PassivePockets: The Passive Real Estate Investing Show

August Biniaz of CPI Capital joins Chris to unpack why his firm is bringing Canadian capital into U.S. real estate and why he believes the U.S. remains one of the most attractive rental markets in the world. August walks through his path from fix-and-flips and ground-up construction to launching CPI Capital, a firm built to help Canadian investors access U.S. multifamily and build-to-rent opportunities.

Chris and August dig into the cross-border investing mechanics, including why Canadian investors look south for stronger yields, how withholding taxes and entity structures matter, and why CPI uses limited partnerships rather than LLCs for syndicated deals involving Canadian capital. August also explains how CPI recently created a vehicle that allows Canadian investors to use retirement accounts for U.S. real estate investments.

The conversation then shifts to the current multifamily cycle. August shares why he believes Sunbelt multifamily is near the bottom of the cycle, why distress and repricing may create attractive entry points, and how CPI is evaluating a Dallas-area deal that has corrected significantly from its 2022 basis. Chris pushes on downside risk, debt maturity, interest rates, and macro uncertainty, while August explains why he believes conviction, basis, and business plan discipline matter most in this phase of the cycle.

They also discuss CPI’s build-to-rent strategy, including duplex communities in San Antonio, a build-to-hold project in Denton, and why August views BTR as “horizontal multifamily” serving a growing renter-by-choice demographic.

Key takeaways:

Why CPI Capital was created to help Canadian investors access U.S. real estate

How U.S. multifamily yields compare to similar Canadian markets

Why cross-border tax structure, withholding, and entity choice matter

How Canadian retirement accounts can be directed into certain real estate vehicles

Why August believes Sunbelt multifamily is near the bottom of the cycle

How CPI is underwriting distressed or repriced multifamily opportunities today

Why CPI is focused on Texas and Florida, especially DFW, San Antonio, and Tampa

How build-to-rent fits CPI’s thesis and serves renters by choice

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Disclaimer

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only. All host and participant opinions are their own. Investment in any asset, real estate included, involves risk, so use your best judgment and consult with qualified advisors before investing. You should only risk capital you can afford to lose. Past performance is not indicative of future results. This podcast may contain paid advertisements or other promotional materials for real estate investment advisers, investment funds, and investment opportunities, which should not be interpreted as a recommendation, endorsement, or testimonial by PassivePockets, LLC or any of its affiliates. Viewers must conduct their own due diligence and consider their own financial situations before engaging with any advertised offerings, products, or services. PassivePockets, LLC disclaims all liability for direct, indirect, consequential, or other damages arising out of reliance on information and advertisements presented in this podcast.

This Episode

Matthew Sinclair returns to PassivePockets to break down the build-to-rent market, the state of single-family institutional investing, and why he believes BTR is still in the early innings compared to traditional multifamily. Drawing on his background in real estate investment banking and private equity, Matthew explains why home affordability, demographic shifts, and renter preferences are creating long-term demand for professionally managed single-family rentals.

Chris and Matthew dig into how BTR compares to scattered-site single-family rentals, why large institutions are increasingly recycling capital out of older homes and into newer construction, and how interest rates are reshaping the economics of the space. Matthew also explains how his firm is approaching the market today: buying newer homes from builders at favorable basis, prioritizing cash flow over aggressive appreciation assumptions, and focusing on operational efficiency in markets where cap rates can support distributions.

The conversation also covers the recent housing legislation impacting institutional single-family ownership, why contiguous BTR communities may have a clearer path forward than scattered-site portfolios, and how uncertainty around regulation, interest rates, and exit markets should affect underwriting. For LPs evaluating residential real estate today, this episode is a practical look at how to think about basis, margins, tenant demand, builder incentives, and risk management in a higher-rate environment.

