The Real FI Podcast - Real Estate Investing to FI

Our guest TJ Cremeans isn’t building the “Legacy Real Estate Group” so he can drive around fancy cars and live a showboating life. His purpose is much deeper than that. Beginning with a conversation that TJ had with his mentor in corporate america, he charted a path to becoming an entrepreneur and real estate investor. After starting with single-families and flips, TJ finally found himself playing with the big boys, taking down multi-million dollar deals and eventually building his portfolio up to nearly 400 units and $12 million under management, will without using ANY personal money. His wife might have had something to do with that! Through his efforts, TJ will be leaving something huge behind for his family. Generational, and legacy, wealth. 

You can connect with our guest on Instagram @tjcremeans and online at legacy-reg.com.

Do you have any questions you'd like for us to answer on the show, or a success story you'd like to share? Shoot us an email to [email protected] and we'd be happy to connect with you. And If you haven’t done so already, please leave us a glowing 5 start review on your podcasting platform–it would really help us out!

You can connect with you hosts on instagram:

James on Instagram: @James_Rippeon

Patrick on Instagram: @RentalPropertyCouple

Let's kick the 9 to 5!

Decide. Commit. Take Action.

Mike Scarpa & Jae Morales-Irizarry are a creative financing and real estate duo! You might recognize some of their strategies from our guests on Ep. 22 with Joe & Jenn Delle Fave. The proof of the strategy can be found in the success of these mentees! Mike and Jae met in college, entered the corporate world in 2018, and decided in 2020 to make a life pivot towards building their own business which is primarily wholesaling, but also creative rent-to-own deals and some good old fashioned long-term rentals. If you’re looking to grow your business, and create more than just a real estate “job” this episode will help you learn about delegation, leadership, and establishing key performance indicators.

You can connect with our guest on Instagram @roman.with.mike and @roman.with.jae.

Do you have any questions you'd like for us to answer on the show, or a success story you'd like to share? Shoot us an email to [email protected] and we'd be happy to connect with you. And If you haven’t done so already, please leave us a glowing 5 start review on your podcasting platform–it would really help us out!

You can connect with you hosts on instagram:

James on Instagram: @James_Rippeon

Patrick on Instagram: @RentalPropertyCouple

Let's kick the 9 to 5!

Decide. Commit. Take Action!

We’re not going to lie, Axel Ragnarsson is doing exactly what Patrick and I dream of doing in the near future with real estate. Some people are content with building a job around real estate and calling it a day. To a large extent, we’ve fallen victim to that mindset, but Axel sees things a little differently. From day one, Axel has been set on building a reputable, branded, kick-ass multi-family real estate business, and his efforts show in his results. Starting out as a car salesman in college, Axel has since grown his portfolio to 70 units owned individually and 300 units managed through his syndication business. In Axel’s words, “it’s so much easier to run a big business than a small business.” You won’t want to miss this episode with Axel Ragnarsson. He changed our perception of the real estate business, and he might do the same for you.

You can connect with our guest on Instagram @multifamilywealth

Do you have any questions you'd like for us to answer on the show, or a success story you'd like to share? Shoot us an email to [email protected] and we'd be happy to connect with you. And If you haven’t done so already, please leave us a glowing 5 start review on your podcasting platform–it would really help us out!

You can connect with you hosts on instagram:

James on Instagram: @James_Rippeon

Patrick on Instagram: @RentalPropertyCouple

Let's kick the 9 to 5!

Sometimes bad fortune leads to positive outcomes. After taking down a few deals of his own, Jonathan Mueller decided to go big and explore small apartments. During his due diligence trip to Michigan he was investigating a small opportunity, but upon further investigation determined that the black mold and other issues would be a bit too much of a risk to take on. As fortune would have it, while on a stress-relieving drive Jonathan and his wife came across a cute little motel with a for sale sign out front. And that, right there, was the start of this niche hospitality mogul’s journey. Was it accidental? Was Jonathan in the right place at the right time? Or was Jonathan open to the world of real estate and willing to take the risks when the opportunity was presented? In Jonathan’s words, “take risks, you can always find a reason not to do a deal, you can always find a reason to back out of anything, and that goes for most things in life.” 

You can connect with our guest on Instagram @mister_mox or at his website for his hotels at Www.BalancedRockInn.com.

Do you have any questions you'd like for us to answer on the show, or a success story you'd like to share? Shoot us an email to [email protected] and we'd be happy to connect with you. And If you haven’t done so already, please leave us a glowing 5 start review on your podcasting platform–it would really help us out!

You can connect with you hosts on instagram:

James on Instagram: @James_Rippeon

Patrick on Instagram: @RentalPropertyCouple

Let's kick the 9 to 5!

Our guest JD Sustar has been busy at work over the past 4 years. In 2018, JD started with a negative $10k net worth and driving a truck for the Cintas uniform company making $45k/year. To see where he’s at today is nothing short of amazing. After capitalizing on a transition to a sales job, where he still works today, JD is now sitting on a nearly $2M net worth which is comprised of his 20 SFR and mobile homes, and his personal finance consulting business. After his first real estate deal that he bought for $68k and ended up selling for $140k, his financial momentum became an avalanche.

You can connect with our guest on Instagram @financecowboy or Twitter at @financecowboy.

Do you have any questions you'd like for us to answer on the show, or a success story you'd like to share? Shoot us an email to [email protected] and we'd be happy to connect with you. And If you haven’t done so already, please leave us a glowing 5 start review on your podcasting platform–it would really help us out!

You can connect with you hosts on instagram:

James on Instagram: @James_Rippeon

Patrick on Instagram: @RentalPropertyCouple

Let's kick the 9 to 5!

