BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast

Everyone knows rental properties can be a great way to build wealth — but they also generally come with significant hassle and stress. However, today on the BiggerPockets Podcast we sit down and talk with Glenn McCrorey, an investor who discovered a unique and powerful real estate niche that makes his landlording almost completely hassle-free!

Learn insight on renting to family and friends, tips on how NOT to waste your time worrying about your rentals, and ways to lessen the inconveniences that come with managing property. If you value your time but still want to invest in rentals — then don’t miss out on this unique episode!

In This Episode We Cover:

• How Glenn got started on his first property
• What you need to know about renting to family and friends
• The ins and outs of special assessments
• Insight on the condo experience
• Reasons why Glenn and Brandon hold properties that aren’t earning
• What the “hassle factor” is and how you can manage it
• The secrets behind owning worry-free rentals
• How to “live the dream” as a landlord
• And SO much more!

Links from the Show:

• Trivia Email
• BiggerPocket’s The Book on Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low) Money Down
• REO Wells Fargo
• BiggerPockets’ List of REOs
• BiggerPockets’ Forums: What kind of car do you drive?
• BiggerPockets’ Podcast Show 109
• BiggerPockets’ Webinar

Books Mentioned in this Show

• Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
• How I Turned $1,000 into Five Million in Real Estate in My Spare Time by William Nickerson
• The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt

Tweetable Topics:

• “Even if you invest with creative measures, you should need to have some sort of reserve.” Share on Twitter

Connect with Glenn

• Glenn’s BiggerPockets Profile

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No one wants to get sued, but if you plan to build a real estate empire, the question is not so much “if” but “when.” However, we here at BiggerPockets have your back, so today we are bringing on Scott Smith, an incredibly smart and funny asset protection attorney from the great state of Texas! Scott shares with us a variety of tools and tactics you can use in your real estate business to protect yourself from losing the wealth you are working so hard to create.

Be prepared to learn new tips you’ve probably never heard before regarding umbrella policies, building your real estate team, LLCs, trust funds and more. Don’t miss out on this information-packed episode!

In This Episode We Cover:

• Forming an LLC right off the bat
• The ins and outs of Insurance vs. Assets
• Ten things you need to know to protect your assets
• What exactly an Umbrella Policy is and why it might not do what you think it will
• Why you shouldn’t put all your properties under one name
• What you should know about the Delaware Statutory Trust
• Scott’s advanced strategies for real estate investors
• Everything you need to know about LLCs vs. Trust Funds
• Who you need as part of your team when investing
• And SO much more.

Links from the Show:

• BiggerPockets Webinar
• BiggerPockets Wholesaling Calculator
• Trivia Email
• 10 Ways to Protect Your Assets — This document was prepared by Scott Smith to accompany this podcast presentation.
• BiggerPockets Podcast Show 105 with Neal Frankle
• BiggerPockets’ Investing in Real Estate with No Money Down

Books Mentioned in this Show

• The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
• Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Tweetable Topics:

• “Rich people don’t own things, rich people control things.” Share on Twitter
• “You don’t really have any friends once you start getting sued.” Share on Twitter

Connect with Scott

• Scott’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Scott’s Email Address

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Prepare to laugh, groan, and be inspired.

On today’s episode of the BiggerPockets Podcast, we sit down with bestselling author, TV pundit, and massively-successful real estate investor Grant Cardone. In one of the most motivating, humorous, inspiring — and inappropriate — podcasts of all 108 shows, you’ll be captivated by Grant’s candor and viewpoints on everything from getting a college education to investing in liberal cities to his definition of success. You’ll also learn how Grant has used the principles outlined in his book, The 10X Rule, to grow his real estate portfolio to a value of $350,000,000. Yes, that’s $350 MILLION dollars.

You are going to love this one.

In This Episode We Cover:

• Grant’s apology to the BiggerPockets Audience…
• Why Grant has NEVER written a business plan
• Why Grant chooses to put his money into real estate
• How Grant analyzes properties to make sure he always makes money
• Grant’s morning and evening routine to keep him motivated
• How Grant finds deals in today’s market
• Why Grant doesn’t advise investing in single family homes
• The easiest property type today to get a loan on
• Why Grant invests in democrat/liberal areas
• The truth about getting picked on, talked about, and made fun of
• The brilliant method Grant used to get a 1000+ unit property although he was outbid by 38 different people
• The unique definition of success to Grant
• Why aren’t more people doing real estate?
• How YOU can become a part owner in Grant’s business
• And SO much more.

Links from the Show:

• The Top 5 Business Books that Changed My Life in 2014
• Hendricks and Partners – Apartment research website

Books Mentioned in this Show

• The 10x Rule by Grant Cardone
• Sell or Be Sold by Grant Cardone
• The ABCs of Real Estate Investing by Ken McElroy
• The 10X Day Planner
• The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino
• The Problems of Work by L. Ron Hubbard

Tweetable Topics:

• “People are settling for their reality rather than working to their full potential.” (Tweet This!)
• “While you are writing your business plan, I’m in the marketplace building customers.” (Tweet This!)
• “Success is my duty, my responsibility, and my obligation.” (Tweet This!)
• “I buy existing properties that are already producing revenue- and then I do my magic with them.” (Tweet This!)
• “Focus on what you want, every day.” (Tweet This!)
• “Real estate is definitely a timing thing.” (Tweet This!)
• “I don’t believe in diversification…Find the right vehicle and go all-in.” (Tweet This!)
• “If you don’t know you made money on the day you bought it, that was a bad deal.” (Tweet This!)
• “Whatever you are criticizing, it’s your problem not their problem.” (Tweet This!)
• “If people don’t know who you are, you aren’t buying their property.” (Tweet This!)
• “Every time I get money, I go broke again because I shove it into this real estate thing.” (Tweet This!)
• “We are a renter-nation.” (Tweet This!)
• “If you could get half the US population to hate you – you could be the President.” (Tweet This!)
• “Success is the difference between my reality and my potential.” (Tweet This!)
• “I’m not interested in ‘happy.’ I’m interested in ‘meaning.'” (Tweet This!)
• “You’re going to have problems, what kind of problems do you want? I want big problems.” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Grant

• Grant’s Website
• Grant’s Real Estate Website

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Many new investors lose money on their first, second, and third deal. There is a steep learning curve when trying to invest in real estate and, while the loss is painful, it’s very common. However, not for today’s guest. Today we sit down with Jonathan Makovsky, a new investor from the tri-state area who had incredible success right out of the gate!

If you are a new investor trying to find the right way to get started or if you’ve been investing for years but want to improve your game – don’t miss this impressive interview with Jonathan!

In This Show We Cover:

• How Jonathan got started with a push from mom
• Tips on taking advice to best push your business forward
• Exactly how many houses Jonathan looked at per day in search of a deal
• The benefits of having a real estate license
• The lessons to be learned by failing on your first deals
• How to use direct mail for marketing
• The details of Jonathan’s first property, purchased for $150,000
• How to find a partner through BiggerPockets
• What exactly “racer math” is
• The pros and cons of letters and postcards
• Jonathan’s experiences with office building
• How to make a partnership work
• Tips on using BiggerPockets as a tool for success
• Plus MUCH more!

Links From the Show:

• BiggerPockets’ Plus and Pro
• BiggerPockets’ Wholesaling Calculator
• BiggerPockets’ Podcast Show 106
• BiggerPockets’ Podcast Show 92
• 7 Years to 7 Figure Wealth
• BiggerPocket’s Events and Happenings
• Forbes
• The Wall Street Journal

Books Mentioned in the Show

• The Book on Flipping Houses by Mr. J Scott
• Brandon Turner’s The Book on Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low) Money Down
• What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know About Cash Flow… And 36 Other Key Financial Measures by Frank Gallinelli
• How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Connect with Jonathan

• Jonathan’s BiggerPockets Profile

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Is it possible to build a large real estate business without the use of banks? Our guest today, Mike Sumsky, shows us that it’s not only possible – but can be incredibly beneficial! Mike has done well over 100 deals in the past several years using a variety of creative finance methods and shows you how you can do the same.

Listen for great tips on obtaining private money, finding deals by knocking on doors, and other innovative strategies for building your real estate business. Whether you want to overcome a lack of funding or you just want to explore creative ways to raise capital, this is an episode you don’t want to miss!