Key takeaways:

Why Matthew believes build-to-rent is still 20–30 years behind multifamily in institutional adoption

How affordability pressures are extending the renter lifecycle and supporting demand for single-family rentals

Why many institutions are selling older scattered-site homes and focusing more on new construction BTR

How higher interest rates create challenges for valuations but opportunities for basis-driven buyers

Why Matthew prioritizes cash flow, operating margin, and tenant retention over aggressive appreciation assumptions

How new housing legislation may affect institutional single-family ownership and the future of contiguous BTR communities

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Disclaimer

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only. All host and participant opinions are their own. Investment in any asset, real estate included, involves risk, so use your best judgment and consult with qualified advisors before investing. You should only risk capital you can afford to lose. Past performance is not indicative of future results. This podcast may contain paid advertisements or other promotional materials for real estate investment advisers, investment funds, and investment opportunities, which should not be interpreted as a recommendation, endorsement, or testimonial by PassivePockets, LLC or any of its affiliates. Viewers must conduct their own due diligence and consider their own financial situations before engaging with any advertised offerings, products, or services. PassivePockets, LLC disclaims all liability for direct, indirect, consequential, or other damages arising out of reliance on information and advertisements presented in this podcast.

Episode #281

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Check out the DLP Preferred Credit Fund for yourself:

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This Episode

In this special LP Deal Review episode, Chris Lopez is joined by Adam Cranmer and Pascal Wagner to evaluate DLP Capital’s Preferred Credit Fund with Don Wenner, founder and CEO of DLP Capital. Don walks through the fund’s strategy, target return profile, underwriting process, borrower standards, and how DLP approaches development, construction, bridge, mezzanine, and preferred equity lending in today’s market.

The discussion digs into why DLP focuses on housing that is affordable for working families, how the firm thinks about lending in high-growth Sunbelt markets, and what separates its Preferred Credit Fund from a senior secured lending fund. Don also addresses several of the key diligence questions LPs should be asking right now, including geographic concentration risk in Florida and Texas, loan-to-value and loan-to-cost metrics, borrower concentration, third-party validation, fund administration, internal controls, and how rising interest rates could affect the fund’s risk profile.

After Don leaves the conversation, Chris, Adam, and Pascal break down the fund from an LP perspective. They discuss what they like about DLP’s track record, reporting, borrower quality, and institutional infrastructure, while also highlighting the risks they are watching closely, including mezzanine exposure, state concentration, self-dealing concerns, fees, macro uncertainty, and whether the return spread is attractive enough compared to risk-free alternatives. The episode closes with a broader conversation about how LPs should think about risk, liquidity, debt versus equity, and portfolio construction in an uncertain investing environment.

Key takeaways:

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Disclaimer

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only. All host and participant opinions are their own. Investment in any asset, real estate included, involves risk, so use your best judgment and consult with qualified advisors before investing. You should only risk capital you can afford to lose. Past performance is not indicative of future results. This podcast may contain paid advertisements or other promotional materials for real estate investment advisers, investment funds, and investment opportunities, which should not be interpreted as a recommendation, endorsement, or testimonial by PassivePockets, LLC or any of its affiliates. Viewers must conduct their own due diligence and consider their own financial situations before engaging with any advertised offerings, products, or services. PassivePockets, LLC disclaims all liability for direct, indirect, consequential, or other damages arising out of reliance on information and advertisements presented in this podcast.

This Episode

Pat Zingarella joins Chris Lopez to share the story behind Invest Clearly, a platform built to bring more transparency to the private real estate investing world. Pat’s journey started like many BiggerPockets listeners: learning through podcasts, buying his first small multifamily property, making painful mistakes, and slowly realizing how hard it can be for LPs to know who they can trust.

Pat walks through the lessons from his first fourplex, including inherited tenants, COVID-era nonpayment, poor screening decisions, and the difference between blaming real estate versus recognizing where his own due diligence fell short. He also shares how a later experience working under a high-profile real estate figure exposed him to the darker side of the industry and helped shape his view that LPs need better tools, better transparency, and better ways to validate sponsors before wiring capital.

Chris and Pat dig into how Invest Clearly works today: a directory of GPs, verified LP reviews, proof-of-investment requirements, and a growing database designed to help investors compare sponsor experiences in one place. They also discuss why reviews matter, what happens when operators try to suppress negative feedback, and why community-driven transparency can help separate strong sponsors from bad actors.

Key takeaways:

How Pat went from BiggerPockets listener to active investor to building Invest Clearly

What his first fourplex taught him about screening, reserves, trust, and due diligence

Why private real estate needs more transparency around GP track records and LP experiences

How Invest Clearly verifies reviews and helps LPs research sponsors

Why negative reviews, legal threats, and transparency are becoming bigger issues in the industry

How communities like PassivePockets and tools like Invest Clearly can help LPs make better-informed decisions

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Disclaimer

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only. All host and participant opinions are their own. Investment in any asset, real estate included, involves risk, so use your best judgment and consult with qualified advisors before investing. You should only risk capital you can afford to lose. Past performance is not indicative of future results. This podcast may contain paid advertisements or other promotional materials for real estate investment advisers, investment funds, and investment opportunities, which should not be interpreted as a recommendation, endorsement, or testimonial by PassivePockets, LLC or any of its affiliates. Viewers must conduct their own due diligence and consider their own financial situations before engaging with any advertised offerings, products, or services. PassivePockets, LLC disclaims all liability for direct, indirect, consequential, or other damages arising out of reliance on information and advertisements presented in this podcast.

Get Paul Shannon's Book, Both Sides of the Table: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H4W5D288?spcref=PUBLISHED_PREORDER_LIVE

This Episode

Paul returns to PassivePockets to discuss his new book, Both Sides of the Table, and the lessons he has learned as an LP, fund manager, and GP. He and Chris unpack the difference between being a “syndication consumer” and a true capital allocator, including why newer investors often get pulled in by polished decks, urgency-driven marketing, and projected IRRs without fully understanding the downside.

Paul explains how he evaluates market cycles, why timing still matters even if you can’t perfectly call the bottom, and how he thinks about toggling between aggressive and defensive portfolio positioning. The conversation also gets into sponsor character, fraud risk, debt structure, and the hard lessons that come from deals where communication breaks down or capital is misused.

Chris and Paul also dig into practical due diligence: what can disqualify a deal in the first five minutes, why metrics like yield on cost and IRR partitioning matter more than flashy projected returns, and why the debt stack can make or break an otherwise strong-looking deal. For LPs who want to get more serious about passive investing, this episode is a reminder that the default answer should be “no” until the deal, sponsor, structure, and market all earn your confidence.

Key takeaways:

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Disclaimer

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only. All host and participant opinions are their own. Investment in any asset, real estate included, involves risk, so use your best judgment and consult with qualified advisors before investing. You should only risk capital you can afford to lose. Past performance is not indicative of future results. This podcast may contain paid advertisements or other promotional materials for real estate investment advisers, investment funds, and investment opportunities, which should not be interpreted as a recommendation, endorsement, or testimonial by PassivePockets, LLC or any of its affiliates. Viewers must conduct their own due diligence and consider their own financial situations before engaging with any advertised offerings, products, or services. PassivePockets, LLC disclaims all liability for direct, indirect, consequential, or other damages arising out of reliance on information and advertisements presented in this podcast.

Risk Radar:

https://netzeroisawin.substack.com/p/introducing-the-risk-radar?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share

In this episode, Chris Lopez welcomes Christine Kwasny back to the show to break down the Risk Radar, a visual due diligence tool she built to help LP investors better understand where risk shows up in a private real estate deal. The tool grew out of Christine’s Substack, Net Zero Is a Win, where she publishes retrospective deal analyses on what went right, what went wrong, and what investors may have been able to identify in the original offering materials.

Christine walks through the Risk Radar’s three major categories: what is fixed at closing, what is sponsor driven, and what is market driven. Chris and Christine discuss how LPs can evaluate GP team history, “cockroach” risks, going-in cap rates, debt terms, reserves, expense assumptions, capital stack structure, waterfalls, exit cap rates, supply and demand, rent growth, absorption, and vacancy.

They also explore why retrospective analysis is one of the best ways to test whether risk was visible up front, why market timing can dominate long-term outcomes, and how tools like AI may help investors gather better data without outsourcing their own judgment.

Disclaimer

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only. All host and participant opinions are their own. Investment in any asset, real estate included, involves risk, so use your best judgment and consult with qualified advisors before investing. You should only risk capital you can afford to lose. Past performance is not indicative of future results. This podcast may contain paid advertisements or other promotional materials for real estate investment advisers, investment funds, and investment opportunities, which should not be interpreted as a recommendation, endorsement, or testimonial by PassivePockets, LLC or any of its affiliates. Viewers must conduct their own due diligence and consider their own financial situations before engaging with any advertised offerings, products, or services. PassivePockets, LLC disclaims all liability for direct, indirect, consequential, or other damages arising out of reliance on information and advertisements presented in this podcast.

In this LP Deal Review, Chris Lopez is joined by Adam Cranmer and Christy Burakovsky to evaluate CL Fund III from Central Lending, a private credit fund focused on short-term residential real estate loans for fix-and-flip, ground-up construction, and small-balance investor projects.

Andrew Boccia and Heather Dreves walk through Central Lending’s lending model, portfolio composition, underwriting process, use of leverage, investor share classes, and how the fund sits between traditional fixed-income strategies and higher-upside real estate syndications. The conversation gets into why Central Lending focuses on smaller loan sizes, how it uses third-party valuations, what it tracks across borrower experience and credit quality, and why fraud detection has become a major part of private credit underwriting.

The LP panel then digs into the questions passive investors should be asking before investing in a debt fund: how loans are valued, what happens when a borrower defaults, how draw management can reveal problems before maturity, whether loan tapes and audited financials are available, how leverage impacts returns and risk, and what investors should understand about redemptions.

For LPs evaluating private credit, this episode offers a practical look at what sits behind headline yield: underwriting discipline, loan-level monitoring, loss mitigation, liquidity management, and alignment between the fund manager and investors.

Key Takeaways

Disclaimer

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only. All host and participant opinions are their own. Investment in any asset, real estate included, involves risk, so use your best judgment and consult with qualified advisors before investing. You should only risk capital you can afford to lose. Past performance is not indicative of future results. This podcast may contain paid advertisements or other promotional materials for real estate investment advisers, investment funds, and investment opportunities, which should not be interpreted as a recommendation, endorsement, or testimonial by PassivePockets, LLC or any of its affiliates. Viewers must conduct their own due diligence and consider their own financial situations before engaging with any advertised offerings, products, or services. PassivePockets, LLC disclaims all liability for direct, indirect, consequential, or other damages arising out of reliance on information and advertisements presented in this podcast.

In this Community Roundtable, Chris Lopez sits down with PassivePockets members Pascal Wagner, Adam Cranmer, and Christy Burakovsky for a candid investor-to-investor conversation on how they’re allocating capital right now and what would make them change course.

Pascal frames the dilemma many LPs are feeling: with risk-free rates near 5% and major macro signals flashing red (record debt loads, expensive public markets, and uncertainty around where rates settle), does it still make sense to allocate to interest-rate-sensitive commercial real estate? He shares how he’s thinking about portfolio construction with fresh liquidity and why he’s prioritizing stable income and downside protection before chasing upside.

Adam and Christy offer counterweights: where fear can create opportunity, why liquidity matters, and how they’re approaching “safer” yield today (short-duration debt funds, notes, treasuries) while keeping dry powder for dislocated assets. The conversation also explores where each of them sees asymmetric opportunity: distressed commercial, non-performing loan strategies, medical office, assisted living tailwinds, and long-term fixed-rate debt structures that avoid the five-to-seven-year refinance trap.

Key Takeaways

Disclaimer

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only. All host and participant opinions are their own. Investment in any asset, real estate included, involves risk, so use your best judgment and consult with qualified advisors before investing. You should only risk capital you can afford to lose. Past performance is not indicative of future results. This podcast may contain paid advertisements or other promotional materials for real estate investment advisers, investment funds, and investment opportunities, which should not be interpreted as a recommendation, endorsement, or testimonial by PassivePockets, LLC or any of its affiliates. Viewers must conduct their own due diligence and consider their own financial situations before engaging with any advertised offerings, products, or services. PassivePockets, LLC disclaims all liability for direct, indirect, consequential, or other damages arising out of reliance on information and advertisements presented in this podcast.

Unplanned capital calls are one of the most stressful moments in passive investing, and Chris breaks down exactly how he thinks through the decision to fund or walk away.

