The Biggerpockets Real Estate Investing Podcast

Want to know how to invest $50K in real estate? We’re going to show you exactly how to do it, EVEN in 2024. You can use any of the four strategies we share to start investing in real estate with $50K or less, and you don’t need previous real estate investing experience to try them out. Some of these strategies are best for those who already own a home or are willing to invest out-of-state. But even if you want to stay in your area while investing in real estate, we have an option for you! Okay, so you’ve got $50K (or less) that you’ve saved up for your first real estate deal. Do you immediately start investing? NO. There are a few quick things that you need to do first (don’t worry, they’re free) before you can make your first real estate investment. Following these steps will help you make MUCH better choices on your next investment property and will let you sleep at night if/when things go wrong. After that, you can choose any of the four beginner strategies to start investing in real estate (we’re not just

After a strong case of “mommy guilt” working as an assistant principal, pregnant with her second child, Deba Douglas knew she needed a way out of the rat race. A run-in with Rich Dad Poor Dad prompted her to begin saving so she could start buying rental properties. She called her lender, found a property, and spent her and her husband's entire savings on the down payment. Little did she know that this one decision would set her life’s course in an entirely different direction. Now, just seven years after first looking into real estate investing, Deba has thirty rental properties and doesn’t work at her W2 anymore! How did she do it so fast, especially with kids to care for, bills to pay, and no prior experience in real estate investing? One BAD piece of beginner advice could have thrown her entire investing career off track, but she quickly learned from her mistake and leveled up at light speed! Deba is sharing how she went from real estate investing zero to hero, doing everything from BRRRR (buy, rehab, rent

For years, we’ve been told that lower mortgage rates could reignite homebuyer demand and help improve affordability so first-time homebuyers (or even rookie landlords) can finally buy their first property. But, with mortgage interest rates lowering right before our eyes, we’re noticing something peculiar—affordability isn’t improving. Home prices are staying stagnant, if not rising. Thanks to America’s “golden handcuffs,” we’re still in a housing market standoff, but there might be some solutions to fix it. We’re bringing on The New York Times’ Rukmini Callimachi, a real estate correspondent, to shed light on the vast affordability crisis affecting America. With homes “unmanageably expensive,” regardless of whether you’re renting or buying, we need solutions that don’t just spark up demand (like lowering mortgage rates). There’s one glaring problem plaguing the property market, but why won’t anybody fix it? Today, we're cracking this discussion wide open, speaking on the solutions that could ACTUALLY increase

Can you make the same returns as active real estate (if not more) with “passive” real estate investing? What if you’ve got a busy day job, hobbies you want to pursue, or don’t have the landlording drive to build a rental property portfolio? Well, passive income investing might be just what you need. How do you know you’re the right fit for it, and what kind of real estate investments are the most passive? We’re giving you what you need to get started. We’ve got two active and passive real estate investors, Devon Kennard (former NFL player!) and Kathy Fettke, on the show to break down the differences between active and passive real estate investing. We’ll discuss who should invest in each type and whether it’s worth it to stay at your job and invest passively on the side. Plus, we’re all sharing our favorite active and passive investments that we’re putting our money into today. But how much of a return can you make when you’re investing passively, doing less of the work? We’re giving you real return numbers f

Mike Baum owns just one rental property, but this one property alone has changed his life. It’s allowed him to become such an investing expert that he’s constantly being asked for his opinion on the BiggerPockets forums, and he provides some of the most well-thought-out investing advice on the internet. So why does he have just one rental property, and why doesn’t he grow using his expertise? The answer isn’t that obvious.  You wouldn’t know it, but Mike is permanently disabled. After overworking so hard that he ended up losing his vision, he was placed on disability for the rest of his working career. This high achiever was forced to slow down and find something else that could replace his day job. Shortly after his diagnosis, he found BiggerPockets and turned a family vacation home into a short-term rental. Now, he’s got systems and processes that help him self-manage with very few headaches, and he will probably keep this property as his one and only rental for life. Why didn’t he “FOMO” in when everyone w

