The Biggerpockets Real Estate Investing Podcast

Which rental renovations give you the biggest bang for your buck, turning a few thousand dollars of materials and labor into hundreds of more dollars of rent per month and tens of thousands more in home value? Today, we’re going through each tier of rental renovations: easy and cheap ($5,000 or under), moderately challenging and expensive ($25,000 - $50,000), and hard/pro-level ($50,000+). This will give you a roadmap of high-ROI rental renovations you can make right now to increase your property’s value and rent. Why are these rental renovations (AKA value-add) so important right now? Because with so many investors and homebuyers sitting out of the market, you can take your pick of homes with overlooked potential and turn them into high-value investment properties. This not only makes tenants happier due to new renovations and upgrades but also gets you higher rents and wealth-building equity to boot. We’ll start with some easy ones—painting, tiling, adding backsplashes, etc.—and work our way up to the pro-l

Would you sell your car, live without plumbing and electricity, and shower at the gym daily to build a rental portfolio? Now, would you do it while having one of the most prestigious jobs on the planet? If you said yes to both, you might as well be Gary Striewski, rental property investor, DIY home renovator, and, yes, host of SportsCenter. Wait… the host of SportsCenter used a bucket as a bathroom while renovating? Yep, but he’s got a good reason for going through the struggle. Working at SportsCenter has always been Gary’s dream job, but when 2020 hit, he knew he needed an alternative income stream. Real estate seemed like the obvious answer, but without much savings and only a car to his name he didn’t have many options to invest. So what did he do? Sold his car, downgraded significantly, and picked up a condo for $20,000 down. Fast forward a few years—Gary has turned that first condo into a full real estate portfolio, including a private ski house that’s soon to be a short-term rental. He’s had evictions,

Think the BRRRR method (buy, rehab, rent, refinance, repeat) is dead because of high interest rates and rising home prices? Think again. We’re doing BRRRR deals right now that are making us cash flow and serious equity while most investors sit on the sidelines. But how do we FIND these money-making BRRRR deals? We’re sharing the new BRRRR formula in today’s episode, along with more questions and answers from the BiggerPockets Forums. Besides uncovering our BRRRR secrets, we’re helping an investor scale from single-family rentals to multifamily rentals. This is a BIG jump, and there’s a smarter way to scale your way up to big, new-build multifamily buildings. Next, an investor finally sees the light, realizing cash flow ISN’T everything. He’s about to walk into a nice chunk of equity with his new property, but is the cash flow TOO low (should he worry)? What were you thinking about when you were 18? Maybe you were stressing out about college applications or sleeping in until noon. One ambitious young investor

Don’t buy in good school districts. Always end your leases in winter. NEVER raise rents on a tenant. These are just some of the “Dionisms” that have made Dion McNeeley, the so-called “lazy investor,” rich with rental properties. He achieved financial freedom, retiring early with a $200,000/year passive income after slowly, steadily, and lazily investing for the past decade. Want to never swing a hammer? You don’t have to! Want tenants to stick around as long as possible? They will! Too scared to have the rent raise talk? Let Dion do it for you! In this episode, we’re breaking down the ten different “Dionisms” (unconventional landlord advice) that have literally made Dion millions and can do the same for you.  Dion went from debt-riddled to multi-millionaire in just over a decade, starting his journey making just $17/hour, with three kids and very little time. If Dion can reach financial freedom with FEWER rentals, why can’t you?  In This Episode We Cover: Dion’s small (but mighty) financial freedom-enabling

Though only five years into his rental property investing career, David Rosenbeck is making a seven-figure wealth-building move. If it all pans out, he’ll be one million dollars (or more) richer, with a brand new investment property that’ll spit out $7,000 cash flow monthly! This is a DREAM real estate deal that any investor wishes they could get their hands on…but here’s the thing: anyone can do this, and you can 'build' your own deal from scratch! After making $100,000 in his first 18 months of investing, David knew he had a knack for real estate investing. He was a nurse practitioner and in no way wanted to give up his sizable six-figure salary, but he knew he wanted to scale his real estate portfolio in a big way. The problem? Deals are hard to come by, and David’s main strategy—medium-term rentals (renting to traveling nurses)—was getting saturated. So, he searched for something new and landed on a big opportunity: build his OWN short-term rental in one of the hottest destinations in the US but build it