In this solo episode, Chris shares two real examples from his own portfolio. First: a “diversified fund-of-funds” that raised $10.6M and deployed across 11 deals. After multiple capital calls tied to the same sponsor (including hurricane-related shortfalls and interest reserves), the fund ultimately saw several investments wipe out entirely and Chris explains why he chose not to participate in the follow-on capital call.

Second: a single-asset 127-unit value-add multifamily deal acquired in late 2022. After distributions paused due to operational issues (including a major elevator problem and a commercial tenant failure), the sponsor presented a detailed, investor-aligned plan: fee reductions, sponsor loan subordination, and a clear path to stabilization and Chris decided to fund this one.

The key framework he keeps coming back to: Will this capital call actually fix the problem? Chris shares the decision criteria, tradeoffs, and how he evaluates whether additional money is “good capital after bad” or a rational bridge to protect long-term equity.

Key Takeaways

The most important capital call question: Will it fix the problem or just delay the inevitable?

How Chris evaluates sponsor behavior, transparency, and alignment before funding anything

Why “where the capital call is coming from” matters (reserves, GP bridge loans, or robbing one tranche to fund another)

The difference between capital calls tied to systemic issues versus solvable operational problems

Real numbers and outcomes from both scenarios, including what happened when capital calls did not stabilize the underlying assets

Disclaimer

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only. All host and participant opinions are their own. Investment in any asset, real estate included, involves risk, so use your best judgment and consult with qualified advisors before investing. You should only risk capital you can afford to lose. Past performance is not indicative of future results. This podcast may contain paid advertisements or other promotional materials for real estate investment advisers, investment funds, and investment opportunities, which should not be interpreted as a recommendation, endorsement, or testimonial by PassivePockets, LLC or any of its affiliates. Viewers must conduct their own due diligence and consider their own financial situations before engaging with any advertised offerings, products, or services. PassivePockets, LLC disclaims all liability for direct, indirect, consequential, or other damages arising out of reliance on information and advertisements presented in this podcast.

This Episode

Gary Lipsky joins the show for a real operator’s view of what it’s actually like to run B-class multifamily in Tucson right now; flat-to-negative rent growth, higher concessions, elevated delinquency, and the daily “whack-a-mole” of competing comps dropping rents to protect occupancy.

Chris and Gary unpack how the Tucson market is absorbing new supply, what demand drivers still matter (job diversity, cost of living, defense/healthcare tailwinds), and where operational wins are being found when traditional rent growth isn’t available, renewal strategy, new income lines, and keeping property teams motivated when KPIs are harder to hit.

Gary also breaks down a recent 300-unit acquisition: why the basis made sense, how the business plan leans more “operational optimization” than heavy renovation, and how the capital stack was structured in today’s rate environment (CMBS debt, paid-down rate, plus a pref layer). They close with a practical discussion on AI; where it’s already improving leasing and collections workflows, what tenant application fraud looks like today, and why Gary sees tech as a tool to sharpen operations rather than an existential threat to housing demand.

Key Takeaways

What Tucson’s multifamily “pain cycle” looks like on the ground: rent softness, concessions, delinquency, and occupancy pressure

Why renewals matter more than ever and how operators are finding NOI growth through small, repeatable income levers

Inside a recent 300-unit Tucson deal: location thesis, light value-add plan, and addressing aging systems (pipes/boilers) cost-effectively

How rate volatility impacts execution: CMBS structure, buying down the rate, and layering pref to make the cash flow work

How operators are using AI today (leasing, renewals, collections) and the emerging tenant fraud problem in applications

Disclaimer

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only. All host and participant opinions are their own. Investment in any asset, real estate included, involves risk, so use your best judgment and consult with qualified advisors before investing. You should only risk capital you can afford to lose. Past performance is not indicative of future results. This podcast may contain paid advertisements or other promotional materials for real estate investment advisers, investment funds, and investment opportunities, which should not be interpreted as a recommendation, endorsement, or testimonial by PassivePockets, LLC or any of its affiliates. Viewers must conduct their own due diligence and consider their own financial situations before engaging with any advertised offerings, products, or services. PassivePockets, LLC disclaims all liability for direct, indirect, consequential, or other damages arising out of reliance on information and advertisements presented in this podcast.