Mike Scanlon of the Axon Group returns to share his personal real estate journey with several insights on how he has reached his success!

Mike starts by discussing his background prior to real estate and then jumps into his first property acquisition which was a rent-by-the-room condo house hack! He shares how he got gritty and creative to finance and acquire a pair of distressed properties in University Park. Mike breaks down how he identified value and got a down payment to purchase a prime 3-unit house hack in Lakeview! He explains how he grinded to build his real estate brokerage business and used commissions to fund his portfolio. Mike closes the show with how his investment strategy has shifted and with Chicago neighborhoods that he's extra bullish on!

If you enjoy today's episode, please leave us a review and share with someone who may also find value in this content!

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Connect with Mark and Tom: StraightUpChicagoInvestor.com

Email the Show: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com

Properties for Sale on the North Side? We want to buy them. Email: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com

Have a vacancy? We can place your next tenant and give you back 30-40 hours of your time. Learn more: GCRealtyInc.com/tenant-placement

Has Property Mgmt become an opportunity cost for you? Let us lower your risk and give you your time back to grow. Learn more: GCRealtyinc.com

=============

Guest: Mike Scanlon, The Axon Group

Link: Mike's Instagram

Link: The Axon Group Instagram

Link: SUCI Ep 427 - 2026 Predictions with the Axon Group

Link: SUCI Ep 398 - Paul de Luca

Link: Never Split the Difference (Book Recommendation)

Guest Questions:

01:50 Housing Provider Tip - Consider offering tenants a valuable unit improvement when enforcing large rent increases.

03:23 Intro to our guest, Mike Scanlon!

10:17 Mike's start in real estate.

17:25 How Mike acquired his second deal.

23:45 Buying a prime 3-unit in Lakeview!

32:49 Building a pipeline of leads as a real estate broker.

37:16 A creative 8-unit deal in Melrose Park!

43:27 Mike's shift in investment strategy.

49:01 Up and coming Chicago neighborhoods!

50:25 What is your competitive advantage?

52:15 One piece of advice for new investors.

54:01 What do you do for fun?

55:23 Good book, podcast, or self development activity that you would recommend?

56:38 Local Network Recommendation?

57:33 How can the listeners learn more about you and provide value to you?

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Production House: Flint Stone Media

Copyright of Straight Up Chicago Investor 2026.

What are the main differences in the 8.0 CAR contract vs the previous 7.0?

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Connect with Mark and Tom: StraightUpChicagoInvestor.com

Guest: Chance Badertscher, Chance The Lawyer

Email the Show: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com

Link: Build Your Team | Straight Up Chicago Investor Podcast

Properties for Sale on the North Side? We want to buy them. Email: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com

Have a vacancy? We can place your next tenant and give you back 30-40 hours of your time. Learn more: GCRealtyInc.com/tenant-placement

Has Property Mgmt become an opportunity cost for you? Let us lower your risk and give you your time back to grow. Learn more: GCRealtyinc.com

-----------------

Production House: Flint Stone Media

Copyright of Straight Up Chicago Investor 2026.

Dan Nelson is a real estate agent and investor with over 2 decades of experience flipping properties and buying rentals!

Dan jumps right in by explaining his start in real estate and how success in poker helped fund his real estate business! He breaks down his first few flip projects including lessons learned and great tips on vetting contractors. Dan talks through the challenges of getting off the ground as a new real estate agent and provides advice for rookie agents. He gets granular on investment performance expectations across various Chicago neighborhoods including areas he is extra bullish on. Throughout the episode, Dan hammers home the importance of taking a 10,000-foot view letting time be your biggest asset when it comes to succeeding in real estate investing!

If you enjoy today's episode, please leave us a review and share with someone who may also find value in this content!

=============

Connect with Mark and Tom: StraightUpChicagoInvestor.com

Email the Show: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com

Properties for Sale on the North Side? We want to buy them. Email: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com

Have a vacancy? We can place your next tenant and give you back 30-40 hours of your time. Learn more: GCRealtyInc.com/tenant-placement

Has Property Mgmt become an opportunity cost for you? Let us lower your risk and give you your time back to grow. Learn more: GCRealtyinc.com

=============

Guest: Dan Nelson, Dan Loves Houses

Link: Dan's Instagram

Link: Dan's Compass Page

Link: The War of Art (Book Recommendation)

Guest Questions:

02:03 Housing Provider Tip - Protect yourself against rental listing scams.

04:20 Intro to our guest, Dan Nelson!

13:02 How to find and vet contractors.

14:24 Dan's geographic area of focus!

18:01 Getting off the ground as a new real estate agent.

20:23 Chicago neighborhood expectations for investors!

30:25 Providing value as a real estate agent.

34:25 Common mistakes investors make when analyzing buildings.

41:33 Dan's outlook on Chicago!

44:23 What is your competitive advantage?

45:33 One piece of advice for new investors.

46:14 What do you do for fun?

46:25 Good book, podcast, or self development activity that you would recommend?

46:50 Local Network Recommendation?

47:14 How can the listeners learn more about you and provide value to you?

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Production House: Flint Stone Media

Copyright of Straight Up Chicago Investor 2026.

Brendan McElhaney, founder of Cash for Chicago Houses, is a real estate wholesaler and investor who specializes in sourcing off-market deals through direct-to-seller marketing!

Brendan explains how he started in real estate with a house hack and how that helped him leave his corporate job to pursue real estate full time! He talks about renovation mistakes and leasing insights that he learned on his first few deals. Brendan dives deep on getting a wholesaling business off the ground, establishing a team, and lessons learned from wholesales gone wrong. He shares how he is leveraging social media to provide value to others and grow his business and also provides an outlook on Chicago. Throughout the show, Brendan demonstrates that hard work and grit have been the keys to his success!

If you enjoy today's episode, please leave us a review and share with someone who may also find value in this content!

=============

Connect with Mark and Tom: StraightUpChicagoInvestor.com

Email the Show: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com

Properties for Sale on the North Side? We want to buy them. Email: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com

Have a vacancy? We can place your next tenant and give you back 30-40 hours of your time. Learn more: GCRealtyInc.com/tenant-placement

Has Property Mgmt become an opportunity cost for you? Let us lower your risk and give you your time back to grow. Learn more: GCRealtyinc.com

=============

Guest: Brendan McElhaney, Cash for Chicago Houses

Link: Brendan's Instagram

Link: Nick Jakubco (Attorney Referral)

Link: SUCI Build Your Team

Guest Questions:

03:19 Housing Provider Tip - Understand the limits on collectible security deposits.

05:09 Intro to our guest, Brendan McElhaney!

10:37 Leasing mistakes and lessons learned.

16:58 Getting a wholesaling business off the ground!

25:11 Wholesale deals gone wrong.

32:14 Building a reputation as a new wholesaler!

40:59 Establishing a wholesaling team and process.

43:34 Leveraging social media.

48:00 Brendan's outlook on his business and Chicago!

51:05 What is your competitive advantage?

52:24 One piece of advice for new investors.

53:08 What do you do for fun?

54:08 Good book, podcast, or self development activity that you would recommend?

54:42 Local Network Recommendation?

54:56 How can the listeners learn more about you and provide value to you?

-----------------

Production House: Flint Stone Media

Copyright of Straight Up Chicago Investor 2026.

How do I best prepare for an upcoming appraisal?

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Connect with Mark and Tom: StraightUpChicagoInvestor.com

Guest: Tom & Mark, Straight Up Chicago Investor

Email the Show: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com

Link: Build Your Team | Straight Up Chicago Investor Podcast

Properties for Sale on the North Side? We want to buy them. Email: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com

Have a vacancy? We can place your next tenant and give you back 30-40 hours of your time. Learn more: GCRealtyInc.com/tenant-placement

Has Property Mgmt become an opportunity cost for you? Let us lower your risk and give you your time back to grow. Learn more: GCRealtyinc.com

-----------------

Production House: Flint Stone Media

Copyright of Straight Up Chicago Investor 2026.

Ryan Bakke turns to discuss the power of smart business acquisitions and tax strategy to skyrocket returns and keep more money in your pocket!

Ryan starts by reminding us the tax benefits of short-term rentals and real estate professional status. He explains the process of buying businesses including defining a buy box, identifying opportunities, and improving operations upon acquisition. He dives deep on lessons learned from operating businesses and tips on how to improve efficiencies through off-shore staffing. The show closes with great insights on assessing return on equity and investment to ensure your capital is working as hard as possible.

If you enjoy today's episode, please leave us a review and share with someone who may also find value in this content!