In This Show We Cover:

• Mike’s thoughts on creative real estate investing
• How he got his first properties
• Investing while losing a job
• The beauty of taking action without knowing everything yet
• How to get your first deal from knocking on doors
• The anatomy of a short sale
• Tips on applying for a bank loan
• How to learn while doing
• Closing on a house with less than 5 thousand dollars
• What “Subject To” type deals are
• Everything you need to know about private money
• How to become “the prize” in each transaction
• Plus MUCH more!

Links From the Show:

• BiggerPockets’ Trivia (email)
• BP Podcast Show 105
• Video of the flood with Brandon
• And another video
• BiggerPockets’ List of Real Estate Meet ups
• CreditKarma
• BiggerPockets Forums
• Buildium

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Brandon Turner’s The Book on Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low) Money Down
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal by Oren Klaff
• Landlording on Auto-Pilot by Mike Butler
• The E-Myth : Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
• Work the System by Sam Carpenter

Connect with Mike

• Mikes’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Mike’s Blog

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Prepare to be inspired and motivated after listening to today’s episode of the BiggerPockets Podcast! In this program we sit down with Ophelia Nicholson, a house flipper from the Maryland area who got started with real estate while working a minimum wage job. You’ll learn how she broke out of that life and was able to quit her job to become a full time, successful house flipper, working on multiple properties at once!

Listen for insightful tips on applying for a loan, learning to be a landlord, partnering with family members and quitting your job for real estate. If you’re wondering whether it’s possible to make your investing dreams come true, don’t miss out on this episode — it’ll give you great insight into how you CAN make it happen!

In This Show We Cover:

• How Ophelia got started investing
• The story of her “first small house“
• How to buy a house on a minimum wage salary
• Tips on applying for a loan
• The experience of becoming an accidental landlord
• What to do if you’re sued by your renter
• Lessons about starting out as a landlord
• Ophelia’s on and off relationship with real estate
• The pros and cons of partnering with family
• How to put 15 properties under contract in 30 days
• Quitting your job for real estate
• Thoughts on women getting into real estate investing
• Plus MUCH more!

Links From the Show:

• BiggerPockets’ Trivia (email)
• BP Podcast Show 104
• BiggerPocket’s Real Estate Analysis Software
• BiggerPockets’ List of Hard Money Lenders
• BiggerPocket’s Flipping Book

Books Mentioned in the Show

• The Book on Flipping Houses: How to Buy, Rehab, and Resell Residential Properties by J. Scott
• Brandon Turner’s The Book on Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low) Money Down
• The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure by Grant Cardone
• The Trick to Money Is Having Some by Stuart Wilde

Connect with Ophelia

• Ophelia’s BiggerPockets Profile

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Real estate investing has the power to change your life. Today on the BiggerPockets Podcast, we chat with an investor who’s tried his hand at everything from house flipping to new construction — and much more! Our guest Todd Whiddon shares with us how he is building a massively successful business while still making big plans to achieve the life of his dreams. Listen for tips on how Todd has handled failure and come out the other side stronger for it, as well as his input on successfully building a solid team and managing a business.

Whatever avenue of real estate investing you’re focusing on, don’t miss out on this episode! It’s sure to leave you inspired and motivated to take your investing to exciting new places.

In This Show We Cover:

• How Todd got started in real estate after the collapse of this multimillion dollar company.
• The story of his “two starts” in real estate
• Flipping property after the crash
• The ins and outs of Todd’s “live and flip” strategy
• Why you might want to run a real estate business like a cabinet business
• Tips for building a top notch team
• How to successfully manage a business
• Problems Todd has faced in his real estate career
• The huge flooring mistake Todd made when he started flipping houses
• The details of how tax sales work
• Lessons on performing due diligence on a property
• How to transact a business the right way
• Plus MUCH more!

Links From the Show:

• BiggerPockets’ Files
• Diary of a New Construction Project
• Global Leadership Organization
• BiggerPocket’s Flipping Book
• BiggerPocket’s Support (email)
• Diary of a POP TOP Second Story Addition Project – Todd’s Amazin BP Forum Thread

Books Mentioned in the Show

• The Book on Flipping Houses: How to Buy, Rehab, and Resell Residential Properties by J. Scott
• The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
• The E-Myth : Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

Connect with Todd

• Todd’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Todd’s LinkedIn Profile 

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Is it possible to invest in real estate at a distance — successfully?