Patrick and I are relatively new to the game, so we always enjoy having guests on the show that have been investing in real estate for more than 10 years and have lived through a full cycle or two. It’s from time in the market that wisdom is born! Flip Zweig started investing in the early 2000’s back when you could get a home loan with a heartbeat being the only strenuous application requirement. Flip started out doing mostly flips, but after getting very sick and having to suffer through a year of medical recovery, he realized that flipping make his income entirely dependent on his time and efforts. It was at that time that he transitioned to SFRs and ultimately STRs. STRs are Flip’s bread and butter investment now, and he’s quickly becoming an expert in the space. After discovering the massive cash flow potential of STRs, Flip has gone all-in and is now building out a course and instructional material to help share the knowledge he’s accumulated over the years. Riches in niches!

You can connect with our guest on Instagram @flippin_az and sign up for Flip’s AirBnB Passive Income Accelerator coaching course https://www.piaccelerator.com/early. 

Do you have any questions you'd like for us to answer on the show, or a success story you'd like to share? Shoot us an email to [email protected] and we'd be happy to connect with you. And If you haven’t done so already, please leave us a glowing 5 start review on your podcasting platform–it would really help us out!

You can connect with you hosts on instagram:

James on Instagram: @James_Rippeon

Patrick on Instagram: @RentalPropertyCouple

Let's kick the 9 to 5!

What does it mean to work towards financial independence in the digital age? Answering that question is certainly a moving target, but one thing is certain–the economy and markets are changing rapidly and what’s happening today will have significant consequences for generating future wealth. Today’s guest is Logan Bolinger, who is an attorney by day and bitcoin/economics student by night. Logan has an in-depth understanding of bitcoin and the importance of including this technology in a portfolio in light of existing macroeconomic conditions. This episode will shed some light on what’s possible with bitcoin, and more importantly, why it’s important.

If you want to learn more about Logan or his journey you can follow his newsletter, newsletter at thinkbitcoin.substack.com or you can connect with Logan on Twitter @TheWhyOfFI.

Do you have any questions you'd like for us to answer on the show, or a success story you'd like to share? Shoot us an email to [email protected] and we'd be happy to connect with you. And If you haven’t done so already, please leave us a glowing 5 start review on your podcasting platform–it would really help us out!

You can connect with you hosts on instagram:

James on Instagram: @James_Rippeon

Patrick on Instagram: @RentalPropertyCouple

Let's kick the 9 to 5!

Hannah McCoy graduated from nursing school in 2019 making $22 per hour. In today’s economy, that income didn’t go very far, but Hannah was determined to build a life around experiences rather than working grueling 3-12 nurse shifts. She moved out of her parents house into a rental in 2019 to start her adult life, but something didn’t feel right. Hannah didn’t appreciate the feeling of paying down the landlord’s debt so she decided to reverse the roles! It didn’t take long before Hannah identified a suitable househack duplex that she could live in and also rent out to lower her monthly living expenses. Before long Hannah was making good money as an ER nurse and soon transitioned into being a travel nurse, which came with a bit more income and therefore the opportunity to purchase more property. Today, Hannah sits on two duplexes (2020 & 2021) a SFR rental (2020) and also her primary residence (2022). Hannah plans on building her portfolio to 20 units before she hands it off to third party management, and at that point, she’ll be enjoying a life of fitness and nutrition coaching!

You can connect with our guest on Instagram @thatscrappyinvestor

Do you have any questions you'd like for us to answer on the show, or a success story you'd like to share? Shoot us an email to [email protected] and we'd be happy to connect with you. And If you haven’t done so already, please leave us a glowing 5 start review on your podcasting platform–it would really help us out!

You can connect with you hosts on instagram:

James on Instagram: @James_Rippeon

Patrick on Instagram: @RentalPropertyCouple

Let's kick the 9 to 5!

Today we're spending some time to get to know one of our hosts a little better! In this episode we're diving into Patrick Mcgrath's business as a real estate investor and entrepreneur. If you've ever been curious about the cool things that Patrick has going on, or perhaps even where's he's at on his journey to reaching financial independence, then you won't want to miss this episode! Patrick has built an established portfolio of multi-family investment properties and is now even looking to get into RV and boat storage developments. Enjoy!

Do you have any questions you'd like for us to answer on the show, or a success story you'd like to share? Shoot us an email to [email protected] and we'd be happy to connect with you. And If you haven’t done so already, please leave us a glowing 5 start review on your podcasting platform–it would really help us out!

You can connect with you hosts on instagram:

James on Instagram: @James_Rippeon

Patrick on Instagram: @RentalPropertyCouple

Let's kick the 9 to 5!

Grant Warrington started out his investing career in 2003 after learning how to buy houses by listening to cassette tapes and learning from some OG investors. Everything was going great until 2007 when Grant faced some financial troubles and all but had to start over again. After getting back on his feet, and cleaning up his personal life, he met his current wife in 2014 and was ready to hit the ground running. Before he knew it, he and his wife built a portfolio of 11 units, which was enough to allow him to quit his job and pursue his own business ventures. Grant and his wife are now up to multi-family 41 units. Grant’s vision of the future includes scaling up into larger real estate syndications and transitioning out of self-managing his current portfolio. 

You can connect with our guest on Instagram @grantwarrington or email at [email protected].

Do you have any questions you'd like for us to answer on the show, or a success story you'd like to share? Shoot us an email to [email protected] and we'd be happy to connect with you. And If you haven’t done so already, please leave us a glowing 5 start review on your podcasting platform–it would really help us out!

You can connect with you hosts on instagram:

James on Instagram: @James_Rippeon

Patrick on Instagram: @RentalPropertyCouple

Let's kick the 9 to 5!