Ep. 193 Derek Waltchack: Opportunities in the Florida Retail Market

On today's podcast, we talk with Derek Waltchack about the retail asset class with a focus on strip centers. As Derek shares, there is a lot of misinformation about the retail asset class. Many investors steer clear of retail, especially when retail assets like malls are not doing so well -- but malls are not the real "bread and butter". Despite what you may hear, retail is a very stable asset class, especially when it comes to strip centers in good neighborhoods.   Derek also takes us into the new modern world of blockchain, the record-keeping technology behind bitcoin that is used to store digital information in a public database, and which is starting to be used in real estate transactions.   Key Discussion Points [06:02] How did you transition from broker to owner? [10:47] What investments are you looking for in Florida? [18:44] Why did you choose Florida / I-4 corridor for retail investments? [25:30] What kind of cap rates are you looking for? [38:42] Where does your debt financing come from? [31:01] From an underwriting standpoint, what are a few important things you look for when someone wants to bring you a deal? [33:43] Tell us about blockchain technology that is starting to be used in real estate [43:00] How can folks contact you? [44:43] Closing remarks by Eric and Steven