How to Scale in 4 Simple Steps with John Casmon, Ep. 755
Release Date: 10/10/2025
Don’t Fall for These Scams as an Apartment Investor, Ep. 778
Multifamily Insights
This week, learn how to protect yourself from scams that quietly destroy returns and credibility in multifamily investing. You’ll explore real-world examples involving questionable wholesalers, unethical contractors, property management fraud, tenant scams, and misleading coaching programs, along with practical safeguards you can put in place. The core message is simple: the fastest way to lose money in multifamily isn’t market cycles, it’s trusting the wrong people. Make sure to download our free guide, 7 Questions Every Passive Investor Should Ask, . Key...
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The #1 Cause of Water Damage in Multifamily (And How to Prevent It) with Phil DePaul, Ep. 777
Multifamily Insights
Phil DePaul is a home-services entrepreneur and the CEO of Boom Zell Enterprises, which includes United Water Restoration Group of Long Island and 1-Tom-Plumber Long Island. Raised in a blue-collar household with a father who was a plumber, Phil spent more than a decade helping scale a family-owned plumbing wholesale business before leaving to build companies of his own. Today, he focuses on restoration, plumbing, and related services, with a leadership philosophy centered on action, accountability, and restoring people before properties. Make sure to download our free guide, 7...
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How Investors Lose Money in Multifamily, Ep. 776
Multifamily Insights
In this solo episode, we break down the most common ways investors lose money in apartment investing. And, more importantly, how to avoid them. While multifamily is a powerful wealth-building vehicle, it’s not foolproof. We walk through real-world examples from my own portfolio to highlight where deals go wrong, from negative cash flow and over-leverage to bad partners and poor business planning. This episode is a practical guide for investors who want to protect capital, reduce risk, and build durable multifamily portfolios. Make sure to download our free guide, 7 Questions...
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How a First-Time Investor Achieved a 3X Return on His First Multifamily Deal with Yosef Lee, Ep. 775
Multifamily Insights
Yosef Lee is a full-time litigation attorney based in New York who pivoted into multifamily real estate investing to gain greater control over his time and legacy. Driven by his desire to be more present for his two daughters, Yosef began his investing journey in 2019, joining mastermind communities and building a network from scratch. Since then, he has become a general partner in 17 syndications, participated in 5+ joint ventures, and successfully exited multiple deals—including a 3X equity multiple from his first investment. He now shares his journey to help others take purposeful action,...
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Real-Time Risk Mitigation for Multifamily with Nadav Schnall, Ep. 774
Multifamily Insights
Nadav Schnall is the co-founder of , a proptech startup focused on real-time risk mitigation for multifamily and commercial buildings. With a decade of experience at First Service Residential as VP of Luxury Properties and New Development, Nadav saw firsthand the operational challenges that property managers face. His venture addresses those pain points through sensor-based monitoring that’s already helped prevent thousands of potential insurance claims. Make sure to download our free guide, 7 Questions Every Passive Investor Should Ask, . Key Takeaways ...
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Passive Investing as a Learning Strategy With Dr. Tudor Francu, Ep. 773
Multifamily Insights
Dr. Tudor Francu is a Romanian-born anesthesiologist and real estate investor with over 15 years of experience. After immigrating to the U.S. at age 28 and building a successful medical practice, Tudor began investing in real estate—starting with single-family homes before transitioning into multifamily syndications. He has managed 30+ properties, overseen operations on multifamily assets, and now serves as a general partner in large-scale apartment deals. Tudor is the founder of Stellar Multifamily and host of the Stellar Success Podcast. Make sure to download our free guide,...
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How Volatility Affects Lending Decisions with Sharon Karaffa, Ep. 772
Multifamily Insights
Sharon Karaffa is the President of Multifamily Debt and Structured Finance at Newmark. With over two decades of experience, she’s built her career advising on agency lending, capital markets strategy, and multifamily finance. From starting in corporate finance at Fannie Mae to shaping lending strategies during volatile market cycles, Sharon brings a rare lens on long-term trends and real-time insights. She has led teams through critical transitions, including Fannie Mae’s restatement period and the public launch of Newmark’s multifamily platform, giving her a comprehensive view from both...
