Reflecting on Lessons Learned & Planning for the New Year
Release Date: 01/06/2026
Creating an Exit Plan to Maximize Your ROI
Uncontested Investing
In this episode of Uncontested Investing, Suzanne and I break down one of the most important and most overlooked parts of being a real estate investor: creating an exit plan that maximizes your return on investment. We walk through the major exit strategies investors actually use in today’s market like fix and flip, buy and hold, BRRRR, seller financing, lease options, 1031 exchanges, and portfolio sales, and show you how to match the right strategy to your timeline, risk tolerance, capital needs, and market conditions. We also talk about building your exit plan on day one, why you...
info_outline
Setting up Systems and Automations to Scale Efficiently
Uncontested Investing
In this episode of Uncontested Investing, we dig into one of the biggest levers for scaling your real estate business: systems and automations. We break down how to move from being the self-employed investor who answers 2 a.m. toilet calls to becoming a true business owner with structure, processes, and the right people in place. We walk through systemizing lead generation, deal analysis, acquisitions, property management, maintenance, rent collection, investor relations, and team communication, and we share practical ways to integrate tools like CRMs, project management...
info_outline
Creating Passive Income Streams to Fund More Deals
Uncontested Investing
In this episode of Uncontested Investing, we break down how to create passive income streams that don’t just pay the bills, but actually fund more real estate deals. We walk through long-term rentals, short-term/vacation rentals, notes, private lending, REITs and funds, affiliate income, education products, and real-estate-adjacent businesses, and show you how each one can create steady cash flow, better financing terms, and more buying power as you scale your portfolio. We also dig into the tactical side: using IRAs and tax strategy, working with specialized CPAs, leveraging passive...
info_outline
Developing A Repeatable Process for Consistent Growth in Your Business
Uncontested Investing
In this episode of Uncontested Investing, Suzanne and I break down one of the biggest unlocks for scaling your real estate portfolio: building a repeatable process that drives consistent growth. We walk through the full lifecycle of a deal, from deal sourcing, underwriting, financing, operations, property management, to exit strategy and show you how to turn each step into a system you can run again and again, in any market.  We talk about practical tools like CRMs, project management platforms, cost-estimation software, virtual assistants, and outbound call partners, plus the...
info_outline
Reflecting on Lessons Learned & Planning for the New Year
Uncontested Investing
In this episode of Uncontested Investing, we hit pause on deals and dive into something every real estate investor needs to do at least once a year: reflect, reassess, and reset your plan for the new year. We talk through how to review your wins, losses, systems, market strategy, portfolio performance, team, and mindset so you’re not just repeating the same year over and over.  We cover how to celebrate business highlights, identify what actually moved the needle, and cut the processes, platforms, and partnerships that didn’t. We also dig into market insights, changing...
info_outline
Why Empty Houses Make No Money & Other Scaling Lessons Investors Miss with Bruce McNeilage
Uncontested Investing
In this episode of Uncontested Investing, we sit down with Bruce McNeilage, co-founder of Kinlock Partners, to break down what it really takes to scale a real estate portfolio across multiple markets and asset classes. With nearly two decades of experience building and operating thousands of units, Bruce shares hard-earned lessons from single-family rentals and build-to-rent communities to large multifamily developments and self-storage projects. We explore how Bruce identifies high-growth real estate markets like Nashville, Atlanta, and Columbia, why job drivers and industry...
info_outline
Structuring Your Portfolio: LLCs, Partnerships, and Trusts
Uncontested Investing
In this episode of Uncontested Investing, we keep our tax and legal strategy series rolling with a topic every real estate investor needs to get right: how to structure your portfolio with LLCs, partnerships, and trusts. We break down how the right entity structure protects your personal assets, improves tax efficiency, and sets up clean estate and succession planning as you scale from one rental to a full portfolio.  We walk through when to form an LLC, how to use partnerships to access capital and expertise, and where revocable and irrevocable trusts fit into long-term legacy...
