https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-975

The rental market could finally be returning to stability after a wild past four years. Since 2020, we’ve seen rent prices skyrocket almost overnight, with huge asking price increases for single-family homes, multifamily apartments, and everything in between. But that trend quickly reversed as the fight against inflation began, mortgage rates rose, and would-be homebuyers sat still, not knowing whether to stay renting or search for a home. But, a return to “equilibrium” may be coming soon, and that’s good news for landlords and renters alike. To break it all down, Zumper’s Anthemos Georgiades joins the show to share his team’s latest rent data.

Anthemos brings some surprisingly good news for landlords, from new month-over-month rent growth data to consumer preferences shifting to a more renter-focused lifestyle; now may be the moment landlords have been waiting for as renter demand looks promising and rates stay high. We’ll also discuss the inflation lag effect our rental market has caused and how to stay on top of current rent prices.

Has the dream of homeownership died? And if so, how do YOU attract the long-term renters who want to make a home out of your house (while paying YOU rent!)? Stick around for this rental market update every landlord needs to know about.

Support today’s show sponsor, Rent App: the free and easy way to collect rent!

BiggerNews: Rent Price Updates and Why Landlords Are Optimistic About 2024

https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1012

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 getting monthly rent checks without repair and maintenance expenses or insurance costs. That’s what rent-to-own can provide! We’ll talk about analyzing a market, screening tenants/buyers, profit margins, and how YOU can start investing in rent-to-own real estate in your market!

High Cash Flow and Low Risk by Turning Tenants into Homeowners (Rent-to-Own)

https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-452

Choosing where to invest can be overwhelming. With thousands of real estate markets and endless data to wade through, it’s no wonder that so many rookies trip up on this step before they ever get started. Well, we’ve got a brand-new tool that’s about to make your job a whole lot easier!

Welcome back to the Real Estate Rookie podcast! Dave Meyer, Head of Real Estate Investing at BiggerPockets, has developed a market research tool to help more investors find their market. And today, we’re putting it to the test! Join Ashley, Tony, and Dave as they walk you through the process of choosing an investing strategy, building a buy box, and picking a market that aligns with your long-term investing goals. As they dive into the data, you’ll find out where each of them might invest if they were starting over today!

But that’s not all. In this episode, you’ll also learn how using ChatGPT can accelerate real estate market analysis and why it’s so important to niche down to zip codes. Finally, you’ll learn to avoid overanalyzing a market by sticking to a few data points that fit your investing needs!

The Rookie’s Cheat Sheet for Market Research (Find Where to Invest in 2024)

https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1013

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 risks BEFORE they happen, and today, she’s showing you how to do the same. We’re talking with Ashley about risk management, how much risk you should take based on your goals, the “buckets” of risk and what you CAN control, and what to do NOW to limit your risk of loss.

Real Estate Risk: How to Dodge It, When to Take It, and Using It to Build Wealth

https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1015

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 properties using creative financing, seller financing, and traditional mortgages. He’ll talk about how he dodged the high mortgage rates most investors were forced to accept, how he built a team and runs his properties remotely, and the ingenious ways he buys houses for very little down with high cash flow.

The “Creative” Framework for Low-Down, High-Return Rentals

https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-455

Can real estate investing still propel you to financial independence in 2024? Despite starting with very little money or know-how, this investor found creative ways to build a real estate portfolio of five rental properties and reach his financial goals!

Kadeem Leslie was just fifteen years old when he learned about FIRE (financial independence retire early) and set a lofty goal of retiring by thirty. He knew that real estate would need to be part of his journey, but like many new investors, he had very little money to start. So, he used the Airbnb arbitrage strategy, sleeping on his couch while guests rented his bedroom. In the first month, he covered his rent, and by the third month, he had already doubled his rental income. With proof of concept, Kadeem started renting out virtually any space he could find—from podcast studios to parking spaces—giving him money to buy his own rentals!

Today, Kadeem is financially free, but he has used several strategies and side hustles to get there. In this episode, you’ll learn how to combine real estate investing and other revenue streams to fast-track your portfolio. You’ll also learn why the one-percent rule is still possible in today’s housing market and why finding a top real estate agent is the key to uncovering a great deal!

Looking to invest? Need answers? Ask your question on the BiggerPockets Forums!

Reaching Financial Independence with 5 Properties & Multiple Income Streams

https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/money-562

Achieving your FI number in just four years? If you want to do it too, you must try something different. This couple found a niche within a niche, allowing them to hit the coveted “1% rule” in real estate, skyrocketing their cash flow and passive income and allowing them to make more than almost any other landlord in their area. So, how did they do it, and what was the investment that got them there?

David and Morgan Stanhope weren’t real estate investors five years ago. They didn’t come from investor families and had zero real estate investing experience. One day, at his job as a New York State Police Investigator, David met a mentor who would change how he thought about money, financial freedom, and passive income. This was perfect because David and Morgan were already in a great place to invest—Upstate New York. But David chose NOT to invest in his home market, and for good reason.

