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This week, Ed welcomes Hawaii-based real estate developer and educator Fuzzy Jardine to Real Estate Underground.

Fuzzy shares his background growing up in Hawaii, getting into trouble with drugs and alcohol, going to prison, and using that time to educate himself with books like Rich Dad Poor Dad.

After struggling to find work as an ex-con, he took multiple jobs, then invested $26,000 in real estate education after hearing about Fortune Builders, and learned to find deals through strategies like bandit signs and Craigslist ads. He explains how taking action led him from deal-finding to partnering with a local developer and eventually building 100+ affordable homes for local families on a more rural island, typically priced around $300K–$425K.

Fuzzy talks about “The Pono Way,” emphasizing respectful, ethical investing, illustrated by a deal where a distressed homeowner was helped with housing, a car, and additional funds while the investors still profited. He also describes co-founding the Hui Mastermind with Asha Smith, including webinars, bus tours showing the full build process, meetups, and master classes teaching how to get started in real estate and fund deals without traditional bank financing.

In a lightning round, Fuzzy says family is his main purpose, shares advice about being on time and owning mistakes quickly, reflects on saying yes too often and taking responsibility for a project headed toward a loss, and names motivators he follows on YouTube and podcasts.

Check out Fuzzy's book, “Out of Paradise: How to Build Wealth Investing in Real Estate the Pono Way,” and shares where to find him online: fuzzyjardine.com, huimastermind.com, Instagram @hifuzzy, and YouTube “Investing in Hawaii.”

00:00 Take Action Mindset
00:11 Show Intro and Opportunity
00:52 Meet Fuzzy Jardine
01:54 From Prison to Real Estate
05:58 Why Building Homes
08:33 Finding Deals and First Partner
10:03 Working Three Jobs to Learn
12:30 The Pono Way Ethics
15:58 Hui Mastermind Origins
19:15 Lightning Round Purpose
20:28 Mentors and Hard Lessons
23:21 Books and Writing His Own
24:43 Defining Success and Fun
26:40 Where to Find Fuzzy
27:24 Final Thanks and Call to Action

This week's book:  Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Elevista - Speed as a Service™
Elevista Connect is the first AI-powered lead conversion system built for real estate investors.

Heads up: If you find this week's book intriguing and you buy using our link, we receive a small commission that helps support the show. Thank you!

🎧 Subscribe to Real Estate Underground for weekly insights on building wealth through real estate, without sacrificing your sanity.

Additional Resources:

• Clark St Capital -> Passive real estate investments for busy business owners and executives
• Elevista -> AI SaaS for real estate investors
• Clark St Academy on YouTube -> Learn how to invest in real estate

Social Media:

• LinkedIn -> Ed Mathews (President at Clark St and Elevista)

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Melissa Nash spent $10K on a fully renovated $190K property with a tenant already in place.

Cash flows $200/month.

Sounds boring until you realize: $10K all-in. Someone else is buying her a house. And she never left California.

This week on Real Estate Underground: How a self-described "lazy investor" built a portfolio across five markets while coaching 2,000+ investors to do the same. No flying out to properties. No managing contractors. No second job disguised as passive income.

What you'll learn:

• The questions that separate good property managers from disasters (hint: it's not about their fees)
• Why Melissa went from flips and BRRRs back to turnkey investing—and why she's never looking back
• How to vet teams 2,000 miles away when you can't be on-site
• The $99K property that changed everything (and why fear almost killed the deal)
• Property managers as your best acquisition source—if you ask the right question

Why this conversation matters:

Melissa made every mistake you're worried about making. Trusted the wrong contractors. Lost money on flips. Froze on deals for years. Then figured out a system that works.

If you're analyzing deals but not pulling the trigger—she's been there. If you're wondering how to invest out of state without getting burned—she learned it the hard way so you don't have to.

We talk systems, spreadsheets, and the "snowball payoff" strategy she swears she'll start using someday (she won't—because she loves buying deals too much).

For operators who:

• Want to invest out of state but don't know who to trust
• Are tired of real estate being a second job
• Need a framework for vetting property managers
• Want to hear from someone who's helped 2,000 people actually do this

No hype. No theory. Just 11 years of buying properties she's never seen—and making it work.

Hit subscribe. Leave a comment. Tell us what you're working on.

Real Estate Underground. Where operators talk to operators about what actually works.

Check out Melissa's free community at: hellomelissanash.com

This week's book: The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve by G. Edward Griffin

Elevista - Speed as a Service™
Elevista Connect is the first AI-powered lead conversion system built for real estate investors.

Heads up: If you find this week's book intriguing and you buy using our link, we receive a small commission that helps support the show. Thank you!

🎧 Subscribe to Real Estate Underground for weekly insights on building wealth through real estate, without sacrificing your sanity.

Additional Resources:

• Clark St Capital -> Passive real estate investments for busy business owners and executives
• Elevista -> AI SaaS for real estate investors
• Clark St Academy on YouTube -> Learn how to invest in real estate

Social Media:

• LinkedIn -> Ed Mathews (President at Clark St and Elevista)

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Mastering Short-Term Rentals with Data-Driven Real Estate Strategies - Featuring Kenny Bedwell from STR Insights

In this insightful episode of the Real Estate Underground podcast, host Ed Mathews welcomes Kenny Bedwell from STR Insights to discuss the intricacies of short-term rental investments.

Kenny shares his journey from a data analyst at Citibank to a successful real estate investor specializing in short-term rentals. He emphasizes the importance of choosing the right markets, investing in amenities, and focusing on the guest experience to succeed in the competitive short-term rental space. Kenny also highlights his strategies for managing properties remotely, leveraging local resources, and the value of balancing work and family life.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to optimize their investments in the short-term rental market.

00:00 Introduction and Podcast Overview
01:19 Guest Introduction: Kenny Bedwell from STR Insights
01:45 Kenny's Background and Real Estate Journey
02:19 The Shift to Short-Term Rentals
02:45 Navigating Regulations and Diversifying Investments
04:00 Understanding the Short-Term Rental Market
09:17 Creating Unique Guest Experiences
15:50 Managing Short-Term Rentals Across Multiple States
20:07 Managing Property Operations
20:57 Human Capital and Property Management
23:35 Personal Drive and Motivation
25:09 Valuable Advice and Lessons Learned
32:41 Defining Success and Personal Growth
34:46 Hobbies and Family Life
37:25 Connecting with Kenny Bedwell

This Week's Book: The Pumpkin Plan: A Simple Strategy to Grow a Remarkable Business in Any Field (Entrepreneurship Simplified) - By Mike Michalowicz

Elevista - Speed as a Service™
Elevista Connect is the first AI-powered lead conversion system built for real estate investors.

Heads up: If you find this week's book intriguing and you buy using our link, we receive a small commission that helps support the show. Thank you!

🎧 Subscribe to Real Estate Underground for weekly insights on building wealth through real estate, without sacrificing your sanity.

Additional Resources:

• Clark St Capital -> Passive real estate investments for busy business owners and executives
• Elevista -> AI SaaS for real estate investors
• Clark St Academy on YouTube -> Learn how to invest in real estate

Social Media:

• LinkedIn -> Ed Mathews (President at Clark St and Elevista)