info_outline
Cost Segregation Studies for Depreciation Benefits
Uncontested Investing
In this episode of Uncontested Investing, we are wrapping up our tax and legal strategy series with a deep dive into cost segregation studies and how they can supercharge your depreciation, tax savings, and cash flow. Most investors focus on appreciation – but if you’re not using depreciation the right way, especially on larger commercial and multifamily assets, you’re probably leaving money on the table.  We break down what a cost segregation study actually is, which property types it makes sense for, and how engineers and specialized firms reclassify parts of your...
info_outline
The 1031 Exchange Playbook: How Investors Scale Faster While Deferring Taxes
Uncontested Investing
In this episode of Uncontested Investing, we stay on our tax and legal strategies theme and break down one of the most powerful tools in real estate investing: the 1031 exchange. We walk through what a 1031 actually is, how it lets you defer capital gains taxes when you swap one investment property for another, and why it’s such a big lever for portfolio growth, net worth, and long-term scaling.  We talk about the 45-day identification and 180-day closing rules, the role of a qualified intermediary, and how to move from a duplex into a four-family, commercial building, or...
info_outline
How Opportunity Zones Could Be Your Next Opportunity with Tax Benefits
Uncontested Investing
In this episode of Uncontested Investing, we break down one of the most misunderstood tools in real estate tax strategy: Opportunity Zones. We unpack what a Qualified Opportunity Zone actually is, how the program was created under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, and why it matters for investors looking to defer capital gains, reduce tax liability, and potentially eliminate gains entirely on long-term projects. We walk through a real-world example from the Brunswick Naval Air Station in Maine, talk about converting old mills and strip malls into housing, and outline the three big tax...
info_outlineIn this episode of Uncontested Investing, we hit pause on deals and dive into something every real estate investor needs to do at least once a year: reflect, reassess, and reset your plan for the new year. We talk through how to review your wins, losses, systems, market strategy, portfolio performance, team, and mindset so you’re not just repeating the same year over and over. 
We cover how to celebrate business highlights, identify what actually moved the needle, and cut the processes, platforms, and partnerships that didn’t. We also dig into market insights, changing interest rates, new legislation, tenant screening, BRRRR, non-core dispositions, portfolio optimization, alternative capital (IRAs, 1031 exchanges), new markets, hiring, culture, personal habits, and community.
If you’re serious about leveling up your real estate investing business in 2026 and beyond, this episode will give you a practical framework to turn this past year’s lessons into a better plan, better systems, and better results
Key Talking Points of the Episode
00:00 Introduction
01:16 Why investors should start with the wins before anything else
02:10 Did you stay flexible when the plan broke?
03:13 Owning the good and the bad
04:11 Leading by example and being in the trenches with your team
06:03 Operational lessons: systems that scaled vs. systems that broke
07:25 Deal-level lessons: best vs. worst deals
08:38 The importance of learning from your mistakes
09:11 Team & partnership lessons: hiring, firing, and fit
10:37 Firing is painful… but not firing can be worse
12:00 Mindset lessons: did you actually become the CEO?
13:44 Leveraging market insights for planning for the year
14:15 Interest rates, scarcity & competitiveness
15:22 New legislation & unlawful occupancy (squatting)
16:50 Improving tenant screening processes
18:17 Predictions vs. reality: did you pivot quickly enough?
19:41 Reviewing your portfolio to choose properties to keep, fix, or sell
20:45 Non-core strategy & using BRRRR to recycle equity
21:36 Get your documentation and data ready before you need capital
22:08 Goal-setting that actually sticks
23:07 Strategic focus: new markets, assets, and models
25:26 Team growth, onboarding & culture by design
27:19 Professional & personal development
28:31 Tracking results & embracing automation
29:32 Community: one of the most underused levers
30:03 Competition vs. collaboration
Quotables
“You need to personally acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses… being ready to relinquish control… that’s a huge hurdle when you transition from employee to owner.”
“Every successful investor that we’ve had on the show… they’ve all learned lessons the hard way. But it’s about taking those lessons and then turning them into success.”
“One of the most important lessons that we hope investors learn throughout the course of any year is that they can’t do this by themselves.”
Links
RCN Capital
https://www.rcncapital.com/podcast
https://www.instagram.com/rcn_capital/
REI INK