BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast

We’ve reached the midway point of 2026, and with six months of housing market data to pull from, one thing is clear: the headlines don’t match reality.

The media is full of economic uncertainty, global conflict, and even housing crash predictions. But the actual data points to something else entirely.

The 2026 housing market? It’s surprisingly stable. No, there isn’t a ton of activity. Interest rates remain elevated. We’re still in the “Great Stall.” But things are more predictable. And that’s all investors need to make informed de...

You don’t have to buy your first rental property—you can build one instead. Newer systems, fewer repairs, and that “brand new” feeling that tenants may pay more rent for. But…is it worth it? Building a small multifamily in a single-family area could let you house hack and own a rare property in your market, but is the headache worth the effort?

With more and more investors choosing to build rather than buy, we thought we’d weigh in.

Dave and Henry are back answering your questions from the Big...

When Niyi Adewole got his first “real” job out of college, he had one goal: financial freedom. But when he asked his coworkers about the company 401(k), he left more confused than convinced. In searching for answers, he discovered a much better path: real estate investing.

Then, with just $5,000 in savings, he bought his first rental property—a triplex he house hacked to cover his mortgage. That first property snowballed into the next one, and in just six years, Niyi quit his W-2 job. Today, he owns 14 properties, including small multifamily rentals, Airbnbs, and even a...

I reached financial independence before 40. I set out to do the impossible, and achieved it. I bought rental properties, worked hard at my job, saved and invested most of my money, and got to my goal. Then I realized something I wish someone had told me—everything I thought I knew about financial independence was wrong. 

If you are on this journey to free yourself from your job, retire early, or reach the magic “FI number” that will give you lasting security, I urge you—listen to this episode.

While mos...

Many people assume house flipping doesn’t work anymore.

They’re wrong.

House flipping isn’t dead. The “easy” money is. While it’s true that flipping houses isn’t as forgiving as it was just a few years ago—and yes, the “bad” flippers are being exposed—the fear surrounding this investing strategy is actually creating massive opportunities for those who do their homework.

Just ask Henry and today’s guest, Dominique Gunderson. They’ve been flipping houses for many years and are still finding plenty of re...

When the Great Recession hit, Andy Gil lost his business. Suddenly, he was forced to start over. But the fear of losing everything again was the driving force behind what would come next.

Andy got serious, raising his young kids in an 800-square-foot house, driving 10-year-old cars, and funneling every spare dollar into savings so he could start buying rental properties. These were the types of sacrifices the average investor probably wouldn’t make, but they became the catalyst for scaling to 58 rental units in just four years!

What’s mo...

If you’re in your 40s, or even 50s, and think it’s too late to build a comfortable retirement, think again. We’ve done the math, we’ve crunched the numbers, and we've run the playbook ourselves—using rental properties, you can replace a significant portion of your income in just around a decade. Today, we’re sharing the exact strategy to get you there. 

Most retirees have a small sum in savings and a Social Security check to count on in retirement. But what if you want more income to travel, experience, or donate as...

When the dot-com bubble burst, Matt (the “Lumberjack Landlord”) watched his 100% stock portfolio go to dust.

Having lost everything he had saved throughout his early twenties, his only option was to rebuild. But with what? He needed something that could help him offset his living expenses today and propel him toward retirement.

That “something” was rentals.

But Matt didn’t just buy a couple of rental properties and sit back. He did what many investors won’t: he house hacked. And again. And again. Nine times i...

One day, Remington Lyman was brought into his boss's office, told that he did above-and-beyond at his job, and was handed a 2% raise with a smile. All the extra hours, all that hard work, equaled the equivalent of an inflation-matching salary bump. That was it—it was time to put his financial freedom in his own hands.

Remington began building an income-replacing rental property portfolio, so when the day came that he was laid off, he’d be more than prepared. Remington was ready to go, and that’s when the real scaling started.

...

How many rental properties do you need to retire? A lot fewer than you think.

When people start investing in real estate, they think they need 20, 50, or even 100 rental units to build wealth, retire early, and secure financial freedom for themselves and their families. This is not the case…and it’s not even close.

The average American only needs eight—yes, eight—paid-off rental properties to retire with six figures in annual cash flow. But that would take decades to pay off, right? Not quite. Within just around a decade...