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Multifamily Insights
In this guest appearance on the Investor Fuel – Real Estate Mastermind podcast, John Casmon shares his journey from working in corporate advertising to building a $150M multifamily portfolio. He opens up about his employer filing bankruptcy during the 2008 financial crisis, house hacking in Chicago, and discovering the power of mentorship and raising capital. With clarity, honesty, and strategic insight, John lays out a realistic roadmap for transitioning from W-2 work to full-time real estate investing—and how mindset and mission can elevate your ability to serve others through...
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Steal This Process to Find the Best Real Estate Market with John Casmon, Ep. 770
Multifamily Insights
This episode features a solo session with John Casmon, where he draws on personal investing experience in markets like Chicago, Cincinnati, Louisville, and San Antonio to share a deep-dive framework for evaluating which markets to invest in, and how to spot the signs of long-term growth. From understanding economic indicators and infrastructure to aligning your personal investing style with neighborhood dynamics, this episode is packed with strategic guidance on identifying the right market — and the right moment — to make your move. Make sure to download our free guide, 7...
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How to Track and Cut Apartment Expenses with Chris Wise, Ep. 769
Multifamily Insights
Chris Wise is a Navy veteran, attorney, and founder of Wise Capital—a property technology company focused on upgrading Class C multifamily housing through in-house AI, IoT, and data systems. By combining real estate ownership with smart software development, he’s redefining operations and improving tenant experiences across older multifamily assets. Based in Louisville, Kentucky, Chris brings a unique blend of military discipline, legal expertise, and tech innovation to the multifamily investing space. Make sure to download our free guide, 7 Questions Every Passive Investor...
info_outlineIn this week’s solo episode, John Casmon steps away from guest interviews to share hard-earned lessons from his own investing journey. After returning to Chicago to speak at the Chicago Multifamily Club—a group he co-founded years ago—John reflects on the recurring questions he heard from investors eager to scale. Drawing on his personal experience building a portfolio from the ground up, he outlines the four pillars that every multifamily investor needs to master: clarity, relationships, process, and resilience.
Make sure to download our free guide, 7 Questions Every Passive Investor Should Ask, here.
Key Takeaways
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Clarity creates direction—understand your “why” before chasing numbers or vanity metrics.
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Building relationships (“Who not How”) is the key to growth—find mentors, partners, and communities.
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Follow a proven process instead of trying to reinvent the wheel.
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Resilience and resourcefulness matter more than experience—problems are inevitable but solvable.
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Scaling isn’t about doing more work—it’s about building the right team to achieve freedom.
Topics
The Chicago Multifamily Club Origin Story
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John co-founded the club in 2015 after attending too many unproductive meetups.
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Wanted to create an event that truly helped investors learn how to scale portfolios.
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Returning to speak at the same event years later was a full-circle moment of growth.
1. Get Clarity
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Understand why you want financial freedom, not just arbitrary goals like “100 doors.”
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Real success comes from knowing what your investments are solving for—security, time, or impact.
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Clarity fuels motivation when challenges arise.
2. Identify Your “Who’s”
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Networking consistency led John to relationships that shaped his trajectory.
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Relationships create shortcuts that experience alone cannot.
3. Follow a Proven Process
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Instead of guessing, John invested in mentorship to learn syndication and scale faster.
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First syndication: a 192-unit deal in San Antonio with partners from his coaching network.
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Proven processes eliminate guesswork and create predictable results.
4. Be Resilient and Resourceful
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Real estate is full of surprises: contractors stealing, investors asking tough questions, and deals going sideways.
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Resourcefulness—not resources—separates those who thrive from those who quit.
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Learn from setbacks and keep moving forward.
📢 Announcement: Learn about our Apartment Investing Mastermind here.
Next Steps
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Join John’s investor community at casmoncapital.com
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Learn more about coaching and the Apartment Investing Mastermind at casmoncapital.com/coaching
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