The Lo-Down

Why High Earners Stay Broke: A CRNA's Escape From the Golden Handcuffs | Leah Krebs E46

Leah Krebs spent 32 years in nursing — 16 at the bedside and 12+ as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, including trauma anesthesia at the nation's busiest trauma center. After a series of pivotal personal and professional moments, she and her husband founded Priority 1 Capital, a multifamily real estate firm built specifically to help healthcare professionals earn passive income through apartment investing. In this episode, Leah shares her full story: the grind of CRNA school, the defining moments that pushed her toward financial independence, and exactly how she went from W2 employee to general partner on a $7.7 million property. Connect with Leah & Priority 1 Capital Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leah_krebs_ Website: https://www.p1capitalinvestment.com/ Connect with Lorenzo: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorenzo.mercado_ Website: LorenzoMercado.com | SolvarraGroup.com Listen to The Lo-Down Podcast 🎙Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lodown/id1764777761 🎙Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1YjwXXjvFT3mqve6uMF983

How to Build a Business Partnership That Actually Lasts | Cory Jacobson E45

In this episode, Lorenzo sits down with Cory Jacobson, co-host of the Wealth Juice Podcast, to unpack how he went from making $35K working for the Philadelphia 76ers to building an 80-unit real estate portfolio alongside his business partner Ryan. Cory shares the power of house hacking, long-term thinking, authentic networking, and why successful partnerships are built on trust, communication, and aligned values. They also dive deep into podcasting, personal branding, raising capital, entrepreneurship, and what it really takes to create financial freedom without sacrificing the relationships that matter most. 00:00 - Intro & Meet Cory Jacobson 00:38 - How Cory Got Started in Real Estate 02:05 - The First House Hack That Changed Everything 03:10 - How Cory & Ryan Built Their Partnership 05:20 - Why Most Business Partnerships Fail 07:37 - Complementary Skill Sets in Business 09:54 - Handling Conflict & Difficult Conversations 11:55 - The Importance of Communication & Values 14:03 - “It’s About Who You Build With” 15:37 - How The Wealth Juice Podcast Started 17:58 - Overcoming Fear of Starting a Podcast 20:03 - Dealing With Judgment & Criticism Online 21:42 - Staying Consistent for 400 Podcast Episodes 23:59 - Habits, Discipline & Long-Term Consistency 24:20 - Common Traits of Successful People 26:53 - Why Real Estate Is a Long-Term Game 28:06 - Cory’s Real Estate Investing Strategy 30:27 - Why They Focus on Multifamily Properties 32:16 - Real Numbers Behind Their Real Estate Deals 34:23 - Raising Capital Through Podcasting & Social Media 37:56 - Why Building in Public Creates Opportunities 39:39 - The Power of Community & Networking 42:08 - Escaping Analysis Paralysis 43:20 - Why Your First Deal Matters Most 44:31 - Leaving the W2 Job & Betting on Yourself 47:15 - Entrepreneurship vs Job Security 48:24 - What Cory Would Do Differently Starting Over 50:57 - Where to Find Cory & Wealth Juice Podcast 51:42 - Final Thoughts & Outro Connect with Cory Jacobson Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wealthjuiceofficial/ Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wealth-juice-real-estate-personal-finance-investing/id1506974626 Connect with Lorenzo: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorenzo.mercado_ Website: LorenzoMercado.com | SolvarraGroup.com Listen to The Lo-Down Podcast 🎙Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lodown/id1764777761 🎙Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1YjwXXjvFT3mqve6uMF983

Turn Expenses Into Free Luxury Travel w/ Credit Card Hacking | Jaina Pallasigui E44

What if every bill you paid was secretly funding your next luxury vacation? That's exactly what real estate investor Jaina Pallasigui figured out — and she's accumulated over 2 million credit card points and redeemed $175,000 in free luxury travel to prove it. Jaina breaks down exactly how she runs her entire real estate business through credit cards, turns renovation expenses into business class flights, and books five star hotels without spending a dime out of pocket. She even reveals how replacing a roof on one of her rental properties ended up paying for her entire family's stay at the Four Seasons Tokyo — completely free. In this episode we cover: * The exact credit card stack she uses for her real estate business * How to increase your spending limit the right way * The website she uses to find transfer bonuses nobody talks about * The best times to book flights using points * How to turn everyday business expenses into luxury travel Whether you own a business, pay rent, or just have a credit card in your wallet — this episode will completely change how you think about spending money. Connect with Jaina Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaina_anne/ Connect with Lorenzo Mercado: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorenzo.mercado_ Website: LorenzoMercado.com | SolvarraGroup.com Listen to The Lo-Down Podcast 🎙 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lodown/id1764777761🎙Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1YjwXXjvFT3mqve6uMF983

