The Importance of Diversifying Your Real Estate Portfolio with Ben Fraser, Ep 78

Jan 11 2024 • 43 mins

Today's guest isBen Fraser, He is the Chief Investment Officer at Aspen Funds, where he combines his analytical nature with a passion for delivering outstanding client service and strong returns.

Ben shared his knowledge and experiences as both an active and passive investor in real estate.

We also discussed the importance of understanding market trends and asset diversification even within commercial real estate.

There were a ton of insights in this one for both active and real estate passive investors!

Episode Topics

[01:10] Meet our guest, Ben Fraser
[03:33] Understanding Wealth Creation
[16:23] Evaluating Deals and Sponsors
[28:15] The Current Challenges in Multifamily Real Estate
[31:37] The Potential of Retail and Industrial Real Estate
[33:57] Understanding the Broader Economic Context of Real Estate
[39:47] What is one red flag every investor should look out for?
[40:13] What is a myth about the real estate business?
[42:12] Connecting to Ben

Notable Quotes

"I wanted to own assets, learn risk management, and be on the side with the benefits of growth and ownership." - Ben Fraser
"Wealth is created through ownership—whether in businesses or real estate. You don't need it as your primary occupation to participate and benefit from the upside." - Ben Fraser
"Go slow deploying capital. Spread it across many deals early on. Learn along the way—you'll avoid later regrets." -Ben Fraser
"Cash flow in real estate is a defensive metric. It helps you ride out turbulence and hold onto your property until things improve." -Ben Fraser
"Cash flow keeps deals alive. Sponsors must be upfront about the timeline and efforts to save a deal before turning to investors." - Tim Little
"Multifamily remains strong long-term. Short-term challenges, but retail, especially neighborhood centers, is a surprising gem—cash flow machines with great potential." - Ben Fraser
"I shifted from self-managing a duplex to commercial multifamily because time spent dealing with issues was costing more than the 10%. Real estate offers diverse paths; it's about finding efficiency for the returns I seek." - Tim Little

Connect with Ben Fraser