loader from loading.io

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs): How Backyard Builds Can Solve Housing Shortages and Boost Cash Flow with Nathan Biller

Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast

Release Date: 11/03/2025

What Every New Developer Needs to Know Before the First Shovel Hits the Ground with Steve Achram and Peter Skornia show art 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...

info_outline Property Management Secrets: Reducing Delinquencies, Tenant Psychology & Turning Around Underperforming Properties with Craig Marquardo show art 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. ...

info_outline Creative Foreclosure Investing: How to Profit from Overages and Distressed Deals with Bob Diamond show art 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...

info_outline How to Get Tenants to Pay Rent on Time and Build Credit with Lily Liu show art 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...

info_outline Building Wealth with Sustainable Materials: How Climate Innovation is Reshaping Real Estate with Josh Dorfman show art 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,...

info_outline Why Every Real Estate Investor Needs Title Insurance: Protecting Your Deals from Liens, Fraud, and Hidden Risks with Dru Wischhover show art 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_outline From Duplex to $10 Million Portfolio: Bob Biggins’ Path to 500 Doors show art From Duplex to $10 Million Portfolio: Bob Biggins’ Path to 500 Doors

Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast

What does it take to grow from a single duplex to managing 85 units worth nearly $10 million—and then set your sights on 500 doors? In this episode, Brian Hamrick talks with Bob Biggins, a Michigan-based investor, licensed realtor, and YouTube creator who has been in real estate for nearly 30 years. Starting with a house-hack duplex in the 1990s, Bob slowly built his portfolio while working a corporate job. Today, after exiting that career, he’s fully focused on multifamily investing and scaling up. You’ll learn: How Bob used education and persistence to build a solid foundation in...

info_outline Building a Brand with Large Group Short-Term Rentals on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, with Andrew Llewellyn show art Building a Brand with Large Group Short-Term Rentals on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, with Andrew Llewellyn

Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast

How do you scale short-term rentals into a hospitality brand for large groups—and use bourbon tourism to keep your calendar full? In this episode, Brian Hamrick talks with Andrew Llewellyn, founder of Super Stays, about how he’s turning old office buildings into boutique-style short-term rentals that host bachelor parties, weddings, and corporate retreats of 8 to 42 people along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Andrew shares: Why large group stays outperform traditional Airbnbs How to brand and differentiate your STR business from the competition The power of upsells: private chefs,...

info_outline How to 10X Your Rental Income with Sober Living & Group Homes with Jim Boad show art How to 10X Your Rental Income with Sober Living & Group Homes with Jim Boad

Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast

What if your rental properties could deliver strong cash flow and transform lives? In this episode, Brian Hamrick talks with Jim Boad, founder of Shelton Housing and author of Group Home Accelerator, about how investors can build profitable, non-licensed group homes—specifically sober living homes—that provide safe, structured housing for people in recovery. Jim has launched more than 14 recovery homes in just two years, with more on the way. He shares: Why the demand for sober living and recovery housing is exploding nationwide The difference between licensed vs. non-licensed group...

info_outline Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs): How Backyard Builds Can Solve Housing Shortages and Boost Cash Flow with Nathan Biller show art Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs): How Backyard Builds Can Solve Housing Shortages and Boost Cash Flow with Nathan Biller

Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast

What if the answer to West Michigan’s—and America’s—housing shortage isn’t massive new developments, but small homes tucked into the neighborhoods we already live in? In this episode of the Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast, Brian Hamrick talks with Nathan Biller, accredited ADU specialist and co-founder of My Backyard Build. Nathan has built his own ADU, permitted several more, and is helping shape local policy as a member of Grand Rapids’ ADU Task Force. You’ll learn: What exactly an ADU is (granny flats, carriage houses, basement conversions, detached...

info_outline
 
More Episodes

What if the answer to West Michigan’s—and America’s—housing shortage isn’t massive new developments, but small homes tucked into the neighborhoods we already live in?

In this episode of the Rental Property Owner & Real Estate Investor Podcast, Brian Hamrick talks with Nathan Biller, accredited ADU specialist and co-founder of My Backyard Build. Nathan has built his own ADU, permitted several more, and is helping shape local policy as a member of Grand Rapids’ ADU Task Force.

You’ll learn:

  • What exactly an ADU is (granny flats, carriage houses, basement conversions, detached units, and more).

  • Why investors should consider ADUs—from the math behind rental income to the 1% rule and reduced land costs.

  • Local and national trends—how California, Portland, Seattle, and Denver have embraced ADUs, and what’s happening in Michigan cities like Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, and Traverse City.

  • Financing and cost considerations—real numbers on what it takes to build an ADU and how investors are paying for them.

  • Practical challenges and solutions—utilities, zoning, setbacks, neighbor relations, and historic district restrictions.

  • Future opportunities—policy changes and task force recommendations that could make ADUs more accessible and profitable.

Whether you call them granny flats, backyard cottages, or carriage houses, ADUs are becoming one of the most practical solutions to today’s housing crisis—and a smart investment strategy for rental property owners.

Find out more:

https://www.mibackyardbuild.com/

https://www.nathanbiller.com/

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.

https://www.rcbassociatesllc.com