Common Denominator with Moshe Popack

Is self-storage one of real estate’s most overlooked investment opportunities?In this episode of Common Denominator, Joe Downs of Belrose Group joins the conversation to reveal how he turned a $1.5 million self-storage property into a $2.8 million sale in less than two years. From identifying undervalued properties and increasing rental revenue to investing in education and taking calculated risks, Joe breaks down what makes self-storage investing different from traditional commercial real estate. Discover why smaller, independently owned storage facilities can offer surprising opportunities, how consumer behavior drives demand, and what investors often overlook in this growing sectorTimestamps00:00 Introduction01:09 Meet Joe Downs of Belrose Group01:59 The $1.5M Self-Storage Investment That Sold for $2.8M05:00 Taking the First Risk in Self-Storage06:57 Reinventing His Business After a Major Setback09:16 Discovering the Self-Storage Opportunity11:40 Why Investing in Education Changed Everything14:31 What Most People Don't Know About Self-Storage16:57 Why Self-Storage Is More Than Just Real Estate19:25 Self-Storage Property Sizes and Cap Rates21:22 How to Increase the Value of a Storage Facility25:06 Self-Storage Profit Margins25:32 Building an Education Business With AI26:54 Finding Profitable Niches Within Niches30:08 How Often Do Customers Visit Their Storage Units?30:42 Joe Downs' Most Successful Self-Storage Deals31:53 Realistic Investment Returns and Timelines32:42 Self-Storage Opportunities in Florida33:24 Why Insurance Is a Challenge in Florida36:49 Why Do We Keep So Much Stuff?38:51 How Consumer Behavior Drives Storage Demand41:20 The Psychology Behind Accumulating Things🌐 Follow Joe Downshttps://www.instagram.com/josephmdowns/🔔 Like this episode? Leave a review here  https://ratethispodcast.com/commondenominator 📧 Newsletter  https://moshepopack.com/newsletter/➡️ Follow Common Denominator Podcasthttps://moshepopack.com/podcast/@mpopackhttps://www.instagram.com/mpopackhttps://www.facebook.com/MoshePopack#SelfStorage #RealEstateInvesting #CommercialRealEstate #Entrepreneurship #CommonDenominator

What will Miami look like in the next decade?Kobi Karp joins Moshe Popack on Common Denominator to explore the transformation of Miami's skyline, the future of luxury real estate, and the decisions shaping South Florida's next generation of development. From historic landmarks and iconic projects like the Surf Club to hurricane-resistant skyscrapers, population growth, and the future of transportation, Kobi shares lessons from nearly four decades working in Miami and around the world.Can Miami keep reinventing itself while preserving what makes it unique?Timestamps 05:00 Meet Kobi Karp06:25 How Kobi Built His Architecture Business08:55 Miami's Next Decade of Development09:20 Demolish or Preserve Old Buildings?10:46 Why Historic Architecture Still Matters12:48 How Miami Has Changed Since the 1990s14:05 Why People Are Moving to Florida17:52 Miami's Infrastructure Challenge19:22 Autonomous Vehicles and Public Transit22:22 The Future of Water Taxis23:27 Can Miami Survive a Major Hurricane?28:42 How Oceanfront Skyscrapers Stay Standing30:11 The Engineering Beneath Miami's Towers34:31 Designing Around the World35:32 The Business Logic Behind Architecture36:21 Finding Value in Overlooked Locations39:22 Why Kobi Looks for Opportunity41:41 The Surf Club Rooftop Pool Story43:27 What Makes a Visionary Developer?46:32 Kobi's Upcoming International Projects🌐 Follow Kobi Karphttps://www.instagram.com/kobikarp/?hl=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kobikarp🔔 Like this episode? Leave a review here  https://ratethispodcast.com/commondenominator 📧 Newsletter  https://moshepopack.com/newsletter/➡️ Follow Common Denominator Podcasthttps://moshepopack.com/podcast/@mpopackhttps://www.instagram.com/mpopackhttps://www.facebook.com/MoshePopack#KobiKarp #MiamiRealEstate #MiamiArchitecture #CommonDenominator