They went south to a state known for higher home prices and crushingly high insurance costs. There, they found a creative rental property investing strategy, allowing them to make much more cash flow than regular rentals. Four years later, they’ve surpassed their $10,000/month FI goal. Now, they’re on track to hit an even bigger achievement: $70,000 per MONTH. Today, we’re talking to them about exactly how they’re getting there with investment properties you’ve probably never heard (or thought) about.

Why Your Small Town Is (Probably) the Best Place to Buy Rentals

https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/on-the-market-251

No matter who wins your vote during the presidential debates, odds are, the housing market will still have its problems. We’ve got high building costs, low inventory, and slow bureaucratic procedures that stop homes from being built or renovated. So, what would WE do if we were in charge of the country’s economic policies, and how would we use them to make a better housing market?

Welcome to the 2024 On the Market debates, where Dave, Henry, James, and Kathy duke it out over who has the best housing policy, economic plan, and…presidential slogan. We’re putting our plans out in the open for you to vote on. Dave is focusing on construction prices, Henry wants to “Make Housing Affordable Again,” Kathy is rallying to reduce government spending, and James wants to fast-track building and renovations so housing inventory can grow.

Who has the best housing market policy, and are there any you’d personally want to see on the ballot come the next election? Leave a review and let us know your thoughts, or give your take over on our YouTube channel!

Would You Vote for Any of These Market-Changing Economic Policies?

https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/money-563

Has BiggerPockets Money become too focused on FIRE (financial independence, retire early)? For the past seven years, we’ve been bringing you shows highlighting the journeys of those who left their jobs to enjoy early retirement. Some of these guests did it faster than others by making more money, increasing their frugality, investing smart, or building a business. But the question many of our listeners are wondering is: Is this even possible for the average, “normal” person?

Today, we’re taking a hard look at the show’s future and asking ourselves whether or not focusing on FIRE is still the right path forward. Should we shift topics to help the everyday American get a financial leg up, or is continuing the FIRE-focused path the best way to help YOU, our listener? This isn’t a rhetorical question; we genuinely want to know!

After this episode, join the BiggerPockets Money Facebook group thread, and let us know which stories YOU want to hear the most!

Why Aren’t More “Normal” People Achieving FIRE?

https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/on-the-market-252

Are we finally at the end stages of this harsh housing market? With housing inventory increasing, mortgage rates steadily falling, and inflation cooling, we might be returning to a much healthier time to buy a house. But one of these improvements we’ve seen over the past year could begin reversing, and that’s creating some interesting future scenarios. One that even we’re surprised to hear as we bring on top housing market analyst Logan Mohtashami. 



Logan has referred to 2022-2023’s housing market as “savagely unhealthy,” but he’s a bit more optimistic now that we’re seeing relief. While we’re still not at 2019 inventory levels (which were already low), we’re slowly getting there. However, we could see the positive inventory trend start to reverse, leading to even more affordability problems for homebuyers. So what has to happen for affordability to see meaningful improvement?



Today, Logan is giving us his take on housing inventory, where mortgage rates could be heading, and why we may NOT see a spike in home prices even if rates fall significantly (something most analysts are bullish on).

What Happens When Rates REALLY Drop? Probably Not What You Think w/Logan Mohtashami

https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/money-564

Visit PassivePockets, your resource for passive investing with syndications. 

Passive investing is most people’s goal, especially if they’re trying to achieve FIRE. They don’t want to be weighed down by managing a dozen rental properties, an active business, or a complicated stock portfolio that requires constant check-ins. Instead, many of us want that “mailbox money,” with checks coming in without us having to do the work ourselves so we can focus on doing what we love. Sounds enticing, right? Then “syndication” real estate investing might be perfect for you. 

We’re thrilled to have the newest member of the BiggerPockets podcast network, Jim Pfeifer, host of PassivePockets, on today to talk about this one investment type that changed his life. Jim has invested in over 100 syndications and has been able to reap the significant rewards of passive income, massive tax benefits, and diversification through real estate syndications.

Today, he gives a beginner-friendly breakdown, touching on what a syndication is, why it’s an excellent investment for FIRE, how to vet a syndication BEFORE you invest, questions to ask a syndicator, and the unbeatable tax benefits you can get from sitting back and collecting passive income checks! Ready to make real estate returns without all the work? This one’s for you!

How to Make Truly Passive Income with “Syndication” Real Estate

BiggerPockets’ goal is to make 1 Million Millionaires by sharing the power of investing in Real Estate to create financial freedom in your life. 

Join our hosts and guest to become part of the growing community taking control of their financial journey on our largest and longest-running podcast that breaks down real estate investing strategies that work today—from deep-dive interviews to coaching calls, news analysis, and more. 

Make your next real estate investing move with confidence…tune in to the #1 real estate investing podcast.

BiggerNews: Rent Price Updates and Why Landlords Are Optimistic About 2024

BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast

Related tracks