Podcast
In The Lab with Ruben Kanya
Hosted by Ruben Kanya · EN
In The Lab with Ruben Kanya compiles over $2 Billion worth of successful real estate experiments for new investors looking to get started in real estate. With real estate being a broad umbrella, in the lab we introduce you to a variety of real estate models (experiments) that real practitioners have implemented while sharing their wins, losses and lessons in the lab so that you can pick the experiments that suit your lifestyle the most and double down. In the lab we focus on repeatable processes, systems and ingredients so that you can implement your own experiments and build.
34episodes
Episodes
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Q3 Playbook: 7 Lessons and 3 Insights That Will Redefine Your Next Quarter with Ruben Kanya - Episode #333
Jul 7, 202500:29:26Tap to summarizeGet the Midterm Rental Insurance Blueprint: https://experimentrealestate.com/#blueprintIn this solo episode of In The Lab, Ruben delivers a powerful, high-impact debrief heading into Q3 2025. With the lab coat on and lessons in hand, he walks through seven strategic experiments and three hard-earned insights from the previous quarter that every real estate entrepreneur needs to hear. From HELOCs on second homes and appraisal strategies to AI integration and bank account structuring for business credit, this episode covers the exact tweaks Ruben is using to grow Invested Escapes and support clients nationwide.Ruben dives deep into how to structure relocation proposals, why in-person events still win in a digital world, and how compressing negative timeframes can drastically improve your quality of life. He also breaks down the importance of storytelling, the untapped power of leveraging GPTs for niche business use, and what it means to move with clarity in your next season.If you're looking to sharpen your edge, build systems that scale, and lead with purpose this quarter, tune in now and take these 10 proven strategies into your lab.#RealEstateStrategy #MidtermRentals #Entrepreneurship#TemporaryHousing #BusinessGrowth #MTRAccelerator #Q3Planning #RealEstateTips
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Data-Driven Growth: Inside Furnished Finder’s Rise in Temporary Housing with Jeff Hurst - Episode #332
Jun 30, 202501:04:11Tap to summarizeGet the Midterm Rental Insurance Blueprint: https://experimentrealestate.com/#blueprintIn this data-packed episode of In The Lab, we sit down with Jeff Hurst, CEO of Furnished Finder and former President of Vrbo, Chief Strategy Officer at HomeAway, and COO of Expedia Group. Jeff brings decades of experience in travel and hospitality tech to a fast-growing platform that has quietly become a powerhouse in the midterm rental space. Under his leadership, Furnished Finder has doubled its team, modernized its infrastructure, and doubled down on transparency—offering rare insights into tenant demand, booking trends, and platform economics.Jeff walks us through how Furnished Finder is fundamentally different from traditional OTA platforms—highlighting landlord control, flat-rate pricing, and a commitment to empowering hosts with direct lead access. He unpacks the tenant segments behind over 2 million inquiries per year, including construction crews, relocating families, digital nomads, and healthcare workers. From scalable furniture ROI to market mismatch signals, Jeff shares actionable insights that today’s operators can apply immediately.If you’re looking to scale with better data, more control, and deeper tenant insights, tune in now to learn how Jeff Hurst is leading a marketplace revolution—one booking request at a time.HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EPISODE:12:14 Jeff talks about pricing transparency42:58 Jefftalks about chasing shiny objectsKEEPING IT REAL:08:25 – How Furnished Finder differs from OTA platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo11:00 – Why tenant experience and pricing transparency matter14:00 – The role of data in trust-building and growth17:00 – Tenant breakdown: business travelers, relocation, and digital nomads19:45 – Rise of renovation relocation and local stay trends22:30 – Super agents and power users: Furnished Finder’s enterprise use case24:30 – Jeff’s product roadmap and replatforming efforts26:30 – 130% YoY growth in relocation booking requests29:30 – Room count and pricing by bedroom type explained34:00 – 10% of tenants are large families—how to meet that demand37:00 – Extended stay hotels vs. MTR: the real comparison40:00 – Life hacking with Furnished Finder and furniture savings43:00 – Product philosophy vs. chasing shiny objects47:00 – How private ownership shapes Furnished Finder’s decision-making52:00 – Operators vs. entrepreneurs and solving real problems54:00 – Advice to 20-year-old Jeff and early-career insights59:00 – What’s next for Furnished Finder: messaging, sort order, and toolsCONNECT WITH THE GUESTWebsite: https://www.furnishedfinder.com/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-hurst-atx/#MidtermRentals #FurnishedFinder #RealEstateInvesting #CorporateHousing #TemporaryHousing #InsuranceHousing #FurnishedRentals #MTRStrategy
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Vertically Integrated: From Furnishing to Filling Temporary Housing Units with Gabriel Wacker - Episode #331
Jun 24, 202501:00:18Tap to summarizeConnect with me at https://experimentrealestate.com/connectGet the FREE Mid-Term Rental Insurance Blueprint: https://experimentrealestate.com/#blueprint In this insightful episode of In The Lab, we’re joined by Gabriel Wacker, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Transitions Group—a vertically integrated firm providing solutions in corporate housing, furniture rental, and temporary accommodations. Gabriel has been a key player in the evolution of furnished housing since the early days of Oakwood and Marriott’s foray into corporate housing. His background spans decades of leadership at Executive Stay, Vicinity, and Furniture Options, positioning him as an authority on scalable housing solutions across the Midwest and beyond.Through Gabriel’s lens, we explore the challenges and opportunities in temporary housing—from military and intern housing to large-scale insurance displacements. He unpacks the history of corporate housing, including Oakwood’s rise and exit, and reveals how today’s midterm rental operators can scale by leveraging supplier networks, CHPA partnerships, and match leases. Gabriel explains how controlling logistics, furniture, and housing—without owning property—can unlock cash flow, using real-world examples of 100+ unit contracts built on strategic relationships.If you’re looking to scale your rental operation, tap into legacy networks, or grow through strategic partnerships without owning property, this episode is for you. Tune in now to learn how Gabriel built a vertically integrated platform, secured complex 100+ unit contracts, and unlocked cash flow—one strategic relationship at a time.HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EPISODE:21:22 Gabriel talks about having a realistic path to scaling41:53 Gabriel talks about how insurance housing fits into their business model KEEPING IT REAL:07:00 – Differences between midterm rental and corporate housing terminology10:05 – Why corporate housing began in multifamily apartments11:45 – The scale and strategy behind Oakwood’s 15,000+ units13:33 – How Oakwood and Marriott transitioned executive housing brands16:00 – The journey from Executive Stay to Transitions Group20:48 – A realistic path for operators scaling from 5 to 100+ units24:00 – Unlocking growth with furniture rental as a scaling strategy27:01 – Intern housing, FEMA, and other complex housing projects29:00 – How Transitions Group partners and bids on major housing contracts32:00 – Logistics and warehousing behind 100+ furnished unit deployments34:00 – How pricing and net terms are structured with corporate clients36:00 – The origin story of Furniture Options and its corporate housing pivot40:00 – What’s ahead: volatility, post-COVID trends, and the new normal42:30 – Insurance housing’s place in the midterm rental strategy47:00 – How CHPA supplier networks drive collaboration and opportunity50:30 – Franchising, licensing, and the Marriott model for revenue sharing54:02 – Final advice: mentorship, partnerships, and playing the long gameCONNECT WITH THE GUESTWebsite: https://www.transitionsgroup.net/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielwacker/#CorporateHousing #MidtermRentals #InsuranceHousing #CHPA #RealEstateScale #TemporaryHousing #FurnishedRentals #HospitalityBusiness
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Serial Entrepreneurs: Starting Over 14 Businesses & Investing in Real Estate - Candice Payne and Carlos Callahan Episode #73
Mar 16, 2020Tap to summarizeGUEST BIO Today we have two special guests in the lab, Candice Payne and Carlos Callahan. As partners they are serial entrepreneurs who have added so much value to the community collectively while building well over 14 businesses which includes a spa that Candice is very passionate about. Prior to their success, both of them have had two very different paths that have led them to being a jack of all trades when it comes to execution under the large real estate umbrella. This includes buy and hold investing, AIRBNB, wholesaling, multifamily investing, flipping and essentially whatever it takes to solve a problem. Candice Payne is also well known from her interview on Ellen as she discussed sparking a movement that provided hundreds of hotel rooms for the homeless during the dangerous polar vortex that occurred in Chicago back in 2019. Join us today in the lab as they both add value to the community and share their incredible insights with their broad experience and many experiments in the real estate space. THE REAL ESTATE FOUNDATION 01:25 Guest Background 03:07 How they start as entrepreneurs 07:45 Candice bought her first 6 unit at 19 years old 08:17 Went bankrupt for almost $600k 11:07 Importance of real estate education 14:44 How to evaluate AirBnB deal 19:47 Managing the booking, cleaner and facilities of AirBnB KEEPING IT REAL 27:00 Helping homeless people during the polar vortex happened in Chicago 29:52 How important is social media in the business and personal life 32:57 Best system - delegating tasks to the team members BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS SHOW None NOTABLE QUOTES (KEY LESSONS): “There’s so many different doors for real estate, so people need to figure out what part of real estate they want to get in and know what they want to accomplish so that they’ll know which road to take” CONNECTING WITH THE GUEST Candice Payne: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram Carlos Callahan: Facebook, Instagram YouTube channel: bullet proof business www.candicesellschicago.com www.actionforacausenow.org This episode is brought to you by our sponsor Guesty.com which is a property management software that Ruben and his team use as short term rental Superhosts to manage and streamline all communication with their guests and team to make it a memorable stay for each guest that books their property. Use our private unique link here https://hosts.guesty.com/?r=therealestateexperiment to let Guesty know we sent you! #ExperimentAirBnb #AirBnb
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