The Biggerpockets Real Estate Investing Podcast

Will mortgage rates remain above seven percent in 2025? Are we closer to a recession than most Americans realize? Why does it feel like this economic cycle of high rates and a struggling middle class will never end? The biggest question is: What do all these factors mean for real estate, and should you still be investing? We brought on the man who literally wrote the book on Recession-Proof Real Estate Investing to give his 2025 outlook. J Scott has flipped over 500 homes, manages and owns thousands of rental units, and has been involved in tens of millions of dollars in real estate transactions. He started investing in 2008; he’s seen the worst of recessions and the highest of pricing peaks. We brought him back on the show as our industry expert to provide his time-tested take on what could happen in 2025 and share his economic framework for forecasting what’s coming next. J says we’re long overdue for a recession—and the red flags are popping up more frequently. While signs of a global recession loom, J exp

There is an easier way to invest in real estate in 2025. It doesn’t require a ton of money or experience; anyone can do it (even a complete beginner), and it’ll lead to you having more money, more passive income, and a bigger bank account. Successful real estate investors agree: this is a “cheat code” to start investing in real estate in 2025. What are we talking about? It’s not short-term rentals or buying apartment complexes; it’s actually extremely simple—house hacking. Both Dave and Henry used this low-money down, high-impact real estate investing strategy to grow their portfolios to be worth multiple million dollars. It’s the BEST way for a beginner to get into the real estate investing game and allows you to buy properties with just a fraction of a regular down payment. We’re so convinced that it’s the best bet for beginners that we’re bringing on the BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast producer Ian Kay, a complete real estate beginner, to walk him through how to use this exact strategy to start his real

The opportunity coming for real estate investing in 2025 is almost unimaginable. A decade from now, if you buy right, you’ll be looking back thanking yourself for planting the seed of financial freedom, generational wealth, and an early retirement. This isn’t just hype or hope because we’re real estate investors—all the data points to one thing: real estate is the best investment of 2025 and will continue to be so throughout the next decade. This show is a bit different. Dave has done months of research to give you the single strongest case for real estate investing in 2025 and beyond. Don’t believe real estate is the best place to park your money? Listen to this episode and see whether Dave gives the most convincing argument you’ve ever heard for buying investment property. This new era is brimming with “upside,” so much so that we’re calling this the “Upside Era,” a new dawn for real estate investing that will lead you to financial freedom in fifteen years (or less), get you to your financial goals, and lea

Today, we’re releasing our 2025 housing market predictions, and let’s just say we’re feeling optimistic about the future. Many of you may have been waiting for a housing crash or correction. But where is it? In short, it never happened. Home prices kept climbing, rent prices finally stabilized, and mortgage rates stayed at eye-watering highs. What’s coming next for the 2025 housing market? Are things about to get better (or worse) for homebuyers and real estate investors? This is when Dave takes out his crystal ball (federal housing data and spreadsheets) to predict what’s to come in the new year. He’s giving his full forecast on three crucial topics, home prices, mortgage rates, and rent growth, and explaining his predictions and reasoning behind them. If Dave is correct, it may be a good year for real estate investing. Don’t believe us? Stick around! Coming up after this episode, Dave is piggybacking off of these predictions to show you why real estate could be the single greatest investment in the coming y

Welcome to the 2025 housing market! It’s a new year, and if you’re ready to invest more, get closer to financial independence, or finally find and buy your first home, we’re here to help.  We’ve got BIG plans for 2025 and are watching some key economic indicators to help us decide what to do next. But we have already zeroed in on a few investments we’re eager to invest in. Curious about where we’re putting our money in 2025? We’ll share exactly where—and why! We’re recapping our 2024 progress and giving you tips on what to buy based on your goals. Some of us are scaling down this year while others are scaling up, but we all have the same advice for someone who wants to get into the real estate investing game. If you follow this simple, repeatable path we’re laying down, you’ll be investing in no time. Don’t let 2025 pass you by! You could regret sitting on the sidelines! Tune in, take notes, and let’s get wealthier together this year!  In This Episode We Cover The easiest way for beginners to start invest

