Rethink Real Estate

Ben Brady, CEO of Harcourts Auctions, sits down with Mike “Big Mike” Zlotnik — CEO of TF Management Group and host of the Big Mike Fund Podcast — for a wide-ranging conversation on the trends shaping real estate, private credit, and the broader economy heading into 2026.Mike shares how his journey from Moldova to New York City, combined with a background in mathematics and technology, shaped the analytical lens he now uses to manage real estate funds and evaluate national market cycles. He breaks down why some markets are softening, why others remain surprisingly resilient, and how Wall Street wealth continues to buoy the luxury sector even as affordability hits historic lows.The episode then turns to one of the biggest unknowns in today’s economy: the rapid surge of AI investment and whether we’re entering a bubble similar to the dot-com era. Mike explains how a correction could ripple into real estate — from capital flows to job stability to long-term demand — and why commercial assets, particularly triple-