Boutique Hotel Investing: How Two Architects Built a Vogue-Featured Wellness Hotel in Palm Springs | Diana Osso & Josh Dobken

Josh Dobken and Diana Ossa managed billion-dollar architecture projects before buying a blank-slate hotel in Palm Springs, and turning it into a Vogue and Forbes-featured boutique property in under a year. In this episode of The Lo-Down, they break down exactly how they did it. With 15+ years of commercial architecture experience and 40+ short-term rentals across multiple states, Josh and Diana share the mindset, strategy, and hard lessons that took them from residential investing to boutique hotel ownership at scale. What You'll Learn: -Why they walked away from multiple deals before finding the right one -How they used a co-hosting company to prepare for hotel operations -The value-add strategy behind Terra Palm Springs -How they selected their market and defined their guest avatar -Why no deal is better than a bad deal -How their hotel earned coverage in Vogue, Forbes, and Travel + Leisure Whether you're exploring boutique hotels, STR investing, or building a path out of your W-2 — this episode is for you. Connect with Josh Dobken & Diana Osso Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d.i.fi/ Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/terrapalmsprings/Website : https://www.terrapalmsprings.com Connect with Lorenzo Mercado: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorenzo.mercado_ Website: LorenzoMercado.com | SolvarraGroup.com Listen to The Lo-Down Podcast 🎙 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lodown/id1764777761🎙Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1YjwXXjvFT3mqve6uMF983

The Live-In Flip Strategy: How to Build Wealth in Expensive Markets | Joshua Massari E42

In this episode of The Lo-Down, Lorenzo sits down with Joshua Massari, co-host of The Broke Millionaires podcast, to unpack how he and his wife built millions in real estate equity while living in one of the most expensive markets in the U.S. — Orange County, California. Joshua shares how they used a live-in value-add strategy (a twist on BRRRR), buying fixer-uppers as primary residences, renovating while living in them, and repeating the process — all while raising four kids and working full-time. If you think real estate investing only works in cheap markets, this episode will completely change your perspective. Chapters 00:00 Intro – Meet Joshua Massari 01:00 What does “Broke Millionaire” really mean? 02:30 Investing in expensive cities like Orange County 04:10 Why fixer-uppers beat turnkey homes 05:40 Buying during COVID: opportunity in chaos 07:15 The ALLL Method (Acquire, Live, Lift, Leverage, Loop) 09:10 Using primary residence loans to invest with less cash 11:00 Turning $17K into millions in real estate 12:40 House hacking before it was a buzzword 14:10 Why Josh avoids flipping houses 16:00 Living through full renovations (no kitchen, kids included) 18:50 Renovation stress, marriage, and alignment 21:40 Balancing a full-time job with real estate investing 24:50 Kids and investing: why they’re not the problem 27:10 Delayed gratification & long-term wealth mindset 28:50 Mid-term rentals vs long-term rentals in California 31:00 How to evaluate neighborhoods correctly 33:30 Foundations: deal breaker or opportunity? 36:10 Creative financing explained (seller finance, HELOCs) 39:50 Cross-collateralization & hard money loans 42:00 Over-leveraging myth explained 44:30 HELOC strategy most investors miss 47:30 Fighting banks & getting deals approved 51:30 Starting The Broke Millionaires podcast 54:00 Biggest advice for new investors 55:40 Where to find Joshua + final thoughts Key Takeaways You don’t need to invest out of state to build wealth — strategy beats location Living in your investments unlocks better financing and faster scaling Renovation pain is temporary, equity is permanent Kids aren’t the obstacle — lack of alignment is Creative financing is often the difference between quitting and winning Real estate rewards those willing to stay uncomfortable longer Who This Episode Is For Investors in high-cost cities First-time homebuyers thinking long-term Families who think kids stop investing Anyone waiting for the “perfect time” People who want real, practical investing stories — not hype Connect with Joshua Massari Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuadmassari/?hl=en  Instagram :  https://www.instagram.com/thebrokemillionaires_/?hl=en Connect with Lorenzo: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lorenzo.mercado_ Website: LorenzoMercado.com | SolvarraGroup.com Listen to The Lo-Down Podcast  🎙Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lodown/id1764777761 🎙Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1YjwXXjvFT3mqve6uMF983