BiggerNews: How Much of a Return Should Your Investment Property Produce?

What makes a “good” real estate deal in 2025 and beyond? How much of a return should your investment property be producing? Are real estate returns good enough in this tough housing market to beat out other performing assets like stocks? Today, we’re sharing our exact investing criteria, defining what makes a “good” real estate deal to us, and how you can use key indicators to identify deals worth the effort. We’re breaking this episode into a few parts as we touch on the primary types of investment properties: long-term rentals, short-term rentals, and house flips. Garrett Brown is our resident vacation rental expert and shares how he’s routinely getting twenty percent (or greater) returns by reinvesting in his short-term rentals. Next, familiar face James Dainard discusses the unbelievable house-flipping returns he nets, but are they worth the risk? Finally, Dave shares the metric he goes after when investing in long-term, low-risk rental properties. Plus, we’ll share when it’s a better use of your money to reinvest in your current properties vs. going out and buying new ones! In This Episode We Cover: What makes a “good” real estate deal in 2025 and beyond The massive return James is making with house flipping (and the HUGE risks he takes) Garrett’s unique short-term rentals pulling in twenty percent (or higher!) average returns  IRR (internal rate of return) explained and why everyone should calculate this when investing When to buy more properties vs. reinvest back into your performing portfolio And So Much More! Links from the Show Join BiggerPockets for FREE Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! Get a Quote on Your Next Short-Term Rental Loan with Host Financial Calculate IRR with Dave’s Book, “Real Estate by the Numbers” Property Manager Finder What's a "Good" Deal in Real Estate? 5 Criteria to Consider Connect with Garrett Connect with James Connect with Dave  (00:00) Intro (00:51) What's a "Good" Return? (06:21) IRR (Internal Rate of Return) Explained (07:59) What Makes a "Good" STR Deal? (11:14) Flipping Houses (High Risk/Reward) (16:43) Long-Term Rentals (Low Risk) (23:17) When to Reinvest vs. Buy More (29:23) Do This NOW! Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1044 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, we’re talking about the easiest way to find profitable rental properties in 2024 (and 2025!). It’s not through cold calling homeowners, sending mailers, networking with wholesalers, or doing any other “off-market” strategy. It’s so easy that even real estate investing beginners will have no trouble finding deals. What are we talking about? On-market, MLS (multiple listing service) properties for sale. You might think, “But everything on the market is overpriced; there are NO good deals left!” That’s where you’re wrong, and today’s guest proves it. Dan Nelson has been buying on-market investment properties for two decades now, and he’s built an entire portfolio doing so (even in recent years). Dan knows there’s a time and place for off-market deals, but he has found so many hidden opportunities on the market that he keeps returning to buy. During this episode, Dan shows YOU precisely what to look for when browsing listing websites for rental properties or potential house flips. He shares the hidden opportunities most investors miss and why you should NOT be focused on properties that make money from day one. Instead, he walks through his simple strategy to create serious cash flow only a couple of years after purchasing properties most investors overlook. In This Episode We Cover: Why (for the most part) off-market deals are NOT great for beginners  The reason Dan doesn’t care about “day one cash flow” when buying rentals  Signs that you should offer a lower price on a potential rental property  Why you should always look for on-market deals BEFORE deciding on a market  When it’s time to start buying off-market deals (Beginners should avoid this)  And So Much More! Links from the Show Join BiggerPockets for FREE Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! BiggerPockets Rental Property Calculator BiggerPockets Real Estate Rent Estimator Grab Dave’s Newest Book, “Start with Strategy” Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area Top 10 Real Estate Markets for Cash Flow in 2024 Connect with Dan Connect with Dave (00:00) Intro (02:16) Why Buy On-Market Deals (03:26) On-Market vs. Off-Market Explained (06:57) HUGE On-Market Opportunity (13:24) Buy at Asking Price? (15:19) The Cash Flow Secret (19:13) Where Does This Strategy Work? (25:47) Where Does This Strategy Work? (31:59) When to Look Off-Market? (32:55) Buy Your FIRST Rental! Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1043 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Clay White has done the seemingly impossible. He’s bought five rental properties, completed multiple flips, and done it all in the past fifteen months with high mortgage rates. To make it more impressive, he did it WITHOUT a W2 job at just twenty-three years old! So what sets Clay apart from ninety-nine percent of other investors? As you’ll hear in today’s episode, he went through an almost comical amount of failures, but how he solved them makes him an elite investor. If you think you missed the boat on real estate investing, Clay proves that you couldn’t be more wrong. He not only built an entire rental portfolio in one of the most challenging times to invest but did it with no consistent income, no experience, and in a market you’ve probably never heard of. If you can follow Clay’s advice, mimic his ingenuity and tenacity for problem-solving, and are willing to put up with small failures to achieve massive success, you, too, will be able to build serious wealth, no matter your timeline, no matter your age, and no matter your job. In This Episode We Cover: How to invest in real estate even if you’ve got little money (and no job!)  Returning a house after you bought it (yes, you can do this!)  Why bringing in a partner is an excellent idea for your first real estate investment  Clay’s straightforward solution when you can’t find the right licensed contractor  Cash-out refinances vs. HELOCs and when to use each to pull out equity  Why you should always overestimate your home renovation costs  And So Much More! Links from the Show Join BiggerPockets for FREE Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! Learn How to Flip Houses with “The House Flipping Framework” Find Investor-Friendly Lenders The Rookie’s Step-by-Step Guide to Home Renovation Projects Connect with Clay Connect with Henry Connect with Dave (00:00) Intro (01:04) Refusing To Get a 9-5 (04:23) Buying (and Returning!) a House (07:58) Home Run Second Deal (12:54) Rebuilding a Duplex (16:52) Using Equity to Flip a House (26:38) Final Flip Numbers (27:49) A Flip Goes Wrong…Again (31:04) Financing Deals (33:13) Buying Even MORE Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1042 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So you want to start investing in real estate but have ZERO experience. What should you do? The good news is that even if you don’t know how to invest in real estate, you can get started relatively quickly, especially if you avoid the common rookie mistakes. To help you jump over the investing hurdles, instead of running right into them, Dave brought on Tony Robinson, top short-term rental investor, and Henry Washington, repeat co-host and long-term rental investor, to share exactly what they’d do if they were starting from scratch in 2025. Both Henry and Tony have scaled very fast. They own seven-figure real estate portfolios producing hundreds of thousands in rent yearly. But neither of them has been investing for more than ten years. How did they scale their real estate portfolios so quickly? They learned from their mistakes FAST and are teaching you the same lessons on today’s show. In this episode, we’re going through the beginner steps you should take to build a real estate portfolio starting in 2025. We’ll discuss whether you should buy long-term or short-term rentals, how to choose a market to invest in, knowing how much you can afford, the many ways to find real estate deals, and the one thing Henry and Tony WISHED they had done earlier. Ready to start investing in 2025? This is your quick guide! In This Episode We Cover: Best beginner real estate investments and whether you should buy or build your first rental What to do when you don’t have tons of money to invest and how to calculate your buying power How to find real estate deals even if you’re low on time or money The one thing Henry and Tony advise every rookie real estate investor to start doing NOW Emergency reserves and why you must keep cash on you when you start investing And So Much More! Links from the Show Join BiggerPockets for FREE Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! Real Estate Rookie Podcast On the Market Podcast  Get a Quote on Your Next Short-Term Rental Loan with Host Financial Start from Scratch with “The Book on Rental Property Investing” Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area Real Estate Investing For Beginners: How To Get Started Connect with Henry Connect with Tony Connect with Dave (00:00) Intro (01:01) Best Starter Investments (03:08) Short-Term Rentals (08:42) 1. Choose a Market (10:04) Long-Term Rentals (14:42) 2. Know Your Buying Power (18:39) 3. Finding Real Estate Deals (24:21) 4. Document EVERYTHING (28:39) 5. Start a “Reinvestment” Fund Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1041 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can you invest in real estate with just $75,000? And not only invest but can you find cash-flowing rentals in solid markets with long-term profit potential without spending six figures? Yes, to both. Today, we’re proving it’s more than possible because we’re finding on-market rental properties for sale that can be bought, renovated, and rented with a $75,000 (or less) investment. These are LIVE deals, meaning you could make an offer on them right after this podcast airs (seriously!). To help us out, Dave asked fellow investors Ashley Kehr and Henry Washington to bring a deal to the show that: 1. Has an all-in cost of $75,000 or less 2. Is on-market (on the MLS) 3. Isn’t a house hack (you don’t have to live in the property). Dave found his own deal and brought it along, too. So today, we’re sharing three actual deals in three solid real estate markets, all that you can invest in with $75,000 or less. We found rental properties that not only cash flow hundreds of dollars a month but come close to (or beat) the 1% rule, AND one is already renovated, meaning you just need to find renters, and you’re already making money. Don’t let the naysayers fool you—this is PROOF you can find good rental properties even in 2024.  In This Episode We Cover: How to invest $75,000 in real estate if you want cash-flowing rental properties  Three distinct real estate markets that all offer below-average rental property prices  How much to keep in cash reserves for your first investment property  “Value-add” potential you can spot that’ll help you boost equity in your property  The one cost that you really need to check before you buy in a new market  Key indicators that point to a real estate market growing (or slowing)  And So Much More! Links from the Show Join BiggerPockets for FREE Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! Invest in Turnkey Properties with REI Nation Grab Henry’s New Book, “Real Estate Deal Maker” Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area Top 10 Real Estate Markets for Cash Flow in 2024 Connect with Ashley Connect with Henry Connect with Dave Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1040 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is property “rezoning” the trick to making much more money in real estate? Our guest is using zoning laws to his favor by finding areas with hidden potential but NO space left to build. He then changes the zoning, builds new homes, and sells them FAST (and often over-asking price) to the local buyers waiting in line for inventory to arrive. You can do it, too, but you’ll need some beginner information before you start. Since 2016, Stuart Udis has been building homes in areas most investors overlook. The average investor sees an area with growing demand but realizes that they can’t build a home because a piece of land may NOT allow residential units, so they give up. Stuart instead gets both the city AND the local residents on his side, having all parties favor a zoning change, helping him be the only investor to build on that once-overlooked piece of land. So how do YOU do this, too? In this episode, Stuart walks through how he finds hidden opportunities in often-overlooked neighborhoods, the groups you’ll have to meet with before you try to change the zoning, and the types of units he’s building that give him the highest return on his money. In This Episode We Cover: Why “rezoning” property might be one of the most overlooked investing strategies  The big cash flow mistake that Stuart made earlier on in his investing career  The #1 reason you must look into school districts BEFORE buying in an area  Getting approval for rezoning from the city and the neighbors you MUST get on your side  How to tell exactly what a buyer/renter will want BEFORE you rezone/build  And So Much More! Links from the Show Join BiggerPockets for FREE Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! Grab Henry’s New Book, “Real Estate Deal Maker” Grab Dave’s Newest Book, “Start with Strategy” Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area Can You Build Wealth by Rezoning Your Property? Yes! Here’s How Connect with Stuart Connect with Henry Connect with Dave (00:00) Intro (01:20) Buying $50K Houses! (05:06) BIG Cash Flow Mistake (09:05) Finding a Hidden Opportunity (13:45) Changing “Zoning” to Meet Demand (20:36) Getting Zoning Approval (24:57) What Buyers/Renters Want (26:37) Buying, Building, and Renovating Rentals Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1039 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Real estate investing is great…sometimes. Other times, it’s NOT fun to be a real estate investor. While the pros, like financial freedom, generational wealth, and passive income definitely outweigh the cons, there are times when real estate investing makes you sit back and think, “Wow, I’m not having fun right now.” So we’re here to vent some of our biggest frustrations about the real estate industry, and if you’re an investor, landlord, house flipper, or property manager, you’ll probably relate.  