How He's Building Generational Wealth With A Small Portfolio With Mike Thompson (Ep 568)

Ryan is using a simple but powerful strategy to build his rental portfolio, and it all starts with a HELOC.Instead of going through traditional financing, Ryan uses a line of credit to buy properties, using what appears to be cash. That gives him a huge advantage when making offers. After closing, he funds the renovations with the same credit line, focusing on cosmetic upgrades like flooring, fixtures, and paint to dramatically increase value.Once the property is stabilized, Ryan completes a cash-out refinance, pays off the HELOC, and repeats the process.On this episode, Ryan breaks down the exact system he’s using and explains what he believes are the two key steps to building wealth with real estate.We also get into:How he qualified for his HELOCCreative ways to access lines of credit (even outside of real estate)A full breakdown of one of his dealsPurchase price, rehab costs, rent, and mortgage numbersHow he budgets for expenses and manages riskhttps://rentalincomepodcast.com/episode569Thanks To Our Sponsors:MidSouth HomeBuyers – Turnkey Rentals In Memphis, Little Rock, and Dallas. Instant Cash Flow On Day One. (5% Management Fee for 5 Years, and $5,000 towards closing costs).Flock Homes - Retire from real estate investing and landlording (whether it’s one problem property or your whole portfolio) through a 721 Exchange. Ridge Lending Group - Making the investment mortgage process simple and stress-free. Sign up for a free 30-minute investor strategy session.Rental Accounting Software Made Easy. Free 30 Day Trial.

Mike Thompson isn’t trying to build a massive rental empire. His goal is simple: a handful of solid properties that generate income for retirement and create something he can pass down to his kids.Mike started by buying a 4-unit property in Ohio, where he was living at the time. He self-managed and handled his own maintenance. He enjoyed the hands-on approach and quickly learned the business. But after relocating to South Carolina, everything changed. Turning the property over to a property manager didn’t go as planned, and within a year, Mike decided to sell… walking away with a profit.After taking time to understand his new market, Mike got back in by buying two condos that he now self-manages. On this episode, we break down his numbers, how he budgets for expenses, and how he’s finding deals in today’s market.https://rentalincomepodcast.com/episode568Thanks To Our Sponsors:Flock Homes - Retire from real estate investing and landlording (whether it’s one problem property or your whole portfolio) through a 721 Exchange. MidSouth HomeBuyers – Turnkey Rentals In Memphis, Little Rock, and Dallas. Instant Cash Flow On Day One. (5% Management Fee for 5 Years, and $5,000 towards closing costs).Ridge Lending Group - Making the investment mortgage process simple and stress-free. Sign up for a free 30-minute investor strategy session.Rental Accounting Software Made Easy. Free 30 Day Trial.

On this episode, Tom McGreevy might not sound like your typical landlord. He doesn’t raise rents, doesn’t charge late fees, and even admits he might be “too nice” to his tenants. In fact, Tom says he’d give himself a failing grade as a landlord.But despite that, he’s built a portfolio that generates over $200,000 a year in rental income.Tom breaks down how his strategy actually works. His long-term rentals provide steady, reliable cash flow that covers all of his fixed expenses, giving him a solid financial foundation. Then his Airbnb properties, which are more unpredictable, become the upside and drive his profit. He also shares why having those short-term rentals located three hours away has turned out to be an advantage rather than a drawback.We also talk about the role his W2 job plays in his investing strategy, and how it’s allowed him to take bigger risks without relying on rental income to live.Tom shares how he’s sold properties along the way and how working with a knowledgeable CPA helped him legally avoid a massive tax hit. https://rentalincomepodcast.com/episode567Thanks To Our Sponsors:Ridge Lending Group - Making the investment mortgage process simple and stress-free. Sign up for a free 30-minute investor strategy session.MidSouth HomeBuyers – Turnkey Rentals In Memphis & Little Rock. Instant Cash Flow On Day One. (5% Interest Rate & 5% Management Fee For 5 Years).Rental Accounting Software Made Easy. Free 30 Day Trial.