Cash flow is hard to find in 2024, but these real estate markets have plenty of it. Since so many previously “cash-flowing” markets have seen rising prices, higher expenses, and limited housing inventory, we went back to the drawing board to reevaluate which markets in the United States offer the most cash flow potential. Today, we share these markets and hone in on two specific ones with real-life on-market examples to prove that cash flow is still possible. But before we get into that, we’re sharing the cash flow formula even beginners can use to quickly calculate whether a rental property will cash flow. Then, we describe what type of cash-on-cash return WE target in today’s market and list some of the most cash-flowing markets of 2024. Want to see real cash-flowing rental property examples? We’re hopping over to BiggerPockets Deal Finder as we quickly analyze two separate rental properties in two cash-flowing markets to prove that these properties do sport some serious cash flow. Don’t believe us? Head ov

Struggling to pick what to invest in, especially when real estate prices and mortgage rates are still so high? Many investors are sitting on the sidelines, saving cash for their first or next investment property, but nothing seems to work out. So what do you do, keep your money socked away or invest in other assets that aren’t real estate while waiting for the right time to pull the trigger? We know many of you are in this position, so today, we’re sharing what we’re investing in that ISN’T real estate. This may be a surprise, but even some of the most well-known investors in the BiggerPockets universe aren’t 100% in real estate. Dave Meyer, Brian Burke, and Mindy Jensen all don’t have even half of their net worths in real estate investments. As such respected real estate investors, what else are they putting their money into that ISN’T more rental properties?  In this episode, you get to peek into our investment accounts as we share exactly what we’ve been investing in, how we diversify our investment portfo

“Glamping” investments have slowly become massive money-makers in the real estate industry. What used to be someone setting up a tent and potentially a portable toilet for guests looking to get into nature has now become a full-blown luxury business that travelers will pay good money to get a taste of. One large glamping property allowed today’s investor, Garrett Brown, to replace his music producer job and reach levels of success most short-term rental investors can only dream of. Garrett owns a ten-acre piece of land in a lake town outside Houston, Texas. Even though many non-Texans won’t be familiar with the area, local travelers flock to it to escape the big city. Since buying the property, Garrett has made some serious expansions, such as building cabins (and even geo-domes) with WiFi, running water, and the creature comforts many of us don’t want to live without. Plus, Garrett is doing it all while getting most of his bookings directly from social media. That’s right, he has (mostly) cut out Airbnb and

Rent prices have come down to earth after their meteoric growth of 2020 - 2022, but what will they do in 2025? Will we continue to see slow (or no) rent price growth, or could lower interest rates push more households to form and demand to jump? With so much multifamily housing supply and the Fed’s recent rate cut decision, we’ve got a lot to unpack on this BiggerNews episode. Thankfully, we have Apartment List’s Chief Economist, Igor Popov, to help us. We’re talking about rent prices: where they are, where they’re going, and what’s impacting them in 2024 (and into 2025). Unsurprisingly, we’ve got a lot of multifamily supply—apartments are giving huge concessions to lease up. But what if we told you we were oversupplied AND undersupplied at the same time, and in a few years' time, demand could heat up again? Igor gives a rare 2025 rental market forecast, his take on what’s impacting rent growth, and whether the “oversupply” of multifamily is hurting single-family rental investors’ chances to get higher rents.

Can your mistakes make you a millionaire? If you’re like Craig Curelop and learn from what went wrong, then yes! Craig is now financially free, with millions of dollars in equity, thousands in monthly cash flow, and a thriving business. But, back when he was starting, he made a few mistakes that cost him a sizable amount of money, took years of time away, and put serious stress on his shoulders while trying to grow his real estate portfolio. Thankfully, you can take his lessons to heart, so YOU don’t have to make them yourself. Today, we’re talking about one of Craig’s real estate deals that went wrong. What was supposed to be a profitable out-of-state BRRRR (buy rehab rent refinance repeat) investment quickly turned into contractor scams, danger, theft, and even…love. Yes, love is part of it, too. Craig lost a significant sum on this deal, but if you follow his advice, you don’t have to repeat the same mistakes. Even though this was a property from hell, Craig still kept investing, eventually reaching financ

