In this episode, Kelsie LPJohnston of Raspberry and Oak Investments joins the Portland REI Meetup to share one of the most jaw-dropping real estate stories you'll hear all year. From growing up around construction in Salem, to escaping China on one of the last flights out before Covid lockdowns hit, to managing a ground-up cottage development as a general contractor while navigating a life-threatening pregnancy — Kelsie breaks down how she built $1.6 million in equity on a deal that cost $2.6 million to build, appraised at $4.25 million, and paid her at the closing table the entire time. She also gets real about ADHD, scaling beyond the GC role, and why she's done doing it all alone.

In this episode, Portland-based real estate syndicator Arie joins the Portland REI Meetup to share how a career in finance, a move from the Bay Area, and a relentless focus on buying well-located properties led him to build a portfolio generating $2 million a year. Ari breaks down why syndicators are taking on too much debt, why bridge debt became the industry's biggest trap, how to know when your market has gone irrational, and what a tech entrepreneur in Santa Clara quietly taught him about long-term wealth building.

In this episode, Portland developer Arthur Ryapolov of August Development joins the Portland REI Meetup to share his raw, unfiltered path from washing dishes at weddings and flipping cars out of his dad's wrecking yard to closing over 250 units and $84 million in real estate across the Pacific Northwest. Arthur breaks down how he scaled from one deal in 2019 to 20 deals in 2020, how he structures creative land deals with seller financing and JV agreements, and the design details — open floor plans, engineered hardwood, 9-foot ceilings — that make his builds sell faster and for more money.