=============

Connect with Mark and Tom: StraightUpChicagoInvestor.com

Email the Show: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com

Properties for Sale on the North Side? We want to buy them. Email: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com

Have a vacancy? We can place your next tenant and give you back 30-40 hours of your time. Learn more: GCRealtyInc.com/tenant-placement

Has Property Mgmt become an opportunity cost for you? Let us lower your risk and give you your time back to grow. Learn more: GCRealtyinc.com

=============

Guests: Ryan Bakke, Tax Strategy 365

Link: SUCI Ep 244 - Ryan Bakke

Link: Ryan's Instagram

Link: Influence (Book Recommendation)

Link: SUCI Investor Meetups Page

Guest Questions:

01:24 Housing Provider Tip - Understand the maintenance and life span of hot water heaters.

03:34 Intro to our guest, Ryan Bakke!

06:42 Leveraging short-term rentals for tax benefits.

11:26 Efficiently delegating to grow your business.

22:37 How to hire off-shore employees.

28:32 The process of buying a business.

32:03 Defining a "buy box" for a business.

39:07 Lessons learned from buying businesses.

46:08 Ryan's take on ROI and Chicago's future!

53:28 What is your competitive advantage?

53:37 One piece of advice for new investors.

53:46 What do you do for fun?

53:59 Good book, podcast, or self development activity that you would recommend?

54:17 Local Network Recommendation?

54:35 How can the listeners learn more about you and provide value to you?

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Production House: Flint Stone Media

Copyright of Straight Up Chicago Investor 2026.

Adam Friedberg, CEO of Mavrek Development, joins us to discuss the ins and outs of large-scale developments in Chicago.

Adam starts by explaining how he started in real estate and hustled early on to learn development and value-add construction. He breaks down pitching development deals to investors and various methods for raising money. Adam talks about projects during COVID and how his team pivoted given the unforeseen circumstances. He gets granular on how to most efficiently cut construction costs without negatively impacting the quality of the final product. In typical SUCI fashion, Adam explains why he is doubling down on Chicago investments and why you should too!

If you enjoy today's episode, please leave us a review and share with someone who may also find value in this content!

=============

Connect with Mark and Tom: StraightUpChicagoInvestor.com

Email the Show: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com

Properties for Sale on the North Side? We want to buy them. Email: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com

Have a vacancy? We can place your next tenant and give you back 30-40 hours of your time. Learn more: GCRealtyInc.com/tenant-placement

Has Property Mgmt become an opportunity cost for you? Let us lower your risk and give you your time back to grow. Learn more: GCRealtyinc.com

=============

Guests: Adam Friedberg, Mavrek Development

Link: Adam's LinkedIn

Link: SUCI Ep 421 - Alec Greenberg

Link: Abundance (Book Recommendation)

Link: Crain's Chicago

Guest Questions:

01:50 Housing Provider Tip - Simplify property management by setting expectations!

03:16 Intro to our guest, Adam Friedberg!

06:41 How to learn value-add construction in real estate.

10:35 Taking down commercial projects in Oak Park.

23:18 Pitching large development deals to investors!

27:10 Lessons learned from developments in 2020.

30:53 Acquiring The Saint Grand development.

37:20 Getting lean on construction costs.

44:14 Upcoming Mavrek developments!

55:31 Adam's bullish outlook on Chicago!

57:53 What is your competitive advantage?

58:00 One piece of advice for new investors.

58:15 What do you do for fun?

58:53 Good book, podcast, or self development activity that you would recommend?

59:34 Local Network Recommendation?

60:33 How can the listeners learn more about you and provide value to you?

-----------------

Production House: Flint Stone Media

Copyright of Straight Up Chicago Investor 2026.

What is the process for assuming a VA or FHA loan?

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Connect with Mark and Tom: StraightUpChicagoInvestor.com

Guest: Mike Scanlon, The Axon Group (EXP Realty)

Email the Show: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com

Link: Build Your Team | Straight Up Chicago Investor Podcast

Properties for Sale on the North Side? We want to buy them. Email: StraightUpChicagoInvestor@gmail.com

Have a vacancy? We can place your next tenant and give you back 30-40 hours of your time. Learn more: GCRealtyInc.com/tenant-placement

Has Property Mgmt become an opportunity cost for you? Let us lower your risk and give you your time back to grow. Learn more: GCRealtyinc.com

-----------------

Production House: Flint Stone Media

Copyright of Straight Up Chicago Investor 2026.