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Acquiring and operating apartments ~ creating opportunities for investors to build wealth

10/29/2026

𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐬. 𝐖𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐲.

A property can look promising on paper and still fall short on location, operations, or market fundamentals.

That’s why we evaluate hundreds of opportunities and pursue only a small number that meet our criteria.

In multifamily investing, discipline isn’t about doing more deals. It’s about being selective enough to pass on the wrong ones.

Before you invest in a multifamily deal, make sure you know what makes it worth pursuing and what would make you walk away.

𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐎𝐚𝐤 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.
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10/28/2026

🏢 What separates a promising multifamily investment from a costly mistake?

The assumptions behind the numbers.

Especially rent comps.

In a recent podcast, I share what every apartment investor should consider.

🎧 Listen to the full discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUsmbd3DHJE&list=PLFvcZMOnOPO8&index=23

🔗 Link is also in my bio.
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10/26/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥.

Early on I thought deal flow was the challenge. Finding the market. Getting access. Winning bids.

That part gets easier with time.

What doesn’t get easier is what comes after — operations.

I’ve owned properties in good areas that should have performed better. On paper they looked fine. In practice, small issues were quietly piling up.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 — 𝐛𝐮𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠?
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10/16/2026

Real estate investing can build wealth, but it can also take over your calendar if you’re not careful. 📆

The goal isn’t always to do everything yourself. Sometimes, the smartest move is knowing what to handle personally and what to delegate to experienced professionals.

Passive investing isn’t about doing nothing. It’s about choosing how involved you want to be.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀?
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💡Join the 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝗮𝗸 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. We explore multifamily strategies and insights in-depth and hold Live sessions for deep dives into important topics with Q&A.

Not spam, easy to unsubscribe.
Link is in my bio. ⬆️
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06/22/2026

🚨 One of the biggest mistakes I see investors make when analyzing multifamily deals?

They trust the numbers… without questioning the assumptions behind them.

A deal can look incredible on paper, but a few overly optimistic assumptions can completely change the outcome.

Before I look at projected returns, I always ask:

➡️ Are rent growth assumptions realistic?

➡️ Are expense increases being underestimated?

➡️ Is the vacancy rate too aggressive?

➡️ Is the exit cap rate conservative enough?

Great investing isn't about finding a deal that works only in a perfect scenario. It's about finding a deal that still works when things don't go as planned.

📌 Save this as a reminder for your next deal analysis.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥? 👇
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𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘎𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 "𝘑𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺".

𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘫𝘶𝘯𝘬.

𝘞𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦.
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06/17/2026

The biggest underwriting mistake isn’t the rent roll, it’s assuming today’s rents tell you what the property is worth.

The rent roll tells you what tenants are paying today, but comparable rents tell you what the asset should be producing tomorrow.

Too many investors focus on current income and miss the hidden upside sitting right in front of them.

The best deals are often the ones where the gap between actual rents and market rents reveals a clear business plan.

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥, 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐬?
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𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘎𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 "𝘑𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺".

𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘫𝘶𝘯𝘬.

𝘞𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦.
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06/15/2026

Most underwriting templates are missing a huge piece of the puzzle when it comes to projecting rent growth.

Using a flat percentage every year might make the spreadsheet look clean, but markets rarely behave that way.

I’ve found that thinking in actual dollar increases often paints a much more realistic picture of future performance.

Small assumptions can dramatically change how a deal looks over a 5 year hold.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲?
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𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘎𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘬 "𝘑𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺".

𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘫𝘶𝘯𝘬.

𝘞𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦.
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06/04/2026

I invested in a $560,000 15-unit apartment.

I invested in a $540,000 11-unit apartment.

I invested in a $340,000 4-unit apartment.

I invested in a $240,000 3-unit apartment.

I invested in each of these assets with my own capital, a JV partner, & local lending relationships.

I invested in these assets before I ever raised capital.

Here are 3 lessons I’m happy I learned before raising capital from passive investors:

1) Trust, but verify what the listing broker & owner tells you.
• For the 3-unit apartment I mentioned above,
• I was told the property was 100% occupied.
• We toured the deal, & it looked that way.
• However,
• After we closed on the project,
• & began to ask for rent…
• No one was there to provide a check.
• So instead of 100% occupied,
• We were 67% occupied.
• If we had done more digging on the rent payments.
• We would have identified the issue.

2) Larger properties are better investments than small ones.
• With a 3-unit, 1 missing tenant is 33% of revenue.
• For a 32-unit property, that’s 3% of revenue.
• Buying small taught me it’s better to buy large!

3) Have a 3rd party check out your properties.
• Before I raised capital, I lived about an hour from my deals.
• That was still a long way.
• So I paid a friend who lived nearby to check out the properties.
• This friend helped us avoid lots of issues.
• So even with syndicated deals I work with today.
• Whether it’s an operating partner, or a friend.
• We have people check out properties.

P.S. Which of the 3 lessons stuck out most to you?

Address

Newcastle, WA

Website

http://www.cardinaloak.com/

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