These are the things that grind our gears the MOST. Now we’re not saying to ditch rental properties and real estate investing because of these downsides. Despite all these investment property pains, we still believe real estate is the best asset class for investing. But you will be hit with the headaches that we go through if you decide to invest. The good news? We will give you actionable tips to avoid the worst of these throughout the episode. If you’re brand new to real estate investing or are thinking of buying your first property, this is advice you need to hear before you begin so you can make the most money with the least amount of stress.  In This Episode We Cover: Why you really (really) don’t need to become an agent just to invest in real estate  Getting blinded by “exit strategies” and how it’ll cost you in the long run How Henry learned to work with contractors so he doesn’t get scammed or ghosted Why we’re begging you to stop doing “virtual staging” when selling a house  Etiquette for agents writing property descriptions (stop saying everything is “cozy”) How to improve your relationship with your tenants so you both can enjoy your lives  And So Much More! Links from the Show Join BiggerPockets for FREE Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! Grab Henry’s New Book, “Real Estate Deal Maker” Property Manager Finder How to Work With Contractors and Manage a Job Site as a Flipping Newbie Connect with Henry Connect with Dave (00:00) Intro (00:41) 1. Becoming an Agent Just to Invest (04:58) 2. Bad/Slow Communication (07:30) 3. Being Blinded by Exit Strategies (12:30) 4. Unrealistic Expectations (17:03) 5. Working with Contractors (23:22) 6. Agent Property Descriptions (25:07) 7. Virtual Staging (30:47) 8. SO. MUCH. PAPERWORK. (33:19) 9. Shady Wholesalers (37:36) 10. Tenants vs. Landlords Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1038 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discounted real estate deals could be coming THIS winter as the housing market begins to “thaw.” Today, Dave is flying solo, bringing you a housing market update on all the crucial factors real estate investors are looking at—home prices, mortgage rates, housing supply, and rent prices. Even with home sales falling by a massive margin, home prices are still at all-time highs, and the housing market is “stuck,” but we could see some sellers taking price cuts this winter if you’re willing to take advantage. Okay, but how can home prices still be THIS high when the total home sales are twenty percent lower than average and around fifty percent under the recent highs? It’s simple—affordability struggles. High rates, high prices, and “locked-in” homeowners staying in place keep the market frozen. So, why does Dave believe sellers will be more inclined to drop their prices this winter? Where does he believe interest rates will be by the end of the year? And what’s the one thing that could get the housing market “unstuck”?  In This Episode We Cover: Why Dave believes real estate deals are coming THIS winter  Mortgage rate predictions and how low rates could go by the end of this year Whether to buy now or wait for affordability to improve, prices to drop, and rates to fall  Why home prices are still rising EVEN with homebuyer demand plummeting  The MASSIVE drop in home sales since the pandemic boom and why prices have remained high  And So Much More! Links from the Show Join BiggerPockets for FREE Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! Nearly A Quarter of Prospective First-Time Homebuyers are Holding Off Until After the Election: Redfin Survey Grab Dave’s Book, “Real Estate by the Numbers” Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area The Fed Finally Cuts Rates, but Will It Even Matter? Connect with Dave (00:00) Intro (00:50) Home Prices Are Changing (04:57) The Deals Are Coming (06:05) MASSIVE Decline in Home Sales (11:12) So…Why Are Prices High? (16:19) Mortgage Rate Forecast (18:14) Buy Now or Wait? (19:17) Rents Still Struggling (21:56) Winter Opportunity Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1037 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

