EP 018 | Mainstrasse, Ovation & the Licking River: Garth Kukla's NKY Neighborhood Breakdown

EP 018 | Mainstrasse, Ovation & the Licking River: Garth Kukla's NKY Neighborhood Breakdown

Garth Kukla spent nearly a decade wholesaling in Northern Kentucky full-time, and by the end, he wasn't doing any outbound marketing. A 19-year sales background, a reputation for never losing a deal he got under contract, and a network built on generous referral fees turned his operation into 100% inbound by 2021. He knows Covington, Newport, Bellevue, and Dayton the way most investors know their own street. In this episode, Garth breaks down what Northern Kentucky real estate actually looks like on the ground: * How to read Covington's pockety neighborhood dynamics, where Mainstrasse Village's value effect actually stops, and why Newport has completely transformed since Ovation broke ground. * We also map the ripple effects into Bellevue and Dayton, including flood zone considerations buyers often miss, plus the wholesaling mindset that made Garth's operation work, from his one-question seller qualifier to why shrinking his team made him more profitable. If you've ever wondered whether Northern Kentucky is worth adding to your Cincinnati investing strategy, Garth's street-level breakdown is the clearest picture you'll find anywhere. What you will learn: * How to read Covington's neighborhood pockets and avoid overpaying based on a seller's inflated zip code logic * Where Mainstrasse Village's value effect actually ends and what's happening just south of it * Why Newport real estate has surged since 2016 and how far the Ovation effect has spread * What's driving Bellevue and Dayton appreciation, and what flood zone exposure looks like in those markets * The one qualifying question Garth used to cut unqualified sellers in under a minute * Why telling a seller they'd make more with a realtor is one of the most effective closing tools in wholesaling * How Garth transitioned from full outbound marketing to 100% referral-based deal flow by 2021 📲 Follow @thecincyreishow on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss a conversation like this one. Leave us a five-star review if we've added value, it helps us bring more expert operators like Garth to the show. Subscribe. Share. Invest smarter. 🎙 Guest: Garth Kukla | Full-Time Wholesaler, Northern Kentucky (2016-2024) 🏙 Topics: NKY Wholesaling, Referral-Based Deal Flow, Covington's Neighborhood Pockets, Mainstrasse Village, Newport's Ovation Development, Bellevue & Dayton Appreciation, Flood Zone Risks, Seller Motivation, NKY Hidden Gems Timeline: 00:00 Cold open: West Newport's transformation 00:01 Introductions and background 00:02 Defining wholesaling and Garth's referral model 00:04 Transition to 100% referral by 2021 00:06 Superpowers: closing, networking, shrinking the team 00:07 The magic qualifying question 00:08 Closing technique: "you'd make more with a realtor" 00:10 Pivot to NKY: Covington's pockety geography 00:11 Covington deep dive: Latonia, 10th & Greenup, Licking Riverside 00:13 Mainstrasse Village: real boundaries 00:14 Below 9th to MLK: gentrification and the Pendleton analogy 00:15 Queen City Pulse: $200M+ in Cincinnati development 00:18 Mainstrasse appeal: bars, restaurants, Airbnb demand 00:20 Newport intro: the Ovation development 00:21 Bill Butler's long play: land assembly to development 00:22 Urban Kroger thesis: walkable demand, food hall model 00:23 The Ovation effect: how Newport blew up 00:25 13th Street: pennies on the dollar to Home-A-Rama builds 00:27 Ripple effect: Bellevue and Dayton absorb priced-out buyers 00:28 Bellevue specifics: Fairfield Ave chokepoint, flood zones 00:29 Dayton: the stalled Manhattan Project 00:30 Garth's first deal: 411 Taylor in Bellevue 00:33 Northern Kentucky hidden gems 00:34 George Rogers Clark Park: an underrated gem 00:36 Disclaimer and close The Cincinnati Real Estate Investing Show is hosted by Slocomb Reed and Ian Cruz. New episodes every week. Subscribe, leave a five-star review, and share with a fellow investor.

