The Twin Cities Real Estate Investing Show

TCREI Show #21 - Managing Like a Pro w/ Elzie McGee

The Twin Cities Real Estate Investing Show #21 - Managing Like a Pro w/ Elzie McGee
 
Elzie McGee is a professional property manager from North Minneapolis. He also has his own portfolio of small multifamily properties spread across Minneapolis. Elzie is a true expert in the field of property management - he brings all of his experience as an investor and manager of 1000s of units to this episode. 
 
We talk to Elzie about his upbringing, early career, and first few deals. Elzie is the first in his family to build generational wealth, and he has some interesting viewpoints on the subject. Ultimately, he's a thoughtful/intelligent guy, and we had an interesting conversation, which we both enjoyed quite a bit. We hope you do the same! 
 
Adam Tafel is a Realtor and Real Estate Investor living in Highland Park. You can reach him at Adam@UpsidePropertySales.com.
 
Tim Swierczek is a Mortgage Lender out of White Bear Lake. You can reach him at Tim@TimSwierczek.com. or schedule an appointment today here
 
Please Rate, Follow, & Share on Your Social Media

TCREI Show #20 - My Real Estate Dad, Will Rolf

Twin Cities Real Estate Investing Show #20 - "My Real Estate Dad", Will Rolf
 
Will Rolf is a real estate broker, manager, and investor living in Cathedral Hill, St Paul. Will invested in real estate consistently throughout the 1990s and 2000s as he worked as a Realtor in St Paul, allowing Will to retire from full-time sales around 2010. He got his start buying small multifamily and single-family homes, eventually scaling to larger commercial properties, including restaurants, sober living, and other mixed-use buildings. 
 
Will Rolf is not my (Adam's) actual Dad, but he has helped me immensely throughout the last decade. Most of this help is through leading by example - the way Will carries himself as a father, business owner, community member, landlord, and friend is admirable. He is very kind and down to earth. He takes care of his family. Will also gave me a chance back before I had any connections or a pot to piss in, and I'll always be grateful for that. This episode is a bit different than the others, but I hope you all enjoy it! 
 
Adam Tafel is a Realtor and Real Estate Investor living in Highland Park. You can reach him at Adam@UpsidePropertySales.com.
Tim Swierczek is a Mortgage Lender out of White Bear Lake. You can reach him at Tim@TimSwierczek.com. or schedule an appointment today here
Please Rate, Follow, & Share on Your Social Media

TCREI Show #19 - The Rent Control Mess in St Paul w/ Nate Hood

Twin Cities Real Estate Investing Show #19
"St Paul's Rent Control Mess" with Nate Hood.
 
Nathaniel Hood is a dad, husband, St Paul Planning Commissioner, and real estate investor.  He resides in Ward 3 and also works for Hennepin County in Community Works. Previously, Nate was on the Highland District Council and chaired its Transportation Committee. He is also my neighbor! He does not like rent control. 
 
We sat down with Nate for a solid 1.5 hours, discussing (obviously) rent control but also building code, zoning regulations, market data, and more. We don't agree on everything, but at the end of the day, we all want the same things for the residents of St. Paul. 
 
 
Adam Tafel is a Realtor and Real Estate Investor living in Highland Park. You can reach him at Adam@UpsidePropertySales.com.
Tim Swierczek is a Mortgage Lender out of White Bear Lake. You can reach him at Tim@TimSwierczek.com. or schedule an appointment today here
 
Please Rate, Follow, & Share on Your Social Media

TCREI Show #18 - From Drywaller to $2m Flips - Corey Wright

Twin Cities Real Estate Investing Show #18:
"From Drywaller to $2m Flips" - Corey Wright
Corey Wright is a real estate investor living in Minnetonka, MN. He grew up in North Minneapolis and got a job installing sheetrock in the early 00's, often working for home flippers. Corey tells us how his curiosity led him to networking with house flippers, learning other trades, and eventually going off on his own ventures. 
 
Over the years Corey built successful house-flipping, property management,  and real estate sales businesses. His knowledge of home construction and how to add value to high-end properties has grown exponentially over time - today he frequently takes on flips with ARVs well over 2m. We really enjoyed spending time with Corey and hearing about his story, we hope you enjoy him as well. 
 
Adam Tafel is a Realtor and Real Estate Investor living in Highland Park. You can reach him at Adam@UpsidePropertySales.com.
Tim Swierczek is a Mortgage Lender out of White Bear Lake. You can reach him at Tim@TimSwierczek.com. or schedule an appointment today here
Please Rate, Follow, & Share on Your Social Media
 
Please Rate, Follow, & Share on Your Social Media

TCREI Show #17 - New Year, New Laws w/ Brad Schaeppi

Twin Cities Real Estate Investing Show #17 - New Year, New Laws w/ Brad Schaeppi 
 
Brad Schaeppi is an attorney from Minneapolis, currently living with his family in Minnetonka. Brad brings a unique combination of skills and experience to our show—primarily as a full-time real estate attorney but also as a landlord, former city council representative, father, and fifth-generation Minneapolis resident.
 
Today's episode is a long one because there is a LOT to cover over the past few years of Minnesota, St Paul, and Minneapolis changes to landlord/tenant laws. We dig into the eviction process, screening tenants, school districts and how they affect neighborhood values, and so much more. Even with a 2 hour episode, we barely scratched the surface of a few important changes and topics, so feel free to reach out to any of us if you need any clarification. 
Brad's YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/@MinnesotaLandlordForms
 
Brad's slide deck (coming soon)
Minnesota Court Records Online (MCRO)
https://www.mncourts.gov/Access-Case-Records/MCRO.aspx
 
Brad's pre-eviction notice (coming soon)
 
Minneapolis Renter notification requirements including all the information and city-provided templates
https://www2.minneapolismn.gov/business-services/licenses-permits-inspections/rental-licenses/renter-protections/renter-notification-requirements/#d.en.209956 
Brad's Landlord Law Website
 minnesotalandlordlaw.com 
Brad's Landlord Law contact form
https://minnesotalandlordlaw.com/contact/
MN Landlord Forms
https://minnesotalandlordforms.com/
 
Adam Tafel is a Realtor and landlord out of St Paul. You can find out more about his business at UpsidePropertySales.com. 
Tim Swierczek is a mortgage lender and real estate investor living in White Bear Lake. Find out more about Tim at timswierczek.com
Adam and Tim would love to meet with you! Schedule a one on one by going to TwinCitiesRealEstateInvesting.com/schedule.
 
 

TCREI Show #16 - Quitting Your W2 After Deal #1 w/ Andrew Street

Twin Cities Real Estate Investing Show #16 - "Quitting Your W2 After Deal #1" w/ Andrew Street
 
Andrew Street has been a friend of the pod for a very long time, and we are excited to have him on! Andrew and his wife Tammy purchased a duplex in 2020 with Adam and Tim - a BEAUTIFUL 1860s up/down in the heart of Hastings, MN. They turned the upper unit into an STR... and it paid their entire mortgage! 
 
Fast forward to 2025: Andrew and his wife have travelled the US in an RV while their duplex helped to subsidize their lifestyle. Andrew quit his job to start an STR Management company, utilizing virtual assistants in the Philippines. Andrew is a great guy and an inspiring dude - we hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it. 
 
Adam Tafel is a Realtor and Real Estate Investor living in Highland Park. You can reach him at Adam@UpsidePropertySales.com.
 
Tim Swierczek is a Mortgage Lender out of White Bear Lake. You can reach him at Tim@TimSwierczek.com. or schedule an appointment today here
 
Please Rate, Follow, & Share on Your Social Media

TCREI Show #15 - Minneapolis Sales/Rental Data and Trends

Twin Cities Real Estate Investing Show #15- Minneapolis Sales/Rental Data and Trends: 
No guest for this episode - Adam and Tim dive into the Minneapolis rental, housing, and small multifamily markets. This episode is a continuation of the Twin Cities Real Estate Investing Meetup, which can be found at Meetup.com and takes place once per month at various locations throughout the metro. In this episode we share our findings, including some surprises and valuable insights. 
Our main takeaway - while the data is interesting, valuable and will ultimately help newer investors navigate the search and purchase process with greater confidence and perspective, we do not recommend making decisions solely based on spreadsheets and data. I've personally bought deals that looked awful on a spreadsheet but turned out quite profitable, and I'm sure the opposite story is true of many investors, regardless of experience level.
 
