JF 4012: Houston Suburbs, Deposit Alternatives, In-House Ops ft. Robert Martinez

On this episode of Next Leve CRE, Matt Faircloth interviews Robert Martinez. Robert walks through building Rockstar Capital from post-recession Class B/C roots to a Houston-centric portfolio, why he now underwrites conservatively (e.g., ~65% LTV, stress-tested exits), and how inflation, insurance spikes, and rates forced operators to sharpen fundamentals. He shares his “make them stay” playbook—prioritizing AC/boilers and quality turns, adding Amazon-style lockers and in-unit laundry, converting security deposits into monthly “deposit-alternative” fees, in-housing services like valet trash/landscaping, and tightly monitoring online reviews via J Turner—plus why he prefers self-management and geographically clustered assets in Houston’s suburbs near strong schools. He also details staff-first KPIs (occupancy/delinquency discipline), lessons from a short-lived third-party management experiment, and buying back long-held, well-understood assets rather than chasing heavy value-adds Visit https://www.bestevercre.com/rockstar for get Rockstar Capital's FREE NOI Boosters Guide Robert Martinez Current role: Founder & CEO, Rockstar Capital (multifamily owner-operator). rockstar-capital.com Based in: Houston, Texas. rockstar-capital.com Say hi to them at: robertmartinez.com| Instagram: @apartmentrockstar| Rockstar Capital contact Visit investwithsunrise.com to learn more about investment opportunities.  Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at www.monarchmoney.com with code BESTEVER Join the Best Ever Community  The Best Ever Community is live and growing - and we want serious commercial real estate investors like you inside. It’s free to join, but you must apply and meet the criteria.  Connect with top operators, LPs, GPs, and more, get real insights, and be part of a curated network built to help you grow. Apply now at ⁠www.bestevercommunity.com⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices