The Builder Nation Podcast

At 22, Morgan Hampel walked away from his own startup's payout so his co-founders could survive without him. By the day he left active duty in the Navy, he had built a portfolio of 1,100 apartment units while still wearing the uniform.

In this episode of The Builder Nation Podcast, Brian sits down with Morgan, co-founder of Hammer and Hampel and VP of Capital Formation at Comfort Capital, to break down exactly how he went from house hacking in Charleston to raising $32.5 million for a single mobile home park deal. The first apartment offer he and his partner ever submitted got accepted, and they had to raise $1 million having never raised a dollar before. They closed on day 88 of a 90 day escrow.

If you're a high earner, a veteran, or anyone who's been "getting ready" to invest for years, this conversation is the push you've been waiting for. Morgan and Brian get real about why most partnerships blow up (and the one conversation that prevents it), why the fear of a bad decision keeps more people broke than any bad deal ever will, and why relationship capital compounds faster than money.

What you'll learn:

• How Morgan cash flowed $400 a month while living for free on his first VA loan property
• The "joint custody" framework for structuring business partnerships before they go sideways

• How they went from 0 to 174 units in six months with no track record
• Why San Diego real estate is an equity and tax play, not a cash flow play
• The Outliers framework that finally convinced him to leave the Navy
• Why mobile home parks might be one of the most overlooked asset classes right now

Thinking about building an ADU or need a team to manage your project properly? Get in touch: https://form.typeform.com/to/N94A3a27 

Follow Morgan Hampel

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-hampel

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morganhampel/?hl=en

• Morgan's fund: https://www.instagram.com/hammerandhampel/?hl=en

Follow The Builder Brian:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebuilderbrian/?hl=en

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briankoons/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the_builderbrian 

Most real estate investors think adding density is an automatic ticket to wealth, but the modern ADU gold rush is quietly wrecking portfolios across the country.

While the hype promises easy cash flow and fast scaling, the reality on the ground involves bitter neighborhood wars, crushing management overhead, and unexpected legal battles that catch high-income earners completely off guard.

In this episode, we pull back the curtain on the hidden pitfalls of property development and break down what it actually takes to build a sustainable, long-term portfolio without sacrificing your sanity.

We also discuss:

• The Density Trap: Discover why chasing high-density studio units might look incredible on a spreadsheet, but ultimately ruins your long-term peace of mind with crushing vacancy rates and constant management headaches.

• The Designer Blindspot: Find out why hiring a standard architect who only cares about making things pretty - and doesn't understand your performance or tenant rentability - is secretly sabotaging your cash flow.

• The "Spirit and Intent" Rule: Learn how ignoring municipal regulations and cramming properties into spaces neighbors genuinely hate will land you in expensive legal trouble and neighborhood lawsuits.

• Building for Retirement, Not a New Job: Hear how to shift your mindset from mindless expansion to creating a lifestyle portfolio that actually lets you enjoy life rather than trading one exhausting career for another.

If you are tired of following generic real estate advice that leads straight to stress, this conversation will completely change how you look at property development, mentorship, and building true wealth.

Thinking about building an ADU or need a team to manage your project properly? Get in touch: ⁠https://form.typeform.com/to/N94A3a27⁠ 

Follow David Namazy

• Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/davidnamazy/?hl=en⁠ 

• Email him: ⁠[email protected]⁠

Follow The Builder Brian:

• Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thebuilderbrian/?hl=en⁠

• LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/briankoons/⁠

• YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@the_builderbrian⁠ 

Max Sandquist was in his early thirties when a doctor told him he had Crohn's disease, handed him a prescription he would take every morning for the rest of his life, and said there was nothing he could do about it through diet or lifestyle.

He decided not to accept that. Six years later he is off the medication, running a fitness and nutrition coaching business, and working with couples going through fertility treatment on the parts of the process their clinics rarely address.

In this episode Max and Brian get into why the easy button never works, what he learned about prescribing behavior from inside the pharmaceutical industry, and the two questions he asks every potential client before he will coach them.

The conversation moves from health into identity, purpose, and what it costs to choose the uncomfortable option on purpose, including the string of signs that convinced Max and his wife to leave San Diego for North Carolina.

They also cover the difference between a strong why and a weak one, why most people quit the moment something becomes inconvenient, and how one man getting his health in order can change an entire family.If you have built the career and the bank account but you are not sure your body is going to let you enjoy any of it, this one is for you.

Thinking about building an ADU or need a team to manage your project properly?

Get in touch: https://form.typeform.com/to/N94A3a27

Follow Max Sandquist:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/max_sandquist/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maxssandquist/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxwellsandquist

Follow The Builder Brian:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebuilderbrian/?hl=en
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briankoons/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the_builderbrian

Sumner Healey left San Diego for Bali in 2024 and kept running four real estate businesses from 15 hours ahead. In this episode he breaks down how he built a land flipping operation that could survive the move, why he thinks land is the most overlooked asset class in real estate, and what America gets wrong about community that Bali gets right.

