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What did you think of todays show?? Your flip is sitting, your margins are shrinking, and the easy money of 2016 isn't coming back. So who's still winning? In this episode, Greg Helbeck shares the losses he's taking on Seattle-area flips, Dylan explains why Cincinnati is the slowest he's ever seen it, and we break down how AI cut the cost of starting a real estate business to about a hundred bucks. Plus, why most of your competition makes it easy to stand out. Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) Clickbait thumbnails vs a thousand true fans (00:45) Procrastination by learning and the golden handcuffs (04:15) Greg's $25K Seattle flip loss and why New York sells (10:57) Cincinnati is the slowest Dylan has ever seen it (14:40) Why real estate isn't sexy at an 8% rate (18:53) When toilet paper mailers made deals easy (22:08) How AI cut lead data costs to nothing (24:41) Ego pricing and the guru closing 2 out of 10 (33:34) The New York seller who thought Greg was the wholesaler (37:58) Ask your mentor when they last bought a unit (40:44) Georgia's $25,000 consulting fee workaround (43:24) Revenue down, deals flat: why surviving is thriving (46:23) Connect with Greg Helbeck: https://www.youtube.com/@GregHelbeckREI https://reifasttrack.podbean.com/ https://www.instagram.com/grego_37/ Follow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/collectingkeyspodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/mike_invests/ https://www.instagram.com/investormandan/ https://www.instagram.com/dylan_does_deals/ This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com (https://podcastboutique.com/)

What did you think of todays show?? Who's actually getting paid when you donate, borrow, or hire? In this episode, we break down what nonprofit executives really get paid, how Dylan replaced his lead manager with Claude and cut $1,200 a month in overhead, and why a major mortgage lender just dropped its credit floor. Plus, why investor loans now run cheaper than a regular mortgage. Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) Why your vote gets ignored after you cast it (02:06) What nonprofit executives really get paid (03:43) Why Mike's fire nonprofit got called a grift (06:23) Mike's $500 challenge: spot the AI episode (10:22) Dylan replaces his lead manager with Claude (11:51) Why AI replaces tasks, not your whole team (16:54) How Grok traced an $80,000 wire in 15 seconds (20:47) Would you get a Neuralink to be 1,000% more efficient? (23:42) Why an insurance company wants to be your lender (27:47) A big lender drops its credit floor (32:38) Why investor loans now beat conventional rates (35:57) Dylan's lease option deal gets hit with two rate hikes (37:31) Follow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/collectingkeyspodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/mike_invests/ https://www.instagram.com/investormandan/ https://www.instagram.com/dylan_does_deals/ This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com (https://podcastboutique.com/)

What did you think of todays show?? How much money makes you regular rich? Probably less than you think. In this episode, we break down the $2 million liquid number going around Instagram, why Mike says more people are already there than would admit it, and why Dan thinks your rentals don't make you as wealthy as you believe. Mike also explains how he is saving well over $100K a year by building his own software with Claude, and why a former guest's $10 million SEC settlement proves fraud is a choice. Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) Everyone in America is sick (and third-world bathroom stories) (02:20) Hater for the love of the game: why we call out gurus (06:09) What an SEC settlement should tell investors (07:58) Mike rebuilt the Collecting Keys website with Claude in an evening (10:24) The $3K a month in subscriptions Claude replaced (and what it still can't build) (11:45) The $5K a month pricing tool that sent Mike to collections (14:30) AI is a productivity tool, not Jarvis (and the swear-at-the-robot trick) (20:50) Property taxes, the $28 fire levy, and where the money actually goes (24:26) Why the government, not the bank, owns your house (26:29) What does "regular rich" actually mean? (28:35) Why your rentals don't make you as rich as you think (35:47) Mike's 81-year-old dad stops saving (and $25M vs $250M) (39:02) Follow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/collectingkeyspodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/mike_invests/ https://www.instagram.com/investormandan/ https://www.instagram.com/dylan_does_deals/ This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com (https://podcastboutique.com/)

What did you think of todays show?? Two weeks ago we bashed AJ Osborne on this show. The story was fake, and he came on anyway. In this episode, AJ breaks down why the self-storage numbers you read come from less than 1% of the industry, why no institution is coming to buy your $1M facility, and why he's buying developers' stuck deals at 40% under replacement cost. Plus, the AI phone system that holds his missed calls under 10% while the industry runs 30 to 40%, and why he calls AI hate a psyop. Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) Setting the record straight on AJ Osborne (00:58) How AJ built a storage business without investors (02:49) Why the REITs can't buy the storage you can (06:26) The 2021 self-storage bubble AJ called (and Goldman shorted) (12:05) Why AJ is buying developers' facilities 40% under replacement cost (16:11) 30-year fixed debt is coming to commercial real estate (18:11) How the REITs crashed storage rents from $200 to $60 (23:41) AI hate is a psyop, millennials are the new boomers (26:57) AJ's AI call center: 300 man hours saved (29:19) AI is the biggest barrier destroyer for small investors (32:14) How to start using Claude in your business (33:31) Survive first: why the pain is the opportunity (38:59) Connect with AJ Osborne: https://www.instagram.com/ajosborne/ https://www.ajosborne.com/ https://www.selfstorageincome.com/ Follow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/collectingkeyspodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/mike_invests/ https://www.instagram.com/investormandan/ https://www.instagram.com/dylan_does_deals/ This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com (https://podcastboutique.com/)

What did you think of todays show?? Stop paying for software you can build yourself. In this episode, Mike explains how he built his own e-sign tool with Claude in about an hour instead of paying $1,000 a seat, and why the platforms you rent are about to get cooked. Dan shares how ChatGPT wrote the demand letter that killed a $1,000 cancellation fee, we break down why home sales just hit a 31-year low with rates headed for 8%, and Dylan lays out what you should own before the Fed inflates its way out of the debt. Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) Hyrox, Sydney Sweeney, and women tearing women down (00:01) Fake AI videos and the boomers who fall for them (05:14) RESimpli's 6.0 update broke everything (07:49) Mike built his own loan software with Claude (09:19) Mike's petty lawsuit over a cold text (17:35) Dan's ChatGPT demand letter kills a $1,000 fee (20:01) The $6,000 roof that was a condensation line (21:58) Rates in the high sevens and nobody can qualify (24:49) A 31-year low in sales, no forced sellers (27:14) Shrinkflation: your chicken is now water and salt (28:41) The Fed hikes 25 points, gas at all-time highs (30:22) Dylan's playbook: own assets the government can't print (34:22) Follow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/collectingkeyspodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/mike_invests/ https://www.instagram.com/investormandan/ https://www.instagram.com/dylan_does_deals/ This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com (https://podcastboutique.com/)

What did you think of todays show?? The people selling you the deal get paid whether you make money or not. In this episode, we go through the accusations piling up around Pace Morby's sub two fund, the investors who say they can't log in or get their money back, and the payroll theft case that came long before the fund. You'll hear why the gurus are all selling the same dream, plus what Trump's $5,000 check promise would really cost. Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) The Anthropic quitter and the AI fear grift (00:01) Dylan almost sank the family boat (02:46) Sub two investors locked out of their money (04:12) What the SEC filing on Pace actually shows (07:00) An RV park and a surprise $1.5M note (09:38) Payroll theft long before the fund (13:33) They're all selling the dream (15:46) Trump promises $5,000 checks, the math says $1.3 trillion (17:12) Who actually collects your social security (20:40) F-150s, the Taliban, and government waste (24:55) Follow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/collectingkeyspodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/mike_invests/ https://www.instagram.com/investormandan/ https://www.instagram.com/dylan_does_deals/ This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com (https://podcastboutique.com/)

What did you think of todays show?? The guys who got rich in 2021 will tell you it was skill. It wasn't. In this episode, we break down why almost every big investing win is timing you didn't control, from Northwestern Mutual reps who get paid whether or not you stick around to the real estate gurus who quietly stopped saying go bigger, sooner. Plus what Japan's yen crisis has to do with Bitcoin, and the insurance you should already have before any of it matters. Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) Why lending companies cannot advertise but pill sellers can (00:01) The insurance every business owner should already have (05:28) What happens when partners skip key man insurance (07:50) Why Northwestern Mutual reps sell you more insurance (10:02) Why nobody actually shows up to industry conferences (14:04) Japan's yen crisis and what it means for Bitcoin (16:30) Trump accounts and whether government money helps you (21:16) Where the money goes when corporate profits rise (25:28) Why no news story matters for more than a week (30:31) Why big investing wins are luck, not skill (34:54) Why the 2021 boom was luck, not skill (38:02) Follow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/collectingkeyspodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/mike_invests/ https://www.instagram.com/investormandan/ https://www.instagram.com/dylan_does_deals/ This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com (https://podcastboutique.com/)