On this episode, Kaycee Miller shares the real story behind building new construction rentals, including the wins and the unexpected challenges.Kaycee started out buying foreclosures and rehabbing them, but began to wonder if building from the ground up could be more profitable.She walks us through her transition into new construction, why it can sometimes be more cost-effective than buying existing properties, and how building new can lead to higher rents and better long-term returns. Kaycee breaks down her experience developing an 8-unit property in the downtown area of her small town, including how she found the lot.We also dive into a unique deal where she purchased an old church that had been converted into a single-family home, but was zoned for multifamily use. That opportunity came with its own hurdles, including navigating historic district regulations and working through the approval process with the historic commission.But not everything went according to plan. Kaycee shares the reality of lease-up, including the mistake of expecting full occupancy right away and the challenges she faced in targeting the high end of the rental market. She talks about what she learned when demand didn’t match her expectations, how she adjusted her strategy, and what she would do differently next time.https://rentalincomepodcast.com/episode566Thanks To Our Sponsors:The Guarantors – Protect your property against losses, rent defaults, vacancies, lease breaks, damages, and more. All without increasing your operating expenses.Ridge Lending Group - Making the investment mortgage process simple and stress-free. Sign up for a free 30-minute investor strategy session.MidSouth HomeBuyers – Turnkey Rentals In Memphis & Little Rock. Instant Cash Flow On Day One. (5% Interest Rate & 5% Management Fee For 5 Years).Rental Accounting Software Made Easy. Free 30 Day Trial.

Anna Mendoza started investing out of state because she believed it would produce better returns. Living in an expensive market, the $60,000 she had saved wasn’t enough to buy anything locally. But in other parts of the country, that same money could buy multiple rental properties. It seemed like a great way to build cash flow and start growing a portfolio.Instead, things quickly went off the rails. What looked like a promising investment turned into a nightmare.Anna dealt with unreliable contractors, break-ins, unexpected repairs, and tenants that required far more time and money than she anticipated. The expenses piled up and the cash flow she expected never materialized.On this episode, Anna walks through exactly what she bought, why the properties didn’t perform the way she expected, and the hard lessons she learned from trying to manage rentals from a distance.But the story has a happy ending. Anna eventually sold those properties and used the money to pivot into a completely different strategy.Instead of chasing cash flow in distant markets, she began buying properties closer to home and focusing on appreciation. That shift changed everything.Today Anna has built a portfolio that has made her millions in real estate. We also talk about how she’s able to come up with the down payments for more expensive properties and the strategy she’s using to continue growing her portfolio today.https://rentalincomepodcast.com/episode565Thanks To Our Sponsors:Fundrise Income Fund - The Fund offers access to a diversified portfolio of cash flowing assets, all professionally managed by their expert team.Ridge Lending Group - Making the investment mortgage process simple and stress-free. Sign up for a free 30-minute investor strategy session.MidSouth HomeBuyers – Turnkey Rentals In Memphis & Little Rock. Instant Cash Flow On Day One. (5% Interest Rate & 5% Management Fee For 5 Years)Rental Accounting Software Made Easy. Free 30 Day Trial.

On this episode, Carlo Finotti explains why owning just one rental property can actually be riskier than owning several.When you only have one property, a major repair or a few months of vacancy can wipe out your cash flow for years.Carlo shares how building a portfolio of multiple rentals creates a safety net, where income from other properties can help cover unexpected expenses. Carlo also talks about the two challenges investors face when buying their second rental. The money side and the mental side.He explains how he overcame both and how adding more properties allowed him to benefit from economies of scale and reduce risk across his portfolio.We also talk about how many doors Carlo had before he finally felt comfortable with repair risk, how his perspective has changed as his portfolio has grown, and the worst thing that has happened to him as a rental property investor.https://rentalincomepodcast.com/episode564Thanks To Our Sponsors:Ridge Lending Group - Making the investment mortgage process simple and stress-free. Sign up for a free 30-minute investor strategy session.MidSouth HomeBuyers – Turnkey Rentals In Memphis & Little Rock. Instant Cash Flow On Day One. (5% Interest Rate & 5% Management Fee For 5 Years).Fundrise Income Fund - The Fund offers access to a diversified portfolio of cash flowing assets, all professionally managed by their expert team.Rental Accounting Software Made Easy. Free 30 Day Trial.

On this episode, Seamus Nally shares a powerful lesson every investor eventually faces: if it’s not working, pivot.Seamus originally set out to build a portfolio of student rentals. The plan made sense. The numbers worked. The demand was there. Then the university expanded its own housing and the student demand he was counting on dried up. Instead of digging in and hoping things would turn around, Seamus made a bold move.He pivoted and began renting rooms to residents in an addiction recovery program. When new challenges surfaced with that strategy, he adjusted again, eventually transitioning the property into a traditional long term rental. By then, market rents had risen and the deal that once struggled was suddenly producing strong, stable cash flow.We also talk about what it’s like investing alongside family, as Seamus partners with his brothers on their properties.Plus, we get into one of the most overlooked investing advantages: building strong relationships with neighbors. Seamus explains how being proactive and communicative has not only protected their properties, but has also led to off-market deals and neighbors acting as extra eyes and ears. https://rentalincomepodcast.com/episode563Thanks To Our Sponsors:MidSouth HomeBuyers – Turnkey Rentals In Memphis & Little Rock. Instant Cash Flow On Day One. (5% Interest Rate & 5% Management Fee For 5 Years)Fundrise Income Fund - The Fund offers access to a diversified portfolio of cash flowing assets, all professionally managed by their expert team.Ridge Lending Group - Making the investment mortgage process simple and stress-free. Sign up for a free 30-minute investor strategy sessionRental Accounting Software Made Easy. Free 30 Day Trial.

