Ever driven past a billboard that made you laugh and remember the realtor’s name?

That’s pretty much Kirk Hansen in a nutshell. In this episode of the Built for Wealth Podcast, I sit down with Kirk – a race car driver turned Cabarrus County realtor, investor, and broker-owner – to talk about how he’s built his business with bold marketing, no-money-down deals, and a whole lot of hustle.

We get into how he went from:
- Selling tires and cars on straight commission
- Deciding he wanted to be a full-time race car driver
- Jumping into real estate investing with almost no cash
- Buying 30+ houses in 18 months using other people’s money

Kirk shares real stories about:
- The famous “Don’t divorce your wife, just buy a bigger house” billboard
- Why he treats real estate as a marketing business first
- Finding undervalued MLS deals when everyone else misses them
- Working with investors from all over the world who buy in Cabarrus County and the Charlotte market
- Turning trashed foreclosures into clean, retail-ready homes that sell fast
- Helping a broke restaurant owner buy his first flip, then several homes, then shopping centers

We also talk about what’s happening right now in the Charlotte / Cabarrus market:
inventory, pricing, the number of people moving here, and how that creates opportunity for investors, flippers, and realtors who actually know their numbers.

This episode is especially for you if:
- You’re a realtor who wants to stand out and build a brand people remember
- You’re a house flipper or wholesaler trying to find better deals
- You’re interested in no-money-down real estate and using OPM (other people’s money)
- You like real stories, not theory

We finish by talking about how real estate has changed Kirk’s life, how he’s helped agents and investors build real wealth, and why helping other people win might be the best part of the whole business.

If you enjoy this one, hit subscribe, drop a rating or review, and share it with another investor or realtor who needs to hear it.

Follow along for more content just like this:
https://www.instagram.com/joshswart/
https://www.facebook.com/joshua.swart
https://www.tiktok.com/@joshswart3

On this episode of Built for Wealth, I sit down with Pete Kavanagh, retired military turned investor. Pete got his start with fix & flips and now manages funds and large scale land development transactions. We talk through how he got his start, what lessons he learned in the military that's he's applied to his current life, and how he connects between sellers and raising capital.

👉 Subscribe for more interviews and real estate investing strategies!

Follow along for more content just like this:
https://www.instagram.com/joshswart/
https://www.facebook.com/joshua.swart
https://www.tiktok.com/@joshswart3

On this episode of Built for Wealth, I sit down with Josh Dilmaghani, broker/owner at White Stag Realty, to unpack how he went from zero experience to running a multi-state brokerage closing ~250 transactions a year. We get real about what separates great agents from average ones, how to price reductions the right way (percentages, not token drops), and why new-construction concessions are crushing resale listings in many neighborhoods.

We also dig into what the data is signaling—days on market up, price drops rising, delistings, and equity-fueled price wars between competing sellers—and how agents and sellers can adapt. Josh shares hard-won lessons on building a team, sourcing Google-driven leads, keeping clients grounded through volatility, and the wildest transaction stories you won’t hear on HGTV.

What you’ll learn
- How a lean, no-frills model scaled to 250 closings/year
- The only price drops that actually move buyers (2–3% vs $500 “eyeball” cuts)
- Features that still sell fast (pools/backyard upgrades, closed floor plans)
- When to walk away from a client and protect your team’s bandwidth
- Tactics to turn Google traffic into real, closable leads

Follow along for more content just like this:
https://www.instagram.com/joshswart/
https://www.facebook.com/joshua.swart
https://www.tiktok.com/@joshswart3

On this episode of Built for Wealth, Josh sits down with Pete Russell, a Charlotte-based wholesaler turned transaction funding operator, to unpack how he went from 5:30 a.m. bandit signs to closing 30+ deals in a month, and why double closing became his edge. We cover sales foundations from his early days, the realities of scaling a wholesale team, when to use a double close vs assignment, raising capital, and the discipline of focusing on one thing to grow.

You’ll learn:
- How to break in with low-budget marketing (bandit signs, direct mail “check” letters)
- When a double close protects your spread—and how the logistics really work
- Why transaction funding is exploding, and how to prep title/escrow the right way
- Best/worst deal lessons (hidden land next door → 6-figure spread; the “garage I-beam” flip fail)
- How to raise private capital without a giant track record
- The mindset shift from “many streams” to focused execution

Connect with Pete:
Instagram: @PeteRussellOfficial
Transaction Funding: https://velocityadvantagecapital.com

Follow Built for Wealth:
🎧 All links & episodes: builtforwealthpodcast.com

If this episode helped you, please like, subscribe, and drop a review—it really helps the show!

Follow along for more content just like this:
https://www.instagram.com/joshswart/
https://www.facebook.com/joshua.swart
https://www.tiktok.com/@joshswart3

On this episode of Built for Wealth, I sat down with Mark Matzger, former Navy search-and-rescue, wealth manager, and real estate investor, to learn from his years in the trenches and wealth of hard-won insight. We cover everything from dropping a scarcity mindset to building lasting wealth without losing your soul.

