The Biggerpockets Real Estate Investing Podcast

Mortgage rates are high, supply is low, and inflation just won’t go away. These market conditions make investing in real estate harder than ever…or so most investors think. The truth? This housing market isn’t all that different from years past, and if you know which moves to make, you can get ahead of all the other investors without them noticing. What do we mean? We’ve got a seasoned investor with over thirty years of rental property experience on the show, ready to share how buying during “high” rates can be a huge advantage. But that’s not all we’re getting into on this BiggerNews episode. We’ve got questions directly from BiggerPockets listeners that we’re throwing at expert investor Kathy Fettke to see what time-tested advice she’d give. First, a listener wants to know why mortgage rates aren’t falling and how to get into the real estate investing game during a time like this. Then, we discuss how investors can save themselves against inflation. With a spike in part-time work, could the American economy

With so many real estate tax write-offs, it’s no wonder that CPA Brandon Hall says rental real estate is one of the most tax-advantaged assets on the planet. But, even with so much free-flowing information on how to pay less to Uncle Sam, most real estate investors are missing out on a MASSIVE tax deduction that could be saving them thousands, if not tens of thousands, on their tax bill. What’s the write-off that even our host, Dave Meyer, didn’t know about? Stick around, or walk away from a HUGE tax savings. Brandon Hall is a real estate investor-focused CPA. He knows the deductions, write-offs, and audit red flags that could be helping or hurting you. Today, he’s walking through whether or not you need a tax professional (a LOT of people DON’T), why you need to start tax planning BEFORE you buy your first property, the biggest real estate tax write-off that most people miss, and why you should WAIT to file your taxes to see if a MASSIVE real estate tax benefit is making a much-awaited comeback. Need a tax p

If you follow these Airbnb design tips, you could double your nightly rates almost instantly. Don’t believe us? Erica Dike, a short-term rental design expert, has done it before and is sharing her “designing for dollars” formula ANYONE can use to boost nightly rates, double revenue, or increase their bookings. Erica, like many of us, has seen the standard Airbnb designs. You know what we’re talking about—the sterile walls and lack of color, or the obscurely small dining room table for a cabin that’s supposed to sleep ten. Erica’s designs go far beyond what most guests expect, and that’s why she’s been so successful. Erica gives us the three steps to her “designing for dollars” formula, plus seven tips that ANY Airbnb, medium-term, or long-term rental investor can use to attract their target guest/renter and start making more money than ever before. Plus, if you’re a host with a lackluster short-term rental and are looking for some quick design ideas to spruce up your space, Erica shows you step-by-step how to

How does a HELOC work? Can you use one to start investing in real estate when you’re low on cash? And, if you do decide to go the rental property investing route, how do you ensure you’ll retire a millionaire? If these questions have been keeping you up at night, worry not; David and Rob’s real estate wisdom is about to make those early retirement and financial freedom dreams a reality. Welcome back to another Seeing Greene. As always, your expert investor co-hosts, David Greene and Rob Abasolo, are here to answer any and every real estate investing question you have. First, we answer, "Is an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) EVER worth building?" With the sky-high construction and labor costs, do these tiny homes make more sense now than ever? Next, we’ll break down how a HELOC (home equity line of credit) works, then David and Rob explain how they’d invest $300K in TODAY’s market and counsel a landlord/broker on how to retire a millionaire with real estate. Want to ask David a question? If so, submit your quest

If you have just $10,000, you can start investing in real estate THIS YEAR, even with ZERO experience. How are you going to do it? In this episode, we’re breaking down the most beginner-friendly ways to build a real estate portfolio with low savings, a median income, and bills to pay. While this might not be the easiest road to real estate riches, within just a few years, you could be sitting on multiple investment properties IF you make the right moves. Dave Meyer, David Greene, and Rob Abasolo all started investing without much cash in the bank. They had to budget, save, and build up their finances to get their first rental property in the bag. But, once they started investing, it was hard to stop. Now, they all have financial freedom-enabling real estate portfolios that spit out plenty of monthly cash flow. And they’re here to help you build wealth, too! Dave, David, and Rob share their favorite ways to start from scratch when investing in real estate, how to best use $10,000 to get in the game, the one be

