Jacob Vanderslice is a co-founder and Principal at VanWest Partners, a Denver-based real estate investment company specializing in the acquisition, development, and management of self-storage facilities. Under his fundraising leadership, VanWest has strategically deployed over $375 million in capital in value-add self-storage facilities across the United States.

In this episode, Leonard and Jacob Vanderslice discuss:

• Why disciplined investing sometimes means saying no to nearly every deal in the market
• How Van West evaluates self-storage opportunities through supply, rents, and downside risk
• The difference between investing directly in real estate versus investing passively with an operator
• What leverage, interest rates, and lower loan proceeds mean for today’s real estate returns
• Why operator quality can matter as much as the asset itself in private equity investing

Key Takeaways:

• In a difficult market, discipline is often defined by what you choose not to buy. Van West reviewed more than 900 acquisition opportunities, modeled about 250, and purchased just one.
• Value-add investing often comes from relentless attention to operational details. Small savings on expenses, taxes, contracts, and inefficiencies can compound into meaningful increases in net operating income and asset value.
• Passive real estate investing gives investors access to experienced operators, tax benefits, and income potential without the time, capital, and management burden of owning property directly.
• In today’s market, higher interest rates, lower leverage, and reduced loan proceeds have changed return expectations. Investors and operators must adapt to a more conservative environment.
• Strong underwriting begins with the downside. Great operators spend less time chasing the story for winning and more time understanding how a deal could go wrong and how to reduce that risk upfront.

“Leverage is a wonderful and terrifying thing. Leverage, when used appropriately, can really increase your deal returns, but when used inappropriately, it can exponentially increase your risk profile at the same time.” - Jacob Vanderslice

Connect with Jacob Vanderslice:

Website: https://www.vanwestpartners.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacob-vanderslice-02905b16b/

Connect with Leonard Raskin:

Website: https://www.raskinglobal.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leonardraskin/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RaskinGlobal

Email: lraskin@raskinglobal.com

Show notes by Podcastologist: Francine Poblete

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