EP 94: Don’t Let the Market Turn You Into a Spectator (Real Estate Lessons From 2025)

In this episode, Courtney sits down with returning guest Joey Long, an active investor in the Tampa Bay market (primarily St. Petersburg and Pinellas County), for an honest review of what 2025 exposed for Real Estate operators and what Joey is doubling down on in 2026.

The Tampa Bay market surged post-COVID, then flatlined heading into 2025. Between shifting buyer demand, rising property taxes, and skyrocketing insurance, Joey shares how his original plan changed fast and why the real lesson of 2025 was not about effort. It was about decision-making, mindset, and staying out of “spectator mode” when the market gets noisy.

You’ll hear the exact pivots Joey made, what he regrets, how he’s using more creative tools again (including strategies most investors never learn), and why he’s willing to buy strong assets even when the cash flow looks weak on paper. They also dig into what Joey is seeing with short sales across Florida and why lenders are making them harder than ever, even on heavily damaged properties.

Episode Takeaways:

- Why 2025 did not reward effort, and how it exposed decision-making for Real Estate investors.

- The “spectator trap” and how mastermind noise can push operators into risk-avoidant paralysis.

- Joey’s 2025 pivot: when rentals stopped penciling, how he restructured deals and shifted exit strategies.

- The regret: why Joey wishes he kept more deals instead of wholesaling them, and how he thinks about that tradeoff now.

- A powerful niche: turning sellers into lenders after a deal, and why past sellers can be future capital.

- How to use a deal you do not want to create financing for a property you do want (and why this changes how you evaluate opportunities).

- Why Joey is okay with thin or negative cash flow in great neighborhoods, and how he measures overall yield beyond monthly cash flow.

- Short sales in Florida: what Joey is seeing in Pinellas, Pasco, Hillsborough, and beyond, plus the new hurdles lenders are adding.

- The investor vs businessman mindset, and how that framework shapes long-term portfolio decisions.

Watch Joey's Last Episode Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7BUB1jEe00&t=4s.

Connect With Joey Long:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joeylong.rei/

Tampa Bay locals: Joey hosts a quarterly event, next one on February 12 featuring probate attorney Al Nicoletti (focused on probate, curative title work, and deals most people avoid).

Connect with Courtney Fricke

Website: www.CourtneyFricke.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/courtneyfricke

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCfZlfkGpNzcMuDh6NX7xVpQ

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@courtney.fricke

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/courtneyfricke19/

X: https://x.com/courtneyfricke

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