Jacob Martinez is five years into a 10-year plan to build long-term wealth with rental properties, and he’s thinking much bigger than just next month’s cash flow. Jacob believes a decade gives neighborhoods time to improve, properties time to appreciate, and rents time to rise.While every property he buys must be cash flow-positive, he doesn’t treat rental investing as a short-term game. For him, steady growth and smart positioning matter just as much as the monthly numbers.On this episode, Jacob shares how surrounding himself with experienced mentors has shaped his decisions and helped him avoid costly mistakes. We talk about how he’s found strong deals by buying directly from sellers, how he came up with the money to purchase his rentals, and how he’s navigated the challenge of rising property taxes without derailing his plan.Jacob also opens up about his nightmare first deal and what he learned from it, along with some of the wins that have kept him motivated.'If you’re building a portfolio with a long-term vision and want to hear what the first five years can really look like, this episode is packed with practical insight and honest lessons from someone right in the middle of the journey.https://rentalincomepodcast.com/episode562Thanks To Our Sponsors:Fundrise Income Fund - The Fund offers access to a diversified portfolio of cash flowing assets, all professionally managed by their expert team.MidSouth HomeBuyers – Turnkey Rentals In Memphis & Little Rock. Instant Cash Flow On Day One. (5% Interest Rate & 5% Management Fee For 5 Years)Ridge Lending Group - Making the investment mortgage process simple and stress-free. Sign up for a free 30-minute investor strategy sessionRental Accounting Software Made Easy. Free 30 Day Trial.

Thomas lives in a high-cost area where buying rentals locally simply didn’t make sense for cash flow, especially as a newer investor with limited capital.Instead of forcing a bad deal in his backyard, Thomas made the decision to invest out of state.On this episode, he walks us through how he chose the markets he invested in and whether he physically visited the areas before buying.Thomas didn’t just pick one market and hope for the best. Diversification was important to him, so he invested in three different areas. We talk about why he spread out his risk, how he found the properties, and why he focused on homes that needed rehab.He also explains how he built a team from a distance, including how he found contractors and property managers in multiple markets, and whether managing relationships in three different cities was as challenging as it sounds.If you’re thinking about investing out of state but feel nervous about being far from your properties, this episode is packed with practical insight. Thomas shares what worked, what didn’t, and how new investors can protect themselves from getting ripped off by contractors. This is a candid look at building a remote rental portfolio.https://rentalincomepodcast.com/episode561Thanks To Our Sponsors:Fundrise Income Fund - The Fund offers access to a diversified portfolio of cash flowing assets, all professionally managed by their expert team.MidSouth HomeBuyers – Turnkey Rentals In Memphis & Little Rock. Instant Cash Flow On Day One. (5% Interest Rate & 5% Management Fee For 5 Years)Ridge Lending Group - Making the investment mortgage process simple and stress-free. Sign up for a free 30-minute investor strategy sessionRental Accounting Software Made Easy. Free 30 Day Trial.

Mary spent years on the road as a travel nurse, living in mid term rentals across the country. After seeing firsthand how well these properties served traveling professionals, she decided to become an investor herself.We break down exactly what Mary looks for when buying a mid term rental, including location, and the best bedroom count to look for.She shares how much she typically spends to furnish a property, how long her tenants usually stay for,  and how much of a rent premium she gets vs if the property was a traditional long term rental.We also dig into the real numbers behind a recent purchases. Mary walks through total rent collected, monthly expenses, and the profit the property produces.https://rentalincomepodcast.com/episode560Thanks To Our Sponsors:MidSouth HomeBuyers – Turnkey Rentals In Memphis & Little Rock. Instant Cash Flow On Day One. (Priced between $100,000 to low $200's)Ridge Lending Group - Making the investment mortgage process simple and stress-free. Sign up for a free 30-minute investor strategy sessionFundrise Income Fund - The Fund offers access to a diversified portfolio of cash flowing assets, all professionally managed by their expert team.Rental Accounting Software Made Easy. Free 30 Day Trial.