Alex Mysinek Powered by The Money Store

09/04/2026

The biggest mistake first-time real estate investors make and it is one that shows up consistently regardless of experience level.

Not making enough room for error.

Here is what that looks like in practice. When you go into a flip Johnny Vang of EXP Realty recommends building in an additional 10 to 20 percent on top of your projected cost. Not because you plan to spend it but because renovations, timelines, and unexpected issues have a way of finding that money whether you planned for it or not.

For a multifamily purchase or your first single family rental the error happens differently. Buyers come in thinking they can get in with 10 percent down. The reality is you are typically looking at 15 to 20 percent for investment property financing. That gap alone can throw off an entire deal structure.

And here is the part that catches people off guard even after they have the right down payment: just because you are putting 20 percent down does not mean the rent will cover the mortgage. The numbers have to actually work. The rental income has to support the debt service, the carrying costs, and ideally leave some margin.

These are not details you figure out after you are under contract. They are the math you run before you make an offer.

Connect with Johnny Vang at EXP Realty.

09/03/2026

One of the most honest observations from someone who has spent decades on both sides of the transaction: what lenders wish realtors understood and what realtors wish lenders understood.

Johnny Vang of EXP Realty puts it simply. As a realtor he wishes loan officers and underwriters remembered one thing: there is a real person behind this file.

Not every condition that comes out of underwriting has a clean answer. Not every documentation request is something a borrower can simply produce. Sometimes the item being requested does not exist. And when that happens and there is no clear solution the borrower and the agent are left chasing documentation they do not know how to provide while the clock keeps ticking.

The most experienced lenders know how to navigate around those situations. They find alternative ways to satisfy the requirement or communicate clearly about what will actually work. That expertise makes a real difference for a real family trying to get to the closing table.

The reminder for lenders: behind every file is a person whose life is on hold waiting for an answer. The more human that process feels the better it goes for everyone.

Connect with Johnny Vang at EXP Realty. 763-213-7991.

09/03/2026

5.0 star review received on Experience.com for Alex Mysinek by Cynthia D - helped me figure stuff out that I didn't know about. He was very good about it.

Click to see all 182 reviews of Alex Mysinek, Branch Manager | NMLS ID # 2051280

09/02/2026

5.0 star review received on Experience.com for Alex Mysinek by Melissa J - Alex was beyond helpful through the whole experience!

Click to see all 181 reviews of Alex Mysinek, Branch Manager | NMLS ID # 2051280

09/02/2026

A real estate investment mistake that is happening more often than most people realize and it is costing buyers thousands of dollars before they ever collect a rent check.

Adam Hunt at Fuse Real Estate has seen it more times than he can count. A buyer works with an agent who asks ChatGPT what the rent range would be for an investment property. The AI gives a range. The agent takes the top of that range and tells the buyer they can get $4,000 a month. The buyer builds their entire investment analysis around that number.

Then they come talk to Adam who manages over 750 properties across the Twin Cities market. And he tells them the property is going to rent for $2,900.

That is a thousand dollar a month gap. $12,000 per year. And every cash flow projection, every return calculation, every decision that was made based on that number is now wrong.

That is not a minor adjustment. That is the difference between a good investment and a bad one.

The solution is education, accurate rental analysis, and working with someone who actually knows what properties rent for in that specific market at this specific moment. Not a chatbot. Not a national average. Real local data from someone who is actively placing tenants in that type of property right now.

Adam owns 10 properties himself on top of managing 750 for other clients. He runs spreadsheets, cash flow analysis, and rental analysis for every investor conversation. And he will tell you honestly whether the numbers work before you buy, not after.

Reach out to Adam Hunt at Fuse Real Estate.

09/02/2026

I get this question all the time. Should I just wait for the housing market to crash?

It is a completely understandable question. Everyone remembers 2008 and nobody wants to buy at the top of a market right before it falls apart. But here is what the data actually says about where we are today.

Most economists are not expecting a repeat of 2008. And the reason is that today's market looks fundamentally different from the conditions that caused that collapse.

Homeowners right now have strong equity positions. They are not underwater on their mortgages the way millions of people were before the last crash. Foreclosure rates are low. Lending standards are significantly tighter than they were in the mid-2000s. And there is still a genuine shortage of homes in many parts of the country which means the supply-demand dynamic continues to support values even as the market has cooled from its peak.

Could prices level off in some markets? Absolutely. That is already happening in certain areas and it is a normal and healthy part of any real estate cycle.

But here is the risk of the wait-for-the-crash strategy that most people do not think through carefully. If the crash you are waiting for never comes at the scale you are expecting you could end up paying higher prices later while having missed months or years of equity building in the meantime. Waiting has a cost. It is just less visible than the cost of buying at the wrong price.

