EP 008 | Ian Cruz | From 8 Units to 100+: Building a Scalable Cincinnati Investing Partnership

In this LIVE episode, Slocomb Reed and co-host Ian Cruz sit down live at Cincinnati's Best Ever REI Mastermind meetup to talk about how they built their partnership from scratch, scaled from 8 to 100+ units, and saved a deal that was on the brink of not closing on time. They also share fresh Cincinnati rental market data straight from their proprietary web scraper and break down the leasing tactics landlords are using right now to stay competitive in a softening market.What You Will LearnHow to identify the four core GP roles: the Hammer, the Hunter, the Money, and the Brain, and why knowing which ones you fill is the key to finding the right partnerWhy Slocomb and Ian structured their partnership 50/50 and how their operating agreement handles decision-making to prevent deadlockHow to finance large multifamily deals using agency debt vs. local banks, and when to have a hard money backup readyThe full story of scrambling to close a 70+ unit deal after their agency lender nearly killed it with five days to spareWhat Cincinnati's rental market actually looks like right now: days on market, rent averages, absorption trends, and why Class A is outperforming Class B and CHow a 3-month promotional rent strategy can get a unit leased faster without permanently reducing long-term incomeWhy speed-to-lead, not concessions, is the biggest lever in leasing, and how AI tools are changing the game for property managersWhy out-of-state investors, especially from California, may get better returns as passive LP investors in Cincinnati multifamily than owning a single duplex remotelyTimestamps:00:00 – Welcome & Live Meetup Intro02:15 – About the Cincy REI Show and What Every Episode Delivers05:00 – Ian Cruz Introduction: From Venture Capital to Cincinnati Multifamily07:30 – How the TLP Investment Services Partnership Was Born10:00 – The 8-Unit Northside Deal: Testing the Partnership on a Real Property13:00 – Scaling to 73 Units and What a Fannie Mae Small Balance Loan Actually Looks Like17:30 – The $3M Hard Money Scramble: Saving the 73-Unit Close in Five Days24:00 – GP/LP Deal Structure: Roles, Equity Splits, and Investor Waterfalls30:00 – Why 50/50 Partnerships Work and How to Handle Disagreements35:00 – How to Spot Your Own Weaknesses and Know When You Need a Partner40:00 – Why Ian Chose Cincinnati and Sold a California 6-Unit to 1031 Exchange In44:00 – Live Cincinnati Market Data: Rentals vs. For-Sale Listings and Rent Trends50:00 – The K-Shaped Market: Why Class A Is Winning While Class B and C Soften54:00 – Leasing Strategies That Work Now: Promos, AI Speed-to-Lead, and Listing Quality60:00 – Closing Thoughts and Next Meetup AnnouncementFollow @thecincyreishow on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss a conversation like this one. Leave us a five-star review if we've added value.