Real Estate Underground · Episode 190 · Season 5
123% Leverage and the Crash That Changed Everything with Joel Kraut
April 14, 2026 · 52m
Show notes
Joel Kraut co-founded BRRRR Loans after losing $4.2 million in the 2008 crash. He had 144 properties at over 100% leverage when the market turned. Five tenants called the same day to say they couldn't pay rent.
Today he runs one of the country's fastest-growing private lending shops, and he sees the DSCR lending industry doubling in size over the next three years.
In this episode, Joel and Ed break down:
- Why investors are rotating from Texas and Florida to Ohio, Kentucky, and the Midwest
- How DSCR loans actually work (and why 1.0 coverage isn't enough)
- The real math on leverage: why the smartest investors stay at 60% LTV or below
- Why "relationship capital" matters more than real estate knowledge
- What happened when Joel wired money on March 5, 2020 and the market froze
- His $99 training modules vs. the $35K guru trap
- The best advice he ever got: "Post that in 5 years. Shut up. Go back to work."
Joel currently reads: Buy Back Your Time by Dan Martell
Connect with Joel: brrrr.com
Real Estate Underground is hosted by Ed Mathews of Clark St Capital.
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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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