While many might say “no,” today on the BiggerPockets Podcast we bring you Elizabeth Colegrove, who is working on securing her and her husband’s retirement by investing in one home at a time, largely from a distance. Learn the ins and outs of long distance property management and what to look for when deciding on properties to invest in.

From “house hacking” to 1031 exchanges to long distance investing and more, this show is packed with wisdom (and debates) that are bound to inspire you to move your business forward, no matter where you live and where you invest.

In This Show We Cover:

• How Elizabeth got started in real estate
• How she was introduced to real estate when she was young
• Discussions about 1031 deals
• Some tips on getting VA loans
• Tips for new investors in looking for a property
• How to successfully use short sales
• Self managing from a distance
• What type of properties she buys
• How she handles costs and how she calculates them
• Her future real estate goals
• A perspective on appreciation
• Plus MUCH more!

Links From the Show:

• BiggerPockets’ Plus and Pro 
• BiggerPocket’s Short Sale Definitive Guide
• The Short Sale Process
• Elizabeth’s post on Short Sales

Books Mentioned in the Show

NOLO Legal Books

Connect with Elizabeth

• Elizabeth’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Elizabeth’s Website

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Have you ever struggled to get to the next level with your real estate investing?

On today’s episode of the BiggerPockets Podcast, we sit down with real estate wholesaler and self-proclaimed “struggling investor” Scott Costello. In this riveting interview, you’ll learn why real estate investing is never as easy as it might appear and how to overcome the struggles that everyone faces to find success. Listen for awesome tips on how to break into the real estate industry, advice on getting into wholesaling, and how to motivate yourself amidst the everyday struggles investors face.

If you’re looking for some great motivation and useful tips, don’t miss this inspiring interview!

In This Show We Cover:

• How Scott got started in real estate thanks to a book
• What took him so long to get his beginning
• How he used wholesaling to get his foot in the door
• Why personality matters in deciding what path to take in your investing
• General advice for wholesalers
• The ins and outs of starting real estate with a full time job
• How to find a partner to invest with
• Scott’s method of targeting absentee owners from tax records
• What keeps him going as an investor
• The everyday struggles real estate professionals face
• Things Scott would have done better if he could do it again
• The importance of establishing a website
• The best and worst deals Scott has ever done
• Tips on using the Internet to market your next wholesale deal
• And MUCH more!

Links From the Show:

• BiggerPockets Webinar
• Blogmutt.com
• BiggerPockets Marketplace
• BiggerPockets Plus and Pro Accounts

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
• Brandon Turner’s The Book on Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low) Money Down
• How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Connect with Scott

• Scott’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Scott’s Business Website

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Ever wonder what real estate investing looks like from a real estate agent’s perspective?

On today’s episode of the BiggerPockets Podcast, we sit down with Dawn Brenengen, a real estate agent-turned-landlord and discuss how she made the transition into the investing world, as well as her tricks and tips for success as a landlord. Along with important insight into the real estate licensing process, Dawn covers property management, house hacking, and a whole lot more! Listen for advice on finding a great property, handling everyday rental issues and finding that elusive “ideal” tenant. And in case you were wondering when it’s appropriate to bend the “2% Rule” — this episode explores that, too!

Whether you have experience as a real estate agent or not, don’t miss this inspiring show!

In This Show We Cover:

• How Dawn got started in real estate
• Thoughts on being a licensed real estate agent
• The qualities that make a successful agent
• A real estate agent’s perspective on what investors are looking for
• The 2% rule — and how to know when to bend it
• Importance characteristics of a great property
• The process of “house hacking“
• What you need to know about property management
• How to handle tenant issues with grace
• The process of qualifying tenants
• Different perspectives on owning a home
• The ins and outs of establishing relationships with property managers
• The pros and cons of self management versus hiring the job out
• Tenant red flags and finding the ideal tenant
• Plus MUCH more!