Rod Khleif built an enormous real estate portfolio, owned hundreds of rental homes and thousands of apartment units, and watched his net worth grow by $17 million in a single year. Then 2008 happened and he says he lost roughly $50 million.In this episode, I sit down with Rod to talk about what actually went wrong, the mistakes he made managing hundreds of single-family rentals, and the lessons that changed the way he thinks about multifamily real estate, leverage, risk, and failure. Rod shares how he rebuilt after losing nearly everything, why he believes mindset and psychology play such an important role in success, and the steps he used to start moving forward again.We also talk about today’s real estate market, including higher interest rates, distressed multifamily operators, falling rents in some markets, senior housing opportunities, and why Rod believes investors need to be more conservative with their underwriting. What I appreciated most about this conversation is that Rod doesn’t pretend experienced investors are immune to mistakes. Even after decades in real estate, he shares a current multifamily investment that is struggling and what he’s doing about it.Timestamps00:00 Rod Khleif’s Immigrant Story01:16 How Rod Discovered Real Estate02:35 Making $100K at 2103:20 Losing $50 Million in 200804:55 Why Your Environment Matters06:06 Mindset, Goals and Visualization08:34 Why Focus Is a Competitive Advantage10:21 Buying His First Rental Properties12:16 How 800 Houses Helped Wipe Him Out14:45 Why Rod Chose Multifamily15:37 Turning Failure Into a “Seminar”17:16 How He Rebuilt After Losing Everything21:06 Play to Your Strengths22:20 Building a Real Estate Education Business23:47 Dealing With Online Hate24:20 Why Success Didn’t Make Him Happy27:00 Achievement vs. Fulfillment29:15 Rod’s Best Investment30:27 Why Goal Setting Matters32:15 Why Rod Prefers Multifamily33:45 The Senior Housing Opportunity36:24 Buying Senior Housing Below Replacement Cost37:29 Why Rod Says Now Is the Time to Buy37:30 The Multifamily Debt Problem37:35 Rod’s Struggling 296-Unit Deal37:50 What to Do When a Deal Goes Wrong🌐 Follow Rod Khleifhttps://www.youtube.com/RodKhleifhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/rodkhleifhttps://www.instagram.com/rod_khleif/?hl=en🔔 Like this episode? Leave a review here  https://ratethispodcast.com/commondenominator 📧 Newsletter  https://moshepopack.com/newsletter/➡️ Follow Common Denominator Podcasthttps://moshepopack.com/podcast/@mpopackhttps://www.instagram.com/mpopackhttps://www.facebook.com/MoshePopack#RodKhleif #RealEstateInvesting #Multifamily #RealEstate #MultifamilyInvesting #CommercialRealEstate #Investing #MoshePopack #CommonDenominator

Florida insurance has become one of the biggest conversations for property owners, homeowners, developers, and investors and understanding why prices move requires looking deeper than the premium on your policy.In this episode, I sit down with Brian and Paul Remer of Remer Insurance to talk about what’s happening inside Florida’s insurance market, from recent property insurance pricing changes to the role of carriers, brokers, and reinsurance companies.We talk about how the insurance supply chain actually works, why reinsurance can have such a significant impact on pricing, how hurricane risk affects the market, and why different types of coverage can move in completely different directions. We also explore emerging insurance risks around industries like cannabis and data centers, where a single failure can create enormous downstream liability.Beyond insurance, Brian and Paul share what they’ve learned working together as brothers in a family business approaching 50 years, including the values their father instilled in them about relationships, quality control, and never believing a job is beneath you.If you own real estate, operate a business, or simply want to better understand where your insurance premium actually goes, this conversation provides a look inside an industry most people only think about when something goes wrong.Timestamps 00:00 Working With Your Brother02:24 Joining the Family Business03:21 Building a Business Across Generations05:39 Different Skills, One Family Business06:59 Why Relationships Matter in Insurance08:43 What’s Happening With Florida Insurance?09:14 Why Insurance Prices Are Changing11:11 How the Insurance Supply Chain Works13:12 Florida’s Insurance Backstop14:24 Are Florida Property Insurance Prices Coming Down?16:10 How Reinsurance Affects Pricing17:15 Insuring the Cannabis Industry18:31 The Insurance Risk Behind Data Centers20:10 The Most Unique Risks They Insure21:17 The Hardest Moment in Their Family Business22:00 Lessons From Their Father22:05 How to Connect With Remer Insurance Like this episode? Leave a review here  https://ratethispodcast.com/commondenominator  Newsletter  https://moshepopack.com/newsletter/ Follow Common Denominator Podcasthttps://moshepopack.com/podcast/@mpopackhttps://www.instagram.com/mpopackhttps://www.facebook.com/MoshePopack#FloridaInsurance #PropertyInsurance #FloridaRealEstate

