The Twin Cities Real Estate Investing Show

At just $5 a unit per month, it's worth checking out TwinCitiesRealEstateInvesting.com/schedule

Brian Strahan is a small-business owner, remodeler, and longtime Northeast Minneapolis resident running for the Ward 1 seat on the Minneapolis City Council. After earning a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Minnesota and working in research, Brian shifted toward hands-on work and founded Keep Smiling Builders, a remodeling firm focused on preserving older homes and improving energy efficiency. His campaign emphasizes practical problem-solving and a back-to-basics approach to city government—prioritizing reliable city services, public safety, and neighborhood livability over partisan politics.

A husband and father of two daughters in Minneapolis Public Schools, Brian brings the perspective of a working parent and homeowner who’s deeply connected to his community. He advocates for responsive local government, smart growth that balances fiscal responsibility with opportunity, and a renewed focus on making Minneapolis a safe, vibrant, and well-run city for families and small businesses alike.

At just $5 a unit per month, it's worth checking out shukrentals.com or booking a live demo in the show notes: https://calendly.com/oliver-theshuk/shuk-demo — Use discount code TCREI20 for 20% off.

Adam Tafel – Investor, Realtor, and host of Twin Cities Real Estate Investing. Adam has helped hundreds of clients buy, sell, and analyze investment properties across the metro. He works daily with local investors and is passionate about building wealth through smart real estate strategies.

Tim Swierczek – Mortgage lender and experienced investor who helps clients structure financing to maximize returns and long-term wealth. Tim brings a practical, numbers-first approach that makes deals work in the real world.

Adam Duckwall has become one of St. Paul’s go-to experts on historic single-family homes — the character-filled properties that give neighborhoods like Crocus Hill, Mac-Groveland, and Summit Hill their timeless appeal. With a deep appreciation for craftsmanship and design, Adam helps buyers and sellers navigate the balance between charm, functionality, and long-term value.

In this episode, he shares his insights on the old-home market, from spotting restoration quality to understanding the real costs of maintaining century-old structures. Whether you’re drawn to the soul of prewar architecture or simply curious about what makes St. Paul’s housing stock so unique, this conversation offers a grounded look at a niche that continues to attract passionate homeowners and savvy investors alike.

At just $5 a unit per month, it's worth checking out shukrentals.com or booking a live demo in the show notes. https://calendly.com/oliver-theshuk/shuk-demo — Use discount code TCREI20 for 20% off.

🎙️ About the TCREI Hosts

Adam Tafel – Investor, Realtor, and host of Twin Cities Real Estate Investing. Adam has helped hundreds of clients buy, sell, and analyze investment properties across the metro. He works daily with local investors and is passionate about building wealth through smart real estate strategies.

Tim Swierczek – Mortgage lender and experienced investor who helps clients structure financing to maximize returns and long-term wealth. Tim brings a practical, numbers-first approach that makes deals work in the real world.

💡 We’d love to meet with you and hear about your investing goals. Book a time with us here: TwinCitiesRealEstateInvesting.com/schedule

This week’s episode features Kevin Apolinario, who just one year ago didn’t own a single property. In late 2024, Kevin jumped into the game with a househack on St. Paul’s West Side, and earlier this year he leveraged that equity into deal #2, a triplex purchase. With a background in the culinary arts and a recent pivot through a coding bootcamp, Kevin came to St. Paul to work for Travelers before landing a new role with Amazon. He plans to keep building his portfolio for the long run.

We love Kevin because he’s coachable, trusting, and truly the perfect client. In this conversation, we unpack the emotions, fears, wins, and losses of a first-year investor — alongside a full Twin Cities multifamily market update.

This episode is brought to you by Shuk Rentals — the smarter way to manage your rental properties. Just $5 per unit per month, with everything you need to stay organized and compliant. Get 20% off your first year with code TCREI20. www.shukrentals.com

🎙️ About the TCREI Hosts

Adam Tafel – Investor, broker, and host of Twin Cities Real Estate Investing. Adam has helped hundreds of clients buy, sell, and analyze investment properties across the metro. He works daily with local investors and is passionate about building wealth through smart real estate strategies.

Episode Guest – Sean Bloomquist

Sean Bloomquist is the sole representative of Pine Financial in the Twin Cities, where he helps local real estate investors secure financing for their projects. With years of experience in private lending and a front-row seat to countless transactions, Sean understands how capital flows into the small and mid-sized deals that fuel this market. Being the company’s only boots on the ground in the metro has given him a unique vantage point into both the opportunities and the challenges local investors face.

At just $5 a unit per month, it's worth checking out shukrentals.com or booking a live demo in the show notes. [https://calendly.com/oliver-theshuk/shuk-demo].. 20% discount code (TCREI20)

🎙️ About the TCREI Hosts

Adam Tafel – Investor, broker, and host of Twin Cities Real Estate Investing. Adam has helped hundreds of clients buy, sell, and analyze investment properties across the metro. He works daily with local investors and is passionate about building wealth through smart real estate strategies.