We get into the hiring mistakes that cost him years, why every person on his team now has a profit share, and the three-year sprint he believes almost anyone can run to buy back their freedom. He also shares the identity work he did before any of the habits stuck, and why he treats his personal life with the same intensity he brings to his companies.

Sumner started the land business in 2019 with $7,000 after finding tax delinquent lists online and mailing handwritten letters. Today his team buys rural land at 30 to 60 cents on the dollar in high demand markets and resells in about three weeks, and he has built a coaching community, a software company, and a call center around it.

Thinking about building an ADU or need a team to manage your project properly? Get in touch: https://form.typeform.com/to/N94A3a27 

Follow Sumner Healey

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sumnerhealey/?hl=en 

• Youtube: ​​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnd6Lb4HYOzQj8LMMlyZsmA 

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sumner-healey-ba002b318 

Follow The Builder Brian:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebuilderbrian/?hl=en

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briankoons/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the_builderbrian

What does a 25-year yacht captain know about building wealth that most real estate investors don’t? Turns out, a lot.

In this episode of The Builder Nation Podcast, Brian sits down with Scott Kidd - yacht captain, capital raiser, and podcast host - who’s spent his career in the rooms of billionaires and the ultra-wealthy. From getting laid off in the dot-com bust and landing in Fort Lauderdale with twenty bucks in his pocket, to putting together capital stacks on major development deals, Scott’s path is anything but conventional.

We get into the surprising skills that carry over from running a yacht to closing real estate deals, what genuinely wealthy people have in common (it’s not what the internet tells you), and the one thing money can never buy no matter how much of it you have. Scott also drops some hard-won wisdom on partnerships, why the way someone handles a bad deal tells you everything, and the kind of assets that actually build lasting wealth.

If you’re building a business, raising capital, or just trying to figure out what “success” is really supposed to feel like, this one’s worth your time. 

Thinking about building an ADU or need a team to manage your project properly?

Visit: https://hkdevelopmentgroup.com/#form 

Follow Scott Kidd;

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yachtierealestateinvestor

• His Podcast: https://investwithscottkidd.com/yachtie-podcasts

• YouTube: https://youtube.com/@scottkidd1969

Follow The Builder Brian:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebuilderbrian/?hl=en

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briankoons/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the_builderbrian
  

In the first-ever solo episode of the Builder Nation Podcast, host Brian Koons marks two milestones at once: the start of Season 2 of the show, and his upcoming 30th birthday.

To close out season one, he sits down to share the 30 most important lessons he's learned in his first 30 years - the foundational stuff that's shaped his health, his relationships, his finances, and his freedom.

This one is personal. No guests, no script, just Brian reflecting on what's actually moved the needle in his life, and trying to hand you the practical, hard-won takeaways instead of the surface-level advice you've heard a hundred times.

It's also a turning point for the show. Going forward, Builder Nation isn't only about real estate and growing a business - it's about building a genuinely wealthy life across all five pillars: financial, physical, mental, social, and relational. Because as Brian puts it, getting rich is easy. Getting wealthy is hard. That's the work this podcast is about.

Whether you're younger, older, or right around Brian's age, there's something here worth taking with you. Season two is coming soon, with new guests, bigger stories, and more on how to build a better life — not just a bigger bank account.

Thinking about building an ADU or need a team to manage your project properly? Visit: thebuildernation.com/partner 

Follow The Builder Brian:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebuilderbrian/?hl=en

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briankoons/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the_builderbrian 

Most wholesalers focus on acquisitions. Alex Bradley built his entire business doing the opposite - and it’s paying off.

Alex is San Diego’s go-to Dispo guy. He doesn’t talk to sellers. He doesn’t run cold call campaigns. He just moves deals, and he’s built a reputation doing it so well that wholesalers across the country come to him when they can’t get something off the books.

In this episode, Brian sits down with Alex to break down the Dispo-only business model, why it might actually be the best entry point into real estate wholesaling, and what it takes to find buyers in a market where flippers are sitting on inventory and everyone’s underwriting harder than they have in years.

They get into what separates a cookie cutter deal from a funky one, how Alex avoids the daisy chain reputation trap, and the difference between going shotgun versus sniper when building a buyers list. Alex also shares how he built his entire business from scratch with zero overhead and why the Dispo space is getting more competitive heading into 2026.

Brian also pulls back the curtain on the Macawa deal - a project his team is actively building out right now - and why it could be the first ADU condoization project completed in San Diego.

If you’ve got deals to move, buyers to find, or you’re just trying to figure out how to break into this industry without burning cash on acquisitions, this one’s for you.

Thinking about building an ADU or need a team to manage your project properly? Visit: https://hkdevelopmentgroup.com/#form 

Follow Alex Bradley

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex_dadley?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== 

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alexbradley.investor?mibextid=wwXIfr&mibextid=wwXIfr 

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexrbradley 

Follow The Builder Brian:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebuilderbrian/?hl=en

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briankoons/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the_builderbrian 
  

Most real estate agents are playing the same game and losing. Joseph Silva isn't.

With a background in investment banking and business banking, Joseph ditched the traditional buy-sell agent model and built CCG Real Estate Advisors around one core idea: lead with value, not with sales.

On this episode of Builder Nation, Brian and Joseph get into what it actually means to serve real estate investors at a high level, from portfolio analysis and return on equity to 1031 exchanges, triple net leases, DSTs, and tenant-in-common structures.

They also get into the ADU development space and don't hold back. Joseph breaks down exactly why so many developers are getting burned right now - aggressive pro formas, mismatched comps, no parking, and only one exit strategy - and what separates the ones who survive from the ones who don't.

If you're an investor trying to figure out what to do with a portfolio you've been sitting on for 20 years, or a developer trying to understand how buyers are actually going to underwrite your asset, this episode is worth your time.

The episode discusses:

• Differentiating yourself as a real estate professional
• Consultative sales, return on equity as a portfolio metric
• 1031 exchanges, passive investing options
• ADU development mistakes
• Multifamily underwriting
• The importance of conservative assumptions
• Why multifamily is Joseph's top asset class for the next decade.

Thinking about building an ADU or need a team to manage your project properly?

Visit: https://hkdevelopmentgroup.com/#form 

Follow Joseph Silva

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeofjsilva/ 

• Company Website: https://ccgrea.com/ 

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jsilvarealty/ 

Follow The Builder Brian:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebuilderbrian/?hl=en

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briankoons/

• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the_builderbrian
  

This episode of The Builder Nation Podcast is a live Q&A from the ADU Investor Summit with Brian Koons, Andrew Greer, and keynote speaker Thach Nguyen - focused on operator‑level ADU investing strategy.

In this conversation, Brian, Andrew, and Thach pull the audience into the weeds on what actually makes an ADU or small‑multifamily project succeed - from how you decide whether to keep or rent, to designing the right unit mix, finishes, and site plan for the business plan instead of your ego.

They unpack painful real‑world stories about utilities (water, sewer, power) blowing up budgets and timelines, and walk through the feasibility checks that every investor should do before going under contract. You’ll also hear candid lessons on hiring experienced ADU architects and GCs, setting proper reserves, avoiding emotional offers, and why one great deal you buy with discipline can beat a year of chasing “cheap” construction and thin‑margin flips.

You'll hear:

• How to decide “keep vs. rent” and design the entire project backward from that decision (bedroom count, circulation, exterior, and finishes)
• The utility traps that kill ADU deals - flow tests, undersized water lines, sewer capacity, and the true cost of opening streets and upgrading infrastructure
• Why the lowest‑bid architect or contractor often costs the most, especially on dense infill and tight ADU sites
• A simple framework for reserves on your first ADU: down payment, 12–18 months of payments, plus real contingency
• How to eliminate emotional deal‑making, stick to your underwriting standard, and avoid six‑figure lessons
• Why you “can’t make it to the top solo,” and how Thach structures his A‑team to de‑risk every project

Like, subscribe, and drop your biggest ADU question in the comments so we can hit it in a future episode.

Thinking about building an ADU or need a team to manage your project properly?

Visit: https://hkdevelopmentgroup.com/#form

Follow Thach Nguyen

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thachnguyen/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thachnguyenre
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThachNguyen

Follow Andrew Greer

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realtyentrepreneur/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-t-greer-17a17417/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndrewThomasGreer1

Follow The Builder Brian:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebuilderbrian/?hl=en
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briankoons/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the_builderbrian

Brandon LaCascio has been in real estate since 2005 - right before the market collapsed. Instead of folding, he came out swinging. Now he's a broker, developer, and builder with over 120 units in his portfolio and decades of hard-earned experience that most people in this industry will never have.

In this episode, Brandon breaks down one of the most underrated ideas in business right now: money follows attention. It sounds simple, but most people in real estate are still grinding in silence — heads down, skipping events, avoiding the camera — thinking that's the path to success. Brandon did the same thing for 15 years. Then the light bulb went off.

After discovering how guys like Grant Cardone completely transformed their businesses by leaning into content and visibility, Brandon stopped saying no to everything and started showing up. Podcasts, LinkedIn, events, networking - and the results spoke for themselves. Deals came in from people he'd known for two decades who suddenly said "I never knew you did that." New doors opened that cold calling never could have unlocked.

We get into:

• How surviving the 2008 crash shaped the way Brandon thinks about risk, resilience, and building through uncertainty
• Why Grant Cardone's content pivot at 50 years old completely changed Brandon's approach to growing his business
• The real reason people who've known you for 20 years still don't know what you do — and how to fix it
• What actually happens to your deal flow, your network, and your opportunities when you stop hiding and start showing up
• Why in 2025, staying invisible is one of the biggest mistakes you can make in real estate

If you're a real estate investor, broker, or builder still betting that the grind alone is enough - this one's for you.

Brandon isn't just talking theory. He's living proof that when you combine the work ethic with the visibility, everything changes.

Thinking about building an ADU or need a team to manage your project properly? Visit: https://hkdevelopmentgroup.com/#form

Follow Brandon Locascio

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrlocascio/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-j-locascio/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_HYk4zYxRLkVdyxdnkRtkA
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Follow The Builder Brian:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebuilderbrian/?hl=en
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briankoons/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@the_builderbrian