J Scott went from one flip to $150M in real estate—this episode unpacks how he did it.
J Scott joins David Lecko to break down how one flip in 2008 turned into $150 million in real estate deals. He shares the story of his first bad deal, how a single forum post led to a long-term partnership, and why he still does single family flips today—despite leading a $73 million multifamily development. They also dive into market cycles, raising capital, and how to tell when it’s time to sell a rental.
KEY TALKING POINTS:
0:00 - Intro
0:21 - The Books That J Scott Has Written & His Real Estate Development
1:50 - Has Estimating Rehab Costs Changed In Recent Years?
5:04 - J Scott’s First Real Estate Deals
9:26 - His Background Before Getting Into Real Estate & How He Funded Deals
13:05 - How He Found His First Private Lender & What Makes Good Partnerships
20:01 - What Makes Someone A Good Wholesaler?
23:11 - Why He Got Into Real Estate
24:58 - His Work/Life Balance Now
27:47 - What He Hopes To Teach People
28:40 - His 351 Unit Deal
32:38 - How The Market Affects Commercial Real Estate
35:59 - Interest Rates & The Fed
41:25 - Interest Rates Affecting Single Family Vs Multi-Family
42:39 - His Single Family Investing
45:11 - Getting Started Around 2008
47:06 - What He’d Tell Someone Who Wants To Start Today
49:58 - Outro
LINKS:
Instagram: J Scott
https://www.instagram.com/JScottInvestor/
Website: J Scott
https://linktr.ee/jscottinvestor/
Instagram: David Lecko
https://www.instagram.com/dlecko
Website: DealMachine
https://www.dealmachine.com/pod
Instagram: Ryan Haywood
https://www.instagram.com/heritage_home_investments
Website: Heritage Home Investments
https://www.heritagehomeinvestments.com/