notes. https://calendly.com/oliver-theshuk/shuk-demo — Use discount code TCREI20 for 20% off.

🎙️ About the TCREI Hosts

Adam Tafel – Investor, Realtor, and host of Twin Cities Real Estate Investing. Adam has helped hundreds of clients buy, sell, and analyze investment properties across the metro. He works daily with local investors and is passionate about building wealth through smart real estate strategies. 📩 adam@UpsidePropertySales.com

Tim Swierczek – Mortgage lender and experienced investor who helps clients structure financing to maximize returns and long-term wealth. Tim brings a practical, numbers-first approach that makes deals work in the real world. 📩 tim@timswierczek.com

💡 We’d love to meet with you and hear about your investing goals. Book a time with us here: TwinCitiesRealEstateInvesting.com/schedule

Jo Hanson, founder of The Works BnB, got her start during the COVID-era travel shift by investing in Minnesota vacation rentals near ski resorts. As demand surged, her properties performed exceptionally well—allowing her to cash out near the top of the market and strategically redeploy that capital into short-term rentals across the Twin Cities.

Jo approaches short-term rentals like a true operator, not a hobbyist. She explains that in order to compete in the Minneapolis STR market, you need to run your units like a real business—dialed-in systems, intentional design, and a genuine 5-star guest experience. In this episode, she shares what it takes to stand out, though we only begin to scratch the surface of the systems and scale behind her growing portfolio.

At just $5 a unit per month, it's worth checking out shukrentals.com or booking a live demo in the show notes. https://calendly.com/oliver-theshuk/shuk-demo — Use discount code TCREI20 for 20% off.

🎙️ About the TCREI Hosts

Adam Tafel – Investor, Realtor, and host of Twin Cities Real Estate Investing. Adam has helped hundreds of clients buy, sell, and analyze investment properties across the metro. He works daily with local investors and is passionate about building wealth through smart real estate strategies. 📩 adam@UpsidePropertySales.com

Tim Swierczek – Mortgage lender and experienced investor who helps clients structure financing to maximize returns and long-term wealth. Tim brings a practical, numbers-first approach that makes deals work in the real world. 📩 tim@timswierczek.com

💡 We’d love to meet with you and hear about your investing goals. Book a time with us here: TwinCitiesRealEstateInvesting.com/schedule

Ryan Luthi has been investing in the Twin Cities since 2013, starting with a house hack in North Minneapolis that laid the foundation for everything that followed. He shares how that first duplex allowed him to live affordably while building momentum, eventually purchasing a single-family home that turned into a successful live-in flip. Through smart, budget-conscious updates, Ryan and his wife were able to create significant value—using the profits from that sale to help build their dream home.

In this episode, Ryan dives into his experience investing in sober homes, including the opportunities, recent challenges, and some of the real-world drama that comes with that niche. He also talks about his work helping buyers navigate contract for deed deals, offering insight into a less common but impactful path to ownership. Ryan’s story is practical and honest, showing how strategic decisions and adaptability can compound into long-term success.

If you got value from this episode, share it with someone who’s thinking about getting started in real estate investing, and don’t forget to subscribe for more conversations with local investors.

At just $5 a unit per month, it's worth checking out shukrentals.com or booking a live demo in the show notes. https://calendly.com/oliver-theshuk/shuk-demo — Use discount code TCREI20 for 20% off.

🎙️ About the TCREI Hosts

Adam Tafel – Investor, Realtor, and host of Twin Cities Real Estate Investing. Adam has helped hundreds of clients buy, sell, and analyze investment properties across the metro. He works daily with local investors and is passionate about building wealth through smart real estate strategies. 📩 adam@UpsidePropertySales.com

Tim Swierczek – Mortgage lender and experienced investor who helps clients structure financing to maximize returns and long-term wealth. Tim brings a practical, numbers-first approach that makes deals work in the real world. 📩 tim@timswierczek.com

💡 We’d love to meet with you and hear about your investing goals. Book a time with us here: TwinCitiesRealEstateInvesting.com/schedule

Corey Wright returns to the show to talk about what he’s been working on lately, including his new Legacy Wealth Group project aimed at helping investors connect and build stronger networks within the real estate community. Corey shares why building relationships with other investors can make such a big difference, especially when markets get tough or deals get harder to find.

We also talk about practical mindset tricks for staying motivated and organized as an investor, along with a candid discussion about the pros and cons of off-market deals and working with wholesalers. It’s a wide-ranging conversation about the mental side of investing, staying consistent over the long run, and building the kind of community that helps investors keep moving forward.

At just $5 a unit per month, it's worth checking out Shuk Rentals or booking a live demo in the show notes. https://calendly.com/oliver-theshuk/shuk-demo — Use discount code TCREI20 for 20% off.

🎙️ About the TCREI Hosts

Adam Tafel – Investor, Realtor, and host of Twin Cities Real Estate Investing. Adam has helped hundreds of clients buy, sell, and analyze investment properties across the metro. He works daily with local investors and is passionate about building wealth through smart real estate strategies. 📩 adam@UpsidePropertySales.com

Tim Swierczek – Mortgage lender and experienced investor who helps clients structure financing to maximize returns and long-term wealth. Tim brings a practical, numbers-first approach that makes deals work in the real world. 📩 tim@timswierczek.com

💡 We’d love to meet with you and hear about your investing goals. Book a time with us here: TwinCitiesRealEstateInvesting.com/schedule

In this episode, we sit down with John Zilverberg, a Minnesota investor whose journey into real estate started with a bold first deal: a beautiful duplex just two blocks east of Lake Calhoun (Bde Maka Ska). John bought the property in 2020 and went all-in on a DIY value-add renovation, essentially gutting much of the building and learning a long list of lessons the hard way. The risk paid off when the property appraised far higher than expected, allowing him to refinance, unlock a large amount of equity, and pull out cash to fund his next moves.

John used that momentum to pivot into out-of-state short-term rental investing, where his engineering mindset turned out to be a huge advantage. Running STR properties across the country requires tight systems, data, and operational discipline—exactly the type of challenge John enjoys solving. Today he owns five short-term rentals in different markets, and in this episode we take a deep dive into his first out-of-state deal in Sedona, Arizona, breaking down how he chose the market and what he learned along the way. For Minnesota investors dreaming about owning a property somewhere warm, this episode offers a practical look at how to make that jump.

At just $5 a unit per month, it's worth checking out shukrentals.com or booking a live demo in the show notes. https://calendly.com/oliver-theshuk/shuk-demo — Use discount code TCREI20 for 20% off.

🎙️ About the TCREI Hosts

Adam Tafel – Investor, Realtor, and host of Twin Cities Real Estate Investing. Adam has helped hundreds of clients buy, sell, and analyze investment properties across the metro. He works daily with local investors and is passionate about building wealth through smart real estate strategies. 📩 adam@UpsidePropertySales.com

Tim Swierczek – Mortgage lender and experienced investor who helps clients structure financing to maximize returns and long-term wealth. Tim brings a practical, numbers-first approach that makes deals work in the real world. 📩 tim@timswierczek.com

💡 We’d love to meet with you and hear about your investing goals. Book a time with us here: TwinCitiesRealEstateInvesting.com/schedule

Ryan Chernik and his wife got their start the old-fashioned way — by renovating a tired farmhouse in Saint Anthony in the aftermath of the 2008 crash. They poured sweat equity into that property for years, eventually selling at a substantial gain. That first deal lit the spark. From there, they bought a duplex on St. Paul’s West Side — a hands-on learning experience with some clunky moments and lessons earned the hard way. Next came another older duplex in Northeast Minneapolis’ Beltrami neighborhood. Then last spring, they completed their first 1031 exchange — trading a C-class workhorse on the West Side for a Class A 1920s up/down in Crocus Hill, transforming an ugly listing in a prime location into two strong units in one of the most in-demand rental pockets in the city.

Ryan’s story isn’t flashy or headline-grabbing — and that’s exactly why it’s valuable. Over roughly six years, they built a modest, thoughtful portfolio without letting it take over their lives. This episode is a grounded look at what steady real estate investing can actually look like: incremental moves, manageable risk, improving asset quality over time, and using tools like the 1031 exchange strategically. If you’re looking to diversify into rental holdings but don’t want them to consume you, this conversation lays out a realistic path forward.

At just $5 a unit per month, it's worth checking out shukrentals.com or booking a live demo in the show notes. https://calendly.com/oliver-theshuk/shuk-demo — Use discount code TCREI20 for 20% off.