Hadley Hornig joins the show to share his journey from working at a large corporate hard money lending firm to striking out on his own and building a more personal, investor-focused operation. As both a lender and an active Twin Cities real estate investor, Hadley brings a rare dual perspective — someone who understands the business side of hard money while also living through the risks and rewards of property ownership himself. Coming from a prominent Twin Cities real estate family, his story weaves together institutional training, family legacy, and personal experience.

In this conversation, Hadley opens up about what it was like to leave the security of a big shop, the lessons he’s learned financing deals independently, and how his investing background shapes the way he evaluates opportunities. Adam and Tim add their insights on lending relationships and investor strategy, making this episode a practical and grounded look at how to approach financing in today’s market.

🎙️ About the TCREI Hosts

Adam Tafel – Investor, broker, and host of Twin Cities Real Estate Investing. Adam has helped hundreds of clients buy, sell, and analyze investment properties across the metro. He works daily with local investors and is passionate about building wealth through smart real estate strategies.

Tyler Nash returns to the show to walk us through his latest commercial purchase in South Minneapolis near Richfield — an 11-unit deal that came with more than its share of unexpected surprises. From problem tenants to hidden costs, this was a project that tested his resolve and forced him to adapt quickly. But instead of regretting it, Tyler sees the deal as one of the most valuable learning experiences in his investing journey, giving him tools and perspective to avoid many of these pitfalls in the future.

In this conversation, Tyler shares the challenges that nearly derailed the deal, while Adam and Tim weigh in with their own landlord war stories and lessons learned. Together, the discussion highlights the reality that real estate investing isn’t always smooth — but the wealth and resilience built through surviving these “nightmares” can make every challenge worthwhile.

Alex Marsolais runs Home Free TC, a transaction coordination company serving agents across the Twin Cities—meaning he sees hundreds of real files the public never does. In this buyer-focused episode, Alex shares the ground-truth signals you won’t get from big data dashboards: how often deals are canceling and why, when buyers are using escalation clauses and appraisal-gap coverage, and what’s actually changed in the past five years from the TC’s front row. Think of it as a quick market check wrapped inside a real-world buyer’s guide for investors.

What sets Alex apart is his calm, process-driven approach: checklists over chest-beating, clarity over chaos. We dig into practical decisions like “Should you get an inspection (and how to write it)?” “Do offer letters help or hurt?” “When to use an escalation vs. ask for credits?” plus common red flags that sneak into files, timing traps that kill deals, and a simple framework to make your next offer safer, smarter, and more likely to close. If you’re buying your first (or next) investment property, this episode hands you the playbook to win the house without losing your head.

🎙️ About the TCREI Hosts

Adam Tafel – Investor, broker, and host of Twin Cities Real Estate Investing. Adam has helped hundreds of clients buy, sell, and analyze investment properties across the metro. He works daily with local investors and is passionate about building wealth through smart real estate strategies.

The "Twin Cities Real Estate Investing Show" #44

"How to Flip Houses the Right Way in 2025"

Glenn Williams 

Glenn Williams has been investing in real estate since the late 1990s, weathering every kind of market swing and coming out stronger each time. Today he’s a full-time house flipper in the Twin Cities, running a business that thrives on systems, teamwork, and decades of experience. In this episode, Glenn shares how he built a flipping operation that works, what it takes to manage contractors effectively, and how to keep projects on track when the market feels uncertain.

We dig into the nuts and bolts of flipping in 2025—how to run a team day-to-day, the smartest ways to save money on supplies, and the challenges that even seasoned investors still face. Whether you’re brand new to real estate or a veteran landlord looking to expand, Glenn’s insights offer practical, battle-tested strategies that you can apply right now.

🎙️ About the TCREI Hosts

Adam Tafel – Investor, broker, and host of Twin Cities Real Estate Investing. Adam has helped hundreds of clients buy, sell, and analyze investment properties across the metro. He works daily with local investors and is passionate about building wealth through smart real estate strategies.

Twin Cities Real Estate Investing Show #43 - Liz Loveless 

"Why Investors Overlook North Minneapolis (and Why They Shouldn't) 

Liz Loveless knows North Minneapolis better than almost anyone — not just as an agent but as a long-time investor and guide for flippers. Too many investors brush off the North Side based on headlines or assumptions. In this conversation, Liz shares why those perceptions miss the mark, how the market really works, and why savvy investors are finding opportunity where others see risk.

Twin Cities Real Estate Investing Show 

This week’s guest is Adam Widder—back again to share how he just pulled off a $150,000 profit on a live-in flip in Crocus Hill. Adam and his family lived in the home for two years while he combined sweat equity with strategic hired help, even teaming up with his dad on parts of the project. The result? A beautifully restored home that worked for his family in the short term and turned into a major win when it came time to sell.

We also talk about how he used those profits to roll into building a new family home, and what lessons investors and homeowners alike can take from his experience.

🎙️ About the Hosts

Adam Tafel – Investor, broker, and host of Twin Cities Real Estate Investing. Adam has helped hundreds of clients buy, sell, and analyze investment properties across the metro. He works daily with local investors and is passionate about building wealth through smart real estate strategies.