In this episode, we talk about…

[3:00] Sam’s background as a practicing gastroenterologist and passive real estate investor 

Sam grew up in New Jersey and did the majority of his formal education and training there. He currently practices in New Jersey as well. Sam met his wife while in training in Philadelphia and they are now both physicians. 

[3:39] Why Sam decided to go into commercial real estate investing 

Sam didn’t even begin to consider real estate investing until about four years ago. When he first got out of training, he was inundated with tons of student loans and mainly just focused on paying down any debt that he had the first few years as a practicing physician. 

After four or five years of practicing medicine, Sam decided to start focusing more on investing outside of his retirement accounts. He eventually realized that he was getting a bit too heavy in terms of allocation into the stock market and typical equities so he decided to switch things up and started investing in some real estate opportunities. He eventually found that real estate syndications and passive investing was his preferred route. 

[7:49] How Sam felt when he got his first private placement memorandum and how that sparked the creation of the LP Analyzer Tool 

When Sam got his first private placement memorandum he felt extremely overwhelmed but over the years he has gotten more experience and gotten connected to the right people who can help guide him along the way. 

[9:47] How long it took for the LP Analyzer Tool to actually come to fruition 

Sam has always been a visual learner so during his year of studying syndications, he always made a cheat sheet of sorts within Word of all the golden nuggets he learned and would overtime transfer that information into Excel. 

The intention of this spreadsheet was initially to help Sam make solid decisions when investing in real estate syndications but he found that there was a major demand for this product after sharing about his tool in investing forums and receiving upwards of 50 to 70 messages from people wanting access to his spreadsheet. 

[14:08] How Sam determines which deals are going to be worth his while 

The LP Analyzer tool has about 24 different criteria that it looks at. Currently, Sam does not look at any assets that were built pre-1980 due to the potential of asbestos or other plumbing and piping issues. He tends to focus on properties that are considered B- or B+ or even some A type properties. 

The second criteria that Sam looks at is if the property is located in an area that he would like to invest in. After those two criteria are met, then he gets down more into the nitty gritty details. His important criteria changes from time to time, but these are the two big ones. Currently Sam is really focused on the debt structure of deals and interest rate environment. 

[16:12] If Sam ever tours properties before making the investment 

As of now, Sam has never toured a property prior to purchasing but might consider it in the future as he ramps up and purchases more high level properties.  

[17:38] What Sam’s co-founder Terry Kipp added to the LP Analyzer Tool to make it even better 

Sam found Terry through a mutual connection and although he does not typically take on external projects, Terry loved Sam’s idea and wanted to partner with him to make the product come to life. While Sam has a little knowledge of Excel, Terry really knew the platform like the back of his hand so he was able to add his know-how to the product and help shape it into what it is today. 

Sam has plans to continue to expand the product and make it even better in future iterations and potentially wants to expand it to an app as well. 

[21:33] Sam’s first job 

Sam’s first job was at Herr’s Potato Chips in the warehouse helping truckers load orders of their products into the trucks. 

[22:28] What Sam would be doing for a living if he wasn’t a physician 

If Sam wasn’t a physician, he would probably pursue real estate full time. He truly loves what he does as a physician and would pick that path over and over again if he could. 

[23:38] What Sam does every day for healthy self care

The first thing Sam does in the morning is thinks about what he is thankful for and really lets that resonate each morning before he even gets out of bed. Sam feels like this sets up his day for success and helps him have more patience throughout the day. Sam also exercises at least four times a week to stay in shape physically. 

[24:41] What Sam is currently reading or listening to for news, inspiration, or information 

Sam is currently re-reading Jamea Kandasamy’s re-release of his real estate valuation book and although some of the information is a bit redundant, he always likes to keep a pulse on the market. 

[25:47] Whether the desire to heal is born or trained

Sam believes that the desire to heal is both born and trained. He believes that there are people who have an innate ability to care for others and others who can learn to heal but don’t necessarily have that innate passion for it. 

He believes that a lot of physicians learned empathy at a young age which is what makes them so passionate about helping others. 

[27:28] Whether leaders are born or trained

Sam thinks leaders are born leaders but can learn some further leadership skills from training. He believes that good leaders are able to emulate what it means to do the right thing versus being told to do something.