Beyond The Returns: Six Industry Leaders on Smarter Real Estate Investing

A high projected return can make a real estate investment look attractive, but what does that number actually tell you about the risks involved? And how do you know whether a deal is right for you? In this episode of Multiple Perspectives, host David Lofgren leads a roundtable with six industry leaders: Rob Beardsley, John Casmon, Scott Trench, Thomas Castelli, Daniel Holmlund, and Michael Voulgarakis, exploring how to evaluate alternative real estate investments before committing your money. From understanding your investment goals and assessing a sponsor’s track record, to examining legal documents, testing financial assumptions, and learning to recognize risk, the discussion offers practical guidance for making more informed decisions. One central lesson runs throughout the conversation: a higher projected return doesn't necessarily mean a better investment. Understanding the people, assumptions, and risks behind the numbers is what really matters.

A high projected return can make a real estate investment look attractive, but what does that number actually tell you about the risks involved? And how do you know whether a deal is right for you?

In this episode of Multiple Perspectives, host David Lofgren leads a roundtable with six industry leaders: Rob Beardsley, John Casmon, Scott Trench, Thomas Castelli, Daniel Holmlund, and Michael Voulgarakis, exploring how to evaluate alternative real estate investments before committing your money.

From understanding your investment goals and assessing a sponsor’s track record, to examining legal documents, testing financial assumptions, and learning to recognize risk, the discussion offers practical guidance for making more informed decisions. One central lesson runs throughout the conversation: a higher projected return doesn't necessarily mean a better investment. Understanding the people, assumptions, and risks behind the numbers is what really matters.

What you will learn:

Understand how passive real estate investing works and whether it suits you
Build experience by researching and evaluating multiple investment opportunities
Define your investment goals, risk tolerance, and criteria before looking at deals
Why a sponsor’s track record matters more than a perfect record
Read the legal documents to verify whether incentives align with investors’ interests
Test projected rents and financial assumptions against current market conditions
Learn to distinguish between high projected returns and sound investment fundamentals

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