NWA Investing

We sat down with Nathan See, Mayor of Pea Ridge, to talk about what’s actually happening on the ground in one of the fastest-growing cities in Northwest Arkansas. Pea Ridge has added over 1,000 new single-family homes under his watch, is running 17% population growth over the last two years, and is quietly positioning itself as one of the most developer-friendly cities in the region.→ Protect your investment with TCS Property Management→ Keep the closing table stress-free with Advantage Title & EscrowIn this episode, we dig into why Nathan says investors who haven’t visited Pea Ridge lately are sleeping on one of the best remaining opportunities in NWA, how the city is building infrastructure ahead of growth rather than reacting to it, and what a 24-hour response policy and 120-day permitting timeline means for developers who need to move fast.We also cover the downtown revitalization vision, the sewer and water capacity picture, the McGee Farm green space acquisition, and why Nathan believes Pea Ridge will hit 32,000 people within four years...it's currently at 13,000.00:00 – Nathan’s path from mower to Mayor04:00 – Why people are choosing Pea Ridge over neighboring cities09:00 – Embracing growth vs. fighting it13:00 – Sewer capacity and what investors need to know before they build21:00 – Vision for Downtown Pea Ridge26:00 – How Nathan pitches Pea Ridge to developers30:00 – The Tractor Supply story35:00 – 10-year vision for Pea Ridge39:00 – Fire Round: biggest misconception about Pea RidgeFollow us on LinkedIn NWA InvestingFollow us on Instagram NWA InvestingWatch us on YouTube NWA Investing

We sat down with Taylor Rayburn and Mitch Moore, founders of The Wanderlust Co., one of Northwest Arkansas’s leading short-term rental management companies, inside one of their flagship Bentonville properties to talk about what Airbnb investing actually looks like in 2026, and why most investors are getting it wrong before they ever close on a property.→ Protect your investment with TCS Property Management→ Keep the closing table stress-free with Advantage Title & EscrowIn this episode, we dig into why the 2018-to-2022 playbook of buying an Airbnb and "furnishing it with Wayfair" is dead, how Fayetteville’s density cap is quietly driving up average daily rates for permit holders, and the “invisible excellence” operating philosophy that has kept Wanderlust at a 4.9-star average across 100-plus properties.We also cover how to underwrite a short-term rental from scratch, what a realistic expense ratio looks like, and why Taylor and Mitch say they talk more investors out of Airbnb than into it.00:00 – Most investors misunderstand short-term rentals04:00 – What’s driving the Airbnb market shift?12:00 – Origin of The Wanderlust Co17:00 – Operation strategy and "invisible excellence"26:00 – The “Wanderlust experience” vs. the “Airbnb stay”30:00 – Underwriting a short-term rental39:00 – The 55% expense ratio investors need to plan for43:00 – What the NWA short-term rental market looks like right now in 202648:00 – Fire roundFollow us on LinkedIn NWA InvestingFollow us on Instagram NWA InvestingWatch us on YouTube NWA Investing

We sat down with Omar Kasim, founder of Plomo Quesadillas, inside his flagship location on Dickson Street in Fayetteville, a building he now owns. Omar graduated magna cum laude from the University of Arkansas in three years and has spent the decade since quietly building one of the most interesting business and real estate portfolios in Northwest Arkansas.→ Protect your investment with TCS Property Management→ Keep the closing table stress-free with Advantage Title & EscrowIn this episode, we dig into how Omar turned a $5,000 back-door quesadilla experiment into a three-location brand and how he bought a 100-year-old school building in downtown Springdale. We also cover why downtown Springdale is still producing deals that Bentonville and Fayetteville stopped offering years ago, and what he'd do with $20,000 and a fresh start in Northwest Arkansas today.00:00 – Restaurant vs. real estate: the difference04:00 – The speakeasy origin of Plomo Quesadillas13:00 – Getting told no by investors21:00 – The $60,000 property: Omar's first real estate lesson26:00 – Bidding $635,000 on a 100-year-old school building30:00 – Why downtown Springdale still makes sense35:00 – How Omar bought this Dickon Street building43:00 – Fire roundFollow us on LinkedIn NWA InvestingFollow us on Instagram NWA InvestingWatch us on YouTube NWA Investing

We sat down with Scott Eccleston, President of Campus Planning and Facility Management for Art and Wellness Enterprises, inside the Heartland Whole Health Institute in Bentonville, the building he helped bring from sketch to reality. Scott is the person Alice Walton has trusted for nearly two decades to turn her vision for art, health, and wellness into one of the most ambitious campus developments in the country, and this conversation pulls back the curtain on all of it.→ Protect your investment with TCS Property Management→ Keep the closing table stress-free with Advantage Title & EscrowIn this episode, we walk through the origin story of Crystal Bridges, the Frank Lloyd Wright house shipped across the country in two JB Hunt trucks, and the moment Alice introduced a fifth pillar ~ wellness ~ that changed everything. We also dig into the Heartland Whole Health Institute, the Alice Walton School of Medicine, and the newly announced STEM University rising on the old Walmart Home Office site.00:00 – How Scott began his career with Alice Walton04:00 – Crystal Bridges17:00 – The Momentary21:00 – Transporting the Frank Lloyd Wright house35:00 – The Heartland Whole Health Institute39:00 – Alice L. Walton's School of Medicine43:00 – The STEM University53:00 – Fire roundFollow us on LinkedIn NWA InvestingFollow us on Instagram NWA InvestingWatch us on YouTube NWA Investing

We sat down with TJ Lefler (founder of Lefler Capital and former principal at Sage Partners) inside Blume, a nine-story Class A office tower he acquired across from the original Walmart Home Office and transformed into one of Bentonville's most talked-about amenity-driven workplaces. TJ has built a portfolio of roughly 30 commercial properties worth more than $250 million across Arkansas, and this conversation is a masterclass in how he evaluates deals.→ Protect your investment with TCS Property Management→ Keep the closing table stress-free with Advantage Title & EscrowIn this episode, we dig into how TJ underwrites value-add commercial deals when a building is half empty, why cap rates are largely irrelevant until a property is stabilized, and the GP structure that allowed him to take a $4 million renovation from acquisition to 86% occupancy in just over a year. We also cover why NWA office is outperforming national trends, the warehouse asset class he can't stop buying, and the honest advice he gives every young investor starting with limited capital.00:00 – TJ's gut-driven approach to value-add acquisitions in NWA04:00 – Why The Blume exists09:00 – How TJ structures deals with investors13:00 – Going from 50% to 86% occupied in a year17:00 – hat TJ learned from 16 years as a broker21:00 – Cap rates and leverage26:00 – Why NWA office is thriving (while the national market struggles)30:00 – Class A vs. Class B office in NWA35:00 – Advice for young investors39:00 – Fire roundFollow us on LinkedIn NWA InvestingFollow us on Instagram NWA InvestingWatch us on YouTube NWA Investing