Built For This Show

In this episode of the Built For This Podcast, hosts Alissa Bickar and Andrea Lane sit down with Ricardo Sheard, a real estate investor turned mortgage lender, who shares how his love for numbers and his “why” — his family — fuel his journey.
Ricardo opens up about how he and his wife started in real estate investing, the lessons they learned through Fortune Builders, and how he transitioned into mortgage lending during a time of big life changes. He explains how his skills with numbers gave him an edge, how he balances family with business, and why his long-term vision is to grow into commercial real estate.
Whether you’re just starting out in real estate or looking for inspiration to keep going, Ricardo’s story is proof that persistence, purpose, and passion can reshape your path.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
How Ricardo and his wife got started in real estate investing
Why his background in engineering and finance gave him an edge
The role of family as motivation in his business journey
His biggest challenges with lending and how he overcame them
Why commercial real estate is his long-term goal
 
--------------------------------------------------------- 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!

Real estate investing can look exciting from the outside, but the real lessons often come from the struggles. In this episode of Built For This, hosts Alissa Bickar and Andrea Lane sit down with investor and commercial real estate agent Dayna Klein to talk about the real-life challenges behind building a portfolio.
Dayna shares her family’s generational story of investing — from her great-grandmother’s resilience to her own experiences managing properties across states. She opens up about the highs and lows, including stalled starts, emotional decision-making, costly mistakes, and how every misstep became part of her education as an investor.
This conversation is an honest look at what it takes to build wealth through real estate: patience, persistence, removing emotion from the numbers, and learning that not every property is the right one for your goals.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Why legacy and family history shaped Dayna’s path into real estate
The reality check of managing rentals across states
How emotions can cloud judgment and stall growth
Why learning from mistakes is the most valuable education
The importance of refining systems, insurance, and tax strategies
How refinancing and negotiating with lenders can open new opportunities
 
--------------------------------------------------------- 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 do you do when your biggest investment turns out to be a mistake? For Laura Hollis, the answer was simple: keep going.
Laura opens up about her journey from healthcare into real estate, where her background in management and patient care taught her how to build strong teams and stay resilient under pressure. She shares stories about transforming neighborhood eyesores into beautiful rentals, creating goodwill in local communities, and how she tried to create housing for veterans—only to be blindsided by an undisclosed HOA restriction.
Listen as Laura shares how she handled the unexpected, what she’s learned about trusting your team, and why staying connected to your network is key to long-term success in real estate.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
How Laura transitioned from healthcare to real estate
The power of encouraging leadership in building reliable teams
How she navigated a major setback involving an HOA and a nonprofit vision
Why pivoting quickly is crucial in the real estate world
What’s next for Laura in her investing journey
 
--------------------------------------------------------- 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 episode, Anita Onesti joins Alissa Bickar and Andrea Lane to share her powerful transformation from flipping homes to building a sustainable, long-term rental portfolio. With over 30 years in corporate finance, Anita brings a unique lens to real estate—blending professionalism with passion. Learn how her over-renovation strategy helps her attract long-term tenants and why building relationships and community ties is central to her success.
From setting up repeatable systems to relocating great tenants into dream homes, Anita shares the mindset and methods that have built her real estate brand into a trustworthy and in-demand business. Plus, hear a heartwarming story of how going the extra mile for one tenant paid off for everyone.
What You'll Learn:
Why Anita pivoted from flipping to long-term rentals
How her background in finance gave her a real estate edge
The power of over-renovating for long-term tenant satisfaction
The importance of maintaining community ties and Section 8 relationships
What Anita’s “biggest challenge” says about her success
 
--------------------------------------------------------- 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 episode, Jill Camardese joins Alissa and Andrea to share her transition from CFO-level roles to owning and managing short-term rentals with her husband. Jill opens up about the reality of closing her first major investment property, the lessons she's learning, and the importance of balancing data-driven decisions with gut instinct.
You'll hear Jill’s honest take on:
Why she left her corporate career for real estate investing
How she and her husband combine construction and finance backgrounds to create a strong business partnership
The challenges of closing a property and vetting vendors
What it’s like to involve her adult children in family wealth conversations
Her goals for building a legacy through memorable guest experiences
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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!
 

Built For This is the show where real-life skills meet real estate success. Hosted by Andrea Lane and Alissa Bickar, we spotlight everyday investors who bring the best of who they are into their rental strategies.
Whether you’re managing a few doors or just getting started, you’ll hear real stories, honest struggles, and unique insights from people who are building wealth their way.
If you’re a high-earning professional using your edge to grow in real estate — you’re in the right place.
🎧 New episodes weekly🎤 Want to be a guest? Apply at BuiltForThisShow.com/Guest