Ep 017 | Izzy Ong: 100% Court Win Rate: How TLP Handles Evictions Without Losing Tenants

Izzy Ong has processed evictions every single month as Director of Operations for TLP Property Management. She built the system that handles delinquency from day one of the month through setout day, and TLP has a 100% success rate in front of Hamilton County magistrates. In this episode, Izzy and Slocomb walk through the exact TLP eviction process from first contact before rent is late through the moment a bailiff's deputy is standing at the door. We cover how automated outreach and human-to-human tenant relations work together, why posting a three-day notice should never be a surprise to the tenant, and how rental assistance organizations fit into the timeline after a filing. We also get into what landlords and third-party clients never have to deal with when TLP is managing the process, why the vast majority of three-day notices never result in a filing, and what documentation and language choices protect you in court. What you will learn: * How TLP structures communication from day five through setout day * Why treating tenants with dignity produces better financial outcomes * Which rental assistance organizations serve Greater Cincinnati and when they release funds * Why an eviction filing hits a tenant's background check the moment it is submitted * What documentation and lease language protect the landlord in court * How to maximize collections after a setout using SSN, DOB, and employer information * 📲 Follow @thecincyreishow so you never miss a conversation like this one. Leave us a five-star review if we've added value. Visit yourhouseofbricks.com to connect with TLP Property Management. 🎙 Guest: Izzy Ong, Director of Operations, TLP Property Management Timestamps:00:00 – Introduction: Meet Izzy Ong02:00 – Inherited Tenants and Monthly Eviction Volume02:45 – Izzy's Origin Story: Leasing Agent to Director of Operations04:30 – The Core Principle: Dignity and Respect as the Highest-Return Strategy06:15 – The Rent Cycle: Due the 1st, Late the 2nd, Fees on the 6th06:45 – Day 5 Automation: AppFolio Outreach Before Late Fees Apply07:30 – Days 6+: TROs Calling Every Delinquent Tenant09:00 – Izzy: The Human Connection Is the Real Secret13:00 – No Exceptions on Late Fees15:30 – How Notices Are Posted: Folded, Photographed, and Immediately Texted17:45 – Day 4 Endorsement: Filing Happens the Moment It Hits the Attorney18:00 – Why the Filing Date Matters: It Hits Background Checks Immediately21:00 – TLP's 100% Court Success Rate (and Why Court Is Still a Loss)22:30 – The Assistance Timing Problem: Most Programs Require a Filed Eviction23:30 – The Big Three: JFS, St. Vincent de Paul, and United Way25:00 – Women Helping Women and Hispanic Tenant Resources 28:00 – Court Day Protocol: TLP Texts Tenants Directions the Day Before 31:30 – Setout Day: Bailiff, Trash-Out Crew, Lock Change 33:00 – Dismissal vs. Judgment on a Background Check35:00 – The Real Result: Most Three-Day Notices Never Get Filed37:30 – Maximizing Post-Eviction Collections: SSN, DOB, Employer, Lease Renewals39:00 – Izzy: Documentation and Language Protect You in Court41:30 – The Closing Argument: Treating People Well Is the Highest-Return Strategy The Cincinnati Real Estate Investing Show is hosted by Slocomb Reed and Ian Cruz. New episodes every week. Subscribe, leave a five-star review, and share with a fellow investor.