Your small town might be the best place to invest in real estate, even if it’s got only a few thousand residents. We know—everyone has told you to go to the bigger, growing cities where you can chase appreciation, but today’s guest might change your mind. He was able to scale to over twenty rental properties in just a few years, all by buying in his rural Ohio town that you’ve probably never heard of. Even better? He bought the rentals with none of his own money, AND he was cash-flowing THOUSANDS per month. So how do you do it, too? Josh Bauerle tried to invest in real estate back in 2006. What was supposed to be a “quick flip” turned into a thirteen-year investment, which (thankfully) made a bit of money by the end. After taking a decade off from real estate investing, he got back in the game, first by buying a rental from his father and then by purchasing a twelve-unit real estate portfolio from a local friend. He then scaled FAST to a serious amount of rentals, all in a tiny town with a small population. A

The next Fed meeting is crucial for real estate investors and the economy. So, what will the Fed do? Are we getting the 0.25% rate cut that many experts predict, or will a 0.50% rate cut come due to further weakening of the economy? The job market is already struggling, and the Fed needs to make a move—fast. The question is: will whatever they do next be enough to stop us from falling into a high-unemployment economy? We’re getting into it in this BiggerNews! We brought in the chief economics correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, Nick Timiraos, to give us the latest update on the Fed, what could happen in September’s Fed meeting, and what’s in store for rate cuts. Nick agrees that this meeting is more crucial than most and that the decisions made could significantly impact the economy and real estate. How many rate cuts will we get this year? How big will the rate cuts be? And who’s deciding these rate-cut decisions in the first place? Nick knows the Fed better than almost anyone and shares exactly what

Scale smarter with Kathy and Rich’s new book, Scaling Smart! Own real estate? Feeling burnt out? Then you need to listen to this. You've wondered how to scale your real estate portfolio so you can make more money and finally reach financial freedom. And then, at some point, you realize you own rentals and are making money but have zero time. Now, you’re burnt out, wondering where that “financial freedom” went and how you can get back to it. But you’ve got an entire business riding on your back. You can’t stop, so what do you do? Don’t worry—we have the secret.  Kathy and Rich Fettke felt like this a decade ago. Kathy was so stressed that she had zero interest in growing her business any bigger than it was. It was already taking so much out of her, and the stress was only rising. She turned to her husband, Rich, to help coach her into a better position to scale the business instead of blindly growing it. Now, in 2024, Kathy and Rich have amassed a sizable real estate portfolio, run an investor-centered busin

Are high interest rates and large down payments stopping you from investing in real estate? If so, creative finance might be precisely what you need. It’s what today’s guest, Ankit Lodha, used to go from zero rental properties to THIRTY in just a couple of years. Sounds risky? What if we told you Ankit was walking into equity when he bought these deals, keeping him from being overleveraged and helping him build wealth faster? After saving up for over a decade to buy his first property, Ankit quickly realized that building wealth would be a slow grind if he didn’t solve his down payment problem. He was working hard as a data scientist by day, looking for real estate deals by night, and needed a solution to help him creatively buy real estate WITHOUT putting twenty-five percent down on every property. After finding a sweet spot in his local housing market, where he made substantially more rent than other landlords, he knew he needed more properties. Today, Ankit talks about how he scaled from zero to thirty pro

Are new construction homes a good investment right now? Well, that depends. If you want a lower price for a property in a better condition, with a lower mortgage rate and the ability to charge more rent, then new construction homes are what you need. This “sleeper” investment is now cheaper to buy than a regular rental property, but since it’s a new build, it comes with a fraction of the headaches and repairs than most “used” homes. So if they’re cheaper, better, and make you more money, why isn’t everyone buying a new home? Kathy Fettke has been investing in new construction homes for decades. At first, it was just a way for her to have a more passive real estate portfolio. But now, she knows she can make much more with new homes than buying existing rentals. Since so much of her portfolio is new builds, we brought her to the show to share why this investment may be the best on the market. We’ll get into new construction pricing and why new homes are CHEAPER than existing homes but offer better amenities, sa