🎙️ About the TCREI Hosts

Adam Tafel – Investor, Realtor, and host of Twin Cities Real Estate Investing. Adam has helped hundreds of clients buy, sell, and analyze investment properties across the metro. He works daily with local investors and is passionate about building wealth through smart real estate strategies. 📩 adam@UpsidePropertySales.com

Tim Swierczek – Mortgage lender and experienced investor who helps clients structure financing to maximize returns and long-term wealth. Tim brings a practical, numbers-first approach that makes deals work in the real world. 📩 tim@timswierczek.com

💡 We’d love to meet with you and hear about your investing goals. Book a time with us here: TwinCitiesRealEstateInvesting.com/schedule

Rashad Kennedy started investing in 2016 by funding a private money deal — and from there, he went all in. While working in a group home, he began buying cheap duplexes, learning construction the hard way, and slowly stacking experience along with equity. Instead of outsourcing the knowledge, he immersed himself in the trades, eventually earning his general contractor license and taking on projects for other investors. What started as small, scrappy rehabs evolved into larger renovations, complex Category 2 jobs, and eventually full-scale development projects with partners.

Today, Rashad runs a massive construction and flipping operation with an impressive portfolio of developments and active projects under his belt. In this episode, we break down the mindset shift from small duplex investor to serious operator, what it takes to scale construction without losing control, and how partnering on bigger deals changes the game. Rashad is one of the more impressive builders we’ve had on the show — not just because of the size of his operation, but because of how deliberately he built it from the ground up.

If you’re serious about scaling beyond your first few rentals — or you’re thinking about getting deeper into value-add construction and development — this episode will challenge you to think bigger and operate smarter.

At just $5 a unit per month, it's worth checking out shukrentals.com or booking a live demo in the show notes. https://calendly.com/oliver-theshuk/shuk-demo — Use discount code TCREI20 for 20% off.

🎙️ About the TCREI Hosts

Adam Tafel – Investor, Realtor, and host of Twin Cities Real Estate Investing. Adam has helped hundreds of clients buy, sell, and analyze investment properties across the metro. He works daily with local investors and is passionate about building wealth through smart real estate strategies. 📩 adam@UpsidePropertySales.com

Tim Swierczek – Mortgage lender and experienced investor who helps clients structure financing to maximize returns and long-term wealth. Tim brings a practical, numbers-first approach that makes deals work in the real world. 📩 tim@timswierczek.com

💡 We’d love to meet with you and hear about your investing goals. Book a time with us here: TwinCitiesRealEstateInvesting.com/schedule

Jordan Porteous is an insurance broker with Goosehead Insurance who works closely with real estate investors across Minnesota and the Twin Cities. In this episode, Jordan explains why insurance premiums have jumped so aggressively, with a deep dive into the local and regional factors pushing Minnesota rates higher. We discuss how carriers are reassessing risk, what’s changing behind the scenes, and why many investors are getting blindsided by renewals.

We also zoom out to connect insurance with bigger-picture investing fundamentals. Adam and Tim share local housing supply data, what it tells us about risk and opportunity, and why we remain confident in Twin Cities real estate heading into 2026 based on supply constraints and population trends. We break down which submarkets and property types tend to get hit hardest during downturns, and how investors can protect themselves.

This episode ties insurance, data, and strategy together so you can invest more safely and more profitably.

At just $5 a unit per month, it's worth checking out shukrentals.com or booking a live demo in the show notes. https://calendly.com/oliver-theshuk/shuk-demo — Use discount code TCREI20 for 20% off.

🎙️ About the TCREI Hosts

Adam Tafel – Investor, Realtor, and host of Twin Cities Real Estate Investing. Adam has helped hundreds of clients buy, sell, and analyze investment properties across the metro. He works daily with local investors and is passionate about building wealth through smart real estate strategies. 📩 adam@UpsidePropertySales.com

Tim Swierczek – Mortgage lender and experienced investor who helps clients structure financing to maximize returns and long-term wealth. Tim brings a practical, numbers-first approach that makes deals work in the real world. 📩 tim@timswierczek.com

💡 We’d love to meet with you and hear about your investing goals. Book a time with us here: TwinCitiesRealEstateInvesting.com/schedule

Kurt Pauley is a local real estate developer currently working on an infill project near Lake Nokomis, where he’s developing high-end townhomes on a challenging site. In this episode, Kurt walks through the full development process—from sourcing the land and testing feasibility to design, financing, and navigating city and state approvals. He shares real-world experiences working with multiple government agencies, grant programs, and regulatory bodies, and explains how inefficiencies, delays, and shifting requirements impact both timelines and deal economics.

This conversation offers an honest look at the trial-and-error nature of development. Kurt breaks down how he thinks about risk versus return, how assumptions change once a project is underway, and why adaptability is critical when plans don’t go as expected. If you’re interested in infill development, public-private partnerships, or what it truly takes to get a ground-up project across the finish line, this episode delivers practical, unfiltered insight.