These two college teammates built a sizable real estate portfolio in just three years by using what they call the “delayed BRRRR strategy.” They’ve used this specific real estate investing tactic (and the regular BRRRR strategy) to turn one duplex into more than a dozen rental properties for their portfolio. They didn’t start with a ton of money and only got into investing together in 2021 when housing competition was high, and rates were soon to rise sharply. So, how does their strategy work, and how can YOU use it to buy more rental properties? In this episode, these innovative investors, Joe Escamilla and Sam Farman, talk about why it’s CRUCIAL to have great real estate investing partners and how choosing the right one can be the rocket fuel you need to build a financial freedom-enabling rental property portfolio. They share the new “BRRRR” strategy (buy, rehab, rent, refinance, repeat) they’re using to get steady real estate cash flow AND boost their equity at the same time.  We’ll also talk about raising private capital and creating your own real estate syndication so you can buy more real estate using other people’s money and pass along the returns to your investors. Joe and Sam have built a real estate portfolio most investors can only dream of achieving, and they did it all in only three years, during high rates, and while working full-time jobs. Stick around to hear how you can do it, too!  In This Episode We Cover: The new-and-improved “BRRRR” strategy that lets you “recycle” your money  Signs of a perfect real estate partner and why getting this right is CRUCIAL for growth  Cash-out refinancing to reinvest in real estate and grow your portfolio faster  Why you DON’T want to sit on the sidelines while rates are high and competition is low Syndications and how to raise money for your next real estate deal  And So Much More! Links from the Show Join BiggerPockets for FREE Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! Rich Dad Poor Dad Grab the Book on the “BRRRR” Strategy Find Investor-Friendly Lenders The Beginner’s Guide to “Infinite Investing” with the BRRRR Method Connect with Joe Connect with Sam Connect with Dave (00:00) Intro (01:26) The Perfect Partnership? (03:59) First Duplex in 2021 (11:38) This Works WITH High Rates (16:25) Using Other People’s Money (23:33) The New 2025 “BRRRR” Strategy (28:25) Who Does What? Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1036 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Lake Effect” cash flow is starting to make landlords rich in this under-the-radar region of the United States. For the past few decades, mainstream real estate investing platforms have almost forgotten this region, and we’ve even overlooked it a few times. Here, landlords can buy affordable homes, make serious cash flow, and see significant investing advantages they can’t get in most other areas. Where are we talking about? Salt Lake? The Great Lakes? Lake Tahoe? Welcome back to this week’s BiggerNews, where we’re discussing everyone’s favorite subject—cash flow (and a LOT of it). We brought Real Estate Rookie co-host Ashley Kehr, a predominantly cash-flow investor, to the show to share why her home region is finally getting the recognition it deserves for real estate investing. If you want the residual income that will lead you to financial freedom and an early retirement, this is the region to look at. You can buy homes for a fraction of what they cost elsewhere, all while getting surprisingly high rent prices, leaving you with a serious supply of cash flow at the end of the month. We’re talking about the MOST affordable cities in this area, why the tech industry is moving in, and one crucial advantage that makes this market almost future-proof.  In This Episode We Cover: “Lake Effect” cash flow and why it’s making landlords wealthy in this affordable area  The most affordable (and cash-flowing) markets in this under-the-radar region Why more and more tech companies are moving into this overlooked area  Appreciation potential and the cities with cash flow AND rising home prices  The “booming” area that has serious infrastructure support for more jobs/businesses  And So Much More! Links from the Show Join BiggerPockets for FREE Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! Get Banking Built for Landlords with Baselane Ready to Start? Grab “The Book on Rental Property Investing” Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area Top 10 Real Estate Markets for Cash Flow in 2024 Real Estate Rookie Podcast 10 Deals on a $20K Waitress Salary With Ashley Hamilton Connect with Ashley Connect with Dave (00:00) Intro (03:22) Still SUPER Affordable (08:32) Most Affordable Markets (11:30) Tech Industry is Moving In (14:57) Climate Resilience (18:56) Under-the-Radar Markets? (28:58) This Area is Booming (32:18) Even More Advantages? Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1035 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices