Inside DFW: What Local Experts Know That You Don’t, ep. 481

What happens when you combine banking discipline, hands-on operations, and deep market knowledge? In this episode of Ready2Scale, Jeannette Friedrich speaks with Brad Andres, a seasoned investor and co-founder of Northbridge Commercial, about the power of focusing on a single metro. Brad has built vertically integrated real estate platforms across self-storage, brokerage, and development in the Dallas Fort Worth area. His insights offer practical value to both operators and investors.

To explore our current investment opportunity in DFW, schedule a call with Jeannette here.

Key Takeaways:

- Why go deep, not wide: Brad explains why he chose to specialize in DFW and how deep local knowledge helps him spot shifts before they’re visible in the data.

- Key market indicators: Leasing velocity, absorption trends, and pricing vs. replacement cost are some of the leading signals he watches closely.

- Lessons from banking: How Brad’s experience as a commercial lender still informs his underwriting discipline, deal structures, and risk tolerance today.

- Advantages of vertical integration: How full control over operations, management, and development helps Brad act quickly and optimize property performance.

- Self-storage strategies: Where operators leave money on the table and how Brad’s team uses automation, SEO, and customer service to create a competitive edge.

- Development in today’s market: How construction costs, interest rates, and policy shifts impact project feasibility and underwriting assumptions.

- The shift from SEO to AI: Why Brad is thinking beyond search rankings and building thought leadership to stay relevant as large language models change how people find information.

- A bigger-picture approach: Brad shares his faith-driven perspective on business, relationships, and what really matters over the long run.

To connect with Brad, find him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-andrus/

Timestamps

00:00 Introduction and Episode Overview

00:23 Meet Brad Andres: Real Estate Expert

01:59 Brad's Journey into Real Estate

04:15 Focusing on the DFW Market

07:03 Investment Strategies and Market Insights

21:38 Lightning Round and Closing Thoughts

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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.

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