The NAR lawsuit changed the real estate industry overnight. Just like that, buyer’s agents were no longer getting their standard three percent commission, and many investors began imagining what buying and selling homes would be like without realtors. But is this massive NAR settlement as dramatic as the headlines are making it out to be? Is there really an agent exodus on the horizon, or is this just a way for the bad agents to exit the industry quickly? We brought on a panel of top investor-friendly agents to find out. Joining us are four agents from across the nation: Avery Carl, Craig Curelop, Juliet Lalouel, and Mike Savegnago. All of these agents are affected by the recent NAR lawsuit settlement, but they don’t seem so shaken up. For many of these agents, this lawsuit simply thinned the competition, putting the expert agents back on top while showing the less-than agents the door. Plus, after the recent deals they’ve done, they’re not too concerned about a lack of buyer’s agent fees. Today, we’re asking

Why are David and Rob selling off parts of their rental portfolios? It’s a new season, and you know what that means—spring cleaning! And if you’ve got underperforming properties, a real estate business that’s just treading water, or employees who aren’t moving the needle, this is the episode for you. David and Rob are talking about “trimming the fat” of their portfolios and businesses, weeding out the bad expenses, and selling off their problem rental properties. And with spring being the best time to sell, you may want to consider doing the same. First, we’re going through David and Rob’s real estate businesses—they’re talking about hiring, firing, starting new businesses, and when it’s time to slow INSTEAD of grow. Next, the investing duo takes a hard look at their portfolios, triaging the properties into winners, losers, and the ones that need a little love. If you’ve got a rental property that isn’t pulling in the numbers you want, now may be the time to sell! But, if you’re going to sell some of your ren

In just four years, Dylan Osmon went from having no job, barely any money, and no real estate investing experience to owning over one hundred rental units. How’d he do it so quickly? Before we answer that, we’re going to make this a little more impressive. Dylan isn’t buying in the big cities with tons of inventory going on the market every week—he’s been buying in tiny towns that you and almost everyone else listening to this have never heard of. And he may have struck gold by doing so. Dylan acquired his first investment property right before the lockdowns. Then, after closing, he quickly realized that this was the worst rental property he could have bought. It had everything—low rents, tenants who never paid, and, to top it off, a cesspool of human waste in the crawlspace—everything you need for a deal gone wrong. He quickly got control of this nightmare rental, flipping it and walking away unscathed. But now, he had to start back from square one, this time with new knowledge. Over the next few years, Dyla

When is it NOT worth taking a capital gains tax exemption? Wouldn’t it ALWAYS be a good time to pay Uncle Sam less? Not exactly…and today, we’re going to get into why. But there’s much more coming up in this Seeing Greene. If you’ve had trouble with an overbudget home renovation or are a real estate agent looking for new ways to find leads, stick around—we’ve got just what you need. BRRRRman and Rob-in are back as our housing heroes, answering any and every question you have about real estate investing. First, Ronnie, a new real estate agent and full-time law enforcement officer, wants to know how to get more leads in his small market. David gives one piece of advice EVERY real estate agent must hear to help explode their businesses. Next, we discuss refinancing vs. recasting your mortgage and when each is worth it. A house hacker debates reinvesting in his backyard tiny home or buying a house in cash. Then, we talk about why selling your former primary residence, even with a capital gains exemption, might no

You want to grow your real estate side hustle, but your W2 is taking up too much of your time. How do you invest in real estate when you’re stuck at the office or behind a desk from nine to five? We’re about to give you expert tips on growing a real estate portfolio or real estate business no matter your W2 because if David Greene and Rob Abasolo can do it, so can you! Whether you want to build a rental property portfolio, flipping or wholesaling business, real estate agent side income, or something else, it can be a struggle managing your real side hustle while working your full-time job. And, if you eventually want to quit your job and become a full-time real estate investor, you’ll need your real estate to produce as much or more than your current job, but how do you make that type of income with only nights and weekends free? These six tips will help you create a bigger, better, more scalable real estate side hustle, helping you do more with less time WITHOUT burning out. From setting a side hustle schedu

Housing inventory has shot up over twenty percent year-over-year. So, are our low inventory struggles finally behind us? During the low interest rate days, housing inventory couldn’t keep up with demand. Within days of posting a listing, properties had already gone under contract, and buyers could no longer bid. But now, with higher interest rates, we’re finally starting to see a return to “normal,” but a rate cut could take us back to scarce inventory in an instant. So, is now the time to buy? Mike Simonsen from Altos Research joins us on this BiggerNews episode to give an update on housing inventory. Mike’s team tracks every home for sale in the country every single week and has been doing so for almost two decades. Today, he gives us the most recent data on homes for sale, why inventory is rising, the states that are seeing the most inventory hit the market, and whether or not we can expect to return to pre-pandemic inventory levels. Plus, for those debating waiting it out for lower mortgage rates, Mike sh

Want to explode your real estate portfolio? Then you MUST know about raising private money. When done correctly, private money (also called private capital) can help you and your investors reach financial freedom faster instead of wasting months or years between deals as you wait for your savings to grow. The best part? It’s not just the big players that are raising private capital. Small-time investors doing five or ten-unit deals can still massively benefit from private money, and we’re about to show you how to get it! When talking about private capital, there’s arguably no one who knows the subject better than Matt Faircloth. Matt literally wrote the book Raising Private Capital and has used the same strategies in it to raise millions of dollars for his own investing business, The DeRosa Group. Matt’s partner, Hervé Francois, also joins us today to go over the beginner steps of raising private capital. These two capital-raising experts will show you exactly how to raise your first $1,000,000 in three simpl

Feeling scared to do your first or next real estate deal? Even if everything goes wrong, you may still be in a better position than Ayesha and Kevan Shelton were just a few years ago. After quitting their jobs to become full-time real estate investors, Ayesha and Kevan found themselves staring at a $300,000 loss. Their credit was ruined, their life savings drained, and most of their partners walked away, never to return. Ayesha and Kevan did the right thing, paying back every investor who funded their failed house flips, but it came at a cost. With a baby on the way, Ayesha and Kevan were debating bankruptcy to get some relief from the massive financial pressure they were under. But some wise investors told them they had it in them to rebuild their wealth—and that’s precisely what they did. In today’s incredible investor story, you’ll hear about how this power couple pivoted to turn their business around and began investing in new build construction projects. Now, five years later, they’ve built sixty homes,

When is enough enough? When is it time to STOP investing in real estate? When you have a hundred units or a thousand? When can you step back and let the hard work and grind pay off so you can spend more time with your family, spouse, children, and loved ones? But maybe this is just the start of your real estate investing journey, so a better question would be: how to start investing when you DON’T have tons of money to get in the game? Whether you’re a couple of years away from early retirement or gearing up for your first rental, we’ve got you covered on this episode of Seeing Greene.  Full-time real estate investors David and Rob are back to answer your investor questions! This time around, live-caller Ethan wants to know when enough is enough. He’s built a big real estate portfolio, but his spouse is asking, “What’s the end goal?” Next, David and Rob share what’s going on in their own lives and the “perfect storm” that hit David head-on that could be headed your way. A young house hacker wants to know the

Wondering how to get more bookings on Airbnb as spring break and summer vacation inch closer? With some expert tips, you’ll be able to bring in more revenue and higher reviews during these peak travel times. From listing optimizations to algorithm-beating description tweaks and amenities that’ll make your short-term rental stand out, using any of these expert tips can help your single short-term rental or short-term rental portfolio see more bookings flow in! We’ve already got a short-term rental expert on the show, Rob Abasolo. But one isn’t enough. Avery Carl is back to give her time-tested tips on boosting your Airbnb bookings during the spring break and summer vacation seasons. These two full-time vacation rental investors get into how to make more money with last-minute bookings, why you MUST change your pictures before it’s too late, the description tweaks that can lead to a full calendar, and the “low-hanging fruit” amenities that guests LOVE to see! Plus, since it’s spring break, these experts give th

A bombshell NAR settlement could bring wide-sweeping changes to the housing market. After a snowball of NAR lawsuits, the realtor association agreed to settle for a whopping $418 million and make critical changes to how real estate agent commissions are paid and how competition can be upheld. This significantly impacts anyone buying or selling a home and has life-changing effects for every real estate agent and realtor in the country. The New York Times’ Debra Kamin joins us to break the story. Debra breaks down the enormous legal loss that NAR (National Association of Realtors) suffered last week and the impacts it will have on the housing market. First, we discuss the new agent commission rules, which may break the standard six percent fee that realtors are used to taking. These commissions are real estate agents’ livelihoods, and a new model that supports lower commissions could force many agents to leave the industry entirely.  We’ll also touch on the turbulent times NAR has faced recently, from sexual ha

Ready to escape the rat race and leave your nine-to-five behind? You’re tired of the early mornings, late nights, alarm clocks, and commuting. You want to go out on your own, create your own destiny, gain autonomy, and control your schedule. Can real estate help you get there? Definitely, but it won’t be the way you think. Those popular flipping shows on TV and influencer Instagram feeds love to show how easy and fun it is to be a full-time real estate investor. But is this reality? Today, we’re having an “escape the rat race” roundtable as Dave Meyer, David Greene, and Rob Abasolo discuss the best way to quit your job with real estate. Two of these investors are full-time real estate professionals, while one still holds their nine-to-five. In this episode, they get into the exact strategies you can use to start building wealth through real estate, create cash flow to replace your job, and determine which investments will work best for you. There’s even one strategy they ALL agree is the best way to get start

Fix and flips have looked a lot alike for the past few years. You see the same countertops, wall colors, appliances, and flooring in almost every new flip. While it makes sense for many high-volume flippers to use the same “cookie cutter” recipe repeatedly, it may not get you the highest price on your house flip. If you want to start a bidding war on your next investment property, you’ll need to think outside the box, like George and Heather Bassett have. George and Heather aren’t your everyday house flippers. To start, they filmed this entire interview from inside a church-turned-luxury house flip. George and Heather want to make each home they flip stand out and feel unique to every prospective buyer who walks through it, and their recipe for success sure seems to be working. On a recent flip, they had over fifty showings in one weekend alone. So, what house-flipping tips do they have that could help YOU sell for more? From unique finishes to thinking of livability first, asking the house what IT wants, and

Want to escape the rat race? To do so, you’ll need some serious investments. And if you want bigger and better cash flow or appreciation, commercial real estate is the place to start. But how do you find these bigger deals? Sure, it’s easy to log on to your favorite listing website and find a hundred houses to buy, but what about self-storage facilities, multifamily apartments, warehouses, and more? How do you find the BIG deals? On this Seeing Greene, we’re answering crucial investing questions so you can build wealth better and reach financial freedom faster. First, Real Estate Rookie guest Mike Larson calls in to ask how to find off-market commercial real estate deals. If you’ve ever wondered how to invest in commercial real estate, this is the place to start! Next, a BiggerPockets Forum poster asks for the best investment to “escape the nine-to-five rat race.” A short-term rental investor needs to know the best way to invest his home equity. Plus, we discuss why mortgage rates DON’T matter as much as you

A bad contractor could not only ruin your home renovation but cost you tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. Don’t believe us? Just ask Rico to the Rescue’s Rico León. Rico has spent years cleaning up contractor mistakes, making homeowners feel whole again after getting ripped off, lied to, and scammed by who they thought were reputable contractors. As a contractor himself, Rico knows the red flags to spot right away to tell if a contractor will take your money and run, and he’s sharing them with us today! This episode is crucial for ANYONE who owns a home, is looking to renovate one, or is just getting started in real estate investing. Home renovations can make or break your career as a real estate investor, so knowing who can get the job done is a skill that can’t be overlooked. Rico breaks down the common problems inexperienced contractors run into, the Ponzi scheme of payments to look out for, how to create a contractor contract so you protect yourself, and the mistakes you can prevent BEFORE you