They Ran Out of Money at 20 Units. Then Raised $14M and Bought 264 Units

In this episode, Vince sits down with multifamily investor and loan broker Nate Shields, who scaled from small residential deals to 264 apartment units and over $14M raised from investors.Join the free Launch REI Newsletter at newsletter.launchrei.coNate shares how he bought his first apartment building with zero money down, the partnerships that helped him grow quickly, and the lessons he learned while scaling a multifamily portfolio across multiple markets.From building relationships with property managers that bring deals directly to him, to raising capital and structuring partnerships, Nate breaks down the strategies that helped him grow from small deals into large apartment acquisitions.This episode is a practical deep dive into multifamily investing, capital raising, partnerships, and scaling a real estate portfolio the smart way.In this episode, we break down• How Nate bought his first apartment building with zero money down• The strategy that helped him scale to 264 apartment units• How he raised $14 million from investors• Why relationships with property managers can unlock off-market deals• The biggest lessons from scaling a multifamily portfolio• How partnerships accelerated his investing journey• The realities of raising capital from investors• How new investors can break into multifamily deals• Mistakes to avoid when growing your portfolio• What it really takes to scale in commercial real estateTime stamps 00:00 Intro 01:55 Meet Nate Shields 05:10 Buying the first apartment building 09:40 Structuring a zero-down deal 15:30 Finding deals through property managers 22:10 Building partnerships in real estate 28:45 Raising capital from investors 35:20 Scaling to 264 units 41:10 Lessons from growing a portfolio 47:30 Advice for new multifamily investors 52:00 Final thoughtsGuest Bio Nate Shields is a multifamily real estate investor and loan broker based in Colorado. He has built a portfolio of 264 apartment units and raised over $14 million in investor capital while partnering on multifamily acquisitions across multiple markets. Nate focuses on strategic partnerships, operational efficiency, and long-term real estate wealth building.Connect with Nate ShieldsWebsite: https://www.missional.group/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nate_shields/Connect with LAUNCH REINewsletter: https://newsletter.launchrei.coPodcast Guest Application: https://launchrei.co/podcast/guest-apply/Mastermind: https://launchrei.co/mastermindYouTube: youtube.com/@VinceCraneWebsite: https://launchrei.coFollow VinceInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/vincecrane_/LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/vincecrane#launchrei#nateshields#realestateinvesting#multifamilyinvesting#apartmentinvesting#passiveincome#realestatepodcast#capitalraising#commercialrealestate#financialfreedom