Good morning, good afternoon, and welcome back to the podcast! It has been an incredibly busy week and a half. We’re slightly off our normal release schedule, but for good reason—there is a ton of movement in the market right now, from foreclosure auctions to a brand-new roadshow I'm putting together across Oklahoma and North Texas.

Today, I want to take you behind the curtain of an exclusive event I attended right here in my backyard of Austin, Texas: HousingWire’s "The Gathering." HousingWire is arguably the premier source for mortgage and housing industry news, and their annual event at the Omni Barton Creek Resort brings together over a thousand top-tier mortgage professionals.

I didn’t just go to listen to the speakers; I went to see where the industry is moving. I’m sharing the "Big Three" takeaways that every real estate and note investor needs to know to stay ahead in 2026.

Key Industry Shifts & Tech Innovations

The Power of Networking (and Crashing the Party) The event was a $2,000 ticket, but as I always say, you don’t always have to pay to play. I spent four hours walking the vendor floor and meeting with people. In that short window, I made 20 solid connections and even met with a note investor from New York who wants to build a note trading platform. The lesson? Get out there. Whether you’re attending a local REIA club or a national conference, the value is in the hallway conversations.

Takeaway #1: The AI Revolution is Non-Negotiable The overwhelming factor at the event was AI. It is no longer just a buzzword; it is becoming the backbone of high-performing teams.

AI Agents: Companies are now using AI agents to handle "contract-to-close" management, scheduling, and even cold-calling leads.
Maximizing Output: The focus is on minimizing manual input to maximize output, allowing smaller teams to outperform larger, legacy operations.
Due Diligence: We are personally looking at ways to integrate AI for better borrower outreach and more efficient due diligence.

Takeaway #2: Rethinking Your Tech Stack If you haven’t updated your "tech stack"—your combination of CRM, booking tools, and communication apps—in a while, you are likely overpaying.

Consolidation: Modern apps are combining Zoom, Calendly, and webinar platforms into one compact space.

Cost Savings: By streamlining our house tools, we’re looking at saving $1,200 to $2,000 a year while gaining better features for our webinars and training classes.

Takeaway #3: The Return of Distressed Assets There was a heavy focus on the return of the distressed borrower. Now that COVID-era handouts have expired, we are seeing a visible trend in rising foreclosures and defaults across the country.

Probate Solutions: I connected with a company called Scriber that specializes in expediting the probate process—potentially cutting it down to 30 days. This is a game-changer for those of us buying reverse mortgages or HECM loans where probate is often a major roadblock.

Credit Optimization: New services are helping non-performing note buyers by "hand-holding" borrowers to optimize their credit scores, making them eligible for refinancing sooner.

The market is changing, and the "MacGyver style" of investing—trying to piece things together with duct tape—is not going to work anymore. You have to invest in yourself, upgrade your marketing, and embrace the technology that is available today. Don't sit on the sidelines just trying to wholesale for thin margins. Develop the skills to handle these deals yourself.