Florida has experienced extraordinary growth over the last several years. People moved here. Businesses moved here. Capital moved here. But success creates its own challenges.In this episode, I share my perspective on what Florida needs to think about as it enters its next chapter. The question isn’t simply how we keep growing—it’s how we grow well.Housing affordability, property insurance, infrastructure, development, and economic growth are all connected. If we want to continue attracting businesses and creating jobs, we also have to ask whether teachers, nurses, police officers, young professionals, and families can actually afford to live in the communities they help support.I also talk about why housing affordability is more complicated than simply saying rents should be cheaper, how the rising costs of land, construction, insurance, financing, and operations ultimately affect housing, and why infrastructure has to keep pace with development.I’m incredibly optimistic about Florida. But being optimistic doesn’t mean ignoring the challenges. We spent years asking how to get people and businesses to come here. It worked. Now the question is: how do we make sure they can stay?Timestamps:00:10 Florida’s Next Chapter01:05 How Do We Grow Well?02:05 The Real Cost of Housing Affordability03:25 Why Florida Insurance Matters04:35 Housing Affects Everything05:40 Growth Needs Infrastructure06:35 How Florida Should Plan for Growth07:20 What Happens If Growth Slows?08:20 Planning for the Downside09:25 Protecting Florida’s Entrepreneurial Environment10:20 Growth and Quality of Life Are Connected11:30 Florida’s Biggest Challenge12:35 Can Florida Stay Affordable? Like this episode? Leave a review here  https://ratethispodcast.com/commondenominator  Newsletter  https://moshepopack.com/newsletter/ Follow Common Denominator Podcasthttps://moshepopack.com/podcast/@mpopackhttps://www.instagram.com/mpopackhttps://www.facebook.com/

The pandemic fundamentally changed how people work, and some office buildings were hit hard. But in South Florida, we’re seeing a very different story depending on the property, location, quality, and economics of the deal.In this video, I share how I think about office real estate and why I never want a headline to make an investment decision for me. Two office buildings can be just a few miles apart and have completely different occupancy, rents, operating costs, and investment potential.I also talk about the flight to quality happening in commercial real estate, what I look for in properties that may need repositioning, and why contrarian investing doesn’t mean automatically betting against the crowd.Whether you’re evaluating office, multifamily, or another real estate investment, the same principle applies: look at the asset, the market, the price, the debt, and the numbers before you believe the narrative.Timestamps 00:10 Why Everyone Said Office Was Dead00:56 South Florida Is Telling a Different Story01:30 Office Wasn’t Dead, Certain Office Was02:05 Why You Can’t Invest Based on Headlines03:15 The Flight to Quality in Office Real Estate04:10 Finding Opportunity in Imperfect Buildings05:15 What Contrarian Investing Really Means06:15 Why South Florida Has Changed07:10 The Mistake of Assuming Growth Will Continue07:50 A Great Building Can Be a Bad Investment08:35 Look at the Numbers, Not the NarrativeLike this episode? Leave a review here https://ratethispodcast.com/commondenominator Newsletter https://moshepopack.com/newsletter/ Follow Common Denominator Podcasthttps://moshepopack.com/podcast/@mpopackhttps://www.instagram.com/mpopackhttps://www.facebook.com/MoshePopack

If you put a multifamily deal in front of me today, I’m not going to start with the pool, the gym, or the lobby. I want to know who lives there, what they can actually afford, what they’re paying today, what else is being built nearby, and most importantly, what I’m paying for the property. There’s a tremendous amount of multifamily development happening across Miami and South Florida. I’m a big believer in this market, but being bullish on Miami doesn’t mean every apartment deal makes sense.In this video, I talk about some of the questions I ask when evaluating a multifamily investment, from local supply and tenant affordability to rents, competition, and purchase price. Demand for housing and demand for your specific apartment at your specific rent are two very different things. A great apartment building can be a bad buy, and an imperfect apartment building can be a great buy. The difference is usually in the numbers.Timestamps 00:55 How I Evaluate a Multifamily Deal01:20 Good Building vs. Good Investment01:35 Miami’s Multifamily Construction Boom02:00 Why Not Every Miami Deal Makes Sense02:35 Housing Demand vs. Your Demand03:20 The $4,000 Rent Test04:15 Where Good Underwriting Starts Like this episode? Leave a review here  https://ratethispodcast.com/commondenominator Newsletter  https://moshepopack.com/newsletter/Follow Common Denominator Podcasthttps://moshepopack.com/podcast/@mpopackhttps://www.instagram.com/mpopackhttps://www.facebook.com/MoshePopack

A few weeks ago, we closed a $30 million refinance on Park Towers, a 210-unit multifamily property in Miami that we’ve owned since 2012. We secured long-term, fixed-rate financing at 6.09% in a lending environment that many people still describe as difficult.But I think saying “banks aren’t lending” misses the bigger picture. Capital is available. The real questions are who can access it, which deals are getting financed, and whether the debt being used actually makes the investment stronger.In this video, I talk about how I approach leverage, interest rates, cash flow, refinancing risk, and margin for error when evaluating real estate investments. A great property can still become a bad investment if its capital structure can’t survive when rates rise, occupancy falls, insurance costs increase, or refinancing becomes harder.I also share my perspective on why investors shouldn’t depend on interest rates falling for a deal to work, how a more difficult financing environment can create better buying opportunities, and what more than a decade of owning and operating Park Towers has taught me about long-term value creation.The goal isn’t to predict every market cycle correctly. It’s to structure your investments so they can survive when one of your assumptions is wrong.Timestamps 00:10 The $30M Park Towers Refinance01:03 Are Banks Actually Lending?01:35 How Bad Debt Can Ruin a Good Deal03:00 Why Leverage Works Both Ways03:20 Can Your Investment Survive?04:15 Why Spreadsheets Can Mislead Investors05:51 Building for a Margin of Error06:15 Why Easy Money Can Be Dangerous06:40 How Difficult Markets Create Buying Opportunities07:50 The Long Game Behind Park Towers08:40 Why Durability Matters More Than Speed09:10 Stop Waiting for Interest Rates to Fall10:15 How to Survive Real Estate Cycles10:55 Using Debt to Make Good Deals StrongerSubscribe to the Channel Newsletter  https://moshepopack.com/newsletter/Follow Moshe Popackhttps://moshepopack.com/podcast/@mpopackhttps://www.instagram.com/mpopackhttps://www.facebook.com/MoshePopack

