Real Estate Opportunities During Recessions: Marketing Automation and Team Building | Peter Von Der Ahe

Sam Schneider and Peter Von Der Ahe explore the systems, mindset shifts, and strategic pivots that powered Peter's journey from cold-calling broker to leading one of New York's top multifamily investment sales teams, and eventually transitioning into full-time principal investing through MFP Capital. They discuss: \- Why moving the money conversation to the front of a deal unlocked team collaboration and eliminated friction in brokerage \- How cloud computing and marketing automation allowed Peter to scale from six people to fifty-five while leveraging his time tenfold \- The decision to walk away from a successful, established brokerage business to build a principal platform from scratch \- How recessions create disproportionate opportunity for those with runway, preparation, and the right reframe \- Why understanding what you're naturally good at matters more than chasing what sounds impressive on the surface This episode offers a blueprint for anyone building teams, navigating career transitions, or looking to compound small advantages into lasting success in real estate. Topics: (00:00:00) - Intro (00:01:55) - Peter's early years and college at BC (00:04:24) - Moving to New York and first jobs (00:06:32) - Arthur Andersen and the CMBS boom (00:09:12) - Dot com detour and sales experience (00:12:06) - Joining Marcus & Millichap (00:13:51) - The GFC as opportunity (00:17:03) - Building a team-based brokerage model (00:23:42) - The marketing letter that changed everything (00:28:51) - Scaling with technology and systems (00:30:39) - Podcast and inbound strategies (00:31:12) - New York rent laws and pivoting out (00:33:36) - COVID acceleration and the Florida move (00:36:06) - Going all in on MFP Capital (00:40:45) - MFP's investment strategy (00:41:51) - Finding operational upside in deals (00:43:48) - Favorite deal story (00:45:23) - Peter's 90 mile-an-hour fastball (00:47:03) - Navigating adversity and hard decisions (00:49:51) - Advice for young professionals Sam Schneider     LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-schneider-11234826/ Peter Von Der Ahe     LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pvonderahe/ Companies:   Imperium Capital — https://www.imperiumcap.com   MFP Capital - https://www.mfpcap.com/