We’re all here for passive income, and when you say “passive income,” many people immediately think of rental properties. But, is real estate investing really the best path to get the income streams you’re dreaming of, and is there a certain threshold where it’s not worth the effort? You’re listening to this show because you’re either interested in or investing in real estate, but we’ve been invited to debate someone with a different perspective. 

Ryan Sterling, CEO of NerdWallet Wealth Partners, has owned real estate investments but has since sold them a...

In just six years, this single mom of three became a self-made multimillionaire with rental properties. She didn’t start with a ton of cash; she worked full-time, and she often put very little down. Using an owner-occupied strategy that 99% of investors won’t dare to try, she’s reached financial freedom while raising three kids. 

So how’d she do it?

Today, we’re talking to Rachel Duck from central Texas. She took a popular strategy—the live-in flip—and made it even better: buying houses with 5% down, living in them...

New to investing in real estate? In an area that has high housing prices, tough landlord laws, or little-to-no cash flow potential? We’ve got you covered. We’re sharing 12 markets that are making money for real estate investors right now. Regardless of your strategy, we have markets for you. From long-term rentals to short-term rentals and Airbnbs, house hacking cities that will help cover your mortgage, and house flipping markets with high returns and low rehab costs.

We didn’t want to give you just one option to choose from, so Dave, Henry, and As...

Is buying rental properties still worth it in 2026?

There’s no denying that rising interest rates, sluggish rent growth, and other factors have taken the shine off many properties that would have been home-run deals only a few years ago.

But this is real estate we’re talking about. Buy-and-hold investing tends to reward people in the long run. It’s just that, to buy in this market, you’ve got to adapt.

Chad “Coach” Carson believes these market conditions heavily favor the “small and mighty” in...

Britton Eads was making $15 per hour putting up fences all day. He had no college degree; he dropped out of the electrician trade and didn’t have many other options. One day, he read Rich Dad Poor Dad, and realized his life didn’t need to stay on the same track it was going.

Now, just four years later, he’s got over 15 rental units, his rental income replaced his fence job, he’s sitting on $200,000 in equity across his portfolio, and he couldn’t be happier. It only happened because he took action instead of...

The housing market is doing what nobody expected—and none of the mainstream media is covering it. Trends are forming that most Americans thought were impossible in this type of economy, greatly impacting home prices, days on market, and buyers' negotiating power. If you know the truth, you can take advantage. If you don’t, you’ll miss what’s actually happening behind the scenes. This is our June 2026 housing market update! 

It could be the most encouraging sign for the housing market in years—prices haven’t crashed, Americans are actually buying more homes, and ma...

Morgan Housel, best-selling author of The Psychology of Money, Same as Ever, and The Art of Spending Money, has a “system” for building wealth that seems too simple, too easy to be true—but is. Most Americans think getting wealthy is only for those willing to work 100+ hour weeks, build a business from scratch, inherit millions, or get a high-paying six-figure job.

That’s not the case. The average American can get wealthy—you just need to follow this “good enough” system.

Morgan spent the early part of his career coverin...

Ten years ago, Erika Brown bought her first investment property. Now, a decade later, she’s financially free, with a portfolio she’s slowly starting to scale down so she can do less, enjoy her life more, and build the early retirement lifestyle she had always dreamed of. But it wasn’t always like this. 

Back in 2012, Erika was working at a bank, climbing the corporate ladder, with no thought of ever retiring before 65. She just couldn’t ignore one thing—every wealthy client at the bank was investing in real estate. They were on to somet...

Anyone can flip a house after hearing this episode. If you’ve got around 30 minutes and want to make a faster return on your money than rental properties, this is how you do it. And this isn’t just hype—Dave is putting this knowledge to the test, flipping his first house with the help of expert house flipper James Dainard. 

James has flipped over 4,000 houses, has made more mistakes than almost any house flipper on the planet, and knows exactly what to buy, what not to buy, and how to turn an average, outdate...

In the early 2010s, Joseph Moore was a history professor earning $60,000/year with no real estate investing experience. Now, he’s a real estate millionaire, still working the job he loves, with fewer rental properties than you’d think, and financially free from a handful of real estate investments. He got there by following the historical lessons of the wealthy that he’s sharing in today’s episode.

After almost being wiped out in the 2008 housing crash, Joseph took a hard look at how he could financially protect himself and his wife. The answer? Invest i...

You don’t need a big, expensive, stressful rental property portfolio to retire on your terms. Today’s guest was able to leave her W-2 job in her late 30s, all thanks to a small, smart rental property portfolio. Most people think they need a dozen (or more) doors to reach a level of “freedom” that lets them walk away from their job. Lucy Hinds did it with half that amount.

Did we mention she only started investing in 2022?

After deciding that jumping out of airplanes for the Army was wher...

Buying just one rental every two years can make you financially free—and by a lot. 

So many real estate investing influencers constantly talk about buying dozens, even hundreds of rental units to live your dream life and become a millionaire. But, as someone who’s been consistently investing, doesn’t own dozens of properties, and has made millions from real estate, I thought I’d do the math.

Today, I’m going to show you how buying just one rental property every two (or even three/four) years can turn yo...

This is arguably the best real estate investing loan on the market today. It funds the purchase, renovation, closing costs, and up to six months of mortgage payments, so you’re not on the hook when renovating a vacant property, all for 3.5% down. 

Today’s guest used it to put down just $9,000 on a house and, less than a year later, had $150,000 in equity. It changed his life and enabled him to become a real estate millionaire, even in an unaffordable market. 

Matt Porcaro (AKA The 203k Way) was workin...

Before building an entire real estate portfolio, Matthew Garland was laid off from the TSA. He went from searching for contraband in your suitcase to searching for jobs ASAP. He had no degree, no office job experience, but he was good at connecting with people. 

He got a job as a loan officer and was making money hand over fist. Then the market crashed, his savings dwindled, his credit score plummeted, and he even got foreclosed on. It was time to build something real. That’s when a rich client of his introduced him to...

There are six “green flags” most real estate investors completely miss, but can make them serious wealth. Any of these six will allow you to buy an undervalued investment property, increase its value (and rents), and walk away wealthier than the other investors who simply glanced past it.

The best part? These are often turn-offs for ordinary homebuyers, so your competition is even slimmer. Henry has been buying properties like these for years, and if he stumbles upon one with any of these six green flags, he stops and evaluates it. These signs are so p...

If you’re about to buy your first rental property, or are buying another, hear this.

In today’s market, investors are growing more nervous before making a down payment on a property. That could be tens, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars you’ve worked for, and putting it in the wrong rental could set you back years to financial freedom.

But if it’s the right property, you could fast-track your independence. So, how do you know which one is which?

In this...

Want to retire with rentals so you can buy back your time and travel the world? Despite a successful 35-year engineering career, today’s guest was still financially dependent on her nine-to-five—until she pivoted to real estate investing. In just four years, she has bought four rental properties and left her W-2 job for good.

When Sandy Lee’s 50th birthday arrived, she realized she wasn’t quite where she wanted to be in life. At a crossroads in her career and still needing at least another five years at her current job before r...

What if, today, you could “buy” a $500K/year income stream? You could replace your salary. You could become the boss immediately and reach financial freedom faster. It’s not a gimmick, it’s not a scheme, it’s something much more boring than that. 

In this episode, we’re talking about how to buy a business, especially small businesses, with Acquiring Minds’ Will Smith. Will spends his days interviewing the overlooked, but highly profitable, business owners who do exactly what we’re talking about today—find a boring business, buy it, improve it, profit, and repeat...

You’re looking online and seeing properties priced at $300K, $400K, $500K, or more. As a real estate investor, that won’t cut it. What if you could get a deeper discount—we’re talking $150K rental properties. Don’t think it’s possible? Henry has been getting deals just like this in 2026, buying them, making upgrades, and walking into serious equity with way less money in. 

How does he find them? Today, we’re sharing the exact methods. This is how to find off-market properties priced well below your area’s average, even in 2026, even wit...

Nick Burke knew he wanted to invest, but in his high-priced New Jersey market, buying a cash-flowing rental property was close to impossible. He needed to find an affordable market, somewhere with population growth, equity upside, and houses below the $100K price point. He did it, but in a city, 99% of investors have completely written off arguably too soon. 

Now, Nick owns a rental property portfolio of seven houses, using the “BRRRR” method (buy, rehab, rent, refinance, repeat), to build an entire rental portfolio with very little money out of pocket. He’s done what mo...

It’s the middle of Spring, traditionally the busiest time in the housing market. But this year…things have changed. The market isn’t following regular patterns; some new concerns and opportunities are emerging and starting to approach the horizon.