Israeli activist and filmmaker Rudy Rochman joins Moshe Popack on Common Denominator for a wide-ranging conversation about Jewish identity, purpose, faith, communication, and the next chapter of Jewish history. Rudy explains why he prefers the word “activist” over “advocate,” arguing that meaningful change requires more than supporting a cause; it requires becoming an active participant in creating a new reality.He and Moshe explore how people can discover what they are here to do, why challenges can strengthen rather than derail a mission, and how conviction allows someone to continue even when they face criticism, division, or resistance.Rudy also shares his vision for reconnecting the dispersed tribes of Israel and explains why he believes the Jewish people cannot fulfill their collective purpose without recovering a shared mission.Timestamps2:06 Welcome 2:10 Activist vs. advocate: what's the real difference3:23 The individual and collective mission of the Jewish people5:32 What people get most wrong about him8:02 Growing up between France, Israel, and Miami11:39 Meaning, purpose, and the Kabbalah of chosen challenges13:58 Why people quit their mission, and how to keep going16:30 The neo-Nazi bus driver story that changed his life20:09 Reacting vs. observing: Moshe on Viktor Frankl21:14 How to actually communicate with people who disagree with you24:38 Kidnapped for three weeks filming the lost tribes of Israel in Nigeria31:25 Facing captivity and never losing faith he'd make it out33:53 Moshe on faith, his 11 kids, and Jensen Huang on suffering35:17 What reuniting the tribes of Israel could look like in 20 years38:02 Oneness, and Moshe's grandfather's deathbed lesson41:57 The common denominator of people who achieve great things44:49 Why the most public people are often the most introverted45:56 Rapid fire round46:58 The biggest obstacle to reuniting the tribes of Israel Like this episode? Leave a review here  https://ratethispodcast.com/commondenominator Newsletter  https://moshepopack.com/newsletter/Follow Common Denominator Podcasthttps://moshepopack.com/podcast/@mpopackhttps://www.instagram.com/mpopackhttps://www.facebook.com/MoshePopackFollow Rudy Rochmanhttps://www.instagram.com/rudy_israel/?hl=enhttps://www.tiktok.com/@rudyrochmanhttps://www.youtube.com/rudyrochman

AI is everywhere right now, in our news feeds, our workplaces, and increasingly, our investment portfolios. But a real debate has started among investors and analysts, and it's not about whether AI is real. It's about whether the economics behind it are as strong as everyone believes.In this episode, I break down the circular nature of AI investment, where the same companies funding AI startups are also the ones profiting from their cloud spending, and why that arrangement raises real questions about how much of this growth is coming from genuine customer demand versus investment capital moving through the system. I also look at what history teaches us from the dot-com boom, railroads, and electricity, and why transformational technology doesn't always translate into transformational business valueThis episode explores: Why the same companies funding AI are also the ones profiting from itWhat the dot-com bubble reveals about hype versus real valueThe simple framework I use to evaluate any business, in any industryWhy powerful technology doesn't automatically mean a profitable businessWhat separates companies built to last from companies riding temporary hypeIs AI changing the world? I believe it already is. The real question is which companies are building lasting value, and which ones are just benefiting from the moment.Timestamp00:00 - Is the AI Boom Bigger Than We Think?00:09 - Trillions Are Pouring Into Artificial Intelligence00:22 - AI Revolution or an Economic Bubble?00:49 - Why AI Is Everywhere01:11 - The Debate Investors Can't Ignore01:20 - The Real Question About AI Economics01:33 - Big Tech's AI Investment Cycle Explained02:11 - Why AI Needs Massive Computing Power02:27 - Real Demand vs. Investment-Driven Growth02:53 - Why Excitement and Reality Don't Move Together03:05 - Lessons from the Dot-Com Bubble03:47 - When Optimism Gets Ahead of Reality04:01 - Both Sides of the AI Debate Could Be Right04:32 - Great Technology Doesn't Guarantee Profits05:05 - Customers, Not Investors, Drive Long-Term Success05:23 - A Simple Framework for Evaluating Any Business05:57 - Can AI Really Create Trillions in Value?06:10 - History's Warning About Revolutionary Technologies06:35 - Fundamentals Always Outlast Hype06:43 - Which AI Companies Will Survive?07:11 - When Fundamentals Take Over07:30 - Sustainable Success Is Built on Value08:00 - Thank You for Supporting Common Denominator08:15 - Subscribe for More Conversations Like this episode? Leave a review here  https://ratethispodcast.com/commondenominator Newsletter  https://moshepopack.com/newsletter/ Follow Common Denominator Podcasthttps://moshepopack.com/podcast/@mpopackhttps://www.instagram.com/mpopackhttps://www.facebook.com/MoshePopack#AIInvesting #BusinessMindset #WealthBuilding #Entrepreneur #AIBubble #CommonDenominator