BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast

• The World Has Changed, But THIS Is Still the Best Way to Invest in Real Estate

  Real estate investing in 2025 has huge, underrated potential to make you wealthy—but hardly anyone is talking about it. As tariffs, mortgage rates, and stock market volatility take over the news cycle, average Americans are turning away from time-tested investments like real estate and worrying about unstable markets instead. This could be a huge mistake because, as I’m about to show you, the ability to get rich with real estate has not disappeared—if anything, the opportunity has grown. For months, I’ve been talking about how we’re entering the “upside” era of real estate investing—a time when patient, prudent investors can make a killing by pinpointing often-overlooked opportunities. Today, I’m sharing the exact “upsides” to look for in 2025 and how I’m buying real estate deals RIGHT NOW that will make me wealthier in the not-so-far future. Even better? I’m proving how real estate BEATS your other investments—especially during turbulent times. Stocks, bonds, cryptocurrency, and even private businesses can’t hold a candle to real estate. Now is the time to get in, and if you don’t, you can be sure other investors will pick up what you missed, building their financial freedom where you could have built yours! In This Episode We Cover: The “upside” era explained and seven different ways to build wealth through real estate NOW Real estate vs. stocks vs. cryptocurrency vs. businesses: which reigns supreme? How to achieve financial freedom in just a decade if you start investing NOW Real “upside” deal examples Dave is doing now to build wealth in today’s market  Huge economic tailwinds real estate has over the next few years (if not much longer) And So Much More! Links from the Show Join BiggerPockets for FREE Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! Ask Your Question on the BiggerPockets Forums BiggerPockets YouTube Apply to Be a BiggerPockets Real Estate Guest Get Early Bird Tickets to BPCon2025 ($100 Off!) Baselane: Automate your real estate finances with banking and AI-powered bookkeeping. Claim your $100 bonus Find YOUR Perfect Investing Strategy with Dave’s Book, “Start with Strategy” Sign Up for the BiggerPockets Real Estate Newsletter Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area The One True “Inflation-Proof” Investment (EVEN with Tariffs) Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1109 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

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• I Bought My First Rental in 2021, Now I Have 19 and Replaced My Salary!

  This high school football coach grew a real estate side hustle over the past four years that now replaces his W2 income. He did it making a median salary, all while working his full-time job and raising his family. He didn’t use flashy methods, risky strategies, or constant cold calling. Starting with around $30,000, Lamontis Gardner went from zero to 19 rental units in just four years and is STILL growing! After pandemic lockdowns left Lamontis with extra time and little work, he knew he needed to stop solely relying on his W2 income to fuel his life. Of course, Rich Dad Poor Dad found its way into his hands, and the real estate bug began. From there, Lamontis turned a lost deal into an opportunity to buy three duplexes from one owner. The problem? He only had a third of the money. It was time to partner up! After a home run first real estate deal that gave him a six-figure equity upside, Lamontis knew this was the path for him. Since then, he’s been buying rentals, flipping houses, and doing whatever he can to reinvest in real estate, all while working his W2 job. Now, he’s replaced his W2 income but is STILL growing his portfolio even in 2025’s high-rate, “tough” housing market. Want to do the same? Copy Lamontis’s strategy!  In This Episode We Cover How to invest in real estate when you don’t have enough money for a down payment  Why you DON’T need to cold call in order to find great off-market real estate deals  The easiest (and most profitable) homes to flip that ANYONE can find on-market Why section 8 rentals are not what you think (and might be as good or better than regular rentals) When to flip vs. renovate and rent a house (telltale signs of a great flip/bad rental)  How Lamontis scaled to 19 rentals and multiple flips per year WITHOUT a big team  And So Much More! Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1108 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

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• Home Renovation Q&A: Permits, Building a Scope of Work, & Managing Renovations

  Does your rental property need some updating? Maybe you’re buying a house with unpermitted work, and you’ve got to go back and fix a few problems. Or, this could be your first home renovation as you try to squeeze some sweat equity out of your property. Regardless of your situation, if you’re planning a home renovation, you’ll need to know how to do a few things: build a scope of work, pull permits, manage contractors, and ensure the job is actually getting done. We’ll help you do all of those today! We’re taking questions from the BiggerPockets Forums today and answering topics like: What to do when your home has unpermitted renovations How to analyze your first rental property or house hack How to build a scope of work to ensure you get the HIGHEST appraisal value The best way to check in on renovations, especially if you’re investing out-of-state Some of these seem tricky if you’re a first-time investor, but don’t worry, ANYONE (even a newbie) can handle a home renovation IF you take the right steps and follow our suggestions. In This Episode We Cover: Should you EVER buy a house with unpermitted renovations? And how to get permits retroactively  How to analyze your first rental property (or house hack) to make sure it’ll pencil out Building a scope of work (SOW) so you have a bullet-proof renovation plan  How to check in on your home renovation if you’re investing from a distance  The one contract contingency to add IF you’re worried about renovations the seller made  And So Much More! Links from the Show Join BiggerPockets for FREE Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! Ask Your Question on the BiggerPockets Forums BiggerPockets YouTube Apply to Be a BiggerPockets Real Estate Guest Get Early Bird Tickets to BPCon2025 ($100 Off!) BiggerPockets Real Estate 1103 - April 2025 “Upside” Update: Making a BIG Change to My Portfolio (Cashing Out) Real Price of Gold Try REsimpli, The Only All-In-One Real Estate Investor CRM Software That Helps You Manage Data, Marketing, Sales, and Operations BiggerPockets Forums BiggerPockets Calculators BiggerPockets Market Finder Real Estate Rookie Podcast Resource Hub Maximize Your Real Estate Investing with a Self-Directed IRA from Equity Trust Ask Your Question on the BiggerPockets Forums Ready for Your First Home Renovation? Grab “The Book on Estimating Rehab Costs” Sign Up for the BiggerPockets Real Estate Newsletter Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area How to Renovate a House—Whether You’re Renting, Flipping, or Moving In Connect with Ashley Connect with Dave Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1107 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

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• The One True “Inflation-Proof” Investment (EVEN with Tariffs)

  Inflation is eating away your net worth, and if you don’t do something about it, you could be worse off in the future. What’s the best inflation-proof investment to make in 2025? Which options will merely hedge against inflation, and which will beat inflation so you grow your wealth while prices are going up? With new tariffs potentially flaring up inflation again, every investor should be paying careful attention to this. Dave did the math to find four inflation-proof investments that perform best over time. He even discovered how one of the most common “inflation hedges” could cost you real wealth over time and why buying a house in cash to save on interest could be the wrong move. If inflation is about to take away your spending power, where’s the best place to put your money? Dave compared not only the nominal (non-inflation-adjusted), but also the real (inflation-adjusted) returns to ensure each of these assets is actually getting you a REAL return. Should you move your money into bonds, high-yield savings accounts, stocks, or stick to real estate? We’re sharing the analysis today. In This Episode We Cover: The most inflation-proof investments that will keep your wealth growing even with high tariffs Why one common “inflation hedge” could be a massive mistake to invest in Inflation-proof real estate investing and how to ensure you make a REAL return Why rising home prices will NOT protect your wealth, even if you have paid-off houses What to do if you have cash on you right now but want to make a return And So Much More! Links from the Show Join BiggerPockets for FREE Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! Ask Your Question on the BiggerPockets Forums BiggerPockets YouTube Apply to Be a BiggerPockets Real Estate Guest Get Early Bird Tickets to BPCon2025 ($100 Off!) BiggerPockets Real Estate 1103 - April 2025 “Upside” Update: Making a BIG Change to My Portfolio (Cashing Out) Real Price of Gold Try REsimpli, The Only All-In-One Real Estate Investor CRM Software That Helps You Manage Data, Marketing, Sales, and Operations Get $100 Off Your Ticket to BPCon2025  Invest in Any Market Cycle with “Recession-Proof Real Estate Investing” Sign Up for the BiggerPockets Real Estate Newsletter Find Investor-Friendly Lenders Connect with Dave Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1106 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

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  38:37
• Buying ONE Rental Changed My Life: 4 Years Later, I Quit My Job

  Just buy ONE rental property and watch your life change. Today’s guest was working multiple jobs, and a single property purchase allowed her to finally free up her weekends and regain some freedom in her life. The best part? She did it with just around $4,000, then repeated the process again and again, leading her to quit her demanding teaching job in just four years! Today, she’s describing exactly how she did it! Deandra McDonald called a lender, expecting to get a preapproval for a home. What actually happened? They told her, “No. Come back when you have more money, better credit, and less debt.” She hustled for two years, saving, working more, and paying off debt. She finally secured a loan for her first property, a two-bedroom townhouse that would change her life forever. Now, she’s a financially independent real estate investor, no longer tied to her teaching job, and investing in completely overlooked “rental properties” that produce killer returns and allow her to live job-free. These properties are still largely ignored, but Deandra says it’s not too late to take advantage of them and escape your W2 job, too! In This Episode We Cover: How getting just one rental property can lead you to financial freedom in under a decade Why you CAN NOT give up when a lender tells you “no” for a home purchase The overlooked rental properties that you can buy at a MAJOR discount  Why Deandra wants to pay off her mortgages instead of scaling to a huge unit count The easiest way to start investing in real estate that requires the least money possible And So Much More! Links from the Show Join BiggerPockets for FREE Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! Ask Your Question on the BiggerPockets Forums BiggerPockets YouTube Apply to Be a BiggerPockets Real Estate Guest Try REsimpli, The Only All-In-One Real Estate Investor CRM Software That Helps You Manage Data, Marketing, Sales, and Operations Grab the Personal Finance Classic, “Rich Dad Poor Dad” Sign Up for the BiggerPockets Real Estate Newsletter Find Investor-Friendly Lenders A Better Retirement After Buying Just ONE Rental (and Never FOMO-ing) Connect with Deandra Connect with Dave Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1105 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

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