EP 016 | 200+ Deals, One Agent: The Cincinnati Submarkets Heating Up Now

Ethan Bishop has sold over 200 properties in Greater Cincinnati in six years as an agent with the Chabris Group at Keller Williams Seven Hills Realty. He knows which neighborhoods are flying off the shelf, which are quietly stalling, and where the next wave of development is headed before most investors have heard the street names. In this episode, Ethan walks through his 2026 submarket breakdown for Greater Cincinnati. We cover why Loveland just had a $570K cash close on a home worth $500K, why the Milford and Loveland corridor is the most compelling land-play for the next decade, and what is actually happening in Norwood beyond the Factory 52 headlines. We also get into Green Township, Liberty Township, Lebanon, and the east side band from Goshen all the way up to Morrow, where DR Horton and Fisher Homes are buying up agricultural parcels as fast as they can. Slocomb adds street-level context on school district boundaries, rental comp traps in Norwood, and why Evanston remains one of the hardest neighborhoods in the city to comp accurately. Ian brings the 12-unit Loveland perspective. If you are trying to figure out where Cincinnati is heading over the next 10 to 15 years and where the entry price still makes sense, this episode is the map. What you will learn: - Why Loveland attracted a $570K cash offer on a home worth $500K, and what it signals about the east side - Which submarket Ethan believes will look like Mason in 15 years - The Milford, Loveland, and Lebanon pattern: why walkable small-town downtowns plus developable land is the most repeatable growth formula in Greater Cincinnati - Why Norwood's 1960s brick inventory does not comp against Factory 52 and what that means for buyers - The two-bedroom problem: why three beds minimum is the line for both flips and rentals across most Cincinnati submarkets - Where the most affordable new construction is right now (Goshen, Batavia, Amelia, New Richmond) - Why Green Township has three school districts and what to verify before buying - What Kenwood Mall's continued dominance means for rental demand in the surrounding corridor - Why Evanston is one of the most difficult neighborhoods in the city to underwrite and what happened to a buyer mid-inspection If this episode gave you a clearer read on where Cincinnati is heading in 2026, share it with someone who needs to hear it. Follow @thecincyreishow on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss a conversation like this one. Leave us a five-star review if we added value. Want to connect with Ethan Bishop or get eyes on a deal in Greater Cincinnati? Links in the show notes. Subscribe. Share. Invest smarter. Guest: Ethan Bishop, Agent, Chabris Group at Keller Williams Seven Hills Realty Timestamps: 00:01:00 — Guest Intro: Ethan Bishop 00:04:00 — Loveland Deep Dive 00:09:00 — Milford Opportunity 00:12:00 — Queen City Pulse 00:14:00 — Norwood Intro 00:16:00 — Norwood Rental Market Warning 00:21:00 — Pleasant Ridge 00:23:00 — Kenwood Mall Deep Dive 00:27:00 — Green Township 00:29:00 — Lebanon 00:35:00 — MSA-Wide Market Check 00:36:00 — Evanston Warning 00:38:00 — Affordable New Construction 00:41:00 — Ethan's Hidden Gems 00:43:00 — Disclaimer

EP 015 | Cincinnati Real Estate Due Diligence: 17 Mistakes That Cost Investors

Slocomb Reed is the host of the Cincy REI Show, a partner at Three Little Pigs Investment Services, and has 12+ years investing block-by-block across Cincinnati's most nuanced neighborhoods. He hosted 400+ episodes of the Best Ever CRE Show before launching the Cincy REI Show with co-host Ian Cruz, a CPA and co-GP across 200+ units in Cincinnati. In this episode, they put that combined experience to work building a Cincinnati-specific list of the 17 biggest mistakes investors make in this market. No generic top 10 content. These are the things that actually cost people money here. They cover older mechanicals unique to Cincinnati's pre-WWII housing stock, location traps that spreadsheets miss, the property tax reassessment cycle, why the cheapest service providers cost the most in the long run, and the single most profitable operating principle in this market. If you are an out-of-state investor underwriting Cincinnati deals, the location section starting at mistake #9 is worth the listen alone. What you will learn: - Why no onsite laundry and missing parking kill leasing before it starts - How to identify foundation, galvanized steel, aluminum wiring, and knob and tube issues before you close - Why a sewer scope is non-negotiable on every deal regardless of property age - How Cincinnati's three-year property tax reassessment cycle can quietly destroy your underwriting - Why outsized spreadsheet returns are a red flag, not a win - How to engage a property manager early enough that they can actually protect you - Why disrespecting tenants is the most expensive mistake on this list If this episode sharpened your Cincinnati due diligence process, share it with an investor who needs to hear it. 🎙 Hosts: Slocomb Reed, Host, Cincy REI Show & Partner, Three Little Pigs Investment Services | Ian Cruz, Co-Host, Cincy REI Show & Partner, Three Little Pigs Investment Services 🏙 Topics: Cincinnati Real Estate Due Diligence, Foundation Types in Cincinnati, Galvanized Steel and Aluminum Wiring, Knob and Tube Wiring, Sewer Scope Best Practices, Property Tax Reassessments in Ohio, Flood Zones in Cincinnati, Parking and Laundry as Leasing Factors, Neighborhood Micro-Location Analysis, School Districts and Property Values, Choosing Quality Service Providers, When to Engage a Property Manager, Over-Improving for the Location, Tenant Relations and Profitability Timestamps: -00:00 - Introduction: Slocomb and Ian count down the 17 biggest Cincinnati REI mistakes -02:00 - #17: Not providing onsite laundry in multifamily -04:30 - #16: Not checking for parking -08:00 - #15: Not checking for flood zones -10:30 - #14: Missing foundation cracks -15:00 - #13: Missing galvanized steel plumbing -17:00 - #12: Missing aluminum wiring -20:00 - #11: Missing knob and tube wiring -24:30 - #10: Not getting a sewer scope -30:00 - #9: Assuming you are or aren't in Cincinnati -33:00 - #8: Assuming neighborhoods and zip codes are homogenous -36:00 - #7: Not checking for school districts -39:00 - #6: Letting your spreadsheet determine what you buy -43:00 - #5: Property tax reassessments -48:00 - #4: Choosing the cheapest service providers -52:00 - #3: Waiting too long to engage a PM -57:00 - #2: Over-improving for the location -60:00 - #1: Disrespecting your tenants The Cincinnati Real Estate Investing Show is hosted by Slocomb Reed and Ian Cruz. New episodes every week. Subscribe, leave a five-star review, and share with a fellow investor.