Mark breaks down the simple systems he teaches clients, pay yourself first, track your personal income statement & balance sheet, and focus on cash flow over hot stock picks. We dig into his three pillars for financial independence (own your business, own income-producing real estate, own other people’s businesses), how to use leverage wisely (great for building wealth, risky for protecting it), and why many in traditional wealth management overlook rentals. He also shares his watch-face market cycle framework, thoughts on today’s real-estate environment, and what opens up once you’re an accredited investor (think infrastructure/energy plays).

Most importantly, we talk about defining “enough,” aligning money with faith and family, and keeping your dollars serving your mission—not the other way around. If you’re serious about stewardship, cash flow, and long-term ownership, this one’s for you.

Guest: Mark Matzger — Water Oak Investments
Connect: builtforwealthpodcast.com

Follow along for more content just like this:
https://www.instagram.com/joshswart/
https://www.facebook.com/joshua.swart
https://www.tiktok.com/@joshswart3

What if you could get paid three times on one deal—upfront, monthly cash flow, and a big backend? In this episode, Avi Rasowski breaks down exactly how he uses owner financing, subject-to, and notes to turn “hard” leads into high-yield deals. We cover real numbers (like a $14K → $55K flip via terms and a $100K buy → $240K cash exit), how to evaluate spreads with a financial calculator, staying compliant (Dodd-Frank/S.A.F.E. considerations), using trust/lease-option structures, and even borrowing against notes (collateral assignment/hypothecation) to scale without expensive private money.

What you’ll learn

• Why owner financing can beat wholesaling: down payments ≈ wholesale fees + monthly spread + backend equity
• The “infinite return” arbitrage: loan amount, rate, term, payment—how tiny inputs can double your money
• Real case studies: Lancaster, SC $14K buy → $55K sale on terms; Gaffney, SC owner-financed deal that ended in a $240K cash exit
• Compliance & risk control: ability-to-repay, screening buyers, and trust/lease-option mechanics
• Advanced strategies: securing 0% seller notes against better collateral, effective cost of capital, and borrowing against notes
• Portfolio building: when to keep vs. sell, handling defaults, and designing forever-cash alongside notes

If you’re into creative finance, seller financing, subject-to deals, private lending, self-directed IRAs, or just squeezing more profit out of “non-bankable” properties, this is a masterclass.

👍 If this helped, like & subscribe for more deep-dives from Built for Wealth.

Follow along for more content just like this:
https://www.instagram.com/joshswart/
https://www.facebook.com/joshua.swart
https://www.tiktok.com/@joshswart3

In this episode of the Built for Wealth Podcast, I sit down with Mike Moulton—a 25+ year real estate investing veteran who’s done it all: lease options, subject-to deals, fix & flips, creative finance, and now large-scale commercial plays and even life settlement investments.

Mike shares war stories from surviving the 2008 market crash, navigating short sales, rehabbing hundreds of homes in the Charlotte metro, and his mindset shift toward building long-term generational wealth.

We also dive deep into:
- How Mike used creative finance to scale early
- What went wrong during the recession—and how he clawed his way back
- Why he moved from single-family homes to self-storage and flex commercial space
- A wild breakdown of investing in life insurance policies as an asset class
- Why he calls 2025 the “Year of Pruning” and how he’s repositioning his portfolio for the future

If you're an investor navigating a tough market or considering long-term strategy shifts, you’ll get massive value from Mike’s transparent, no-BS approach to real estate, risk, and wealth-building.

Follow along for more content just like this:
https://www.instagram.com/joshswart/
https://www.facebook.com/joshua.swart
https://www.tiktok.com/@joshswart3

In this episode of Built for Wealth, I sit down with Igor Shiper—an immigrant entrepreneur who went from flipping his first property solo to building 150+ rental units, 310 self-storage doors, and a booming construction company. We cover everything from the lessons of growing up as a Ukrainian refugee, to scaling with integrity, to navigating development disasters like a septic permit gone wrong.

👉 Learn how Igor went from $15K on his first flip to managing 100+ builds a year.
👉 Hear how he leverages duplexes, team-building, and in-house systems to maximize long-term wealth.
👉 Plus, we dig into faith, family, and how to avoid raising entitled kids while building a legacy.

📍 Topics Covered:
- Building a team that scales
- Why duplexes are the ultimate real estate hack
- Navigating bad deals (including a septic nightmare)
- Investing through cycles—from 2006 to now
- Balancing wealth-building with family values and faith

💼 Connect with Igor: https://www.carolinaelitebuilders.com

Follow along for more content just like this:
https://www.instagram.com/joshswart/
https://www.facebook.com/joshua.swart
https://www.tiktok.com/@joshswart3