Brick by Brick - Wealth Building Conversations

What if an appraisal isn’t the whole story?

Kelly Githens, a veteran appraiser and real estate investor, joins Loren Wernette to unpack what really drives property value, where appraisals can fall short, and how AI is changing the valuation process. Together, they explore why a property’s condition, comparable sales, buyer demand, and timing can all affect the number—and why an old appraisal may not reflect today’s market.

Kelly also explains how appraisals differ from broker price opinions, comparative market analyses, automated valuation models, and tax assessments. He shares what investors and lenders should look for when reviewing comps, when it may make sense to request a reconsideration of value, and why unique or special-purpose properties can be especially difficult to price.

The conversation also looks at AI’s potential in property valuation—and why human judgment still matters when data misses important details or the property doesn’t fit a standard model.

If you’re a real estate investor, lender, realtor, or homeowner, this episode offers a practical way to look beyond the headline number and make more informed decisions about property value.

What do you look at first when evaluating a property’s value?

#BrickByBrick #RealEstateInvesting #PropertyValuation #RealEstateAppraisal #RealEstateAI

"I left Tesla and got into mobile home parks because I wanted cash flow that didn’t depend on me showing up every day."

But here’s what most people miss: mobile home parks aren’t “easy money.” They’re a complex mix of operations, taxes, infill, financing, and tough decisions.

Leo Young, founder of Cornell Communities, joins Brick by Brick to unpack the realities of mobile home park investing. From leaving Tesla and learning sales to building a portfolio of manufactured housing communities, Leo shares how he evaluates deals, finances acquisitions, manages risk, approaches responsible rent growth, and why tenant-owned homes are central to his strategy.

They also dig into infill challenges, park-owned versus tenant-owned homes, navigating aging infrastructure, raising capital, and the key questions passive investors should ask before partnering with an operator.

🎙️ Listen to the latest episode of Brick by Brick.

Connect with Leo Young
Website: CornellCommunities.com
LinkedIn: Leo Young
Instagram: @LeoYoungRealEstate

#BrickByBrickPodcast #MobileHomeParkInvesting #ManufacturedHousing #RealEstateInvesting #CommercialRealEstate #PassiveIncome #Syndication #RealEstatePodcast #FinancialFreedom #InvestorEducation #AffordableHousing #CashFlow

He was a pharmacist. By 31, he'd retired. His strategy? Renting houses by the room.

Dr. Ryan Chaw, PharmD, built a 14-property portfolio with student housing. In this episode he walks through exactly how he does it, and the early mistake he says cost him more than $30,000.

We cover:

🏠 Why renting by the room can change what one house earns
🎓 How he picks college markets (and why hospitals and residencies count too)
🔑 The "head tenant" setup that cuts down management headaches
🔍 The building systems to inspect before you buy: sewer, HVAC, roof, foundation
⚖️ Local rules that can sink the strategy before you start
💰 Why lenders and appraisers see shared housing differently

If you've ever wondered whether one house can do the work of three, this one's for you.

Connect with Ryan:

YouTube: youtube.com/@ryanchaw1
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ryan-chaw-pharmd-0a9995187
Facebook: facebook.com/ryan.chawWebsite: newbierealestateinvesting.com

#RealEstateInvesting #RentByTheRoom #StudentHousing #PassiveIncome #FinancialFreedom #RealEstateInvestor #CashFlow #RentalProperty #BuyAndHold #HouseHacking #RealEstatePodcast #WealthBuilding #EarlyRetirement #FIRE #CoLiving #LandlordLife #PropertyManagement #RealEstateTips #InvestInRealEstate #BrickByBrick

What if you could turn underutilized land into recurring cash flow?

Chris Long, founder and CEO of Long Yard Storage, joins Loren Wernette to unpack a niche real estate model built for contractors and businesses that need outdoor space for equipment, vehicles, and materials. He shares how a career in construction, a painful insolvency, and a need for more control led him to build a cash-flow-focused storage yard business from the ground up.

This episode is especially useful if you want to understand industrial outdoor storage, land underwriting, or how to structure a business that generates recurring revenue from dirt, fencing, and logistics.

Key topics

What Long Yard Storage is

“Self-storage on steroids” for big equipment and materials
Fenced land, access control, and month-to-month rental agreements
A solution between expensive long-term leases and unreliable informal storage

Chris’s construction background

Starting with his grandfather at age 14
Becoming a licensed carpenter and taking over the family business
Recognizing the opportunity through his own need for secure equipment storage

The insolvency that reset everything
A large commercial project went unpaid
Chris went from managing 14 employees to rebuilding almost alone

The experience taught him to focus, make faster decisions, and operate with discipline

Instead of quitting, he found a gap nobody was serving: storage for the big stuff.

Not just boxes—contractors, trucks, equipment, and businesses that need secure outdoor space.

This episode is a powerful reminder that sometimes a major setback can reveal a better business model.
What would you build if you had to start over today?

Connect with Chris:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-long-152b3988/

#BrickByBrick #LongYardStorage #CommercialRealEstate #EntrepreneurMindset #BusinessGrowth

The deals banks say no to are where Ryan Hermansky says yes.

Most hard money lenders are built to say no. Ryan Hermansky built a business around saying yes to the deals banks won't touch, and he explains exactly how he keeps it conservative, liquid, and profitable.

Ryan, president of Private Money Funding, reveals how his Arizona-based team funds commercial real estate loans, pays investors 9% with no fees, and keeps capital accessible even though it's tied to illiquid assets. If you've ever wondered how a liquid private lending fund actually works, this conversation pulls back the curtain.

You'll discover:

Why private money lenders thrive in the gap banks leave behind

How Ryan's team underwrites shopping centers, warehouses, raw land, and select residential-adjacent deals

The role of loan-to-value, exit strategy, and worst-case foreclosure planning in protecting investor capital

How a 506(c) fund changes the fundraising game for accredited investors

Why no lockups, monthly compounding, and a line of credit make liquidity possible

How IRA, 401(k), and even pension money can be moved into the fund through a custodian

Ryan also shares how his path from banking to medical device sales to cannabis dispensaries led to private lending, and why that unusual background shaped a far more conservative approach than most hard money shops. Loren adds hard-won perspective on fund structures, compliance, and the real-world friction investors hit when moving retirement money.

If you're an operator sitting on idle cash, a real estate investor looking for a passive allocation, or someone trying to understand how private credit can fit inside a broader portfolio, this episode is packed with practical takeaways. It's especially valuable if you want yield without becoming a landlord, and if you want to understand the questions that separate a strong fund from a risky one.

To hear how Ryan and his team structure deals, manage liquidity, and protect downside in commercial real estate lending, hit play.

#PrivateLending #HardMoneyLender #CommercialRealEstate #PrivateCredit #RealEstateInvesting #AlternativeInvestments #CREInvesting #SelfDirectedIRA #AccreditedInvestors #PassiveInvesting #RealEstatePodcast #WealthBuilding

Why One Paycheck Is Riskier Than Most High Earners Realize

Most people treat their paycheck like a plan - and it leaves them one surprise away from panic. Carl Lenocker reveals the side-income, real-estate, and relationship strategy that helped him build wealth without betting everything on one job.

From a $23,000 debt load and a dot-com crash wake-up call to a portfolio built on rentals, side hustles, and long-term thinking, Carl and Loren Wernette break down what actually works when you want more security, more optionality, and less dependence on your W-2.

You'll discover:

Why Carl says a single stream of income is a dangerous illusion

How eBay arbitrage and thrift-store finds turned into real monthly cash flow

Why rental real estate became his most resilient wealth-building tool

The leverage lessons from Rich Dad, Poor Dad that still matter today

How monthly financial reviews and quarterly planning meetings keep couples aligned

Why most spouses never talk honestly about retirement, risk, or the life they actually want

Carl also shares how his customer success background shapes his approach to personal finance: build a plan, review the metrics, and adjust before small problems become expensive ones. That framework shows up everywhere in the conversation, from buying your first investment property to deciding whether your side hustle should be active, passive, or somewhere in between.

The stakes are real. Without a plan, people drift into higher expenses, vague retirement goals, and financial decisions driven by fear instead of strategy. With the right systems in place, you can build income outside your job, protect your downside, and design a life that fits your real priorities - whether that means more time with family, a better retirement, or simply more breathing room.

They also get into the future of AI, and why technical tasks may become easier while relationship skills become even more valuable. If you want a practical, no-fluff conversation about income diversification, real estate, financial planning, and the mindset shift required to build lasting stability, this one is essential listening.

Carl is the author of Success Plan for Life. You can find the book on Amazon and Audible, or at successplanforlife.com. His LinkedIn profile is rockstarcsm.com.

🎧 Full episode link in the comments 👇

#RealEstateInvesting #PassiveIncome #IncomeDiversification #SideHustle #FinancialFreedom #RentalProperty #WealthBuilding #PersonalFinance #RichDadPoorDad #PodcastEpisode

What Works at $18M Breaks at $100M — Here's Why

In this episode, Loren Wernette sits down with David LaDue, owner of LA Management Consulting, Vistage Chair, and an entrepreneur with 35 years of executive leadership experience.

David shares lessons from a career that includes helping grow a company from $18M to more than $100M, leading a $300M business unit, and driving 4x growth within a $1.5B North American operation.

