The Insider's Edge To Real Estate Investing

You'll learn about entrepreneurship and value creation in this conversation with Gaurav Khanna, founder of Val-Add Partners, adjunct professor at NYU Schack Institute of Real Estate, and former executive at Vornado Realty Trust and Le Pain Quotidien. Gaurav shares his journey from studying architecture in India to building a career in New York real estate, including the hustle that helped him land his first job.

You'll hear about expanding Le Pain Quotidien, creating value through architecture and real estate strategy, and combining design, leasing, development, and finance into a holistic approach to real estate. Gaurav also discusses why professionals should develop interests beyond their careers, including his decision to learn the drums and perform live on stage.

You can connect with Gaurav on LinkedIn.

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My website: JamesNelson.com

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My Forbes.com articles: Forbes.com/sites/jamesnelson

You'll learn about finding value in real estate in this conversation with Joshua Benaim, founder and CEO of Aria Development Group and author of Real Estate, A Love Story. Joshua shares how his background as an opera singer influenced his real estate career, and how his family's real estate legacy played a role in his approach to the business.

You'll hear how Joshua finds overlooked opportunities, from complex ownership structures to oceanfront lands. He discusses the importance of creating housing that makes people feel good and using design to deliver value for both residents and investors.

You can connect with Joshua at his company website.and LinkedIn

You can connect with me at:

My website: JamesNelson.com

LinkedIn: JamesNelsonNYC

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Twitter: JamesNelsonNYC

My Forbes.com articles: Forbes.com/sites/jamesnelson

You'll learn how institutional real estate investors evaluate opportunities across markets and asset classes in this conversation with Page Gostling, Managing Director and Head of Transactions for New York Life Real Estate Investors, which is an $800 billion investment management platform that sits under the Fortune 100 company. The platform fits within the company's broader investment management business and carries out direct equity investments, joint ventures, and acquisitions across the country.

Page talks about how her team uses data, local expertise, and disciplined underwriting to identify opportunities in asset classes including office, multifamily, and industrial. She discusses why New York Life was willing to move early into San Francisco office, how the firm thinks about value-add versus development, and what it takes to invest across a broad range of markets while staying selective.

You can connect with Page at her company website and on LinkedIn.

You can connect with me at:

My website: JamesNelson.com

LinkedIn: JamesNelsonNYC

Instagram: JamesNelsonNYC

Twitter: JamesNelsonNYC

My Forbes.com articles: Forbes.com/sites/jamesnelson

You'll learn about gaining an Insider's Edge in retail real estate in this conversation with Don Tepman, Founder and Managing Partner of TownCentre Capital and widely known online as "Strip Mall Guy." Tepman shares how his firm built its portfolio by focusing on neighborhood strip centers, starting with suburban retail properties and then expanding across the United States.

You'll hear the story behind the "Strip Mall Guy" brand and how Tepman's anonymous social media account became a platform for sharing practical real estate insights. Tepman discusses the value of specializing, and how focusing on a niche can create a lasting competitive advantage.

You can connect with Don on X, and LinkedIn.

You can connect with me at:

My website: JamesNelson.com

LinkedIn: JamesNelsonNYC

Instagram: JamesNelsonNYC

Twitter: JamesNelsonNYC

My Forbes.com articles: Forbes.com/sites/jamesnelson

You'll learn about building wealth through disciplined, fundamentals-driven investing in this conversation with Ben Reinberg, Founder and CEO of Alliance Consolidated Group of Companies. Ben is a trailblazing entrepreneur, commercial real estate visionary, and wealth- building expert with over 30 years of transformative experience in the industry.

You'll hear how Ben evaluates certainty of close and tenant credit before committing to an investment. He shares why medical office remains resilient, how tax strategies bring benefits for investors, and why protecting the downside can create long-term, generational wealth.

