Gene has been in the commercial and investment real estate business continuously since 1972 and in the legal profession since 1996.

Awarded the CCIM designation in 1977, Gene continues to serve as a member of the CCIM faculty and achieved Senior Emeritus Instructor status, upon 40 years of teaching. In 2002, he was selected as the Robert L. Ward Instructor of the Year in the Institute. In 2005, Gene was awarded the Victor L. Lyon Distinguished Service Award for his many years of outstanding contribution to the Institute’s education program.

He is a member of the California Bar. The founding partner of Trowbridge Nieh LLP, Gene’s law practice concentrates on the syndication of commercial and investment real estate, through both debt and equity.

As a former syndicator, who for ten years raised investor capital; he served as the sponsor of sixteen investment groups, by raising equity from investors, through registered representatives in the broker dealer community, once sending out 1,676 K1s in a single year.

He was responsible for the organization of those investment groups; the acquisition, management, and disposition of the real estate; and communications with the investors.

Because of his hands-on syndication experience, Gene can communicate with his clients on both the technical and practical aspects of state and federal securities laws. Between Gene’s individual syndication background and the firm’s legal practice, the partners in the firm have written offerings of more than $5 Billion in monies raised. The median offering size is $2. 5 million. His practice writes offerings under Rule 506(b) and 506(c) of Regulation D, Regulation CF, and Regulation A+.

He has trained and mentored three different law partners, in syndication and crowdfunding, since 2008. He has delivered more than 250 live seminars on group ownership, exchanges, and taxation audiences across the country; his articles have been published in various real estate media outlets and he is a highly sought-after speaker on the topic of real estate group ownership.

He authored his first book It’s A Whole New Business in 2005. The Fourth Edition was released in 2021 and is available now at tnllp.com and Amazon.

He and Kay have been married for 50 years and have two daughters, Amy, and Emily. He enjoys music, travel and has run 37 half marathons since turning 60!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Gene Trowbridge

01:05 Current Market Insights for Passive Investors

03:51 Diverse Investment Opportunities Beyond Real Estate

05:53 Understanding Private Placements and Regulation D

09:09 The Evolution of Securities Regulation

14:56 Impact of Economic Crises on Investment Regulations

19:52 Future of Accredited Investor Definitions

21:44 Guidance for New Syndicators

22:22 Understanding Syndication and Securities

24:48 Control and Decision-Making in Partnerships

27:20 Investment Contracts and SEC Regulations

30:04 Key Questions for Passive Investors

33:27 The Importance of Relationships in Real Estate

37:17 Investing Strategies and Debt Funds

39:04 outro

RANDY SMITH

Connect with our host, Randy Smith, for more educational content or to discuss investment opportunities in the real estate syndication space at www.impactequity.net, https://www.linkedin.com/in/randallsmith or on Instagram at @randysmithinvestor

Keywords

syndication, private equity, accredited investors, real estate, securities regulation, Jobs Act, passive investing, market trends, due diligence, investment strategies

Summary

In this conversation, Randy Smith and Gene Trowbridge discuss the current state of the syndication market, the evolution of securities regulation, and the importance of due diligence for passive investors. Gene shares insights on the role of accredited investors, the impact of the Jobs Act, and key considerations for new syndicators. The discussion emphasizes the significance of relationships in the investment space and provides practical advice for both syndicators and passive investors.

In this episode of the Gentle Art of Crushing It podcast, host Randy Smith interviews Drew Breneman, founder of Brennan, who has achieved significant success in real estate investment with a focus on multifamily properties. Drew shares insights on the current state of the real estate market, particularly contrasting the performance of the Sunbelt and Midwest regions. He discusses his early investments, the challenges faced in Phoenix, and the opportunities available in Chicago, including tax abatement strategies. The conversation emphasizes the importance of cash flow in investments and provides valuable resources for new passive investors.

Drew's Bio

-Started an internet business in high school. He saved all the money from it and acquired his first rental property at age 19 back in 2005.

-Founder of Breneman Capital

-Breneman Capital specializes in multifamily investing with a data-driven approach. The firm only invests in the best markets and submarkets within those markets.

-Invested in a variety of geographies and asset classes: Multifamily in Madison, WI (2005-2007). Then industrial, office, and retail in Minneapolis St. Paul (2008-2012). Multifamily and mixed-use in Chicago (2013-today) before focusing on only multifamily in select submarkets in the Midwest (Chicago, Milwaukee, Madison).

-Acquired $250MM+ of investment property as key/sole GP.

-24%+ average realized IRR on investments sold

-14 deals have executed full cash-out refinances of all our initial equity

-Host of the Breneman Blueprint podcast

-Started out with a duplex and have worked my way up to $30MM+ deals. All self-made starting from scratch - my parents are public school teachers, so didn't start with any capital of theirs or connections.

Breneman Capital: https://www.breneman.com/

Podcast: https://www.breneman.com/podcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drewbreneman/

Chapters

00:00 Market Overview and Current Trends

05:09 Drew's Journey into Real Estate

11:24 Exploring the Sunbelt and Its Opportunities

16:04 Performance of Phoenix Assets and Future Outlook

21:39 Chicago Projects and Tax Abatement Opportunities

22:01 Chicago's Real Estate Appeal

24:04 Investment Strategies in Chicago

27:58 Understanding Cash Flow vs. Equity Multiples

31:49 Educational Resources for New Investors

35:26 Personal Insights and Future Aspirations

37:53 outro

RANDY SMITH

Connect with our host, Randy Smith, for more educational content or to discuss investment opportunities in the real estate syndication space at www.impactequity.net, https://www.linkedin.com/in/randallsmith or on Instagram at @randysmithinvestor

Keywords

real estate, multifamily, investment strategies, passive investing, market analysis, tax abatement, cash flow, Chicago, Phoenix, Drew Breneman

August Biniaz is the Co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of CPI Capital. CPI Capital is a Real Estate Private Equity firm with its mandate to acquire Multifamily assets, utilizing the value-add business model while partnering with passive investors as Limited Partners. August was instrumental in the closing of over $208 million of multifamily assets since inception.

August is the host of Real Estate Investing Demystified PodCast. He educates real estate investors through his Podcast, YouTube shows, Webinars, and his weekly newsletter "Real Estate Weekly".

Chapters

00:00 Market Overview and Economic Impact

04:50 August Biniaz: Background and Journey in Real Estate

10:06 Navigating Cross-Border Investments: Canadian to US

14:27 International Investor Considerations and Strategies

17:25 Building the Right Team and the BTR Asset Class

21:02 The Rise of Build-to-Rent Communities

23:44 Investment Strategies in Build-to-Rent

25:36 Portfolio Insights and Market Trends

28:38 Education and Immersion in Passive Investing

31:35 Due Diligence in Alternative Investments

34:03 Personal Growth and Investment Philosophy

39:52 outro

RANDY SMITH

Connect with our host, Randy Smith, for more educational content or to discuss investment opportunities in the real estate syndication space at www.impactequity.net, https://www.linkedin.com/in/randallsmith or on Instagram at @randysmithinvestor

Keywords

real estate, passive investing, market trends, economic impact, cross-border investments, build-to-rent, investment strategies, August Biniaz, CPI Capital, multifamily investments