The smartest move is not trying to perfectly time the market. It is buying when you are financially ready and finding the right strategy for your specific situation.

Reach out if you want to talk through what that looks like for you.

09/01/2026

Two mistakes Adam Hunt at Fuse Real Estate sees first-time investors make consistently. And both of them are avoidable with the right preparation.

Mistake number one: not running the numbers before getting excited about the property. Specifically overestimating what the property will rent for. This one mistake can take a good investment and turn it into a bad one before you even close. If the rent projection is off by a few hundred dollars a month the entire return analysis changes. Cash flow that looked positive becomes negative. A deal that seemed smart becomes a problem you are now managing.

This also applies to buyers who assume they will Airbnb a property, short-term rent it, or operate it as student housing, co-living, sober living, or nurse housing. These are real strategies but they are nuanced ones. They require experience, market knowledge, and often specific licensing or compliance steps that first-time investors do not anticipate.

The gold standard underwriting approach is simple: if the deal does not work as a long-term rental first, pause hard before moving forward. If you need a specialized rental strategy to make the numbers work and you do not have experience in that niche yet, that is a significant risk.

Run the real numbers. Use accurate market rent data. And make sure the deal works at the baseline before you start building your return assumptions on a strategy that requires specialized ex*****on.

Reach out to Adam Hunt at Fuse Real Estate. 612-886-5543 or [email protected].

08/31/2026

If you are thinking about becoming a landlord in the Minneapolis or St. Paul area this is the conversation you need to have before you buy a single property.

The Twin Cities have some of the most restrictive landlord regulations in the country and most investors do not know this until they are already in a deal.

Here is what that looks like in practice.

St. Paul has a 60-day eviction notice requirement. That is not a typo. Sixty days before you can even begin the eviction process.

Minneapolis and St. Paul both have inclusive screening criteria that limits what you can use to evaluate a prospective tenant. You cannot look at someone's overall credit score. You can only look at specific items on their credit report that would directly affect their ability to pay rent which means past due balances to landlords and utilities.

Here is the example that stops investors cold. Someone could have an $80,000 collection from a Mercedes they never paid off. Under the inclusive screening criteria you cannot deny that applicant based on that collection. It is not related to their ability to pay rent.

This is the regulation you are operating under as a landlord in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Knowing this before you buy changes everything about how you evaluate a deal. The numbers look different when you understand the rules you are playing by.

The good news is this is a 5 to 15 minute conversation. Not a complicated one. Just a necessary one.

Talk to someone who knows the market before you close.

08/31/2026

This week's housing market update is focused on something every buyer and seller is watching: inflation and what the Federal Reserve does next.

Recent economic data continues to show that inflation remains a major factor influencing the Fed's decisions. Policymakers are balancing the goal of keeping inflation under control while supporting a healthy economy. That balancing act is producing uncertainty in the rate environment and that uncertainty is trickling down directly into buyer and seller behavior.

But here is the thing about uncertainty in real estate that most people miss.

For consumers uncertainty feels like a reason to wait. For real estate professionals uncertainty is an opportunity to become the most trusted voice in the room.

Your clients do not need someone who can predict exactly what the Fed will do next or where rates will land in six months. Nobody can do that reliably. What they need is someone who can clearly explain what is happening right now and help them understand what their actual options are in this specific environment.

That is the value you can provide that no algorithm or headline can replace.

This is a great time to reconnect with your database. Check in with past clients who may be watching the news and wondering what it means for them. Educate buyers who have been waiting for the perfect moment that may never arrive exactly as they imagined it.

The agents and lenders who consistently provide real value and help people make informed decisions will be the ones who stay top of mind when opportunities arise. And opportunities are arising right now for buyers who understand how to use the current market.

08/29/2026

One of the most powerful questions you can ask a renter who is thinking about buying: are you paying somebody's mortgage? Because if you are renting, you are. The only question is whether it is yours or your landlord's.

That one sentence lands differently than a dozen statistics. And it is true.

Julie, a Minnesota realtor specializing in seniors and first-time buyers, has a full presentation she walks buyers through to break down exactly what that means in real numbers. And she says almost every time she goes through it buyers already knew it on some level. They just needed someone to show them clearly.

The other thing she will tell you before you ever start looking at houses: get pre-approved first.

Not because it is a formality. Because sometimes buyers think they cannot buy when they absolutely can. And sometimes buyers think they can buy more than the numbers actually support. Pre-approval brings both of those situations into reality before anyone falls in love with the wrong house.

Come in realistic from the beginning. Know your actual buying power. Then go look at homes.

That is the sequence that produces the best outcomes.

Reach out to Julie at Vikings Homes. [email protected] or 763-257-7231.