Real estate risk can make you wealthy or cause your portfolio to come crashing down. Like any type of investing, real estate can be risky. However, the amount of risk you take changes depending on the deal. Today, we’re helping YOU figure out how much risk YOU should be taking based on your goals and then share some expert risk management tactics so you can be prepared even if a “black swan” event throws your entire real estate investing plan out the window. Ashley Wilson started investing in real estate at a risky time. It was 2009—nobody knew if the housing market would face another significant downturn and crash again. Thankfully, due to determination (and a bit of helpful ignorance), she invested at a time that turned out to be one of the best in history. Now, running massive multifamily real estate deals, Ashley has not only survived but thrived through high interest rates, a pandemic, falling rents, and economic uncertainty. What does she do differently than most investors? She faces her real estate ris

Rent-to-own real estate can make you more cash flow, with less risk and fewer expenses, all while helping tenants become homeowners. But if it’s so good, why isn’t everyone doing it? Simply put, most investors have no idea that rent-to-own real estate is even possible! So today, we’re talking to an investor, sharing the ins and outs of this lucrative strategy, and showing you how she scaled from zero to over fifty units, half of which are thanks to this strategy. Maura McGraw and her husband quickly realized that being active-duty military members wouldn’t lead to the stable family life they dreamed of. They needed a way out while still making enough money to provide. So, they pivoted and began formally studying real estate. After a first deal left them with a $30,000 loss, Maura did what most wouldn’t and got back out there searching for another deal. After dozens of flips and numerous rentals, she stumbled upon rent-to-own investing—a strategy that would fuel her real estate portfolio’s growth. Imagine gett

Housing affordability is at a forty-year low, and we bet you can feel it. Buying a house seems impossibly far away for first-time homebuyers, rent prices are still far past pre-pandemic levels, and mortgage payments are through the roof. This can’t last forever, and some new government policies are trying to ensure it doesn’t. In this week’s BiggerNews, we’re talking to Dennis Shea, Executive Director at the J. Ronald Terwilliger Center for Housing Policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, about what policies could benefit the country and whether or not they’ll actually pass. We’re also getting into Vice President Harris’ housing plan and former President Trump’s housing plan to see what each candidate believes could bring more affordable housing to the market. With President Biden’s recent rent control proposal, many real estate investors are worried their rents could be capped. But will this nationwide rent control proposal go through?  Plus, what effect does affordability have on current homeowners and inves

Wondering how to invest in real estate so you can finally quit your job? Then, this episode might surprise you. While most real estate educators online are constantly stressing how you must leave your W2 so you can become a full-time real estate investor, today, we’re going to do the opposite, proving why most real estate investors SHOULD keep their job and let real estate supplement their dreams, instead of becoming their dream. Take it from Lawrence Briggs. He’s an avid BiggerPockets listener who moved to a different city just to invest in real estate. With such passion and drive, you’d think he wants to become a full-time landlord. But the truth is…he doesn’t. His passions go far beyond managing tenants and fixing toilets, so he uses real estate to amplify his lifestyle and protect his finances so that he never HAS to get a job but can choose the exact job he wants to work. Today, we’re talking to Lawrence about balancing your W2 job with real estate investing, why you DON’T need to quit to reach (even a s

Don’t have enough money to buy rentals? Neither did Brandon Tilson. As a social worker, he was never on the higher end of the income scale, but thanks to some serious side hustles, he now has eight rental units in just two years! How did he do it while working full-time and having a family to feed? Today, we’re talking to Brandon about why ANYONE can invest in real estate, no matter your experience, salary, or cash in the bank. Brandon doesn’t have just one side hustle, or two, or three—he has five separate side hustles, leaving him with six jobs to take care of. It’s no surprise that Brandon works anywhere from sixty to eight hours a week, but it’s all been worth it for him, especially after seeing his real estate holdings go from zero to eight rental units in an extremely short period of time. Now, he’s less than ten years away from financial freedom, allowing him to retire early if he wishes to at just forty-five years old! Brandon gives crucial advice for anyone trying to invest in today’s market, even