What did you think of todays show?? Nobody tells you the most expensive thing in a deal right now is time. A payoff takes three weeks when a lender can pull one in 15 minutes. A finished flip sits 42 days at a price cut below both comps. In this episode, we break down Dylan's 36 unit seller finance deal and the two year balloon inside it, why note servicers get paid to stall you, and when it makes sense to hire your own property manager. Plus Berkshire Hathaway's bet on home builders. Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) Why gurus find religion when business dries up (01:39) Soft serve at home and the steroid question (02:17) China, electric cars, and the petrodollar (05:39) Aging politicians and the citizenship test idea (08:47) Dylan's 36 unit deal and the two year balloon (13:42) When it makes sense to hire your own property manager (18:35) Why a payoff takes three weeks (22:47) The payoff that expires before you can close (25:00) The flip that has been sitting 42 days (27:35) Buyers going for blood and offers that never existed (30:37) Berkshire Hathaway's $1.2 billion bet on home builders (37:20) Why D.R. Horton neighborhoods age like mobile home parks (40:41) Follow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/collectingkeyspodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/mike_invests/ https://www.instagram.com/investormandan/ https://www.instagram.com/dylan_does_deals/ This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com (https://podcastboutique.com/)

What did you think of todays show?? Every washed up influencer on your feed suddenly found God, and the timing is not an accident. In this episode, we break down faith as a sales pitch, the borrower who filmed himself explaining how to lie for an Airbnb loan, and why real estate advice from 2015 is still ranking on YouTube and still wrong. You'll also hear what a $20 million yacht really costs to keep, and what Mike learned about insurance checks after his house burned down. Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) Why washed up influencers suddenly found God (01:35) Andy Elliott and the faith sales pitch (03:05) What a $20 million yacht really costs (10:53) The buyer who tried to retrade Dylan (14:55) How a Chinese AI cracked a Bitcoin wallet (17:15) The Airbnb owner who filmed himself telling people to lie (22:35) Why non-recourse debt doesn't exist (24:34) Why 2015 real estate advice still ranks (25:16) Pace Morby and guru advice that was never true (26:09) Mike's burned house and the insurance checks (29:26) The property every landlord wishes would burn (29:42) What servers in Maui and Vail actually make (37:27) Why the 30 year yield hasn't moved DSCR (40:01) Follow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/collectingkeyspodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/mike_invests/ https://www.instagram.com/investormandan/ https://www.instagram.com/dylan_does_deals/ This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com (https://podcastboutique.com/)

What did you think of todays show?? You will hire ten people to find one good one. Are you firing the other nine fast enough? We get into why you hire fast and fire faster, what every bad hire teaches you about the role you actually needed, and why your best next employee might be a $20-an-hour rockstar in the Philippines. Mike is also rebuilding from a wildfire, and it changed how he thinks about coverage, public adjusters, and why cheap policies are the real scam. Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) Why entrepreneurs and hobbies mix badly (00:56) What the wildfire taught Mike about insurance (08:35) The Cambodia pouch that saved $3,000 (12:07) How a public adjuster beats the insurance company (14:29) Why working for yourself beats disaster (17:12) Letting the team run while you can't (20:16) Hire fast, fire faster, one in ten (23:05) Every bad hire teaches the real role (24:52) Why the virtual assistant hire is dead (30:07) How a $20 Philippines hire outclasses yours (33:26) Klarna, kids, and absurd US travel costs (40:41) Follow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/collectingkeyspodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/mike_invests/ https://www.instagram.com/investormandan/ https://www.instagram.com/dylan_does_deals/ This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com (https://podcastboutique.com/) ---

What did you think of todays show?? Three hours. That's all it took for the Spokane fire to explode to 3,000 acres and take Mike's house with it. In this episode, we walk through what actually happens after a total loss: why you hire your own public adjuster instead of trusting the insurance company's adjuster, the difference between actual cash value and replacement cost, and the mortgage wrinkle that can leave you owing money on a house that no longer exists. Plus the crisis lessons nobody teaches you until you need them. Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) How the Spokane fire started and spread (02:03) Mike's evacuation and the pets left behind (02:38) Why house fires burn so randomly (05:43) Why knowing your neighbors matters most (08:57) The best and worst of people in a disaster (11:23) Getting proactive with your insurance claim (14:51) Why you hire your own public adjuster (18:35) Actual cash value vs replacement cost (28:26) The mortgage wrinkle that leaves you with nothing (30:13) Why the insurance company slow rolls your claim (33:56) Filming your whole house before disaster strikes (40:42) What actually matters when you lose everything (42:40) Support Corey and his family, who lost their home in the same fire: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-aspaas-family-rebuild-after-house-fire Follow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/collectingkeyspodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/mike_invests/ https://www.instagram.com/investormandan/ https://www.instagram.com/dylan_does_deals/ This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com (https://podcastboutique.com/)

What did you think of todays show?? Think your CPA, your realtor, and your lender are all on your team? This week we unpack why nobody in your deal is actually protecting your money, and what it costs you when you stop checking their work. We get into shaving thousands off your insurance and property taxes, the $106,000 overpayment that somehow felt like a win, the CPA who pocketed his clients' tax money, and why every incentive in real estate is quietly aligned against you. Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) Why old real estate advice will burn you (03:02) Shopping your recurring bills for hidden savings (04:51) How to appeal your property tax assessment (05:37) The $180K payoff that killed a $70K spread (08:18) Why sellers talk themselves into foreclosure (09:28) The upside of overpaying your taxes (11:14) The CPA who pocketed his clients' tax money (15:32) Why you babysit every professional you hire (19:30) The realtor who fought his own client (23:02) Everyone is aligned against the buyer (24:45) Pay cash or keep the 2% mortgage? (30:16) The mask review that broke a tailor (34:11) Follow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/collectingkeyspodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/mike_invests/ https://www.instagram.com/investormandan/ https://www.instagram.com/dylan_does_deals/ This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com (https://podcastboutique.com/)

What did you think of todays show?? Is the guy with the highest net worth in the room actually the happiest? Probably not. In this episode, we get into the psychology of money: why net worth is mostly ego, why it can't buy groceries when it's all locked up, and why comparison quietly wrecks how you feel about your own wealth. Plus the fake business valuations inflating everyone's numbers, whether a guaranteed windfall would kill your drive, and what actually gives money meaning. Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) Promotion and relegation coming to US sports (04:06) Who's happier: the richest friend or the poorest? (08:11) Why we're never booking another Airbnb (11:55) Why the guy in the $20M penthouse is miserable (19:35) Net worth is just comfort, not a scoreboard (24:57) Why your net worth can't buy groceries (25:39) The fake business valuations wrecking net worths (27:29) Would a guaranteed $10M kill your drive? (29:16) Would you want to know the day you die? (32:17) Why retiring can be the thing that kills you (36:04) Kids, purpose, and what you'll regret at 80 (36:45) Follow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/collectingkeyspodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/mike_invests/ https://www.instagram.com/investormandan/ https://www.instagram.com/dylan_does_deals/ This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com (https://podcastboutique.com/)

What did you think of todays show?? Mike and Dylan spend the hour on the money stuff nobody performs on Instagram. In this episode, we break down how the lending business actually grew, the assignment fee trick that juices your spread, and the COVID relief loans sellers forget they ever took. Plus why investing now looks like gambling, how the wealthy borrow to dodge taxes, and the honest math that dropped Mike's real net worth by 35%. Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) Dan no-shows right after episode 500 (00:07) How the lending side hustle actually grew (04:00) The assignment fee trick that juices your spread (06:55) The COVID loans sellers forget they took (09:23) Why 100% financing signals a frothy market (18:27) How the wealthy borrow to dodge taxes (19:50) Why investing now looks just like gambling (21:23) When to sell instead of holding forever (23:39) How to calculate your returns honestly (26:38) Why your net worth is smaller than you think (28:35) Ten million anonymous or one million famous? (32:53) Why old money never made a TikTok (34:38) Follow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/collectingkeyspodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/mike_invests/ https://www.instagram.com/investormandan/ https://www.instagram.com/dylan_does_deals/ This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com (https://podcastboutique.com/)

What did you think of todays show?? Five hundred episodes. Zero missed releases since 2021. In this milestone episode, Mike, Dan, and Dylan go back to the beginning: the seller who got abducted from a closing, the Spokane duplex that nearly broke their partnership, the hire that changed everything, and the disaster deals still bleeding money today. Plus why they stopped chasing passive income, what actually built the business, and the mindset shift that reshaped how they define success. If you've been here since day one, this one's for you. Topics discussed: Introduction (00:00) Why episode 500 almost ended the show (00:13) The seller who got abducted from a closing (09:32) The disaster duplex that nearly broke them (14:57) Losing $500K in the bank in 30 days (20:48) The first hire that changed everything (22:41) One cold call that became 13 units (26:42) Why making $100K is easy and $1M is hard (30:23) Why the wrong partners cost them years (32:21) The 8-unit money pit still bleeding cash (34:56) The third partner that soured everything (38:49) Passive, massive, and recurring income (44:35) Why holding cash beats chasing returns (48:47) Sign up to join the FREE Scale Community! https://collectingkeys.com/ Want deeper breakdowns like this every week? Subscribe to the Collecting Keys newsletter! https://collectingkeys.com/newsletter/ Follow us on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/collectingkeyspodcast/ https://www.instagram.com/mike_invests/ https://www.instagram.com/investormandan/ https://www.instagram.com/dylan_does_deals This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com (https://podcastboutique.com/)