The conversation goes beyond numbers and gets into the leadership principles behind that growth, including:

• Why leadership has to evolve as a company scales, and why what works at $18M may not work at $50M or $100M

• Building a clear vision, mission, and winning culture to turn around an underperforming business

• Identifying the top 20% of accounts that can drive a disproportionate share of results

• Creating incentive plans around companywide net profit instead of individual silos

• Using monthly financial reviews, gap-to-plan analysis, and industry benchmarks to create accountability

• Why involving the people responsible for implementation can make or break a strategy

• The Palm Springs Airport $120M deal and what it taught David about thinking bigger than conventional expectations

• Building trust and psychological safety so teams can challenge ideas and surface blind spots

• The shift from operator to consultant and Vistage Chair, helping CEOs make better decisions through structured peer discussion

• Why great leaders don't always need to provide the answers, but need to ask better questions

From culture and accountability to strategy, financial discipline, and decision-making, this episode offers practical lessons for leaders navigating the challenges of growth.

Connect with David Ladue:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidladue/

#Leadership #BusinessGrowth #ExecutiveLeadership #CompanyCulture #Entrepreneurship #Accountability #BusinessStrategy #LeadershipPodcast #Vistage #Podcast

What if the secret to growth is going niche?

Loren sits down with Cheri Martinen, owner of a family insurance brokerage in Oregon, for a conversation about building a business around specialization, strategic marketing, and a strong family legacy.

Cheri shares her journey of growing up in the agency, taking over the business from her parents, building a niche serving wildland firefighters and other fire-related risks, and ultimately navigating the decision to sell the company.

In this episode, they discuss:

• Why finding the right niche can become a powerful growth strategy

• How creative and consistent marketing can generate inbound opportunities

• The importance of staying top of mind across email, video, social media, and other channels

• The emotional and strategic realities of selling a family business

• What happens after the sale and why the transition can be challenging

• How business owners should think about insurance as both protection and a strategic tool

• How AI is changing the insurance landscape and creating new coverage considerations

Cheri also discusses her upcoming book, Covered: The Smart Buyer’s Guide to Home, Auto and Business Insurance, designed to make insurance easier to understand for consumers and business owners.

Whether you’re a business owner, marketer, insurance professional, or entrepreneur, this episode offers valuable insights into niche strategy, business growth, succession, and building a company that lasts.

Connect with Cheri
Learn more about Cheri and her work, and follow along with her journey in the insurance industry.

Facebook
LinkedIn
Instagram

#Insurance #InsuranceIndustry #BusinessGrowth #Entrepreneurship #BusinessStrategy #FamilyBusiness #MarketingStrategy #NicheMarketing #BusinessSuccession #Leadership #SmallBusiness #AI #Podcast #BusinessPodcast #EntrepreneurMindset

What if the key to building wealth isn’t chasing higher returns—but giving every dollar a purpose?

In this episode of Brick by Brick, Loren Wernette sits down with Gary Preisser, Managing Partner of Stonebriar Wealth Advisors, to explore his powerful “Function of Wealth” philosophy.

Gary shares why wealth should do more than simply grow—it should serve a specific purpose at the right time in your life. From short-term needs and long-term goals to legacy planning, this conversation challenges the traditional approach to financial planning by asking two important questions:

Why does this money exist, and when will you need it?

Loren and Gary also discuss how age, timing, and life circumstances can dramatically change the right financial strategy—even for two people with the exact same amount of money. They explore tax strategy, the different roles of taxable, tax-deferred, and Roth assets, and why understanding volatility, alpha, and beta matters when building a portfolio.

Successful wealth planning isn't just about accumulating more. It's about making sure your money is positioned to support the life you want to live.

Stop asking only how much your money can grow. Start asking what you need it to do.

Connect with Gary Preisser:

🔗 LinkedIn

🌐 Stonebriar Wealth Advisors

Most experts think writing a book means spending years alone, trying to produce 100,000 words and hoping people will read it.

Henry DeVries says that’s the wrong way to think about it.

In this episode of the podcast, Loren sits down with Henry DeVries, publisher, ghostwriter, and co-founder of Indie Books International, to explore how the right business book can do far more than establish you as an author.

It can become a tool for building authority, credibility, trust, visibility, and new business opportunities.

Henry has helped ghostwrite, edit, and co-author more than 200 business books, and his experience gives him a unique perspective on what makes a business book actually work.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Turn expertise into authority and credibility

• Use a book to attract clients, speaking opportunities, and media attention

• Choose the right format and niche for your audience

• Turn your experience into ideas that create real business value

And perhaps the biggest takeaway:

You may already have the material for your book.

Your years of experience, lessons learned, mistakes, successes, frameworks, and stories can become the foundation for an idea that positions you as an authority.

The book isn’t necessarily the finish line.

It can be the beginning of your next level of influence.

Connect with Henry DeVries

🔗 LinkedIn: Henry DeVries on LinkedIn

If you’re an entrepreneur, consultant, CEO, speaker, or expert who has ever thought, “I should write a book someday,” this episode may change how you think about that book.

Your expertise already has value. The question is: how can you turn it into authority?

#Podcast #BusinessPodcast #Entrepreneurship #ThoughtLeadership #PersonalBranding #BusinessBooks #Leadership #BusinessGrowth #Author #Expertise #Storytelling