Blue Skies Equity

01/12/2026

I was recently asked to be a speaker on the developers panel at the Beltrami County Housing Roundtable discussion. Well over 100 attendees representing housing agencies, realtors, developers, bankers and business owners were present to hear the results from a recent housing study and discuss the housing needs in the City of Bemidji and throughout Beltrami County. The Mayor of Bemidji, Administrator of Beltrami County, and two State Representatives spoke regarding the various housing needs in the area and ways all of us can partner to address the housing shortage.
As a speaker on the developers panel, I was able to address the various aspects of development that make it cost prohibitive to build rental housing units. The costs of labor, construction, taxes and insurance are at a point where it is very difficult to make a development project cash flow.
The roundtable was a great way for everyone discuss ideas and options on ways everyone can come together and find ways to provide additional housing in our area.

11/06/2025

🏁 We have officially CLOSED!

Not everything goes in a straight line when purchasing real estate, and this purchase was a great test of patience and diligence.

🔍 It all started in April when we found the property and did the initial underwriting. We were able to get a letter of intent signed and soon after, a purchase agreement. We worked endless hours going through the due diligence process and started to get ready to close when a storm with 120 mph winds swept through Bemidji.

🌪 The morning after the storm, we assessed the damage to our existing properties and looked at the apartment building we had planned to close. After driving by, we knew it would take some time for the owners to work with their insurance company to figure out what repairs were needed.

⏳ The storm caused a FOUR-MONTH delay in our closing and a lot of discussion with the sellers, but we ended up with a lot of positives from the situation. The building now has a NEW ROOF and, in a few weeks, contractors will begin installing new windows and siding.

💡 During due diligence, we noticed that the windows were in need of replacement and we figured it into our capital expense budget. With the siding now needing to be replaced because of the storm, we will be able to get the new windows installed at the same time.

🚀 So, as I mentioned, not everything goes in a straight line. There are obstacles along the way that need to be navigated and issues to deal with, but at the end of the day, sometimes it can even work out BETTER than expected.

🎉 We are excited to have officially closed and start getting to work on our business plan!

08/13/2025

12/20/2024

We are excited to announce that we just closed on 39 units in Colorado Springs!
This was the longest closing we have endured (6 months), but well worth all the time and energy involved. We are excited roll up our sleeves and begin implementing our business plan!
We are also very thankful for our partners who've invested in this deal!
If you would like to learn more about our business plan and how we plan to implement it, please reach out!

12/17/2024

Will we see bonus depreciation phase out or will it go back to 100%?

Trump's proposed tax changes could transform bonus depreciation and R&D expensing - learn what this means for your business tax strategy.

11/18/2024

New Article! 📚
"Cash on Cash! 🤑"

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cash-mike-strodtman-tpclc

If you would like to receive our newsletter, educational content on real estate investing, upcoming webinars, or hear about our upcoming deals please sign up!

Click on the link below and gain access to all our content!

https://blueskiesequity.activehosted.com/f/7

We also have a free E-Book titled, The Ultimate Guide to Investing in Real Estate Syndications we would love to send it to you. You can find it on our website or click the linkbelow.

https://blueskiesequity.com/free-e-book/

Thank you!
The Blue Skies Equity Team.

11/01/2024

New Article! 📚

"Cash Flow is King! 🤑"

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-cash-flow-mike-strodtman-uzfbc

If you would like to receive our newsletter, educational content on real estate investing, upcoming webinars, or hear about our upcoming deals please sign up!

Click on the link below and gain access to all our content!

https://blueskiesequity.activehosted.com/f/7

We also have a free E-Book titled, The Ultimate Guide to Investing in Real Estate Syndications we would love to send it to you. You can find it on our website or click the linkbelow.

https://blueskiesequity.com/free-e-book/

Thank you!

The Blue Skies Equity Team.

10/21/2024

New Article! 📚

"Gross Potential Rent and Why it is so Important!" 🏢

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/gross-potential-rent-why-so-important-mike-strodtman-kocec

If you would like to receive our newsletter, educational content on real estate investing, upcoming webinars, or hear about our upcoming deals please sign up!

Click on the link below and gain access to all our content!

https://blueskiesequity.activehosted.com/f/7

We also have a free E-Book titled, The Ultimate Guide to Investing in Real Estate Syndications we would love to send it to you. You can find it on our website or click the linkbelow.

https://blueskiesequity.com/free-e-book/

Thank you!
The Blue Skies Equity Team.