EP 014 | Inside Cincinnati's Apartment Market With a Multifamily Broker | JD Schmerge

JD Schmerge has brokered multifamily deals across Greater Cincinnati for over eight and a half years, first at Marcus & Millichap and now as co-founder of Sabre Group. He has seen the full cycle. He also just bought his first property, a 7-unit in South Covington, and spent year one learning what eight years of brokerage didn't teach him. In this episode, JD breaks down what the Cincinnati multifamily market actually looks like heading into the second half of 2026. We cover why Cincinnati didn't break when other markets did, how cap rate math in a seven to eight cap market behaves completely differently than a four to five cap market, and what low transaction volume actually signals for buyers who are still active. We also get into the renovation threshold conversation that every operator holding value-add multifamily needs to hear. JD explains why there's a specific range of unit renovation completion, roughly 10% to 70%, that maximizes your buyer pool and your exit cap rate. Renovate too little and you have no proof of concept. Renovate too much and you've eliminated the upside buyers are willing to pay a premium for. Ian and Slocomb bring their 70+ unit deal into the conversation directly. The takeaway: in this moment of the market cycle, C-class tenants are not paying more for upgraded kitchens and bathrooms. Affordability is the product. And the operators who understand that are positioning for a better exit, not a worse one. We also get into insurance underwriting for 1930s construction, Ohio's drop and swap property tax strategy and how long it may last, the 2023 triennial's 65% average assessment increase, and what to watch heading into 2026 reassessments. What you will learn: - Why Cincinnati's seven to eight cap market protected operators when rates hit six and a half percent - How two to three percent new construction keeps Cincinnati stable while other markets oversupply - The 10% to 70% renovation threshold and why going above 70% shrinks your buyer pool - Why C-class tenants are not paying rent premiums for updated units right now - How to underwrite insurance on 1930s construction and what JD's policy taught him - What drop and swap is and what the 2023 triennial actually looked like - What buyers and lenders need to see in the first 12 to 24 months to justify a cash-out refi Timestamps: 00:01:00 - Guest intro: JD Schmerge 00:03:00 - Cincinnati market overview 00:04:00 - Buyer behavior 00:06:00 - Why Cincinnati avoided distress 00:07:30 - Cincinnati's supply discipline 00:09:00 - A vs. C class bifurcation 00:11:00 - JD's own 7-unit in South Covington 00:12:30 - Leasing reality 00:13:30 - Rising operating costs 00:14:30 - Covington insurance deep dive 00:16:00 - Property tax comparison 00:18:30 - Ohio property tax legislation 00:19:30 - Drop-and-swap risk 00:21:30 - What makes JD buy a deal himself 00:23:30 - Parker Woods Flats (73 units) case study 00:25:00 - Exit strategy: "sell the dream" 00:26:30 - Affordability priority 00:28:00 - Ops philosophy 00:30:00 - Broker trend: partial renovation as proof of concept 00:32:00 - Slocomb's thesis on diminishing returns 00:34:00 - JD's rule of thumb 00:36:00 - Buyer profile shift 2021 vs. now 00:37:30 - Cincinnati hidden gems The Cincinnati Real Estate Investing Show is hosted by Slocomb Reed and Ian Cruz. New episodes every week. Subscribe, leave a five-star review, and share with a fellow investor.