Links From the Show:

• The Real Estate Agent’s Ultimate Guide to Working with Investors
• Brandon’s article on House Hacking
• Podcast Episode with Chris Clothier
• BP Podcast Show 100
• Resident Research
• List Hub
• Zillow
• Trulia
• CraigsList
• BiggerPockets Forum
• ActiveRain
• Be a Guest on the Podcast

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
• Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
• I Shouldn’t Be Telling You This by Kate White

Connect with Dawn

• Dawn’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Dawn’s Facebook
• Dawn’s LinkedIn
• Dawn’s Website

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For the 100th episode of the BiggerPockets Podcast, we bring you the interview that you’ve been asking for since the beginning: the story of Joshua Dorkin, CEO of BiggerPockets and host of the BiggerPockets Podcast.

Learn about Josh’s journey from real estate investing newbie to BiggerPockets founder — and all of the obstacles he had to overcome along the way. Get insider information on topics from starting your own business to property management and HOAs. And leave inspired to tackle your own hurdles and get your real estate endeavors off the ground!

For BiggerPockets fans old and new, this is an instant BiggerPockets Podcast classic you won’t want to miss. Get ready to learn more about the man behind the BiggerPockets curtains!

In This Show We Cover:

• How Josh got started in Real Estate
• The ins and outs of beginning your own business
• Thoughts on getting your real estate agent’s license
• How to get into Real Estate without any prior knowledge about it
• The importance of properly assessing a property
• What you need to know about HOAs
• Josh’s thoughts on appreciation
• Lessons regarding investing from a distance
• How BiggerPockets got its start
• Why BiggerPockets is hard on real estate gurus
• Why you should be authentic when using BiggerPockets
• The importance of building relationships online
• And MUCH more!

Links From the Show:

• Brandon Turner’s Book on Amazon
• BiggerPockets Files
• BP’s Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Real Estate Investing
• BiggerPockets Keyword Alerts
• BiggerPockets Marketplace
• BiggerPockets Plus and Pro Accounts
• BiggerPockets Support
• Should I Get My Real Estate License? An Investor’s Examination of Benefits & Costs by Mindy Jensen (The blog post Josh referred to!)
• SNL Appearance

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Four Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
• Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
• The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
• Brandon Turner’s The Book on Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low) Money Down
• Rework: Change The Way You Work Forever by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson
• The CEO Code by David Rohlander

Connect with Josh

• Josh’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Josh’s Twitter
• Josh’s Facebook
• Josh’s LinkedIn
• Josh’s GooglePlus

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Today on the BiggerPockets Podcast we’re excited to bring you another “newbie podcast” with 3 new real estate investors who are excited to share with you the story of their very first real estate deal! This episode we are talking with three investors who share a common trait: they all have a deep understanding of personal finance and it’s role in the real estate investing space and write about it online!

Today you’ll hear from Scott Trench, Lauren Bowling, and Philip Taylor as they share how they found their first deal, financed it, manage it, and more. We cover everything from house hacking to creative finance, dealing with fear, and numerous other topics so, without further suspense, let’s get to the show!

In This Show We Cover:

• How to find deals in a hot market
• Finding and working with a great agent
• Down payments: how much is really needed?
• Three different “house hacking” methods (one from each guest!)
• Using government programs to finance properties
• Wrapping repairs into the loan and creating immediate equity
• The one rule you need when renting to family or friends
• How to thrive when your home is worth less than you paid for it
• Doing your own work vs. hiring it out
• How to cash flow your property and save on taxes at the same time
• The #1 personal finance tip from each guest
• Plus MUCH more!

Links From The Show:

• BiggerPockets Ad Sales
• Confessions of an Ex-Banker: How to Get Your Next Loan Approved, Guaranteed.

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Four Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
• Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
• The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
• The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley
• The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller
• Brandon Turner’s The Book on Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low) Money Down
• BiggerPockets’ Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Real Estate Investing
• Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time by Brigid Schulte
• The Skinny on Real Estate Investing: An Introduction to the Subject by Jim Randel
• The E-Myth : Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
• The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime by MJ DeMarco

Connect with Scott

• Scott’s BiggerPockets Profile

Connect with Lauren

• Lauren’s Blog – LBeeAndTheMoneyTree.com
• Lauren’s Twitter
• Lauren’s Instagram
• Awkward Money Chat

Connect with Philip

• Philip’s Blog – PTMoney.com
• Philip’s Blog detailed post about his cash flow report on his rental
• Philip’s Twitter
• FinconExpo

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What does it take to buy, sell, and broker over $1,000,000,000 in real estate?