Are real estate investors prepared for what’s about to come? 

We’re back with this month’s housing market update, going over everything from mortgage rates to foreclosures and housing crash risk, how long homes are sitting on the market, and a silver lining for investors that most Americans are...

Are “tenant-friendly” states actually making investors richer? Ever since we started investing, people have always told us to invest in “landlord-friendly” states—places with quicker eviction laws, no or limited rent control, and fewer license requirements and fees. But most Americans will know that the top-appreciating markets like California, New York, Washington, and Hawaii are tenant-friendly. 

Are investors leaving money on the table by not investing in these more regulated markets?

Today, we’re getting to the bottom of it. We’ll explain what a tenant-friendly vs. landlord-friendly state is, the real da...

5 paid-off rentals vs. 15 rentals with mortgages. We get this question a lot: Should I pay off my rental properties or use the ⁠cash flow⁠ to keep scaling? Many investors believe you need a dozen or more rentals to become financially free. So, in today’s show, we’re going to show you the overlooked math behind having five paid-off ⁠rental properties⁠, and whether it’s worth it to keep scaling to over a dozen doors.

I’ve modeled out both scenarios (pay off rentals vs. buy more) to see which gets you to ⁠financial freedom⁠ faster, w...

5 paid-off rentals vs. 15 rentals with mortgages. We get this question a lot: Should I pay off my rental properties or use the cash flow to keep scaling? Many investors believe you need a dozen or more rentals to become financially free. So, in today’s show, we’re going to show you the overlooked math behind having five paid-off rental properties, and whether it’s worth it to keep scaling to over a dozen doors.

I’ve modeled out both scenarios (pay off rentals vs. buy more) to see which gets you to financial freedom...

Most Americans are worried about money. Paying the bills, having enough for retirement, and being able to afford emergency expenses. And, like many of us, you may have grown up in a household watching your own parents constantly worry or fight over finances. This is one of the crucial anxiety points of Americans—and rentals can change that.

Today, Joel Larsgaard from the How to Money podcast shares his story about how rental properties, and just paying attention to his money, changed his worldview and his family’s financial future. He, too, saw his pare...

Brett Hundley doesn’t want an employer or a nine-to-five job. Ever. At just 32 years old, he has already retired from one career and is now chasing the freedom and flexibility that real estate investing can provide.

During his eight years as an NFL quarterback, Brett spent evenings after practice learning the ins and outs of real estate from teammates who had already discovered its wealth-building potential. Early on, he tried a little of everything—short-term rentals, new construction, and other investing strategies—before zeroing in on house flipping, which has since become his bread...

If you want to generate passive income with rental properties, reach financial freedom, and make the most money with the least stress, do not do any of these six things. There are six ways to fail at real estate investing in 2026, and if you get even a couple of these wrong on your first or next deal, you could be out of the game for years to come.  Trust us, we’re now dealing with five-figure emergency costs because we didn't follow the tips we’re sharing today. 

Both Henry and Dave have reached financ...

Struggling to find cash flow these days? You’re not the only one. Today’s guest built a portfolio of 50 rental properties before margins started getting thin, but one giant pivot changed everything—a pure cash flow play to complement the appreciation and tax benefits from his rentals. If you want cash flow, he’ll show you exactly where to find it!

Today, Devon Kennard makes 12%-14% returns with an investing strategy that doesn’t involve tenants or toilets: private money lending. Better yet, he’s often able to recycle the same capital multiple times per ye...

At 20 years old, Jefferson Simmons was kicked out of his frat house. The entire property was getting remodeled, so he and 47 other college kids needed a place to live. Time to rent…right? After being discouraged by the rentals in his area, he switched his Zillow tab from “Rent” to “Buy” and saw a $250K house for sale.

He was a sophomore in college. Could he really buy his first house?

Thankfully, he had been saving up for tuition since high school, but an academic scholarship now put the entire dow...

This is the worst real estate investing advice I’ve ever heard—and I KEEP hearing it. If you go on to any “real estate investing” TikTok page, they say the same thing: use other people’s money, wait for the crash, interest rates will go down…and that’s not even the worst of the advice.

This type of real estate advice will make investors broke, put them in riskier positions, and stop them from retiring (early) with rental properties. I should know, I became financially free in just over a decade of real estate in...