The 2025 housing market has already defied most expectations, but a worrying “shift” could throw everything off track. Home prices keep rising in every major metro—even with interest rates stuck in the sevens. It seems that nothing can stop the wave of demand hitting home sellers even as affordability reaches lows we haven’t seen in decades. But what could be the housing market’s kryptonite—the one thing that could lead to lower prices and distress in the market? Today, we’re giving you a Q1 housing market update with the latest data coming in from January 2025, sharing must-know metrics about home sales, prices, mortgage rates, buyer demand, and even mortgage delinquencies.  Is Dave already off on his 2025 housing market predictions? He could be, as housing has seen unexpected strength despite last year’s big election, inflation rising once again, and interest rates more than double what they were just a few years ago. Will we see mortgage rates (and prices) drop at any point this year? What’s the one thing

Is now finally the time to get back into Airbnb investing? We all knew about the Airbnb bubble that formed shortly after lockdowns. With low interest rates and local vacationing exploding, everyone wanted to cash in on the short-term rental craze. The result? Inexperienced hosts flooded the market with half-baked Airbnb listings, leading to an oversaturation in vacation rentals and stricter short-term rental laws. But things are beginning to change. Avery Carl, arguably the most knowledgeable short-term rental investor in the country and author of Smarter Short-Term Rentals, has NEVER sold a vacation rental due to poor performance. In fact, she’s stayed booked and busy while new short-term rental investors struggle to fill their units. How does she do it? And why does she think now is the time to double down on traditional vacation rental markets? Avery gives her expert advice on where (and what) to buy, how to boost your Airbnb bookings even in crowded markets, and why you don’t need every amenity under the

Imagine making $1,500,000 on one regular real estate deal. We’re not talking about a huge apartment complex or commercial real estate investment. $1,500,000 on a single-family home purchase. How is that even possible? Dina Onur is more than a million dollars richer after spotting one rare real estate investing “upside” at the closing table. And the best part? She’s just a regular, everyday investor. Dina runs her own home healthcare business and is a mom of three, but she decided, “I’m not busy enough; let’s start buying (and renovating) rentals!” So, that’s exactly what she did. Her clients routinely had houses to sell, so instead of passing them along to real estate agents she knew, Dina made the jump, buying a triplex to test her hand at rental property investing. She did a BIG renovation but created some serious sweat equity as a result. The next rental? Double the size—a six-unit investment property. But, none of these compare to the one deal that is making her over a million dollars. This was such a rar

Out-of-state real estate investing is making a comeback, becoming one of the best investing strategies of 2025. Why? Home prices in most coastal markets have exploded, forcing investors in pricey areas to look elsewhere for real estate deals that work. Thankfully, America is a big country with plenty of profitable real estate markets, so even if you’re priced out of your own area, you can still invest elsewhere. So, how do you start? What should you do going into a new market as a new investor? Kathy Fettke is returning to the show as our resident long-distance real estate expert, showing you how to buy out-of-state investment properties in just a few simple steps. Anyone (and we mean ANYONE) can follow these steps to purchase a profitable property from a distance, even if it’s your first rental. We’re giving you an exact roadmap of everything you need to know: how to choose markets, find deals, analyze them, get property management, and start renting them out even if you live thousands of miles away. In Thi

How do you get higher rents, more appreciation, and bigger returns from real estate investing in 2025? It’s easy—copy the experts. They’re doing it over dozens of deals, so why not apply their same tactics to your properties? That’s precisely what we’re sharing in today’s episode—the “upside” tactics ANYONE can use on ANY investment property to create more cash flow, better equity upside, and make their future selves richer. Last week, we discussed the ten different “upside” investing tactics you can use in 2025 to boost your real estate returns. Today, we’re walking through six of them, in-depth, with investing experts Ashley Kehr and James Dainard. Ashley has been investing in rentals for over a decade, seeing basic properties become home-run rentals over time. James has made millions of dollars flipping houses with HUGE “upside,” he’s teaching you how to do the same, even if you’re only buying rentals. We’re walking through our favorite “upside” strategies and how to spot the properties that have multiple

One of the most repeatable, scalable ways to build a real estate portfolio is using “The Stack” method. This investing strategy allows you to slowly scale your real estate using low-money-down loans, turning one down payment into multiple properties. It’s one of the smartest, safest ways to build wealth, but it’s almost been forgotten. Today, we’re talking to an investor reviving “The Stack,” using it to build an eight-rental real estate portfolio starting with just $15,000. Like most investors, Connor Anderson had barely enough money to close on his first house, a condo. He scrounged together just $15,000 to buy his first property and immediately began to rent out the other rooms. But this was just the beginning for Connor. Over the next few years, Connor slowly turned the rent savings from that one condo into a single-family house, a duplex, and now a fourplex, which he is still house hacking in. The best part? Those properties he used to live in are now cash-flowing rentals WITH equity, which he has used t

One of the best ways to “live for free” is a strategy almost every successful real estate investor uses at some point in their journey: house hacking. You’ve probably heard of it before—house hacking allows you to significantly reduce (or eliminate) your mortgage/rent payment, so your housing cost hits rock bottom or even zero. This helps you save more money every month, invest faster, and reach financial freedom after a short (but worthwhile) period of sacrifice.  Which US markets are best for house hacking, getting a great job, and paying next to nothing for housing? We’re presenting four of the best house hacking markets in the country, some of which you’ll probably be tempted to move to. These markets all have lower home prices but respectable wages, things to do, and great rents for you to collect.  Who better to judge these markets than the man who wrote The House Hacking Strategy, Craig Curelop? Data scientist Austin Wolff is pitching these four real estate markets to Craig and Dave as the house hackin

The clock is ticking to tax day, and you could be stuck with a big tax bill. Thankfully, if you own real estate, reducing your taxes is easy. Don’t know which write-offs to take? We brought CPA and real estate investor Amanda Han on the show to break down the most crucial tax-saving tips for real estate investors. Plus, she sheds light on President Trump’s tax plan, how it could significantly benefit real estate investors, and what changes to watch for. If you’re not taking advantage of write-offs like depreciation or boosting your retirement with tax-deferred real estate investing, you could be missing out on tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, in tax savings. Keep more money in your pocket come tax day by following Amanda’s tips (you don’t even need a CPA to take advantage of some of these!).  Will Trump bring back the holy grail of tax deductions—100% bonus depreciation? Could he make “SALT” (state and local tax) deductions uncapped so you can lower your federal taxes even more? What about the

If you don’t want to make money in real estate, skip this episode. If you hate the idea of having hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars in equity and six-figure passive cash flow in the not-so-far future, ignore the ten strategies we’re sharing today. When followed, these ten tactics will help you buy real estate deals with phenomenal “upside” potential in markets that most investors overlook but will WISH they bought in within a few years. Anyone can use this information to unlock the “upside” in whatever market they choose to invest in, but they aren’t obvious. You’ve probably been told the opposite of the advice we’ll give you today. But here’s the thing: the housing market has CHANGED. In 2025, those 2015 strategies will not work. To unlock the “upside” potential that will lead only savvy real estate investors to generational wealth, plentiful passive income, and serious returns, you must shed the old ways and embrace the new strategies. That’s why Dave is outlining the ten strategies he would use

New to real estate investing? Stuck in an area with expensive housing prices or not-so-landlord-friendly laws but want to buy real estate? We’ve got you covered. We’re sharing our favorite 2025 real estate markets for rental property investing, many of which are so affordable even a real estate rookie will have no trouble buying in. But these aren’t just cheap markets; they all have strong fundamentals that drive appreciation and rising rents.  We brought the market-picking experts, Ashley Kehr and Henry Washington, back to the show to share their picks and see how they compare to Dave’s. We’ve got “sleeper” markets that are growing but fly under the radar, a new Midwest manufacturing hub that will soon become one of America’s most prized chip-building markets, and the next boom city with great jobs and even better cash flow. Then, we’ll share bonus affordable markets for those who don’t have much money to start. Got some more cash saved and looking to buy in a big city with big upside potential? We’re listin

The multifamily and commercial real estate crash seems to be nearing its end, which means some incredible buying opportunities are on the way. Big apartment owners have been decimated after their occupancy rates dropped, interest rates shot up, and loans got called due. But when prices fall and the masses turn away from an asset, it’s usually time to buy, and 2025 could be one of those times for commercial real estate. But YOU don’t have to be the one to go out and find the deal yourself, do all the renovations, and deal with tenants—you can invest all while someone else does it for you. That’s exactly what today’s guests, Jim Pfeifer and Paul Shannon from the PassivePockets podcast, are on to talk about. They see coming opportunities to invest in multifamily real estate deals passively and will teach you exactly how to do it. Both Jim and Paul previously owned rental properties but moved over to real estate syndications, a passive real estate investment, as they grew. Now, they can have someone else do all t

Want to retire early? Then, STOP buying rental properties. You heard that right; buying more rental properties may actually push you further away from early retirement IF you’ve crossed a certain threshold. Today’s guest proves you don’t need dozens of rental properties to reach financial freedom. Chad Carson, the “small and mighty” investor, is back to share why he scaled down his rental portfolio and now only works two hours a week because of it! Don’t know Chad? He’s the investor who did it right. After building a real estate business way too big for his liking, he and his partner thought, “Is this the life we dreamed of?” It wasn’t, so they began scaling down, only keeping the properties they loved and selling the rest. Now, Chad does what he wants full-time, including traveling the world and living abroad with his family, coaching other investors, and spending a fraction of his waking hours on his rental property portfolio. This is an investor who has actually retired early with real estate. Want to copy

Is it a good time to invest in real estate? Yes, and we have proof that real estate may be underpriced, even as we hover around the most expensive average home prices in history. How can real estate be undervalued when prices are at historic highs? Dave is sitting down with Scott Trench, CEO of BiggerPockets, who has condensed ten hours' worth of research into one episode to prove to you that, without a doubt, real estate will be winning over the next few years. Plus, he’s about to make a BIG financial bet on it. We’ve been talking a lot about entering the “upside” era recently—the new cycle of real estate investing—and wanted Scott’s take on it, too. He has invested in real estate for over a decade, reached financial independence through rental properties, and has been openly critical about multiple sectors of the real estate industry over the past few years.  Today, Scott makes a compelling case for real estate as a better investment than stocks, crypto, or gold. Some specific real estate niches could see p

Can’t figure out how to buy multiple rental properties a year with your current income? Wondering whether you should get rid of your student loans before buying your next property? Maybe your market is too expensive, so is it time to go out of state instead? These are some of the most common questions we see on the BiggerPockets Forums, and today, we’re answering them so you can get to your next rental(s) faster, even if you’ve got debt and even if your home market is too expensive. First, we’re explaining when and why we buy properties without ever seeing them in real life. Isn’t that a huge risk? Yes—if you do it the wrong way. Next, should you invest out-of-state if your home market is too expensive, and if you decide to do so, what should you know BEFORE buying a property well outside driving distance? Want to scale faster? We’re discussing purchasing multiple rental properties a year and when it’s time to grow your real estate portfolio. Got student debt? You’re not alone! Henry had his student loans unt

Can you still achieve financial freedom with real estate investing? Around a decade ago, it was common knowledge that with a few rental properties, you could easily replace your income, retire early, and be fast-tracked to financial independence within just three to five years of investing. Is that possible anymore? How long will financial independence actually take if you start investing in real estate in 2025? And if you feel like you’re almost there, should you quit your job and dive head first into real estate? We’ve got two financially free investors on the show, each taking different paths to get there. Dave kept his full-time W2 to pay for his more passive real estate investments, while Henry quit his job to buy rentals and flip houses full-time. Would they both be okay if they lost their “active” income today? Yes! But they STILL choose to work to build the dream life that goes far beyond basic financial freedom. Today, they’re sharing how the financial freedom formula has changed, what you need to do