You can connect with Ben at his website and LinkedIn

You can connect with me at:

My website: JamesNelson.com

LinkedIn: JamesNelsonNYC

Instagram: JamesNelsonNYC

Twitter: JamesNelsonNYC

My Forbes.com articles: Forbes.com/sites/jamesnelson

You'll learn about creating the foundation for a long-term real estate portfolio in this conversation with Jim Diamond, CEO of Diamond Properties, which was founded in 1995 and has acquired more than 125 properties, including office, warehouse, retail, residential, and land. Its affiliate Diamond Hospitality Group also owns and operates businesses under Save Haven Self Storage, Velocity Flexible Workspace, Spins Bowl, District Social, and other brands.

You'll hear about shifting into industrial real estate, buying below replacement cost, and holding assets for decades rather than chasing short-term exits. Jim explains how long-term, buy-and- hold structures align investor incentives and how operating businesses like self-storage and solar installations fit into a broader model to generate cash flow and returns.

You can connect with Jim at his company website.

You can connect with me at:

My website: JamesNelson.com

LinkedIn: JamesNelsonNYC

Instagram: JamesNelsonNYC

Twitter: JamesNelsonNYC

My Forbes.com articles: Forbes.com/sites/jamesnelson

You'll learn about shaping a disciplined, cycle-aware investment approach in this conversation with Paul Salib, co-founder of Castellan Real Estate Partners and CRP Affordable Housing and Community Development. Paul shares how early experiences in currency trading and affordable housing finance laid the foundation for building a vertically integrated multifamily platform, acquiring over 80 properties and knowing when to sell as capital markets shifted.

You'll also hear about the logistics and complexities related to affordable housing. Paul discusses underwriting, risk management, and operating across cycles, along with scaling an affordable housing development business.

You can connect with Paul at LinkedIn.

You can connect with me at:

My website: JamesNelson.com

LinkedIn: JamesNelsonNYC

Instagram: JamesNelsonNYC

Twitter: JamesNelsonNYC

My Forbes.com articles: Forbes.com/sites/jamesnelson

You'll learn about urban development and housing in this episode with Doug Elenowitz, co- founder and principal of Trailbreak Partners, a Denver-based vertically integrated firm focusing on residential and multifamily investments and developments. Doug shares how their hands-on, investor-first approach has created a loyal capital base of high-net-worth individuals and family offices.

You'll hear about navigating complexities when transforming forgotten properties into places where people want to live and work. Doug also offers insight into building a strong internal culture and designing spaces that fit the neighborhood rather than repeating a brand template.

You can connect with Doug at his company website.

You can connect with me at:

My website: JamesNelson.com

LinkedIn: JamesNelsonNYC

Instagram: JamesNelsonNYC

Twitter: JamesNelsonNYC

My Forbes.com articles: Forbes.com/sites/jamesnelson

You'll learn how a national family office thinks about growth, partnerships, and market selection in this conversation with Adrian Berger, Managing Director of Acquisitions at Cyprus Equity Investments, a national multifamily portfolio with transactions that exceed $13 billion built across market-rate, affordable housing, and selective self-storage investments. Adrian explains why Cyprus focuses on top MSAs and how co-GP partnerships have enabled disciplined expansion.

You'll also hear about an affordable housing strategy, including low-income housing tax credit development and solving equity gaps in complex capital stacks. Adrian discusses how regulatory environments shape opportunity and how zoning changes, ADUs, and inclusionary housing are creating new paths forward.

You can connect with Adrian at LinkedIn

You can connect with me at:

My website: JamesNelson.com

LinkedIn: JamesNelsonNYC

Instagram: JamesNelsonNYC

Twitter: JamesNelsonNYC

My Forbes.com articles: Forbes.com/sites/jamesnelson

In this episode, we uncover how to spot the high-potential opportunities that most investors miss. We're joined by Billy Haddad, Managing Director of Partners Path, to discuss his family office's approach to identifying partnerships built for sustainable, long-term growth.

Billy opens up his playbook on evaluating political risk, structuring resilient partnerships, and identifying markets poised for returns. From the nuances of sponsor communication to executing value-add strategies in the industrial sector, this is a deep dive into the power of patient capital.

You can connect with Billy at his company website.

You can connect with me at:

My website: JamesNelson.com

LinkedIn: JamesNelsonNYC

Instagram: JamesNelsonNYC

Twitter: JamesNelsonNYC

My Forbes.com articles: Forbes.com/sites/jamesnelson