Got a late start on your retirement planning? Do you feel like you missed the boat and won’t be able to retire on your timeline? We’ve got good news for you in today’s episode—it’s never too late for retirement (and even EARLY retirement!). No matter what age you’re at, how much you have in the bank, and how much you make, you CAN retire on your terms, and our guests will prove it. The question is, will you follow through on their time-tested system for reaching retirement? Bill Yount and Jackie Cummings Koski from the Catching Up to FI podcast are here to show you that whatever your situation is, you can get on track for retirement. Bill and Jackie both were late starters, only taking retirement seriously decades after starting their working careers. Even with their “late start,” Bill and Jackie were able to massively multiply their net worths and retirement savings, allowing them to reach financial freedom on their terms. In today’s show, Bill and Jackie walk through the four steps that anyone can take to b

It’s what you’ve all been waiting for—our 2025 housing market predictions! We’re sharing where we think home prices, interest rates, and real estate will be over the next year. But we’re not just talking about 2025. We’re also going BACK and reviewing our 2024 housing market forecast, painfully detailing each part we got wrong and congratulating whoever got their predictions right. But how did top real estate companies like Zillow perform on their forecasts? Don’t worry; we’re rating their predictions as well! Last year, some of us thought home prices would decline year-over-year, while others were confident we’d still see rising prices. We also had surprisingly accurate mortgage rate predictions, so does that mean we could be right for 2025, too? Stick around to find out! Plus, we’re sharing where we think will become the country's best real estate investing markets and naming the cities we believe have the best potential for building wealth!  In This Episode We Cover: Updated 2025 housing market prediction

Want 100% passive income? As in no tenants, toilets, phone calls, or painting! You can get genuinely passive income through one type of investment—real estate syndications. Never heard of them before? You’re about to have your world flipped upside down because today, Jim Pfeifer, host of PassivePockets: The Passive Real Estate Investing Show, is on to walk you through real estate syndications, even if you’re a complete beginner! Joining Jim is a long-time syndication investor and former professional football player (seriously!) Devon Kennard. Before syndications, Devon bought single-family homes during his NFL career, but as his time got increasingly limited, he needed a passive way to invest. The obvious choice? Real estate syndications!  Jim and Devon deliver a masterclass on syndication investing, showing you how much money you’ll need, how to vet a syndication deal BEFORE you invest, the profits you could make, and red flags to watch out for. If passive income is your goal, syndications are for you; here’

Want to invest in real estate in 2025? Then this is the show to listen to. We’ve had some phenomenal guests on the show this past year. This time, we rounded up our favorite tips from them, ranging from starting with $50,000, which markets to buy in, and how to retire early with fewer rentals, and compiled them into one life-changing episode. These were the episodes you all loved the most, so we’re taking the golden nuggets and giving them to you today! Is it still worth it to invest in real estate when prices are so high, and affordability is so low? CEO of BiggerPockets, Scott Trench, gives his honest, raw opinion. Next, two investors who retired with small real estate portfolios share why you DON’T need dozens of rental properties to reach financial freedom. You might need just one! Plus, we’ll show YOU the best way to start investing with $50,000. Finally, we’re breaking down the real estate markets we believe are the best for beginners and the ones with the most bang for your buck. Will Trump’s housing p

Real estate investing may not see an opportunity like this for years. We’re in one of the wildest economic periods: mortgage rates are high, inflation has cooled, stock prices are hitting records, and the housing supply chain is slowing dramatically. What happens next? In short, something really, really good for real estate investors. And this isn’t hype—it’s precisely what the data points to.  Ben Miller, Fundrise CEO and one of our favorite macroeconomic experts, is back to break down his four data points that directly point to a win for real estate investors in 2025 and beyond. Answer this: what happens when housing supply is low, little to no new inventory is coming online, interest rates come back down, and everyone’s competing for homes? The answer: prices go up.  That reality is coming to fruition soon, and those who already own real estate are poised to reap significant profits. Those who sat on the sidelines will be forced to compete with other buyers as sky-high demand returns. But that’s not even B

Dave said he’d never flip a house. He doesn’t have the handyman skills; he doesn’t like managing contractors, and he can’t design a floor plan. So why now, coming into 2025, has he decided to flip his first house? It’s simple—an opportunity was presented to him that he couldn’t pass up. Partnering with expert investor James Dainard, Dave is flipping this house with James acting as the operator and Dave as the investor. If you’ve ever wanted to get into house flipping but felt like Dave, this episode will show you how to start. If Dave isn’t managing contractors or handling permits, what role does he play? Today, Dave and James are walking through their unique house-flipping partnership, explaining why James made an offer on the property within hours of hearing about it, their rehab budget, renovation plan, potential profit, and some hiccups they could run into (asbestos!).  James is even sharing his expert tips on how to know a property is worth buying for a flip and questions you must ask a flipper or lender

When is seller financing worth it (as a buyer AND a seller)? Do you need an LLC to start investing in real estate, and will it help you buy more deals? Can you BRRRR (buy, rehab, rent, refinance, repeat) your primary residence to realize some serious home equity gains? We’re getting into these topics and more as we answer YOUR questions from the BiggerPockets Forums.  First, a seller has been presented with an interesting seller finance offer. Should they take it? How do they vet the buyer before giving them the house in exchange for monthly payments? We’ll explain when seller financing makes sense for sellers and how buyers can create compelling offers. Next, do one-bed, one-bath rentals do well, or are they too small for most areas?  How can you use your primary residence to build wealth without renting to tenants? We’re talking about the new BRRRR, or as Dave calls it, the LIFLOC (we’ll describe it in detail!). Do you need an LLC to invest? Most new investors get this totally wrong. Finally, why do investo

Redfin just released their highly-anticipated 2025 housing market forecast, and today, we’re reacting to each of their ten crucial housing market predictions. We’re touching on the exact numbers you want to hear about—home prices, mortgage rates, home sales, rent prices, and housing supply. Knowing what’s coming could give you an edge as an investor, agent, or first-time homebuyer. First, we’re reviewing Redfin’s home price predictions for 2025. Will things get any more affordable, or will high home prices persist into 2025? Will mortgage rates finally reach the low sixes, maybe even into the high fives? Dave disagrees with Redfin’s take on interest rates, so where does he think they’ll be headed? If you’re a real estate agent, broker, loan officer, or in the industry, listen up! Redfin has some good news you want to hear about home sales! Renters and landlords, take note—Redfin’s predictions suggest rents could become more affordable for everyday Americans. But that’s not all; we’ll also review their housing

Should you keep, refinance, or sell your rental property? If you’re sitting on a low mortgage rate and plenty of equity, you’ve probably asked yourself this once or twice within the past year. Most people who bought a rental property before 2020 have seen unprecedented appreciation and rock-bottom interest rates and are likely sitting on a war chest-sized home equity position. But that equity could be better spent investing in new properties than keeping your old ones. This is Dave’s exact predicament. He’s got a property he bought back in 2016 that has over $300,000 in home equity. It’s cash flowing a solid $500 per month with a mortgage rate of just under four percent, but only producing a measly two percent cash-on-cash return. He’s getting four times the return on his recent investment property purchases, so should he sell? Not so fast; we’re doing the math to figure out whether he should keep, refinance, sell, or change strategies on this property. Got the same good problem? Stick around as we even drop

Why does this veteran real estate investor say that early retirement and financial freedom are a bad idea? Why does he think renting, NOT buying a house, makes more sense for most Americans in 2025? And what’s the one mistake that lost him hundreds of thousands of dollars even after being an experienced investor for decades? Jonathan Greene, one of our favorite repeat guests, is back on the show to share. Jonathan’s father, a serial real estate investor, taught him everything about rental properties early on. Together, they walked potential properties, snuck into foreclosed homes, reviewed the profits and figures line by line, and even dealt with evictions together. This equipped Jonathan with the skills to not only build generational wealth for his family but also financial freedom for himself. However, once he achieved it, Jonathan realized that early financial freedom wasn’t worth it. But why? This episode looks into the mind of one of the most experienced investors in the entire industry. Jonathan shares

