How to Screen Real Estate Deals Like an Insider, ep. 451

Is it possible to spot a great real estate deal in just minutes? In this episode of REady2Scale, Director of Investor Relations Jeannette Friedrich sits down with Mark Gleason, Director of Acquisitions at Blue Lake Capital, to discuss how to quickly determine whether a real estate investment opportunity is worth pursuing or not. With over $2B in closed multifamily transactions under his belt, Mark shares his step-by-step process for screening deals efficiently, even in a turbulent market. Whether you’re a passive investor or actively sourcing deals, this episode will help sharpen your decision-making process and prevent you from wasting valuable time on the wrong properties.

Key Takeaways: - How to quickly evaluate whether a deal aligns with your investment strategy - The top screening tools and metrics used by professional underwriters - Why income performance, bad debt, and trailing financials tell the real story - What Google Earth and demographic data can reveal about a property’s true location quality - How to identify red flags in marketing materials and avoid being misled by outdated photos or misleading OM decks - The difference between opportunity and risk in today’s softened rent environment - When a high occupancy and low bad debt signal a solid investment—even in a down market - The growing role of AI in underwriting, and where human judgment still matters most - Actionable advice for investors relying on sponsors’ underwriting: what you can and should verify independently

Timestamps 00:00 Market Uncertainty and Real Estate Opportunities 00:37 Introducing the Expert: Mark Gleason 02:03 Key Metrics for Evaluating Real Estate Deals 05:43 Practical Tips for Quick Deal Assessment 15:14 Navigating Market Trends and AI in Real Estate 24:30 Final Thoughts and Lightning Round

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Learn more about growing your wealth, strengthening your portfolio, and scaling to the next level at www.bluelake-capital.com.

Credits Producer: Blue Lake Capital Strategist: Syed Mahmood Editor: Emma Walker Opening music: Pomplamoose

*𝘉𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘊𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘊𝘗𝘈, 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥/𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices