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Aug 3, 2026
The Future of Williamson County Real Estate | Homes, Growth & Commercial Development
The Future of Williamson County Real Estate | Homes, Growth & Commercial Development
00:00
1:02:55
Transcript
0:00
[instrumental music] Welcome to the Wilco Texas Insider Podcast where we bring you the conversation shaping Williamson County.
0:07
From local leaders and elected officials to business owners, educators, developers, historians, and community change-makers, we go beyond the headlines to explore the people, projects, and ideas driving one of the fastest growing regions in Texas.
0:24
Whether you're a lifelong resident or new to the area, this is your inside look at the stories that matter most. I'm Josh Rouse, and this is the Wilco Texas Insider Podcast.
0:37
[instrumental music] There's something special about the Williamson County Fair and Rodeo.
0:41
It's where neighbors become friends, traditions are passed down, and our community comes together to celebrate the best of Williamson County.
0:50
From exciting rodeo action, to live entertainment, to agriculture, local exhibitors, and family fun, there's something for everyone.
0:58
As a proud official media partner of the Williamson County Fair and Rodeo, Wilco Texas Insider is bringing you exclusive stories, behind-the-scenes access, and everything you need to know leading up to the fair week.
1:13
Join us this fall at the Williamson County Fair and Rodeo, and we'll see you at the fair. Wilco Texas Insider, proud official media partner of the Williamson County Fair and Rodeo.
1:26
[instrumental music] Today we are joined by Gene Griffin with Massive Mortgage Group.
1:32
Gene has helped countless families and business owners navigate the real estate market from purchasing a first home to understanding commercial opportunities and long-term investments.
1:44
In this episode, we are taking a deep dive into the Williamson County's housing market, commercial real estate, the rapid development transforming our communities, and what it all means for homeowners, investors, and local businesses.
1:59
We'll also discuss why many people view homeownership as one of the strongest ways to build long-term wealth, and how today's decisions can shape your financial future.
2:11
Whether you're thinking about buying your first home, investing in commercial property, or simply wanna better understand the growth happening across Williamson County, this conversation is packed with valuable insights.
2:24
Gene, welcome to the Wilco Texas Insider Podcast. We're glad to have you with us. Gene, welcome to the show. How about you, uh, kinda talk a little bit more about yourself? Yeah. What do you do for Williamson County?
2:37
Uh, what are some of your businesses? Sure. And let's, let's take a deep dive, man. Thanks for having me, Joshua. So, uh, yeah, I'm Gene Griffin.
2:44
I am the president of Massive Capital Group, and I am the branch manager of Massive Mortgage Group. Little confusing, but basically we do commercial and residential lending on the brokerage side.
2:55
So we don't work for any specific bank, we work for our clients.
2:59
Um, Massive Capital Group, uh, we specialize specifically in business purpose loans, so SBA or commercial real estate loans or maybe private equity, things like that.
3:11
And on Massive Mortgage Group, which is backed by Barrett Financial Group is our parent company on that division, uh, we specialize in residential lending, so VA, FHA, conventional, non-conventional loans like bank statement loans, things like that.
3:25
So everything from helping somebody buy a primary residence or their first home or investment property to developing commercial properties we take care of. Gotcha. Man, that's a lot.
3:36
I know we are seeing tremendous growth within Williamson County.
3:40
Um, you know, you sound like you're a one-stop shop for, you know, either commercial or residential, which is good because we have a lot of those different clients that, that attend our, our viewings and stuff on the, the show and, and across our social media.
3:58
So some of the biggest things that we're, we're looking at is we're seeing a lot of tremendous growth across Williamson County. Yep.
4:05
Uh, what type of commercial projects are kinda getting financed out there that you're seeing, and what... You know, are...
4:10
Is there anything interesting that's coming in that you're seeing that, that some of the community members might wanna know about? Yeah, absolutely. It's kind of funny.
4:18
I, you know, uh, I, I make the joke on the commercial side of things, it's one of those things like, you know, let's say you, you... There's a car that you like. Yeah. And, and you wanna, you wanna...
4:30
Thinking about buying it and you wanna test drive it, and one of the things you like about it is you don't see 'em on the road all the time. Yeah. Right?
4:36
Then you go test drive the car and that's all you see on the road every day. Yeah. Right? Commercial real estate's very similar.
4:42
You don't really think about it because it's all around you all the time, but the second you start thinking about it, you start realizing how much growth and development there is actually going on.
4:51
So as far as locally here in Williamson County, obviously we're seeing a ton of stuff on the Ronald Reagan corridor there.
4:58
Um, everything from, you know, even residential development is commercial because those are commercial loans. So master plan community developments all the way up to Belton and Temple.
5:08
Um, and obviously in that, in that kinda keystone, Williamson County keystone. Um, r- a lot of retail. We're seeing a lot of restaurants popping up, and some of the more fun stuff.
5:21
We're seeing more entertainment based, um- Yeah... you know, facilities and, and, and properties like that. Yeah. I know, like, entertainment facilities get a lot of views, man.
5:30
I think people like seeing that stuff come in. Uh, anything retail, new restaurants. Um, I know one of the, the... I, I think it was on the media that I announced was the, the new Texas Roadhouse- Yep...
5:43
coming into Georgetown. Man, I think that got like 50,000 views, dude. [laughs] It was like, it was like wildfire, man. Yeah. It just [laughs] people were interested in that stuff.
5:53
Um- My wife has a guilty pleasure for Texas Roadhouse. Oh, dude, man. She, she, she doesn't kill me for saying that. Hey, I... It's them rolls, man. Can't go wrong. You know you cannot. Just can't go wrong.
6:01
You cannot, man. I, I, I'll go there just for the rolls, man.
6:04
[laughs] And so right now we've got World Cup going on and we have a lot of international people traveling, and apparently people are losing their minds over Texas Roadhouse right now. Oh, really? Yeah.
6:12
So I think that's kinda funny to watch. Yeah. Well, I know another big, uh, development that's, that I, I reported on recently was over at Southwestern University, man. Oh, yeah.
6:22
Uh, I think it's that 560 project- Yeah... that people are kinda... Uh, you know, I, I, I think some of the biggest things that I'm seeing is- It's, it's all about the traffic. Right.
6:33
You know, people are concerned with that. I don't know, man. I, I think, you know, Southwestern University's just trying to compete with everybody else around here with the universities coming in, just so. Yeah.
6:45
And, and, you know, we're, we're literally sitting... My office is right here in the heart of down- uh, downtown Georgetown, and there's, you know, really three ways into the city- Yeah... or, or the town centr- center.
6:55
Yeah. And it's, you know, across Austin Avenue and the bridges, which they're working on right now. It's taking a little bit longer than they'd hoped.
7:03
And then you've got University Avenue, and you're gonna see some expansion on, on, uh, on those corridors, but traffic's a thing, you know? Yeah, yeah. So I mean, that's, that's big.
7:15
I mean, you know, I think the city has to just kinda figure that out with some of the city leaders. Yeah. I know that's on their agenda, just kinda talking to a lot of them.
7:24
It's, it, it, it comes across their desk every day. Yeah. So, um, you know, so what cities in Williamson County are seeing the most commercial lending activity, since you deal in that, that realm anyways?
7:36
I really believe that, you know, obviously the growth starts with Austin as the anchor in our metroplex, right? And it kinda spreads. So Williamson County, we're seeing things pushing out to Hutto Taylor area.
7:49
Um, I think Taylor's gonna be a, a huge growth area in the next few years. Hutto's already right there. Obviously Georgetown, that, that whole corridor on 29 between Liberty Hill, Leander, Georgetown- Yeah...
8:03
that's all kinda filling in. Uh, I wouldn't be surprised if you see a s- you know, six-lane road off of 29 at some point. Oh, I could definitely... I mean- I mean, we kind of need it now. [laughs] Oh, yeah, yeah.
8:14
It's bi- I mean, I went out to out 29 to Santa Rita Ranch the other day. Yeah. And it was just, like, impressive. I mean- It's amazing...
8:21
dude, I seen another, uh, thing that hit, um, a news article earlier today about some of the development out there. Mm-hmm. They're trying to get bigger amenities out with those- Yep...
8:31
those places, and it's just like, man, the growth is coming. I don't really think that's gonna slow down any, man, so. You know, I, I said it before, there's eight billion plus people in this world.
8:42
They gotta go somewhere. Yeah. You know? Yeah, yeah. And I think the affordability in Austin is really pushing people out, but the culture, the culture of Austin's coming with it.
8:52
So yes, we have our, our chain restaurants and, and things like that, but I think we're also getting some of that local Central Texas vibe that comes- Yeah... with it, too.
9:01
And I know the city, I can s- you know, I can't speak for Georgetown as a city, but I've spoken with Georgetown leaders, uh, you know, chamber, and the mayor, and the city manager, and they're really tight on what they allow in and what they don't.
9:15
Yeah. They wanna make sure they preserve what they can of Georgetown specifically. They wanna maintain the square, all of that, so there's definitely a huge emphasis there.
9:24
And their, their PNZ committee, they do a great job there of making sure that the doors open up to the right things so we don't end up with, you know...
9:34
Uh, I'm not gonna say any specific brand names, but, you know, we don't end up with five of the same type of restaurant, you know? Yeah, yeah. Within a half-mile block. Yeah. I mean, I, uh, that's kinda where I'm at.
9:44
Like, I, um, like I, I sit here and I talk to some of these city leaders- Yeah...
9:48
and I think ideally they have in their mind that, you know, they wanna plan out the city for the best of the, you know, the people's interest. Of course.
9:56
I mean, it's not like, you know, we're gonna do this and that and, you know, let's not, we're gonna go against some of the people. Yeah. Now, I, I do know data centers, man. Data centers is a huge topic. Mm-hmm.
10:09
Um, what's funny is, like, man, I keep, I keep getting, uh, people commenting on some of the data center stuff. Yeah. But it... I don't know if it's, um, a popular topic that gets widespread- Yeah...
10:21
amongst the social media viewers out there, but I just know when we're looking at a lot of this development coming in- Mm-hmm...
10:28
you know, the major concerns are water, energy, and, you know, what are, what are they gonna do with some of the s- with the recycled water? People are looking at pollution is a major concern- Mm-hmm...
10:43
with some of these data centers. Um, you know, are, are you on some of those projects, or do you- Yeah, so I mean-... do you see that?... we, so we do commercial across the US, right? Yeah.
10:53
So we, we've worked on some data center projects. And, you know, in the comments, that's where you'll find the opinions- Yeah, yeah... not the facts. Yeah. Exactly. Right? Exactly. Again, a lot of...
11:03
Everybody has an opinion- Yeah... but it doesn't mean it's factual- Yeah... or based on factual things.
11:06
So what a lot of people don't realize is that the State of Texas, you know, we have commissioners and things like that that are paying attention to these concerns.
11:15
And, you know, I don't wanna cite specific things, but there are requirements to these data centers. Like- Yeah... data centers have to provide their own power. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:23
They have to build their own internal power systems. Now, what is that, what is the, uh, environmental impact of that, right? They also have to provide their own water in most cases, and there's new technology that is...
11:34
You know, don't forget that we're still an innovative country, right? Yeah. If we got a problem, we'll solve it, right?
11:39
And there's, there's a company here in Georgetown specifically, they've created some really cool innovative technology, and the water is really to cool these servers in these data centers, right? Yeah.
11:49
So it's a, it's a closed loop system, so they don't have to replenish the distilled water. Mm-hmm. There's some... You know, look, I'm not a chemist. I'm not a... You know? Yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:56
No, I- But there's some really cool tech- technology... I, yeah, yeah. No, I, I, I totally get you, man. I, I, I read some, uh, some stuff on the whole closed- Yeah... loop system that- Yeah...
12:04
versus the open loop systems. Yeah. Um, man, I, and you know, one thing that I, I f- I'm trying to get involved in is trying to learn way more about that and try to- Yeah...
12:12
educate people on it, 'cause, uh, man, from what I've been reading is, like, sometimes a closed loop system is... I wanna say that one was more energy conservative compared- Yeah... to an open loop system. Mm-hmm.
12:25
Um, but then you still... It, it's a double-edged sword, man. So I, I- And-... don't know. I think that's- It's, it's one of those things, like, look-
12:34
If you're opposed to it, stop using your iPhone D- uh, dude, I mean, there it is, man Stop using AI There it is Don't use cloud-based systems- Yeah, yeah... that require these data centers, right? Yeah, yeah. We...
12:45
But, and I'll be the first one to tell you, uh, uh, um, I'm smart enough to know I don't have all the answers. Yeah, yeah. But- Me, me either, man. [laughs] I don't, I don't know either, dude.
12:55
I, I, I have to look this stuff up. And then I'm trying to interview people that actually know the answers- Yeah... you know?
12:59
But, but it's interesting seeing, you know, the permit process and the requirements from municipalities and state- Yeah... county. Um, it's not a free-for-all, I'll tell you that. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
13:10
And then there's also, you know, any commercial development, there's, there's an impact fee. Yeah. Right?
13:15
These developers have to come in and pay the city an impact fee on how it could potentially impact the community, and that is money that goes right into things that support the community- Yeah...
13:27
whether it be education or services or roads- Yeah... or things like that- Yeah... you know. Yeah. So all I can say is, you know, dig in, get some facts, right? Yeah. No, I agree, man.
13:39
These, these things aren't just popping up- I agree... willy-nilly without checks and balances. There's quite a bit of checks and balances with these. Yeah.
13:45
Well, I also saw an article, uh, I think it was a bill that was passed with the state, um, through Governor Abbott- Yeah... talking about how, you know, we're not... He, he doesn't want Texans forking over the bill, man.
13:55
No. That, you know- No... when those big data centers are coming in- We should reap the benefits. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's where I'm at. Like, so at the end of the day, you know, I agree.
14:05
I mean, with the technology advancing where it's at, man, unfortunately this is, this is the stuff we're seeing. Right.
14:12
But I think at the end of the day, we also gotta look at it, how, how can we plan that out, um, strategically in, in a smart way. Yeah.
14:20
And so, you know, I, I'm sure some of the, our city leaders are already on top of that, you know? So. Yeah. They've got a really good pulse on things.
14:27
I, I just completed the Georgetown Civic Leadership Academy, so I- Okay... met with a lot of the city leaders over- Yeah... um, course of several months, and I really got to dig into how things actually really work.
14:38
Yeah. And that was important to me, one, as a individual in our community who, who wants to contribute and add value, but also as a professional [laughs] who works in commercial and residential development.
14:49
Um, it's good for... You know, obviously it's a good idea for me to have a pulse on that stuff. Oh, no, I... Exactly, man. Yeah. You gotta know what's coming in and- Yeah... and, uh, you know, go from there, dude.
15:00
So, um, man, let's go back to, to your business, man. Yeah. What, what kinda got you, you, you started in this, man? Um. Um, great question. So I actually worked in the entertainment industry prior to this. Really? Man.
15:11
You know, I moved to Austin back in 2006. My dad's a class- classically trained musician. Moved here to work in music. Dude. Uh, I ran a, uh- That's cool, man...
15:20
artist services firm, managed bands, booked tours, did all the things. It's... And it's kinda funny. Most people are like, "Oh, well, that sounds like a lot of fun." Oh, I'm sure it's work, man.
15:29
[laughs] You have no idea- I'm sure it is. [laughs]... what experience I gained from that. I mean- Yeah... I'd have to go collect checks from Ukrainian mobsters in Chicago. [laughs] I'd have to negotiate.
15:38
I'd, I'd learn how to use, what was it, uh, Photoshop, everything. Yeah. You know, you do everything. And I'd say that really prepped me for a career where I'm at today.
15:47
I mean, I bring all the experience to what I do today, but really it boiled down to I was having fun- Yeah... and I was traveling and doing a lot of stuff, but wasn't really making a lot of money. Yeah.
15:58
It's a hard business, and I found out I was gonna be a dad, and I decided to kinda pivot and got into finance. And, um, you know, also I really didn't grow up with a lot. You know- Mm-hmm...
16:09
our, our parents' gen- or my parents' generation, they learned how to work. Yeah. They didn't learn how to, what to do with their money after they made it, right? Mm-hmm.
16:18
So I grew up pretty modestly in Longview, Texas, in a trailer house. Uh, the trailer house was burned down by some punk kids when I was eight. Mm.
16:26
Moved to a duplex in Houston, grew up in Houston, and really just wanted to change that cycle. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
16:34
Learn how to manage money and, you know, from a selfish standpoint, and then realize, like, with my knowledge and experience, I can help people doing this- Yeah... right? So that's really what got me into it.
16:45
And then, um, you know, really passionate about helping people buy their first home or solve complex debt issues or whatever the case may be through things- Yeah... that we can provide.
16:57
And I got into commercial kind of as a, as a default. You know, uh, I'm a broker, so I work with wholesale lenders. Mm-hmm.
17:04
The way I put it is, you know, a farmer sells a bunch of tomatoes to H-E-B, H-E-B gets a discount, they mark it up, put it on their shelf for a good value so that they can keep their lights on.
17:13
Same thing, we just do that with loans. Yeah. So we get discount fees and, and, uh, rates on loans. We fit in our commission, package it up for our clients at a, at a very competitive price.
17:25
So long story short, I had a commercial deal several y- several years ago. It was kinda challenging. Couldn't find a lender. Uh, finally found one, and we were at the day of closing.
17:36
I got a weird gut feeling and, um, basically found out that this was a complete fraud operation. Really? Saved my client $25,000. Oh, wow. But at that point, I took a step back.
17:48
I was like, "Well, I can't have that happen." Yeah. One, I care too. My, my reputation, my business would be- Yeah... you know, diminished.
17:55
So either we stop advertising and not do this, or we lean in and find a better way. And, uh, my wife calls me Tenacious G. I'm not much of a quitter.
18:04
So I leaned into it, found a better way of doing commercial business, and now, uh, I am the national director at Barrett Financial Group for the commercial division. Oh, wow.
18:13
Um, my company, we're doing great things here, you know, locally in Texas. And, um, it's all about responsible growth. Yeah. That, that's my big thing.
18:22
And that's whether it's developing, whether it's building a company, you know, too big, too fast never wins. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Everybody suffers. Yeah.
18:31
So just doing things responsibly, working on projects that I think enrich communities versus, you know, hurt or displace or, uh, just bring a value to the community. Those are the things I like to work on. Yeah, yeah.
18:43
You say you're from Houston. What part of Houston are you from? Uh, West Houston. I went to Katy High, or no, Katy, Katy Independent School District. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I, I grew up in Houston, too. Nice.
18:52
I was, uh, s- uh, more south, south Houston, uh- Yeah... towards Galveston, man. Yeah. So. Literally- Yeah... over there yesterday. Oh, really? I drove through it yesterday. Really?
19:01
It was, uh- The weather and all, it should've been a four and a half hour drive, but- Dude, you got kids, man. You- Yeah. [laughs] Uh, to, dude, they got that new Gray Wolf lodge over there, man. I know.
19:10
That, uh, it's- We saw that. Yeah... I took my kids, we just got back this past weekend. Nice. It, it's pretty nice, man. Yeah. So I recommend it.
19:17
We were out in, uh, Bolivar, and, uh, we, we thought about going to Schlitterbahn, but weather was kinda hit or miss. But- Yeah... we, we did some fishing. That was nice. Oh, there you go, man.
19:25
There's al- Caught a shark. Oh, ah, dude. [laughs] I've always wanted to catch a shark. I, I knew there was a lot of people that I went to school with, they'd always go shark fishing, uh, but.
19:33
It was, uh, it was my first shark, and it's nothing to brag about. It was about- Yeah... a foot and a half long. [laughs] Hey, it's better... Hey, I, I've never caught a shark out there.
19:41
I've tried so many times out in the Galveston oceans- Yeah... I mean, the, uh, you know, I just... Dude, I, I, I, the only thing I've caught was a bunch of flounder and some redfish and- We, we caught-...
19:52
playing on there... a bunch of hardhead catfish. Uh, probably nine. Yeah. And, uh, but yeah, I caught a little shark, and check that off my list, so. Oh, there you go, man.
20:00
I need to check that off my list, but- [laughs]... I don't wanna go out there and, uh, I, I usually see 'em out there and, like, some people go out there in canoes and stuff. Like, I'm like, "Dude, bro, nah, man." Yeah.
20:09
"We good. We good, man. I've seen Jaws, man." [laughs] It seems like sharks are coming around the Gulf Coast a bit more. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know what it's, I don't know what's going on. So man, uh, let's go back to, uh,
20:23
I guess, man, who your target clientele is. Like- Yeah... uh, man, I don't know, dude. Like, if somebody wanted to start a, you know, restaurant or- Yeah...
20:31
you know, they wanted to get some, some money to go in the development game, man, th- I mean, where, where would that even- Yeah... where'd they start at? So that's a great question.
20:43
So we also have what's called the SBA. Yeah. Right? Small Business Administration. That's a federal agency- Okay... that is created to support and enrich economic development in our country, right?
20:56
Take some of the, you know, going back to the ingenuity I talked about. Yeah. Um, and, and support those projects and those, those entrepreneurs. So, uh, SBA's a great starting point.
21:06
They have the SCORE program that really, they provide you a mentor at no cost and help you- Really?... develop your business, which is really cool. Yeah. I went through that myself just kind of as a curiosity.
21:19
I mean, I pay for it with tax dollars. Why not, right? Yeah. And, um, gained a lot of, like insight, but SBA's a great starting point.
21:28
Um, I always joke, anytime you get the acronym, you can assume the government's involved.
21:32
They're gonna bring the red tape, but, um, I don't have them with me, but we have three-foot pair of scissors, and that's for two things, cutting through government red tape- Yeah...
21:40
and ribbon cutting ceremonies after we cut through that red tape. There you go, man. So, um, SBA's great. What SBA allows is less out of pocket. Okay. Right?
21:51
Uh, because the federal government insures and backs those types of loans, so the out-of-pocket's a little bit lower. Um, the entry point's a little bit easier to get in.
21:59
So I'd say, you know, minimum down payment on an SBA loan, whether it's real estate involved or equipment or whatever the case may be, a lease maybe for a space, generally about 10%. Okay.
22:10
Um, if you can get the 16% down, you're better off. Yeah. Um, sometimes a little bit higher for startups 'cause there's gonna be a higher risk there. But, uh, SBA's a great resource. We do SBA loans all the time.
22:22
Closed one last week. Um, I've got a few more working on right now. Uh, we have great SBA partners that really get us to the finish line. Sometimes SBA loans get a bad rap because- Yeah...
22:34
of that government red tape, but, um, we get through it all the time. Yeah. Yeah. You know? And I remind people, "Hey, it's just paperwork." Yeah.
22:41
At the end of the day, a year from now when you're running your business and, and the money's coming in, you're not gonna remember the paperwork that helped you get there. Yeah, exactly. You know? Exactly.
22:49
So do the damn paperwork. Th- there you go, man. [laughs] There you go. No, it's interesting 'cause, I mean, I, I don't know where things take me. I, I, I've been in the real estate field. Yeah.
22:57
I do, I, I've done a lot of residential stuff, but, um, uh, man, I think I'm kinda getting drawn more into the- Yeah... like, the commercial side, man. The, the, it's- Commercial's fun. Yeah. Yeah. Mm.
23:08
That, what I tell people, well, I tell my team, "Look, commercial is fun. It's rewarding. Uh, it's heartbreaking." Yeah. "It's detrimental, but one thing it's not, it's never the same." Yeah. Yeah. Right?
23:19
I look at, I get to look at pro- all kinds of cool projects, and, you know, I'm just a facilitator. Yeah. Yeah.
23:25
You know, I don't take massive credit for any of these deals that close, but I do get to walk, you know, a day or a week or a couple months in, in somebody else's shoes and, and learn their business and understand their passions, and that's really rewarding to me.
23:39
Yeah. Um, helping small businesses. You know, we, we helped a, uh, business buy out, uh, of a Thai restaurant in San Antonio, and this was towards the end of last year.
23:50
And I just got a email back from my client, and he said, "Man, things are going great. We're making good money. Our clientele's great. We've got it- Yeah... dialed in." It, it's just great to hear that, you know? Yeah.
24:00
And every time I'm in San Antonio, I go down there and I grab lunch and try to pay, and they never let me pay. Yeah. Yeah, there you go. You know, there's, there's, uh...
24:10
You know, it's just kinda cool being a part of, you know, going from kicking some dirt down to- Yeah. Yeah...
24:16
you know, kick- going out there and kicking some dirt around to actually seeing small businesses move into maybe the shopping center space. And if you think about it,
24:26
you know, a lot of people are anti-development, but you gotta remember what that, what's behind that. What does that do? Yeah. It creates jobs. Yeah. Right? I got a 14-year-old. She'll be 15 next year.
24:36
And, you know, she's not gonna go get a job at a big corporation. She's gonna go get a job at a franchise or something, right? E- exactly. So you see a, a, a retail strip center pop up, and you're like, "Oh, great.
24:47
Another one," right? Yeah. But going back to the SBA talk, maybe that's where that individual launches their company in that lease in one of those units, right? Yeah. That employs my daughter. Mm-hmm. Right? Yeah.
25:01
So it's a full circle. Creates jobs, creates economic stimulation. And, um, if done right, it, it, it enriches communities. Yeah.
25:08
No, I mean, that, that's kind of where I'm at is like, you know, I, I, and I've said this on another episode was, you know, I sat down in a meeting, it was a Kiwanis meeting out in Taylor, and, uh, they were talking about what has Samsung done for Taylor.
25:22
Yeah. And I'm like, "Well, I mean, you know, yeah, we can nitpick, and we can go- Mm-hmm... through everything of, like, what Samsung's doing, and it's a big- Right...
25:30
eyesore and all this stuff, but at the end of the day, man, it is creating jobs, man. Yeah. Like, and the... There's interns that, that are... that you can go through the, the school districts, man. Yeah.
25:42
The sc- the sc- the local school districts can get tied to all that stuff- Mm-hmm... and, and go from there. 'Cause a- I mean, at the end of the day, it's, it's about college pr- preparedness- Yeah...
25:52
military readiness, and, and employability. Yes. I mean, those are things that- Mm-hmm... when your kid's going to high school, those are the three main things people are focused on- Yep...
26:00
in trying to get them connected within the, the, the, uh, connected within the workforce, man. I mean- Yeah, and y- and you know- So-... again, growth is inevitable. Yeah.
26:11
It's just responsible growth is the way, way to be. I remember going back to Houston, I was, uh... You know, there's a lot of development east of downtown area- Yeah...
26:20
which historically had been kind of a rough, rough area, and there's a right way to redevelop those areas where you pay tribute to the culture that's there, the history that's there, without eradicating it. Yeah, yeah.
26:32
But I remember seeing... Went to a wine bar, and I look across the street, and I was like, "What's that building?" They're like, "Oh, it's pro- uh, you know, project homes." And it was, like, an apartment complex.
26:42
And I'm like, "Oh, so you built a wine bar right across the street from, uh, projects." Yeah. Does that seem responsible? It just didn't- Yeah, yeah... make any sense. Yeah, yeah. And guess what? They're closed down now.
26:51
Yeah, yeah. Exactly. 'Cause they didn't do it the right way. Yeah.
26:53
And if you look at, you know, parts of East Austin where you still have that culture, you still have that history, and there's businesses there that work to maintain that and support that, that's the way to do it. Yeah.
27:06
And I'm not saying all development in East Austin is, is, is r- right on, but I do know people and business owners that had moved their businesses into those areas and, uh, you know...
27:18
For example, there's a, um, a music venue bar called The White Horse. Okay. Right? They were really tied in with the Hispanic community there.
27:26
They brought in the, the s- uh, city council, they brought in the musicians there in that area- Yeah... and they gave them... or, you know, not gave them, they allowed them that platform to continue to do what they do.
27:39
But, um, anyways, it's really just the r- right way of doing things and a wrong way of doing things. Yeah. I mean, and, and that's kinda where I'm at. I, I'm assuming our city leaders are taking that into
27:50
perspective, you know. Like, "Hey, w- we're gonna try to develop this side out, but we definitely wanna keep it, uh, involved where it's we're, we're, we're still bringing in the, the enrichment of what the- Right...
28:02
the town was about." Mm-hmm. Um, I mean, I don't think nobody wants to see their town just explode and- No... and, and no traditions behind it, you know? Exactly. So- And then, you know, nothing to gain from it, either.
28:14
Yeah. Right? Um, you know, the traffic thing in Georgetown, I remember the mayor, uh, he had said, "Look, we got about $10 billion worth of roadwork we need done- Yeah... and about $2 billion worth of funds to do it."
28:29
Yeah. So they're working on additional bonds and things like that for transportation. Um, but when we...
28:35
I mean, specifically here in Georgetown, really everywhere in W- Williamson County, we've had massive explosion in growth over the past five years. Yeah. You know? And our leaders do their best, or
28:48
we hope they do their best, to keep up with it. I, I can speak personally on, on some that I know. And, you know, there's only so much that can be done. Mm-hmm. Right?
28:58
Um, and, you know, everybody says, "Well, go back to where you came from." Yeah. "Go back to California or go back-" Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, you know what? You came from somewhere too. E- exactly. Right?
29:07
[laughs] I mean, dude, I came from Houston, man. Yeah. [laughs] Like, I m- I moved to h- from Houston to San Marcos- Yep... and then I landed in, in, uh, Taylor, you know, Round Rock area- Yeah...
29:17
for, man, I've been here for almost 20 years. Yeah. So, like, th- this is home now, you know?
29:22
What I'd really like to see in the state of Texas, and one thing that is kinda crazy, and I, I lived in Colorado for a little bit. Mm-hmm. And people don't realize that Texas is, by and large, a privately owned state.
29:35
Yeah. Meaning, there's not a lot of public lands. Yeah. I think we have one or two handful of national parks and forests. You got Big Bend National Park, you've got the, I think it's North Padre National Seashore.
29:48
Mm-hmm. Other than that, it's state parks, which is fine- Yeah... and, you know, mu- municipal parks and things like that. But when I moved to Colorado, I was like, "Man, I gotta buy some, um, property." Yeah.
29:57
I'm like, "Why?" I'm like, "So I can go out to the mountains." Oh, I know. You know? Yeah. They're like, "Oh, just go out to the national forest, or the national park, or the BML."
30:04
And I'm like, "Yeah, but that's not mine." He's like, "But it is." Yeah. You know, it's, "You're an American. That's your land." Yeah. Yeah.
30:09
And it took me going out to Pike National Forest and camping out there for five days and realizing, like, nobody's come and checked on me. I didn't have to check in with anybody. I can just come out here and camp. Yeah.
30:21
You know? Anyways, but I'd, I'd like to see more public lands in the state of Texas, you know? Yeah. But- Open that up a little bit. I mean, I think, uh, man, that might lead into the next questions, man.
30:32
I, I, like, one of the biggest things I, I know we're kinda looking at, um, I've, I've kinda looked into trying to start was a Central Texas, uh, Developing Alliance where we're, we're trying to educate landowners- Yeah...
30:46
um, on their land and maybe help them develop that out- Yeah... if that's an option for them, uh, to... You know, 'cause I think sometimes we see that they, they sell- Yeah...
30:57
them off to developers, and it's like, well, you know, maybe if you can get on, on that side of it- Right... and, and walking through and, and maybe helping design that, is that an option out there, you know? It is.
31:10
The, the, the challenge there is a lot of these- Mass landowners- Yeah... are trusts. Oh, okay. Right? Okay. So if you think about it, you know, prospectors came out, they put their flag down on the ground, and- Yeah...
31:23
they've got, you know, 20,000 acres. Yeah. Right? Well, that was 150 years ago. Mm. Right? What happens? Well, that land's passed down the family. Exactly. Then it goes into a trust. Then you have trustees.
31:35
So to make any decision, you're talking about a team of people, you have to get everybody on the same page. So that could be one of the challenges. Uh. However, you know, that's not the case for everybody.
31:46
There's, there's, there's people... You know, I've got a friend of mine, he's got some great property right off just east of, you know, downtown Georgetown proper, and, uh, he's looking to sell that and, you know.
31:58
So, uh, that is an opportunity and, you know, we just don't have the agriculture that we used to have. Yeah. Right? Yeah.
32:08
And, you know, some of those budgets have been cut, or subsidies have been cut too, and it makes it even harder. You know, my... I grew up, my dad grew up on a dairy farm. Yeah. You know? And that's hard living.
32:18
No, yeah. You know? Yeah. And then if, if the cost of things go up, that's even harder, right? Yeah.
32:23
So they rely, a lot of those agricultural businesses with farming, ranching, they rely on those government subsidies, and it's just getting harder and harder for them, and we need that stuff.
32:34
So we gotta figure that w- get... We gotta find people that solve those problems. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, and that's the thing, when I first came into Williamson County, man, it was like cornfields everywhere. Right.
32:44
[laughs] Like, I, I knew when the start of school was 'cause the cornfields were getting, you know, they were, they're getting plowed down, and then whenever school was, you know, ending- Yeah...
32:55
it was like you had six feet tall- Yep... you know, corn stalks- [laughs]... out there. So I mean, it, it is part of the, um, you know, the tradition too- Yeah... in Williamson County.
33:06
And, and, and speaking of, like I know I'm gonna start kinda helping out the Williamson County Fair and Rodeo. Mm-hmm.
33:12
I think that is one of the biggest pieces that they're gonna try to focus on is the agriculture- Sure... within Williamson County, because that's what... I mean, that's what started it all, man- Well-...
33:22
with cotton, dude. [laughs] Well, you know, kinda going back, and, you know, I have no affiliation with H-E-B and... But I'll tell you, I'm a big H-E-B fan. Yeah. You know, they source a lot of local stuff. Mm-hmm.
33:33
They provide a ton of jobs. They pay their employees well. They give them good benefits. And I'll tell you what, when, when things hit the fan in Texas, H-E-B steps up.
33:42
Uh, during hur- hurricane Harvey, I was down there in a boat pulling people out, and H-E-B pulled all their grills, pulled all the charcoal, pulled all the meat- Yeah... said, "Start cooking. Start- Yeah...
33:53
feeding people." So, you know, I, I do think bringing companies in that do have that, that heart of Texas- Yeah... you know, and, and, um, a lot of people rely on the government to solve everything. Yeah. You know? Yeah.
34:06
And it... No. It, it takes you, it takes me. Yeah, exactly. It takes everybody. I, I always say, "Look, if and when you have the...
34:15
It's important for everybody to serve their community and add value if and when they have the ability to do so." Yeah. I could have the ability today, maybe not tomorrow, right? That's why today is so important, right?
34:26
And if everybody steps up and just does something to enrich their, their community or, you know, gets out and does a, a, a cleanup of the San Gabriel or whatever, a little goes a long way. Oh, yeah.
34:36
If everybody does a little, you know, we'd have a pretty beautiful society. Oh, yeah. No, I mean, I, I agree, dude. It's, it's just helping out and making sure that the... you're...
34:48
You know, nobody wants to live in an, in a dumpy area- Right... man. Yeah. I mean, they, they want everything nice and- Mm-hmm... and, and we all deserve that. Of course. Like- Yeah...
34:57
you know, you want safe communities, safe neighborhoods. Mm-hmm. Uh, you want great schools to send your kids to. Yep. And, and, and, you know, that's one of my things with Williamson County is like I,
35:09
I don't see where most of these schools... I, I would say a lot of these schools are really great schools to send your kids to. Yeah. I mean, I, I haven't heard anything bad about any school district- Nope...
35:20
in, in Williamson County at all, so. Not at all, no. I mean- And, and, uh, you know, my daughter goes to school in Round Rock. Mm-hmm. And she had a choice between schools. I'm like, "You know, there's no bad choice."
35:30
[laughs] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And, you know, and we are also... We don't just rely on the school system to teach our kid, right? Yeah. And that's another thing.
35:38
Like, if you look at some of the worst schools in America, there's kids that have gone on to do incredible things that came out of that system. Oh, yeah. Right? Yeah.
35:45
So, uh, you know, I think building a, a future society, meaning investing in our youth, starts at home. Yo, yo, I agree. You know? I agree. And, and teaching them what they need to know- Mm-hmm...
35:57
so that they can be a really good, you know, person out in the community. Yep. So, you know, that's one thing. Um, let's, let's, let's go back to like the- Sure... economic development side- Yeah...
36:08
of, of things, you know? So, uh, speaking to you, some of your clients, maybe some people that, you know, don't know, maybe they're trying to get into the game of- Mm-hmm... of developing. You know, what...
36:21
When a major employer comes into Williamson County, what happens behind the scenes from the financing perspective? Sure. I mean, what, what is, what is all take on that end? So developments, I, I love it.
36:32
Um, it's fun for me because I like to see things built, right? Yeah. Maybe it's the little kid in me stacking blocks- Yeah, yeah... or whatever, but, um, there's a lot that goes behind it. It...
36:42
One, you gotta, one, get permits. You gotta figure out what you're gonna do, what you're gonna build, where you're gonna build it, and then you gotta get permits. Yeah.
36:49
So you gotta start working with the city, contractors, all that good stuff to get that buttoned up. Once all that's in place, then the finance side starts, right?
36:57
Um, companies could come in and fund the whole project out of their own pocket. Most don't. Uh, that's where I come in. And I, I basically, I consult with them, understand what the project is. Yeah.
37:09
I get the documentation and information I need. I package it together. Then I start looking at different lenders. I typically try to work on, specifically with development, I like to work with local lenders- Okay...
37:19
because they understand the- The community, they understand the market. Yeah. They understand it a little bit better. They seem to be a little more common sense and nimble. Yeah.
37:27
Uh, right now, I know it's not Wilco, but we're working on a really cool basically pickleball facility that is gonna be tourname- tournament grade. Yeah. They're gonna host national global tournaments there.
37:42
So that's kinda cool, right? Dude, pickleball has exploded, man. Oh my gosh. I, I don't even, uh... Man, people are gonna hate on me on this, 'cause like- [laughs]...
37:50
I just don't, I, I've never got involved in pickleball, so like- We've played a couple times, uh- Still trying to figure that out, man. [laughs] Yeah. The scoring's weird, but- Yeah... it's, it's fun. You know? Yeah.
37:59
I think one of the things that really blew it up is it's, it's an inclusive sport. Yeah. Right? Doesn't matter what age you are. Um, you don't have to be, you know, Andre Agassi to get out there and- Yeah...
38:12
and, and hit a pickleball around. I think it, it's, it's a pretty, uh, inclusive sport that a lot of people can do. Um, I mean, I've seen 80-year-olds out there.
38:22
Actually, I've, I got smoked on the pickleball court- Yeah, dude... by an 80-year-old. [laughs] But- Man, I...
38:27
Dude, I, the first time I heard of pickleball, I was working, uh, Dick's Sporting Goods a couple years back- Yeah... part-time, and people were asking me, "Man, you got any pickleball paddles?" I was like- Yeah... "What?
38:36
What's a pickleball paddle?" [laughs] I was like, "I have never heard of it." And then- You're like, "You're messing with me." Yeah. [laughs] And then now I'm starting to see a, a lot of this stuff. Yeah.
38:42
I mean, people... I know there, I wanna say there was one in Cedar Park, so. Yeah, they just built one in Cedar Park. Yeah, yeah. And actually, the bank that I'm working with on this project funded that project. Mm-hmm.
38:51
So I brought it to them specifically 'cause they're familiar with it, they understand it, and it made, it just made sense. Um, but yeah,
39:00
you know, as far as getting into development, most people don't do things because they don't have all the answers. Yeah. Right? Here's how I put it.
39:11
I don't care if you're a first time home buyer, a first time developer, investing in real estate for the first time. You've gotta work with a, a true advisor. Yeah. Right?
39:20
And a true advisor is gonna be straight up with you and transparent. They're not gonna have to worry about what they told you once, 'cause they're always gonna tell you straight up, right? And they know their stuff.
39:29
So the way I put it, I use a lot of analogies, but people come to me lost in the woods without a map. Mm-hmm. They know they need to get to a road. They're not sure what road they wanna get to, or maybe they are. Yeah.
39:39
Right? But they don't have... The trees are too tall. They can't even see which way the sun's coming to know what east and west is, right? So what we do is, every goal has three parts. Where do I stand today?
39:51
Where am I trying to get to? And how do we get there? Right? So we take those clients that come to us lost in the woods. We identify where they stand today.
39:59
We figure out where do they, what road they're trying to get to, and we create that roadmap to get them there. And then we basically guide them along the way, right?
40:07
So I'd say the first start would be talk to somebody like me. Yeah. Right? That, that understands how these things work, that's gonna guide you. But I generally don't get paid until, unless something closes. Yeah. Right?
40:21
So for whatever reason, Joshua, I chose a job where I work for free- [laughs] All the way up to the end... and hope to get paid. Yeah, yeah. Um,
40:29
but you know, we do things to try to mitigate, you know, not working for free so much, and- Yeah... you know. But, uh, I'd say work with professionals, right? Yeah. Uh, I'm no better than anybody else.
40:40
I, I work really hard to not, not put myself on a pedestal and try to remain approachable by anybody. I'm just a guy that does this. Yeah. Now, I'm damn good at what I do. Yeah.
40:49
And I care about what I do, but that doesn't make me better than anybody else. I'm no better than the electrician, the plumber- Yeah... uh, you know, the concrete layer, the mason.
40:58
I can't do that stuff, or I probably could, but I wouldn't do a good job. Yeah. You know, I've tried to change out a light fixture and almost blew my arm off. Oh, man. Dude. Yeah.
41:08
[laughs] I get nervous doing that stuff, man. Yeah, well- I'm like, "I'll do... Let's go to the-" Oh, messing with-... serve area and all that stuff... the garage door. That's a big one. Yeah, dude.
41:14
People don't realize, those things are deadly. Yeah. Yeah. And, um, but basically, work with a licensed professional or a credentialed professional or somebody that has a reputation for knowing what they're doing. Yeah.
41:25
And you know, um, me, I'll consult with anybody. I'll meet with anybody. You know, if you walk into a bank, they might say, "Well, you don't have it together. Come back when you do." Yeah.
41:37
And they just send you out the door. Well, that doesn't really help you. No. Right? You're just, you might have 10 more questions than you walked in with, right?
41:44
So what we really try to do is point people in the right direction, give them a little bit of homework, send them back out into the wild, and then when they're ready, come back and we'll help them.
41:54
Or, uh, there are some cases we offer consulting services that people that are kinda there or just really need a lot of direction and, um,
42:03
we do offer consulting services on developing and, and helping people get their, their dream into an actual working goal. 'Cause dreams don't happen, goals do. Yeah. Yeah. Dreams live in that cartoon bubble up there.
42:16
Exactly. And I think when people start looking at what the process is- Mm-hmm... it's like, "Oh, shit, man, that's-" Yeah... like, I mean, permits. What permits do I need to pull? Yeah. Like, how hard is that gonna be?
42:26
Yeah. Is it, you know, the city gonna be willing to work with me? Yeah. Or are they gonna just tell me to go, you know, get lost? So- Well, you never know. Yeah. Unless you try. Yeah. You know? Um, and,
42:37
you know, sometimes you have an idea. You do some research. You realize, "You know what? Maybe that's not the best idea." Yeah. On to the next, you know? Yeah. Um,
42:46
my friends I grew up with, they probably got tired of all of my ideas over time. [laughs] Oh, yeah. You know? Yeah. So I stopped telling them. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's like, I'll keep it to myself- Yeah...
42:54
for my, my professional circle. But, um, you know, I, I love working with small business owners. I love working with first time home buyers. You know, these big projects are fun. Yeah. But I, I, I love to be able to help
43:10
people achieve their goals, achieve their dreams, turn things into reality, and, you know, enrich our communities while doing it, while helping them provide for their family as well. Yeah. Yeah. You know? Um-
43:26
Even the big projects, these people started somewhere. Yeah. No, I'm, I mean, that's the thing. Uh,
43:31
you know, I, I think that's the thing, especially working in real estate is like, you know, sometimes people don't know where to start. Yeah. And it's trying to educate them on s- the starting process.
43:40
And I always say like, "Dude, the, the, the top of the funnel or the, the starting game starts with trying to find a lender that's gonna- Yeah... get you pre-approved."
43:50
I mean- Um, you know, you can come to me all day long. Mm-hmm. We can talk houses, but at the end of the day, dude, you gotta go to a lender first, you know. So- And you might get 20 nos before you get a yes. Yeah.
44:00
But if it was easy, everybody would do it. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. My job is to make it easy so everybody- Exactly... can do it. But- Exactly... you know, um, yeah.
44:09
And, and, you know, when it comes to commercial stuff, there's no, there's not much that's written standardized. Like, like with, with residential mortgages, government tells you, "These are the guidelines." Yeah.
44:20
These, those are guidelines. "Here's what you gotta do." Yeah, yeah. Right? Um, commercial, not so much, but there are industry standards. Yeah. And we know all of that stuff.
44:29
And, um, there's creative lenders coming up all the time that try to f- make the barriers of entry easier while not overexposing themselves from a risk base, you know? Gotcha.
44:41
Um, I, you know, one of the things I'm gonna be working on is building my own fund, 'cause I see projects all the time that don't fit in any lender's box for whatever reason. Yeah.
44:52
Maybe it's the type of property, the location, whatever. And I'm like, "Man, if I had the money, I'd fund that." Yeah. You know?
44:58
So we're gonna build a fund specific to some of these outside of the box projects, so we can help them turn into realities. That, you know, that's no- not an immediate goal, but that's something we wanna work towards.
45:08
Well, talk more on that, man, 'cause I'm- Yeah... I'm, I'm sure, you know, there's some outside- Yeah... the box thinking and- I mean, the idea is that I probably analyze 50 or more businesses a week. Yeah.
45:20
Financials, business plans, all of that. And I'm basically underwriting these deals before I even send it to a lender.
45:27
Then we have tech stack on the back end, uh, that checks our work and makes sure that we didn't miss something, right? Mm-hmm. And, um, you know, the idea is build a fund
45:40
u- leveraging my status, my experience, and my team. You know, let's say s- somebody's got a lot of money and they wanna invest, and they wanna invest in helping small businesses. Yeah. Well, great.
45:51
Let's take your money. We're the vehicle. We'll make sure that you, you know, you get some reward on your end, and we'll help these people on that end while doing it. Yeah.
45:59
And there's a few different channels we can do that. We could build like a private REIT. Um, you know, we can work with a pool of, you know, wealthy investors or investment firms. So there's a lot of different channels.
46:10
That's a, that's a whole different mountain to climb. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And a whole different ballgame, but- [laughs]...
46:16
you know, it's, it's there, and I think that's one of the biggest things that, you know, if you have the dreams of, you know, developing- Yeah... um, like the first step is getting in touch with a guy like you. Yeah.
46:28
You know? Well, you know, uh, let's just, let's look at a... Let's say you wanna build a house. Yeah. Right? Not for you. You wanna build a house as a developer, and you wanna sell it, right?
46:38
The real barrier of entry for most people is lenders want some experience. Mm. They wanna make sure you're not practicing on their dime. Yeah. Right? And that stops a lot of people.
46:48
Yet, you could either, one, do it yourself. There are lenders that will do it, but they're gonna charge you a lot. Mm-hmm. The terms, the rates are not gonna be pretty.
46:54
So I always just say you kinda gotta take it on the chin on the first few. Gotcha. Right? Now,
47:00
as I've worked through this industry and, and gained quite a bit of experience, I'm like, "Well, maybe that's not the only route." I've got this builder over here who's got great experience.
47:09
I've got this builder, this contractor who has no building experience, like on title, but has the know-how. Yeah. Why don't we put them together? They're a good fit. He comes in as an advisor.
47:20
We use his resume and history of building, and he does the, the work, right? And they work out some kind of a deal, like a 20% equity on that project or however you wanna- Oh, so it's kind of like in- investing, man.
47:32
Yeah. Basically, "Hey, I'm gonna give you 20% of equity into this project. I need you to be on this loan with me. I need you to use your, your resume as a developer builder, and, uh, just be the advisor." Yeah.
47:46
"If I got a question, you know, come help me out. Maybe k- kick some dirt around once a month on, on the site, and that's it. And or just sit in your air conditioning unit and answer the phone when I call." Yeah.
47:56
You know? And, and, um, and then once we complete the project, I'm gonna pay you out X amount of dollars, right? Gotcha.
48:02
And then after a few of those, well, now you got the experience and you're giving up some money for sure, but you're s- you could potentially saving your butt everything. Yeah. Right?
48:12
'Cause things go sideways, next thing you know, you're bankrupt, right? Yeah. So there's a lot of value into that, and we've, we've seen a lot of success on that end. And one of the things I've actually been doing myself
48:23
is co-investing on some of these projects. "Okay, hey, I like your project. You're shy a little bit of money.
48:29
Tell you what, I'll do this loan at cost," or I'm sorry, "I'll do this loan at no cost for a small percentage of equity in this project, 'cause I believe in it and I wanna get it done.
48:39
And what I'll do is I'll be your financial revenue advisor on this project specifically." Uh, for the record, I'm not a licensed financial advisor. I just mean specific to the project. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
48:49
Um, I'll get us the best terms, all that good stuff. And by the way, my commissions you're not gonna have to pay, so that saves you X amount of dollars as well. Gotcha.
48:57
Um, so we do, uh, we're, we do some creative partnerships like that as well. So I mean, can anybody partner or is it just something like, you know, specific- Um, I mean, there's a bit of a vetting process, right? Gotcha.
49:07
Um, you gotta have some value, right? And that could be value with, "Hey, I'm bringing money to the table." Yeah. Or, "I'm a contractor and I've got experience, and I can do this work."
49:18
Or maybe it's a realtor, "Hey, I'm, I'm a, I'm a realtor. I can do the listing and this and that at, you know, cost." Um, but definitely wanna see, you know, somebody that has it-
49:28
At least their personal financials together to certain degree, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, you know, if, if you've got 500 credit, I'm not gonna partner with you probably, right? Yeah, [laughs] probably.
49:39
Um, but- Probably not, man. But- And no, no judgment. Things happen. No, it is. I mean, no, it is. It's- If we're talking me and my, my family's money- Yeah, yeah... I'm gonna, I'm gonna protect it, right? Yeah.
49:47
I mean, I get it. Like- [laughs]... I mean, everybody's been there, you know? Yeah. It's always, "Look, oh man, gotta raise my credit score up," you know? Yeah. [laughs] Um, but it's just one of those things.
49:56
And I know, man, for me personally, trying to keep going around, like I've, I've, I've flipped some h- or, uh, some houses and, and then I was trying to get into the, uh, the investment game of- Yeah...
50:08
of like trying to really get involved in flipping. Yeah. But, you know, going through it, they, man, they want like 20% down on some deals. Mm-hmm. Sometimes they want 10%. Yeah.
50:17
Um, and then, yeah, I mean, they, they do check your credit score, but you know, it gots to be definitely not in 500s. Right, right. It needs to be up in the sixes. [laughs] Yeah. I mean- You know?...
50:26
I do a lot of fix and flip loans in, in Texas. You know, there's, the secret weapon for fix and flip and, and just residential investors are DSCR loans. Yeah. Right? When, uh... Let's see here. I'll just talk about it.
50:38
This, this pertains to commercial or, or residential. Imagine a property. This is the roof. Yeah. This is the property. Three, something has to hold this roof up. In a residential, you got three pillars. You got credit,
50:49
income and employment, and assets, cash, money in the bank, right? Gotcha.
50:54
With DSCR loans, the difference is still got credit, still got assets, but this third one, all they care about is the market rents that that property could turn, and that's the income numbers.
51:04
We don't look at tax returns or nothing on those loans. And commercial's very similar in that regard, too. Mm-hmm. Um, thing that's tough in Texas on those loans is they look at the full monthly payment of the mortgage.
51:15
Texas has pretty high property taxes. These states get their money somewhere. Texas gets it from property taxes, right? You go to Colorado, register your car, costs three times more. You're like, "What?"
51:26
Well, that's where Colorado's getting their [laughs] money from- Yeah... right? Yeah. And their property taxes are lower. So, um, Texas makes it a little more challenging, but there's still great opportunity here.
51:35
I mean, um, you know, I love working investment. In, in fact, we advertise. We do residential, investment, commercial.
51:44
The investment loan programs are really either residential or commercial, but I put that in its own lane because it's a different knowledge base, different experience level, different loan programs, different clientele.
51:56
Yeah. So we, we truly are a turnkey operation. Perfect life cycle with a client for me, I meet them when they're fresh out of college. They wanna buy their first home. They realize it's not their forever home.
52:07
They're really buying a, a retirement plan or investment property. Yeah. On that note, when you buy your first home, most people don't realize they're investing in real estate, right? That is a retirement plan, right?
52:22
It doesn't look like a piece of paper like a 401[k] does, but it performs much like it. Yeah. Right? The appreciation of residential properties kind of pretty, pretty s- pretty spot on with the S&P 500, right?
52:37
The difference is you can live in a house. You can't live in a 401[k]. Exactly. So perfect life cycle for me would be somebody fresh out of college. Uh, they've started their job.
52:45
They've saved up some money 'cause they haven't had to pay rent or anything. They buy their first home realizing it's not there forever, right? They live there for a few years. They're like, "Hey, I wanna upgrade.
52:54
My job, I got promoted. I'm making more money. I wanna get a nicer house. Maybe I met a nice lady-" Yeah... "and we wanna have a family." Yeah, yeah. Or a man or whatever, right? Yeah. And, uh, okay, great.
53:03
Well, why don't you hold onto that property as an investment? We'll buy you, you know, help you buy a new one, right? Now you have somebody paying your mortgage for you over here.
53:11
While that's gaining value, you're living your happy, healthy life here. You're like, "Hey, I kinda see where this is going. I wanna buy another investment property." Great. Now you got two. You got your primary home.
53:21
Life's looking good. You've built a nice little net worth for yourself. You're being smart with your money. Um, you're working hard. May not have a lot to show for it because you're investing, right, at that time.
53:33
And then you're like, "You know what? Let's get another one." Now you got three investment properties, right? Mm-hmm. You know, people paying your mortgage. You're gaining value. You're gaining wealth.
53:40
You don't really see it, but it's there. And then you're like, "Wow, you know what? I wanna, I wanna invest in commercial," right? Great. Let's sell off one of these investment properties, cash out. Yeah. Personally.
53:51
You've had somebody paying that mortgage. You only owe 150,000 on it. It's worth 400,000 now. Now you got a quarter million dollars in the bank. You gotta do something with it, right? Mm-hmm.
54:00
Let's put that in investment or a commercial property, right? And then just strategically help people build, right? Now, when you think about that, nothing about that is transactional. Yeah. Right?
54:13
I don't look at my clients, say, "Ooh, I'm gonna make a bunch of money off this transaction." Yeah. It's all about the relationship. Some of the best things I can do for my clients is tell them, "That's a bad deal.
54:23
You should walk away." But again, I don't get paid unless the deal closes. Gotcha. So that makes me zero dollars that day. But it's the right way to do business.
54:32
It builds trust, and it lets people know like, hey, he's not just here for a commission check. He's here to advise us. Mm-hmm. That's the difference between an order taker and an advisor. Order takers collect commission.
54:42
Advisors build a business. Yeah. Right? That's, that's sustainable and successful. Yeah. But yeah. I mean, I, I talk about this stuff all day.
54:52
Man, that's interesting 'cause like, ah, man, you got my, my, my head spinning on a lot of that, dude.
54:57
[laughs] 'Cause like, you know, like I said, I, I've done residential, and I mean, I've, I've flipped some and made some good money off of- Mm... some of them. But it's like, man, you know, trying to go like...
55:09
Me and my wife did all the, uh, contracting out, you know? Yep. And bring in the bids, get everything done, and it, it, dude, like I just got done with one, and it's been a lot of work. Yeah. And it wears you out, man.
55:23
My, my fix and flip clients, after we've done a few transactions, I sit them down. I'm like, "Hey, man, what are your goals?" Yeah. 'Cause, 'cause I see them working. That's a lot of work. Oh, it's a ton of work, man.
55:33
It's like, well, what are your goals? 'Cause what I'm seeing is y- you're turning over dollars to pick up pennies. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. But, but like, I'm not saying don't...
55:42
If you, if you're handy and you can do this stuff, yeah, there's value. You can save money and make money doing that, right? But maybe fix and flip one and hold onto one. Yeah. Right? And then build, right?
55:53
Because that hedges against market, ish market, you know. 'Cause if you buy, buy fix and flips and the market tanks and there's no buyers- Yeah... you're gonna sit there and bleed money. Exactly. Right?
56:06
And it's like- So we do a lot of strategies like that. Yeah. So I'm throwing this out there too, uh, everybody tuning in, if, if you want some hot tips on some great areas to invest, you have to reach out to me.
56:17
[laughs] There you go. [laughs] There you go. I'll, I'll probably be reaching out to you, man. Oh, yeah. 'Cause, uh, yeah, dude, like, I... Man. If you, if you reach out to me, I'll tell you.
56:24
If I had, and I don't, but if I had $5 million sitting in the bank today and I'm like, "Where should I put this?" Yeah. Reach out to me, I'll tell you where. [laughs] Yeah. There you go. There you go.
56:35
Um, what's the lowest entry point, man? Um- So- So, I mean, especially if some...
56:40
Like, man, what you got my mind spending, spending is like, man, I'm almost thinking forget about residential, like, and trying to do- Yeah... flips, man. Where can I ma- Like, I, I've made money.
56:53
Where can I put some of this in- Yeah... to the commercial side to be able to make more money out of that? So if you came to me like that, first thing I would ask you is, "Do you have a financial advisor?"
57:02
Do I- Like a licensed financial advisor. No, I do not. Perfect. [laughs] And say, I wanna bring in my buddy Sammy Sellick- Yeah... into this conversation. Because here's the deal.
57:12
Somebody that has their best interest in mind is gonna tell you to put all that money in a area where they get paid. Yeah. So if I said, "You should put it all in real estate-" Yeah... that means I'm looking out for me.
57:22
Exactly. Not for you. If I bring in a financial advisor, "Hey, he's got X amount of dollars to work with.
57:27
I'm thinking he should put this much into real estate, and then put the rest with you, kind of like a hedge investment to make sure he's well-rounded. What do you think?"
57:35
Now we're working as a financial advising team for you. You have a team of advisors building you wealth, right? So that's the first thing.
57:43
I would, I would say let's, you know, if it's a sizable amount of money, I'd say let's, let's bring in a financial advisor and work together as a team. That's where a lot of people go wrong. Yeah. Because
57:54
if you get a financial advisor,
57:57
an insurance agent, a CPA, and a, a real estate funder or, or, you know, somebody in real estate in the same room and you ask them the same question, you're gonna get four different answers.
58:08
Nobody's wrong within their scope. Yeah. But they're only giving you the answer they can based on what they know and what they can offer, right? If you get a financial advisor, a real estate guy,
58:19
uh, or, or gal, and, you know, a insurance agent, which financial advisors are typically insurance agents. Yeah. And I say insurance for, like, life insurance policies, right?
58:28
But if you get a, a real estate guy and a financial advisor in the same room and you have the conversation together, you're gonna come out with a well-developed plan that makes sense.
58:38
So all that being said, I would say, you know, multifamily's a great opportunity, right? Okay. It's a lower risk. There's a shortage of them, so developing multifamily is kind of a good- Yeah... good move right now.
58:50
It's one thing that we were kinda looking into, like- Yeah... multifamily. But 'cause, I mean, I was looking at the single home rentals, but man, it just doesn't make... Like the- I mean-... math don't math, man.
59:00
I just- I mean- We have a rental in Leander. Yeah. Uh, our, our tenant didn't give us proper notice and we happened to be traveling when they left. Yeah. I was... I just dropped $6,000- Yeah...
59:11
this r- last week to get the house where it needs to be. And, um, you know, it adds value to the home. Mm. So it's not lost money, but it's just like, oh, wow, okay. Right? But that's one tenant. Yeah. Right? If you...
59:27
You know, there's syndications, things like that where you, your money can go further. Think about it like this. You know, let's talk about businesses for a second, right? You look at
59:38
some of the best businesses are not sexy. Yeah. Oh, um, yeah. Yeah. Exactly, yeah. Self-storage. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Wildly popular. Think about it. Very low overhead. Mm. The development cost is not crazy.
59:50
It's pretty reasonable. And you've got 40 tenants. Oh, yeah. If 10 of them don't pay, you're not filing for bankruptcy. Pe- people gotta have their junk, man. They gotta have their junk. Me too, man. So- I got one.
1:00:01
[laughs] Yeah. Those are great businesses, right? Yeah, yeah. Um, laundry mats. Okay. Yeah. Those are, those are great businesses too. Um, and guess what? SBA will fund all of those- Really?... or those two.
1:00:13
Um, we get a lot of creative stuff, you know, co-living. Uh, those are tough. Sometimes they get a little gimmicky, and if they're too gimmicky, you're not gonna find funding for it. Yeah.
1:00:24
I'm s- not saying you can't do it. You just gotta pay out of pocket, right? Yeah. So, you know, my, my thing is finding creative ways without trying to find loopholes. Yeah. Right? Loopholes are loopholes, right?
1:00:39
If, i- if... You know, there's a reason people don't do it [laughs] sometimes, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. But, um, there's always a risk and reward for anything, you know?
1:00:49
Um, in Texas, you have, technically owner financing is, is not legal, but what they do is called owner wrap, right? Mm-hmm.
1:00:57
Well, you can do that, and you know, we're not gonna get into the, the nerdy specifics of it, but if the lender finds out about it, they could call your mortgage note due. Mm-hmm. Right?
1:01:06
Which means, "Hey, we found out you changed the deed on the loan that we did, and we don't like that. You gotta pay off this $200,000 balance that you owe." Oh, man, dude. Right? That's- So there's always a risk. Yeah.
1:01:19
Now, are th- is that bank gonna do that? As long as they're getting their money, who knows? Yeah. Right? But it's a risk and you need to be aware of it, right?
1:01:26
But there's all kinds of cool stuff going on, and I like to really get creative. I'm, I'm a solutions guy, right? I wanna be the guy that finds the solution, solves the problem. Little obsessive about it.
1:01:38
It's a blessing for my clients. Kind of a curse for me and my wife, but, you know. [laughs] Yeah. That, that's the stuff that keeps me up at night.
1:01:44
When nobody else can figure out how to make something work, and I, and I think I can- Yeah... I love it. That's what I do it for. You know, helping people out,
1:01:52
helping people be successful or develop wealth or solve their problem, that's, that's, that's the reward for me. Paychecks are nice, too, but- Yeah. Yeah... if I do those things, the paychecks follow. Exactly. Exactly.
1:02:04
Well, Gene, man, it's been great having you- Oh, yeah... on the show, man. Th- um, there's probably so much stuff we can sit down and talk about.
1:02:10
[laughs] Um, maybe we'll, we'll sit down and, and, and plan something else later on, uh, down the road. Yeah, man. It'll be- So-... anytime... um, but I appreciate you coming on, so. Thanks for having me, Josh.
1:02:19
All right, man. Appreciate you, bud. Thanks for joining us on the Wilco Texas Insider Podcast.
1:02:25
If you enjoyed today's conversation, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who cares about Williamson County.
1:02:33
Follow Wilco Texas Insider on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts for more local news, stories, and conversations. Until next time, I'm Josh Russ.
1:02:47
Thanks for listening, and we'll see you on the next episode. [outro music]
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