The 2024 housing market was nothing short of "wild," to put it lightly. We came from years of unprecedented growth, rock-bottom mortgage rates, and fiery homebuyer demand. While some predicted a housing market crash, we were quite sure that real estate prices would stay stable—and that’s precisely what happened! So, before we enter the 2025 housing market, we’re recapping 2024 with all its trends and surprises so you don’t get caught off guard next year! We’re touching on the big topics: prices, inventory, affordability, best and worst markets, and the commercial real estate crash. Why did prices RISE even when buyer demand fell significantly? Why did the existing housing inventory stay so low? And is now the best time to buy multifamily after its massive value drop in 2024? Get prepared to make 2025 your best year yet, but don’t make the same mistakes of the past. Stick around; we’re giving you your 2024 housing market in review!  In This Episode We Cover: The biggest trends (and surprises) of the 2024 hous

Should you borrow money for your first real estate deal? We’re not talking about taking an interest-free loan from your mom; we mean using “private money” to finance your investment. This type of investment property financing is usually reserved for the more experienced investors, but is it a bad idea for someone with such little experience? Is there another way to finance your first deal that gives you more wiggle room if you make a mistake? This is just one of the BiggerPockets Forum questions we’re answering today from investors like you. One investor on her second rental wants to know whether bankruptcy or late payments is an immediate red flag in a tenant application. She’s struggling to fill up her property, so should she take on a tenant with sub-optimal finances? What do you do when you inherit a tenant paying substantially under-market rent? How do you raise rents the right way? Finally, Henry the house flipper shares his thoughts on the 70% rule and gives his own house-flipping formula you can perfo

Yamundow Camara grew up in The Gambia. After losing her parents at a young age, she was taken in by relatives who forced her to sleep on a dirt floor and treated her like a constant burden. Fast forward to 2024, Yamundow has over one hundred rental units and makes hundreds of thousands of dollars (if not millions) in passive income yearly. She STILL works a W2 while running her real estate portfolio. If she could do it, you can, too. If you missed Yamundow’s first episode, we highly recommend listening to it after this one. She goes into great detail on her troubling upbringing, moving to the US, and buying her first real estate deal. Now, she’s gone bigger…much bigger—scaling from thirty-two units to over 150 rental units in just over a year. And she’s not just in residential real estate anymore. Yamundow discusses the deals she’s bought, the hellish renovation project she went through, and her newest commercial real estate asset—a cash-flowing self-storage facility that takes just thirty minutes a week to m

While short-term rentals are seeing slowing demand, mid-term rentals are taking off (and fast). Mid-term rentals, also called medium-term rentals or MTRs, are thirty-day or longer stays, usually for traveling professionals or those who need temporary housing while relocating. These rentals give you more rent than a regular long-term rental, less turnover than short-term rentals, and can be successful in even the most average of markets. Where are MTRs heading next? We brought on Jeff Hurst, CEO of the leading MTR listing website Furnished Finder, to share the data he’s seeing. Jeff believes MTRs are still years away from peaking in demand and supply. But maybe he’s a little biased as someone who works in the field. Even as an industry insider, Jeff brought some solid stats that show that MTR is far from falling off the investing map. He’s so bullish on this strategy that he believes MTR is now where Airbnb was in 2012. But what should you do to get in on MTR investing? Jeff shares the best MTR markets and sig

Most people get turnkey real estate investing all wrong. They either think it’s a completely hands-off investment like stocks or that all turnkey real estate companies offer the same product. Both of these assumptions can be dangerous when investing in what should be an easier, less stressful, and far more scalable type of real estate investment—turnkey rentals. If you invest in truly turnkey real estate, you’ll get all the benefits of regular rental properties with MANY of the headaches already dealt with. What do we mean? We’re bringing back repeat guest Chris Clothier, turnkey provider and investor for over twenty years, to explain exactly what turnkey real estate is and whether or not it’s right for you. Chris describes the danger of thinking that every “turnkey” company is actually turnkey and signs that the company you’re dealing with could be selling you a bad deal. Plus, who should buy turnkey in the first place? Is it only for beginners, or do experienced investors move their money into these propert