Built For This Show

Andrea and Alissa tackle a topic most real estate investors oversimplify: the difference between maintenance budgets and reserve funds — and why treating them as one bucket can cost you dearly. 
🔑 Key Takeaways
Maintenance Budget = day-to-day repair costs 
Covers small fixes: broken toilet, floor repair, minor plumbing
A starting point of ~10% of monthly rent is common 
Over time, as the property stabilizes, this may drop to 3–5% 
Reserves = long-term capital expenditure fund 
Built to cover big-ticket items: roof replacement (~$12,000), furnace/boiler, HVAC 
Most lenders require reserves when buying apartment buildings 
Recommended: 10% set aside monthly, grown consistently over time 
The Core Distinction: Maintenance covers what breaks today; reserves protect against what will need replacing in 2, 5, or 15 years. 
Real-Life Lesson: A mentee had only a small maintenance bucket with no reserves — 2 years into ownership, the furnace failed and they had to take out a loan to cover the new boiler. 
Fiscal Responsibility Framing: You may not be "making money" the first 5 years — and that's okay, because those funds are building your safety net. 
📊 Tools Mentioned
Spreadsheet tracking mechanical install dates, projected replacement timelines, and separate budget line items 
Free downloadable PDF covering 7 systems for a real estate investment business 
📚 Resources & Next Steps
Real Estate Investor Intensive – 8-week course 
📧 Contact: teams@ownyourincome.co 

In this episode, Andrea and Alissa break down a topic that's near and dear to every real estate investor's heart: the difference between asset management and property management and why understanding both is critical to protecting your investment. 
🔑 Key Takeaways
Property Management = day-to-day operations 
Tenant satisfaction, complaints, lease compliance
Reactive: fix what's broken, keep it livable 
Asset Management = strategic, long-term protection 
Tracking when mechanicals were installed (HVAC, water heater, roof) 
Proactively planning replacements before failures occur 
Annual walkthroughs: start from the top (attic) and work down 
The Real Cost of Reactivity: A broken water heater can flood a basement, damaging everything stored there — a lesson learned firsthand early in the investing journey. 
Best Practice: Walk the property with your property manager annually — your eyes are on asset protection, theirs are on day-to-day liability. 
📊 Tools Mentioned
Spreadsheet tracking: square footage, unit details, rent, utility costs, mechanical install dates 
Free downloadable PDF covering 7 systems needed in a real estate investment business  LINK TO DL
📚 Resources & Next Steps
Real Estate Investor Intensive – 8-week course with systems, spreadsheets, and proactive planning tools 
📧 Contact: teams@ownyourincome.co 

From Debris Removal to Real Estate Investing: Building an Unfair Advantage
In this episode of Built For This, Alissa Bickar, The Consultress, sits down with Anthony Forque of A&A Debris Removal to explore how growing up around real estate, working in demolition, and running a service business have shaped his path as a real estate investor.
Anthony’s real estate journey started early. By eighth grade, he was already helping his parents with their first flip doing floors, demolishing cabinets, and learning firsthand what it takes to transform a property.
Today, his experience in junk removal and demolition has become more than just a business. It has given him an unfair advantage as an investor: the ability to walk into properties and recognize problems, renovation needs, and potential issues that other investors may overlook.
From century-old buildings and hidden structural problems to a major addition project that required lifting a house and digging out its foundation by hand, Anthony shares what he has learned from being on the front lines of real estate renovations.
The conversation also explores his long-term goal of moving beyond single-family flips and building a portfolio of larger multifamily properties while still staying active in the field.
In This Episode
How Anthony got introduced to real estate at a young age
What working alongside his parents taught him about flipping houses
Why entrepreneurship and independence attracted him to real estate
How demolition and debris removal became his real estate “unfair advantage”
The hidden problems investors can discover during renovations
Why understanding renovation costs can make or break a deal
Anthony's experience with a challenging add-a-level project
Lifting a house and digging out a complex foundation by hand
Why having the right team can make difficult deals possible
Anthony's vision for investing in 10–12+ unit apartment buildings
The difference between being active and being “passive” in real estate
Building real estate income alongside an active business
Why Anthony doesn't see himself ever completely stepping away from the field
How investors can connect with A&A Debris Removal
Key Takeaway
Your existing experience can become your biggest advantage in real estate.
Anthony didn't enter investing with only a desire to own properties. He brought years of hands-on experience from demolition and debris removal. That experience allows him to see behind the walls, recognize potential problems, understand what needs to be removed or repaired, and approach renovation projects with a perspective many investors don't have.
The bigger lesson? Don't overlook the skills and experience you already possess. Your current business, career, or life experience may be the exact advantage that helps you build your real estate portfolio.
Meet Anthony Forque
Anthony Forque is the owner of A&A Debris Removal and a real estate investor. His hands-on experience in demolition, junk removal, and property renovations has given him a unique perspective on real estate investing.
A&A Debris Removal serves customers throughout parts of New Jersey, Philadelphia, and eastern Pennsylvania, with the ability to travel farther for larger projects.
Connect with Anthony and A&A Debris Removal through:
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
YouTube
About Built For This
Built For This brings you real conversations with people who are actually doing the work building businesses, investing in real estate, creating wealth, and designing lives around who they are and what they know.
Hosted by Alissa Bickar, The Consultress, and Andrea Lane of Own Your Income, the show highlights real people, real deals, real challenges, and the lessons that come from building something of your own.
Whether you're a seasoned investor, aspiring entrepreneur, or simply wondering whether you're “built for” entrepreneurship and real estate, this show brings you stories and insights from the front lines.
Subscribe & Follow
Subscribe to Built For This for more conversations with entrepreneurs and real estate investors who are building businesses, portfolios, and lives on their own terms.
#BuiltForThis #AlissaBickar #AndreaLane #AnthonyForku #TheConsultress #RealEstateInvesting #RealEstateInvestor #RealEstateEntrepreneur #HouseFlipping #FixAndFlip #MultifamilyInvesting #RealEstateEntrepreneurship #PropertyInvesting #RealEstateBusiness #Entrepreneurship #PassiveIncome #CashFlow #WealthBuilding #NewJerseyRealEstate #PhiladelphiaRealEstate #AAndADebrisRemoval

In this episode of Built For This, host Alissa Bickar sits down with long-time real estate investor and mortgage expert Philip Ganz. What began as a necessity-driven purchase at age 21 turned into a decades-long real estate journey spanning multiple markets along the East Coast.
Philip shares how he became an “accidental investor,” the lessons he learned from buying, holding, renovating, and managing properties, and why he believes real estate remains one of the most reliable wealth-building vehicles available. He also discusses the importance of systems, technology, teamwork, and adaptability in today's entrepreneurial landscape.
Whether you're a new investor, an experienced property owner, or an entrepreneur looking to build long-term wealth, this conversation offers practical insights and encouragement to take action.
Key Takeaways
Philip purchased his first property at age 21 as a place to live, unintentionally beginning his real estate investing journey.
Converting former residences into rental properties can be a powerful entry point into real estate investing.
Real estate rewards patience; property values tend to appreciate over time despite short-term market fluctuations.
Successful investors focus on long-term outcomes rather than temporary setbacks.
Building a strong team is critical for sustainable growth and success.
Systems and education can dramatically reduce costly mistakes.
Technology has made entrepreneurship and real estate investing more accessible than ever before.
Today's investors have access to tools and resources that did not exist even a decade ago.
Delegation and leveraging technology can help entrepreneurs reclaim time and increase efficiency.
The best time to start pursuing entrepreneurial opportunities is now.
Notable Quotes
“Everything looks like a good deal over time.”
“The teamwork always outperforms individuals, so you've got to find good teammates.”
“You're going to pay for education either way. It's better to get that education from a system.”
“It's easier to win today than at any point in history.”
“The best day is actually today.”
Topics Covered
Accidental beginnings in real estate investing
House hacking and converting primary residences into rentals
Property appreciation and long-term investing
Renovation and value-add strategies
Entrepreneurship and opportunity mindset
Building effective teams
Leveraging systems and technology
Delegation and productivity
Mortgage industry insights
Creating wealth through real estate
About Philip Ganz
Philip Ganz is a seasoned real estate investor and mortgage professional with decades of experience acquiring, renovating, financing, and managing residential properties. Based in Florida, he has owned properties across multiple East Coast markets and helps clients navigate the mortgage process through his company, Next Wave Mortgage.
Connect with Philip Ganz
Website: www.nextwavemortgage.com
Instagram: @askthemortgageexpert
LinkedIn: Philip Ganz / Ask The Mortgage Expert
Final Thought
Real estate investing doesn't always begin with a grand plan. Sometimes it starts with buying the only property you can afford. As Philip's journey demonstrates, consistency, patience, continuous learning, and the willingness to take action can transform a single purchase into a long-term wealth-building strategy.

In this episode, Andrea Lane and Alissa Bickar sit down with real estate wholesaler Luis Guerrero to discuss how a difficult experience in corporate America became the catalyst for his entrepreneurial journey.
After being wrongfully terminated from a corporate job, Luis decided he no longer wanted someone else controlling his income or future. That decision led him into the world of real estate wholesaling, where he built a thriving business across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
Luis shares how his background in sales and communications became his biggest competitive advantage, why building trust is the foundation of successful wholesaling, and how he has generated substantial profits by identifying opportunities and connecting motivated sellers with buyers.
The conversation also explores the differences between wholesaling and long-term rental investing, the importance of owning your income, and Luis's exciting transition into property ownership with the purchase of his first multifamily property.
Whether you're considering real estate investing, entrepreneurship, or looking for inspiration to take control of your financial future, this episode is packed with practical insights and motivation.
Key Topics Discussed
How wrongful termination sparked Luis's entrepreneurial journey
Transitioning from corporate employment to real estate investing
Why controlling your own income matters
The fundamentals of real estate wholesaling
Building trust with motivated sellers
Using communication skills as a competitive advantage
The role of sales in real estate success
Scaling a wholesaling business
Generating six- and seven-figure opportunities through wholesaling
The difference between wholesaling and rental property investing
Building long-term wealth through real estate
Luis's first multifamily property purchase
Memorable Quotes
"I didn't want somebody else to have control over my income."
"Give me 20 minutes on the phone with a motivated seller and I'll be at their house the next day signing a contract."
"Wholesaling isn't just a hobby. If you scale it correctly, it can be a six- to seven-figure business."
"There are deals happening every single day."
Guest Spotlight
Luis Guerrero
Luis Guerrero is a real estate wholesaler operating in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Leveraging his background in sales and communications, he has built a successful wholesaling business focused on solving problems for motivated sellers while creating opportunities for investors.
Luis is also expanding into buy-and-hold investing and recently acquired his first multifamily property.
Connect with Luis:Instagram: @luis_32_guerrero
Key Takeaways
Adversity can become the foundation for future success.
Communication and relationship-building are critical skills in real estate.
Wholesaling can be a highly profitable business model when executed properly.
Financial freedom begins when you take ownership of your income.
Real estate offers multiple paths to wealth, including wholesaling and rental investing.
Building long-term assets creates opportunities for passive income and wealth generation.
About the Show
Built For This highlights real people building wealth through real estate. Each episode features investors, entrepreneurs, and industry professionals sharing their experiences, lessons learned, and the skills that helped them succeed.
Interested in being a guest?
Visit: BuiltForThisShow.com

🎤 Built For This ShowS2E2: The Entrepreneurial Seizure: Building the Business of Real Estate | Built for This Show featuring Mark Abramovich
In this episode, co-hosts Alissa Bickar (The Consultress) and Andrea Lane sit down with real estate investor, lender, and company founder Mark Abramovich. Spanning a 20-year journey that started completely "by accident" in a vacation community, Mark breaks down how he transitioned from a career in engineering to full-time real estate investing, leveraging his analytical background to master the numbers and eventually build a thriving lending and property management ecosystem.
📌 Episode Highlights🚗 The "Accidental" Entry into Real Estate (20 Years Ago!)Mark’s real estate journey didn't start with a grandiose plan; it started with a weekend barbecue at a vacation trailer community in the Pocono Mountains.
He and his friends pooled their money, putting down just $5,000 each (a $25,000 total investment) to buy their first trailer rental.
The "Stupid" Mistakes Early On: Not knowing that lockboxes existed, Mark spent his early days making brutal 5-hour round trips from Brooklyn to the Poconos just to let renters in and out!
📊 The Power of the SpreadsheetWhile most investors focus on the physical houses, Mark’s true passion is the numbers.
Bringing nearly two decades of engineering and design experience into his investment strategy, he views spreadsheets as his ultimate "superpower."
As a lender, his core mission is simple: “Make sure your deal doesn't suck.” Mark helps active investors pull apart their numbers to ensure their fix-and-flips or rental acquisitions are actually profitable before funding them.
🏢 The Challenge of Scaling: Overcoming the "Entrepreneurial Seizure"Citing the classic business book The E-Myth, Mark opens up about the reality of shifting from a skilled technician (an engineer with patents to his name) to a business owner wearing every hat—from head janitor to mailroom clerk.
Hiring Philosophy: Mark shares a vital piece of advice he learned from the CEO of one of the largest lending institutions in the country: “Skills you can teach. Evaluate if you want to spend an inordinate amount of time with them.”
🏡 Management is EverythingStarting with their own personal portfolio of 9 multi-family properties, Mark and his wife built out robust property management systems to handle multi-family challenges like inter-tenant friction.
They eventually expanded to managing hundreds of doors for large-scale investors, learning how to scale systems under extreme workload.
Mark’s biggest takeaway: “The biggest decision on owning real estate and where you're going to own it is the management. If you don't have management, we're not having a conversation about owning real estate.”
🚀 Future Plans & InitiativesCruising Through 2026: Navigating interest rates and market shifts while continuing to refine and scale.
Always Capital Broker Program: Expanding their outreach to pay people for business referrals.
Capital Investing Done Safely: A dedicated group educating the market on active vs. passive investing (such as private lending, syndications, and note buying).
The Ultimate Goal: Working on the business to ultimately figure out how to transition out of daily operations.
🔗 Connect With Our Guest & HostsConnect with Mark Abramovich: Learn more about lending, property management, and passive investing at AWCnexus.com.
Own Your Income 8-Week Intensive: Ready to get advice from someone who has walked the road and built scalable processes? Reach out to Alissa and Andrea at Teams@ownyourincome.co or drop a comment on your streaming platform.

Reggie Reavis is a real estate investor with 10 years of experience who owns 3 single-family properties in North Carolina and Virginia. He previously did wholesaling but transitioned to focus on the stability of rental properties as market conditions changed.
Key Discussion Points
Why Reggie Got Into Real Estate:
Initially entered for the money and retirement security
Stayed because of the people and the excitement of finding opportunities
Enjoys the problem-solving aspect and the flexibility real estate provides
Professional Background & Skills:Reggie's career spans multiple fields that translate well to real estate, including retail sales, Amway distribution, technology troubleshooting, insurance, and healthcare. All these roles involved problem-solving and helping people, which he applies directly to his real estate business.
Real Estate Philosophy:
Believes real estate is about mindset and approaching deals with a win-win attitude
Emphasizes the importance of networking, crediting Andrea for helping him secure his most profitable property through connections
Advocates for using property managers rather than self-managing, calling it "worth the percentage" for the time saved and professional expertise.
Property Management Approach:Reggie uses a mixed approach—self-managing one property where the tenant is highly responsible, while using professional management for others.
Future Plans:For 2026, Reggie is optimizing his current portfolio and pursuing an ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) opportunity with 100% city-based financing.
Advice for Investors:Don't try to get rich quick—focus on making efficient, sound business decisions with each step.

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Kannon Callis—a software-salesman-turned-property-manager—who shares how he made the leap from tech to real estate and built a purpose-driven investing business. Originally from Texas and now thriving in Boise, Idaho, Kannon shares his journey from accidental landlord to intentional investor and entrepreneur.
Kannon opens up about the hard lessons learned from his first flip, the importance of understanding exit strategies, and the mindset shift needed when transitioning from employee to business owner. Hosts Alissa and Andrea dig into how property management became Kannon’s "real estate gateway drug" and why knowing your block—not just your zip code—is key to making smart investment decisions.
Listeners will walk away with practical insights on building a real estate portfolio, lessons in scaling a business, and how to turn costly missteps into lifelong learning. If you're navigating your own transition into real estate or entrepreneurship, Kannon’s story is a must-hear.
 
 
------------------------------------------------------- Be A Guest Are you a single family home real estate investor or landlord with insights to share? Apply to be a guest on https://builtforthisshow.com/guest and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you!

In this heartfelt and value-packed episode, Brian Biernat shares how two life-altering events led him and his wife Amy to step away from the corporate world and dive into real estate investing—with zero experience. From their early (and costly) missteps to building a diversified portfolio that includes long-term rentals, furnished housing, notes, JVs, and turnkey projects, Brian pulls back the curtain on the real challenges—and wins—of building something real.
He also shares the mindset that keeps him going, the skills from telecom that gave him an edge, and how relationships have fueled his success. Whether you’re new to real estate or weathering a tough market, this episode offers timeless insights about pivoting, perseverance, and purpose.
 
 
------------------------------------------------------- Be A Guest Are you a single family home real estate investor or landlord with insights to share? Apply to be a guest on https://builtforthisshow.com/guest and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you!

What does it take to buy seven properties in just one year—while working full-time, parenting a toddler, and managing renovations? This week, Amy Brooke joins us to share how she and her husband scaled their real estate portfolio in Ontario, Canada with grit, strategy, and serious mindset work.
Amy talks about her journey from buying her first home at 19 in the UK to diving into Canadian real estate, where she self-manages 20+ units and now ventures into property development. You’ll hear how they used their HELOC to finance deals, the mistakes they learned from fast growth, and why having a financing strategy is absolutely critical.
This conversation is packed with insights for new and seasoned investors—especially if you're juggling a full plate. Amy also shares why personal development is key to real estate success and how understanding your core motivators helps you choose the right investing path.
 
------------------------------------------------------- Be A Guest Are you a single family home real estate investor or landlord with insights to share? Apply to be a guest on https://builtforthisshow.com/guest and share your expertise with a wide audience eager to learn about you!