The main benefit to understanding the numbers is perspective - I'll give an example. Let's say you've been in the market for a 4-unit property near your work in Linden Hills. You've only just been preapproved for 3 days, and your agent calls with a listing. An educated buyer will have the perspective to understand how the listing falls amongst market averages performance-wise and will also be aware of how rare (or commonplace) the opportunity might be. This perspective will allow the investor to react accordingly - maybe they jump at the opportunity, maybe they wait for something better.
 
Check out the show notes at TwinCitiesRealEstateInvesting.com for the entire spreadsheet and other resources.
 
Adam Tafel is a Realtor and Real Estate Investor living in Highland Park. You can reach him at Adam@UpsidePropertySales.com.
Tim Swierczek is a Mortgage Lender out of White Bear Lake. You can reach him at Tim@TimSwierczek.com. or schedule an appointment today here
Please Rate, Follow, & Share on Your Social Media
Check out the show notes at TwinCitiesRealEstateInvesting.com for the entire spreadsheet and other resources.

TCREI Show #14 - Househacking w/ Twins, Abby and Vicky Hidalgo

TCREI Show #14 - Househacking w/ Twins, Abby and Vicky Hidalgo
 
Did you know we host a monthly meetup? Well, it's true. This meetup happens on the first Tuesday of *most months, and this is where we met Abby and Vicky. Adam's former teammate Jeff has represented these two in a handful of transactions - starting when they took the plunge into duplex living from their comfortable single family in Farmington. This was years ago - now they have a nice little portfolio of small multifamily on their hands. 
 
Abby and Vicky are very open, honest, and energetic. They're easy to talk to and relatable, and I hope that many of our listeners will find inspiration in today's episode. We really enjoyed having them on and hope they'll be back again! 
 
Side note: Abby's microphone was glitching out for the whole episode and we couldn't use her tracks, so the audio sounds a bit distorted in parts as I had to manipulate the levels throughout the show. 
 
Adam Tafel is a Realtor and Real Estate Investor living in Highland Park. You can reach him at Adam@UpsidePropertySales.com.
 
Tim Swierczek is a Mortgage Lender out of White Bear Lake. You can reach him at Tim@TimSwierczek.com. or schedule an appointment today here
 
Please Rate, Follow, & Share on Your Social Media

TCREI Show #13 - 5X Househack MVP Adam Widder

Twin Cities Real Estate Investing Show #13 - 5X HouseHack MVP Adam Widder
 
Adam Widder is a commercial asset manager living in Crocus Hill, St Paul. He got his start in real estate by flipping a home with his wife while stationed in Kansas. The profits from this single flip ended up funding his first and second househack deals - a triplex and duplex on the West Side of St Paul. 
Adam then went on to househack a third and fourth time - building a small multifamily portfolio in solid B-class neighborhoods. In 2021, he quit his job as a corporate property manager and started selling homes full-time. Adam has always made strategic pivots along the way, his career focusing more and more on commercial properties as the years went on. 
Adam is an all-around great guy and a good friend of the show - and we are thrilled to finally get him on the pod. Hopefully, you enjoy this episode, as he will likely become a regular guest before too long. Enjoy! 
 
Adam Tafel is a Realtor and Real Estate Investor living in Highland Park. You can reach him at Adam@UpsidePropertySales.com.
 
Tim Swierczek is a Mortgage Lender out of White Bear Lake. You can reach him at Tim@TimSwierczek.com. or schedule an appointment today here
 
Please Rate, Follow, & Share on Your Social Media

Tafeltime #4 - Gameplan for 2025

How should the average Minnesotan approach real estate investing in 2025? Real estate content on the internet/social media can be inspiring and helpful - but not always practical when it comes to everyone's market and financial situation. Adam gives his two cents on the downsides to real estate "influencers", ideas for practical investing in 2025, the current state of the market, and much more.