From Investor to Developer: How to Build What Your Community Actually Needs with Kristi Kandel
Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast
Release Date: 10/06/2025
Building Affordable Homes in Hawaii’s Lava Zones: Fuzzy Jardine on Respecting the Land and Creating Generational Wealth
Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast
Kolaiah “Fuzzy” Jardine, co-founder of HUI Mastermind, joins Brian Hamrick to share how he overcame adversity and built a multimillion-dollar real estate portfolio across Hawaii—developing over 100 affordable homes for local families. From growing up in a multi-generational household on leased agricultural land and serving time in federal prison to becoming a real estate developer and mentor, Fuzzy’s story is one of redemption, resilience, and purpose. In this episode, he reveals how he builds homes in Hawaii’s lava zones, why he focuses on affordable housing, and how his...
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Conference Announcement: Midwest Real Estate Investor Conference April 27–28, 2026
Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast
The Midwest Real Estate Investor Conference (MREIC) is back April 27–28, 2026 at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and this year’s theme is Thrive. This quick special announcement features Erika Farley, Executive Director of the Rental Property Owners Association of Michigan (RPOAM), breaking down what’s new, who it’s for, and why you should lock in your ticket now. () You’ll hear how the 2026 agenda is built around systems, real-world strategy, and operating resilience, including major focus on AI integration and a grounded economic outlook for 2026 that investors can...
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The Truth About Subject-To, Seller Finance, and the Risks Most Investors Miss with Caleb Christopher
Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast
Creative financing opens amazing doors for real estate investors—but it can also destroy deals when done wrong. In this episode, Caleb Christopher, founder of Creative TC, breaks down how to use Subject-To and Seller-Financing strategies safely, legally, and ethically. Caleb shares real-world stories from the trenches—like taking over a mortgage where the sellers actually paid him—and explains what to watch out for when banks threaten the due-on-sale clause. You’ll learn: What creative financing really means (and when you should—or shouldn’t—use it) How to protect...
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How Real Estate Investors Can Use AI Right Now: Chatbots, Automation & Smarter Decisions with Clay Lehman
Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast
Artificial intelligence is transforming every corner of real estate—from how we analyze deals to how we manage tenants, leads, and operations. But most investors still don’t know where to start. In this episode, Brian Hamrick talks with Clay Lehman, a longtime investor, property-management expert, and AI educator who helps entrepreneurs and agents use today’s tools to save time, make better decisions, and grow their business. You’ll learn: The fundamentals vs. hype of AI in real estate investing How to use Google Gemini, Notebook LM, and Claude for research, analysis, and...
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What Every New Developer Needs to Know Before the First Shovel Hits the Ground with Steve Achram and Peter Skornia
Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast
Every successful real estate development starts long before the first shovel hits the ground. From concept and capital stack to design, construction, and operations—understanding the process is key to building with purpose. In this episode, Steve Achram and Peter Skornia of Cella Building Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan, share a step-by-step guide to sustainable development and walk us through their Wealthy & Sheldon project—an example of how thoughtful design, solid financial modeling, and community collaboration can turn a vision into a high-performing building. We cover: What...
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Property Management Secrets: Reducing Delinquencies, Tenant Psychology & Turning Around Underperforming Properties with Craig Marquardo
Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast
Underperforming properties are where the biggest money is made—if you know how to fix them. That’s where expert property management comes in. In this episode, Brian speaks with Craig Marquardo, VP of Multifamily at VCS Property Management, who has over 20 years of experience cleaning up operations, boosting tenant retention, and maximizing NOI. Craig pulls back the curtain on how property managers really operate and what every owner needs to know to protect their investment. You’ll learn: Tenant Psychology: How residents think about rent increases and what keeps them paying on time. ...
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Creative Foreclosure Investing: How to Profit from Overages and Distressed Deals with Bob Diamond
Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast
Negotiation, deal structure, and legal traps—these can make or break a real estate investor. Few people understand this better than Bob Diamond, a seasoned real estate attorney, investor, and developer featured on Fox, NBC, NPR, and TLC’s Flip That House. With 30 years of legal and investing experience, Bob has personally negotiated more than $100 million in real estate transactions and authored three books on real estate investing. In this episode, he shares powerful strategies investors can use today to thrive in a shifting market, including: Overages 101: How to claim surplus funds...
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How to Get Tenants to Pay Rent on Time and Build Credit with Lily Liu
Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast
One of the biggest challenges for rental property owners is ensuring residents pay on time—and keeping them motivated to stay. What if you could turn rent into a win-win, boosting your cash flow while helping tenants improve their credit and earn rewards? In this episode, Brian talks with Lily Liu, founder and CEO of Pinata, a fast-growing platform that transforms rent payments into financial progress. Lily shares how Pinata helps: Renters build credit by reporting on-time payments to all three bureaus Property owners increase on-time payments by 20% or more Landlords and managers...
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Building Wealth with Sustainable Materials: How Climate Innovation is Reshaping Real Estate with Josh Dorfman
Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast
For investors, developers, and property owners, the future of real estate isn’t just about location—it’s about building smarter, cheaper, and more sustainably. In this episode, Brian Hamrick sits down with Josh Dorfman, climate entrepreneur, media personality, and co-founder of Plantd, a carbon-negative building materials company recognized by Fast Company as one of the most innovative in the world. Josh has spent his career at the intersection of business and sustainability. You may know him as the creator of The Lazy Environmentalist (Sundance Channel, Sirius XM, and two books). Today,...
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Why Every Real Estate Investor Needs Title Insurance: Protecting Your Deals from Liens, Fraud, and Hidden Risks with Dru Wischhover
Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast
Most real estate investors love hunting for great deals—but few think about the unglamorous step that can make or break a transaction: title insurance. In this episode, Brian Hamrick sits down with Dru Wischhover, Founder and CEO of Inspired Title Group, who brings over 20 years of experience in navigating the hidden risks of property ownership. Dru has seen everything from divorce decrees gone wrong to fraudulent deeds and wire scams—and he explains why title insurance is one of the most important safeguards you can have as an investor. You’ll discover: The difference between...
info_outlineMost investors stop at buying and renting—but what if your next move was developing the places your community actually needs?
In this episode, real estate developer and consultant Kristi Kandel shares how everyday investors can become local developers without millions in the bank or a background in construction. With $450M+ in completed projects across retail, housing, clean energy, and adaptive reuse, Kristi breaks down what it really takes to turn vacant buildings or underutilized lots into thriving local assets.
You’ll learn:
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What development actually means (hint: it’s not always ground-up construction)
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How to get started with adaptive reuse and infill projects
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Who to talk to first — from city managers to regional lenders to neighbors
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How to access local grants, incentives, and funding opportunities
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The step-by-step process Kristi uses to help investors become developers in their own towns
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Why small towns (under 10,000 people) are filled with overlooked development potential
Kristi also shares her experience developing clean energy projects like hydrogen fueling stations, and how tech and AI are transforming how developers evaluate deals and make decisions faster than ever.
Find out more:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-kandel-4b650a12/
linkedin.com/company/local-real-estate-developers
https://www.instagram.com/localrealestatedevelopers
https://www.instagram.com/kristikandel/
Today’s episode is brought to you by Green Property Management, managing everything from single family homes to apartment complexes in the West Michigan area.
https://www.livegreenlocal.com
And RCB & Associates, helping Michigan-based real estate investors and small business owners navigate the complex world of health insurance and medicare benefits.