The Real Estate Espresso Podcast

On today’s show we are talking about the design of a multi-unit building on a property that was originally designed for a single family home. There are many urban infill opportunities in major cities across North America. Earlier this week I was looking at a property for a consulting client that has the potential to be redeveloped from a single family home to a six unit apartment building. On today’s show I’m going to take you through the thinking of how we analyze this property to determine the basic feasibility. There are many aspects to this. There is the physical, can I get this to fit on the property in a reasonably cost effective manner. There is the financial where we analyze all of the financial levers in the project. We’re not going to talk about that today, we are just going to talk about the physical aspects of getting a project that complies with the zoning and will be sensible to build. ------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)  

On today’s show we are talking about air rights.  Air rights refer to the legal ability to control, lease, or sell the space above a property. Traditionally, property rights included not only the land and any buildings on it but also the air above and the ground below. The concept of air rights date back centuries and are ingrained in common law. The biggest change to air rights came with commercial aviation which put the ownership of the atomosphere in the public domain while preserving private ownership of the air immediately above a property for the enjoyment of the property owner. Exactly where private property rights transition to the public domain varies by location and by jurisdiction. -------------- **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)  

On today’s show we are talking about the mobility of wealth. Everyone I speak with from NYC is extremely fearful of the change that seems likely in the Mayor’s office next month based on early polling results. Many are considering leaving the city. Even those who want to continue to work in the city are moving to nearby cities and states. Some are going to New Jersey. Some are going to Connecticut, others to Pennsylvania.NYC has become a tale of two cities. There is a lot of wealth in Manhattan specifically. There are about 350,000 millionaires concentrated in a small  radius on the island of Manhattan. There are about 120 billionaires in NY. But New York is about more than just a financial capital. It’s a city of 8.5M people spread across the five boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens The Bronx, and Staten Island. Last night’s mayoral candidate debate pretty much sealed the outcome of the election which is only 19 days away. Frontrunner Zohran Mamdani is an eloquent speaker. He speaks nonsense with conviction, with stories, and with data to back up his nonsense. A great orator can be persuasive. I understand that people who don’t understand money think that someone else will pay for their sense of entitlement. Free stuff can be attractive on election day. In the 1970’s it was hard to believe that NYC could recover. It seemed doomed to a life of decay, crime, and outright chaos. We have experienced the resurgence of the city, slowly at first under Mayor Ed Koch, then more recently under Mayor Rudi Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg. This podcast is about real estate and real estate investing and not NYC politics. Why are we talking about this? Because businesses are not returning to NYC. Things are going to be ugly in NY for a while. If wealth is leaving NY, the obvious question is where is the wealth going? Where are these people moving? Who will be the biggest beneficiaries of New York’s loss?------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)  

On today’s show we are taking a look at what might be one of the most significant counter punches in the effort to dominate the global economy.  There are many ways in which countries make foreign investments. The US having the privilege of maintaining the world reserve currency has seen much of the world’s debt denominated in US dollars. But the US has rarely been an investor in foreign companies, nor in foreign countries. This stands in stark contrast to other countries like Saudi Arabia, China, Norway, UAE, Kuwait, and dozens of other countries that have sovereign wealth funds.  The US does deliver substantial foreign aid in the form of grants. But the US is rarely an investor in foreign projects. On the other hand, China has carved out substantial foreign influence by funding foreign infrastructure projects.  Today the US announced a new sovereign wealth fund that will be designed to compete with the like of China when it comes to foreign investment.  The fact is that when $900B dollars are going to be allocated and invested over a period of time, that represents a massive opportunity for savvy investors who are paying attention to ride the coat tails of that investment.  ------------- **Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)  

Register for the Victor AI Demonstration Webinar December 16-------------On today’s show we are talking about real life network security and the importance of cyber security in today’s connected world. But first, I’d like to invite you to a webinar next week on December 16 where I will be demonstrating the use of our new AI tool which we affectionately call VictorAI. This is our own custom language model which is built on top of ChatGPT. We trained VictorAI with the contents of the Real Estate Espresso podcast and my book Magnetic Capital. It’s the difference between going to a family doctor versus going to a specialist. The specialist is always going to give you a more precise answer. Click on the link in the show notes and we will talk to you on December 16. This past week we commissioned a brand new network for a new apartment complex. The devices on the network were all installed in the early morning of Friday December 5. At that time, security protocols were implemented that were designed to keep hackers at bay. As part of that configuration we disallowed certain types of network traffic that represent risk to the integrity of the network and the devices on the network. No sooner than the new network had been commissioned when our network filters detected attempts at the banned network traffic. The destination of these packets was on a network based in China. ------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)  

In recent weeks, a number of macro indicators and market signals have begun flashing warning signs for the U.S. economy. While nothing yet screams “crash,” the collective pattern suggests slowing momentum — enough that many investors and central-bank watchers expect a forthcoming policy shift.--------------

Eric Bramlett runs one of the largest brokerages in central Texas. On today's show we are talking about the current market conditions in Austin Texas. Austin is facing a significant slowdown in both the residential market and in the rental market.To connect with Eric visit https://bramlettpartners.com/-------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)  

Chayce Lucca is base in Boston where he specializes in using AI in digital marketing. On today's show we are talking about the use of AI in marketing outreach. To connect with Chayce, you can find him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaycelucca/ or at his marketing agency at https://synapseautomate.com/-------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)  

On today's show I'm coming to you live from Mont Tremblant where they are hosting a major ski event this weekend. We are also launching two brand new buildings and moving in 50 residents all at once. We're discussing the processes for launching a new building in a short time period and ensuring the resident experience is outstanding. ---------------

On today's show we are talking about bonus depreciation. This is a powerful tool to save on your taxes if you are properly structured.To learn more about the projects at Y Street Capital visithttps://ystreetcapital.invportal.com/login------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)  

Bonus Depreciation WebinarOn today’s show we are talking about how to spot when you are on the receiving end of content that has been created by artificial intelligence. But first, I’d like to remind you that we only have a few weeks remaining in the calendar year. If you sold an asset this year, or if you earned a lot this year, you might have a bunch of tax owning next year. Buying an asset might be the solution. Bonus depreciation is a powerful tool. It doesn’t apply equally to everyone. We are hosting a webinar tomorrow on December 4 at 11AM EST. We will keep it to under 30 minutes. The purpose is not to provide you tax advice. We are not accountants. The goal is to share enough information to stimulate a conversation with your own tax advisors. If. You can’t make the 11AM timeslot, Click on the registration link anyway and we will send you the recording. The link is in the show notes and we will see you on Thursday morning. On today’s show we are talking about how to spot when you are on the receiving end of content that has been created by artificial intelligence. ----------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)  

On today’s show we are doing a comparison of our newly launched AI tool. This tool, lovingly called VictorAI is a knowledge base constructed from the Real Estate Espresso Podcast and my book Magnetic Capital. When it comes to AI there are two aspects, there is the training and then what is called inference or what would be the result of a query. If you are searching in a generic search engine like ChatGPT or Gemini or Perplexity you are going to get a more generic answer. This is a little like going to a general family medicine doctor versus going to a specialist. The specialist is almost always going to give you a more specific and more insightful answer than the generalist. The same can be said for AI tools. There are generalists and there are specialists. When we created our own knowledge base, we trained our own specialist. So on today’s show we are going to put VictorAI to the test and compare it against three generic AI tools. The question is a simple one. Last week I published a show on the impact of condo reserve rules in Florida on the market. So on today’s show I’m asking the same question to all of the AI tools."How did the Florida condo reserve study rules impact the market?"I deliberately worded the question in a slightly awkward way to see if it could figure out what I was asking. ---------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)  

This book names people who I knew or knew of in Silicon Valley. It is a reaction to the author's time at Kleiner Perkins Caulfield and Byers. He was part of the team that financed Google and co-founded Drugstore.com during the dot-com frenzy. He was actively involved with Jeff Bezos at Amazon. The prevailing wisdom was simple: raise as much capital as possible, scale at breakneck speed, and worry about profitability later. At the heart of the book is the Evergreen model, a philosophy of building companies that last “and last and last.” Whorton outlines the Evergreen 7Ps® framework, which includes:• Purpose: A mission beyond personal wealth creation.• Perseverance: Commitment to long-term endurance.• People First: Prioritizing employees, customers, and communities.• Profitability: Growth funded through cash flow, not endless rounds of dilution.• Private: Freedom from public market pressures.• Pacience: A deliberate pace, resisting the frenzy of blitzscaling.• Philosophy: A values-driven approach to leadershipReject the false binary. You don’t have to choose between hypergrowth or irrelevance. Many founders feel pressured to pursue VC funding even when their business fundamentals don’t align. Evergreen offers a viable third path.--------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)  

Rod Khleif is a repeat guest on the show. He's based in Sarasota Florida. On today's show we are talking about his first Assisted Living investment in Pittsburgh. Rod is also the host of the Lifetime Cashflow through Real Estate Investing podcast.To connect with Rod, the best way is https://rodkhleif.com/links/ which will give you access to numerous assets in his world. ----------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)  

Eugene Gershman is based in Bellevue Washington where he specializes in development. His projects are not constrained to the Pacific Northwest. On today's show we are talking about how to choose sites that are candidates for development. To connect with Eugene, you can find him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugenegershman/ or at giscompanies.co-----------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)  

BONUS DEPRECIATION WEBINAR REGISTRATIONI’m coming to you live from one of our construction sites. On today’s show we are talking about acceptance criteria for new construction. But first, I’d like to invite you to a special webinar scheduled for December 4 on how Bonus Depreciation could benefit your investment strategy. There are only a few weeks remaining in the year and now is the time for some last minute tax planning. If you sold an asset this year and might be facing a big tax bill, buying another asset might be the ticket to deferring or reducing that tax bill. Click on the link in the show notes and we will talk to you on December 4th. ----------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)  

The DOJ accused RealPage in August of 2024 of facilitating unlawful price-fixing and rent inflation by using competitively sensitive, nonpublic data from multiple landlords to generate rent recommendations, effectively aligning pricing across competing properties. Anti-trust behavior, also known as anti-competitive conduct, refers to business practices that substantially lessen competition in the marketplace, restrict free trade, or lead to the unfair formation or abuse of a monopoly. These actions ultimately harm consumers by resulting in higher prices, lower quality, reduced innovation, and less choice.The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division filed a proposed settlement this week to resolve the United States’ claims against RealPage Inc.The information provided by RealPage is frankly no different than the information that is routinely available from a multitude of sources including Yardi Matrix, Costar, and ALN to name just a few. This information is publicly available in close to real time. What perhaps is not publicly available is the extent to which landlords have been negotiating leasing incentives into leases with specific tenants. That information might not be publicly available. If RealPage was making pricing recommendations to landlords using this information, then I can see where a line was crossed and could be considered anti-competitive.The truth is, landlords have ready access to this kind of market information on a regular basis. Any appraisal or third party market study will make rental pricing recommendations based on the market data. These have been standard practice for decades when it comes to any financing due diligence. Any property owner with a brain can integrate the market data into a series of pricing strategies. While RealPage is having one hand tied behind their back with this settlement, there are very few secrets when it comes to pricing. We live in a fully interconnected world where tenants can increasingly use artificial intelligence to get up to date pricing information and frankly have the upper hand when it comes to finding the lowest price.-------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)  

The Surfside condo collapse in 2021 precipated a number of changes to Florida's condo laws. The result has been a massive negative impact on condos across the entire state. The latest change to the regulations improves the outlook by allowing home owner associations to fund part of their reserve funds using loans and lines of credit. Previously these reserves had to be funded in cash by the unit owners, often resulting in special assessements of hundreds of thousands for each owner. ------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)  

We have become accustomed to hearing about legislative changes that advance tenant rights and make it more and more difficult for property owners to protect their properties and indeed run a profitable business. There is nothing that compels investors to make losing investments. If made sufficiently unattractive, investors simply won’t invest and the country will experience an acute shortage of housing which will have the effect of pushing rent prices higher. This time, there is an example of government creating the incentives to build more housing and to break down the procedural delays that make it more and more difficult for owners to get relief when tenants stop paying. In October 2025, the Ontario government introduced Bill 60, formally titled the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, 2025. While the legislation spans many areas — from transit and planning to municipal governance — one of its most consequential parts amends the Residential Tenancies Act and makes significant changes to how landlords and tenants interact. As a backdrop, the current backlog is 42,000 cases in front of the landlord tenant board. That’s an improvement from the 53,000 case backlog a year earlier. Today, the average wait time for a case to be heard is 7 months.A few weeks ago I sent the premier of Ontario, Doug Ford a text message to let him know that I supported his initiative and that he is on the right track. He responded within a few minutes and thanked me for my message. Let’s see if other jurisdictions monitor the impacts of these changes and maybe follow suit.-------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)  

On today’s show we are looking at the compressibility of construction schedules. We often hear that projects will take longer and there are all kinds of reasons why they legitimately need to take longer. It’s a large site and the site work will take a long time. The utilities are not available. The city infrastructure isn’t ready. We can’t find enough labor. The excuses are abundant. As developers we are no strangers to delays and we have experienced many of them. Most of them having to do with the entitlement process. Sometimes there are delays at the hands of lenders, delays at as a result of it taking longer to raise capital. But then there is the XAI Colossus Data Center. This supercomputer is the largest AI super computer in the world.This first phase of the data centre was built in 122 days. I don’t know how many days or weeks of planning went into it. But all I can say is that there are many examples of decisions that were designed to save time in the most significant ways.This was just the first. They built a second data centre and from March to October, that data centre was also brought online with all the power, cooling, networking and computing, and of course all of the construction required to make that happen. This is a project that would have taken several years under normal conditions. What it does is it demonstrates precisely how compressible a construction schedule can be if you take the constraints off the problem. -------------**Real Estate Espresso Podcast:** Spotify: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://open.spotify.com/show/3GvtwRmTq4r3es8cbw8jW0?si=c75ea506a6694ef1)   iTunes: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-real-estate-espresso-podcast/id1340482613)   Website: [www.victorjm.com](http://www.victorjm.com)   LinkedIn: [Victor Menasce](http://www.linkedin.com/in/vmenasce)   YouTube: [The Real Estate Espresso Podcast](http://www.youtube.com/@victorjmenasce6734)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/realestateespresso](http://www.facebook.com/realestateespresso)   Email: [podcast@victorjm.com](mailto:podcast@victorjm.com)  **Y Street Capital:** Website: [www.ystreetcapital.com](http://www.ystreetcapital.com)   Facebook: [www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital](https://www.facebook.com/YStreetCapital)   Instagram: [@ystreetcapital](http://www.instagram.com/ystreetcapital)