That’s what you’ll discover in today’s podcast episode when we sit down with Allan Glass, a real estate entrepreneur from sunny Southern California. In this hour long interview, you’ll learn how Allan used his skills as a commercial real estate broker to build his own portfolio and “piece together” deals that are truly “win-win-wins.”

If you are looking to take your business to a whole new level, don’t miss this show!

In This Show We Cover:

• How Allan got started as a commercial broker in LA
• Thoughts on obtaining a Real Estate Finance Degree
• How Allan was able to profit despite getting started in the worst time to have career in real estate
• The two “book ends” Allan looks for to decide where to invest.
• How Allan shifted from an employee to starting his own business in the restaurant industry
• Why you should always have a backup plan
• The importance of continuing education and taking up a Masters in Real Estate Development
• Why functional obsolescence is vitally important to an investor
• How Allan manage to invest in numerous different property types
• How to add value to real estate and profit from it
• How Allan finds deals in any market.
• Allan’s ‘secret sauce’ of real estate investing
• Mistakes real estate investors make (including Allan)
• And lots more!

Links From the Show

• Loopnet
• Costar

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Brandon Turner’s The Book on Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low) Money Down
• The Reluctant Metropolis: The Politics of Urban Growth in Los Angeles by William Fulton
• Lucky Or Smart?: Fifty Pages for the First-Time Entrepreneur by Bo Peabody

Connect with Allan

• Allan’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Allan’s Website
• Allan’s Facebook
• Allan’s LinkedIn
• Allan’s Twitter

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Itching to quit your 9 to 5 to become a full time investor, but don’t know how to get there? This week, we sit down with an investor who has done just that — despite obstacles that could have discouraged his plans had he not been persistent and kept an eye on his end goal.

Listen as Kyle Pettit shares with the BiggerPockets Podcast his story of breaking into the rental and wholesaling sides of the real estate industry, including tips on screening tenants, expanding your marketing reach and tackling the challenges that come with working from home. If you’re struggling to make your mark in world of real estate and wondering when that pivotal point of becoming a full time investor will ever happen, this is the motivation you’ve been waiting for.

Newbies and experienced investors alike, don’t miss out on this informative, entertaining episode!

In This Show We Cover:

• Details on Kyle’s first deals
• The ins and outs of an REO deal 
• What you need to know about hard money lenders
• The importance of building relationships early on
• How to be persistent despite setbacks on a wholesaling deal
• Important information about lease options
• How to find a good company for screening tenants
• Getting started with postcards and yellow letter campaigns
• Why you should always background check the people you work with
• How to handle phone calls through a virtual phone system
• Quitting your day job to focus on real estate
• Tips on finding and handling sellers
• The keys to expanding your real estate marketing
• What you should expect being a full time real estate investor
• Managing distractions and working at home
• And lots more!

Links From the Show

• BiggerPockets Webinar
• RealtyShares
• Hard Money Lenders
• MySmartMove
• FreedomVoice

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Brandon Turner’s The Book on Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low) Money Down
• Making Big Money Investing in Foreclosures: Without Cash or Credit by Peter Conti and David Finkel
• How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing by Robert Kiyosaki

Connect with Kyle

• Kyle’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Kyle’s Website
• Kyle’s Facebook

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Real estate investing isn’t always about the speed of the chase – sometimes patience is key and the amount of deals you close might not be as important as the quality of each deal.

If you’d like to hone your deal-finding skills and knowledge of your local market, don’t miss out on this BiggerPockets Podcast episode, where we sit down with Anson Young to discuss the art of unearthing great deals, which properties are the best to flip, and how to handle a hot real estate market.

Anson got started in the real estate world back in 2004, when he moved to Arizona and bought his first house. A year later, he sold the property and moved back to Denver with his first big check, and he has been in the Colorado real estate game ever since. Exploring many sides of real estate investing, he’s found a niche in the wholesaling market and continues to grow his network and expertise of the local real estate environment.

If you want to hear more about the many forms of real estate investing and how to break into your local market, be sure to check out this episode!

In This Show We Cover:

• The key to being a good wholesale buyer
• The ins and outs of ARV and what it means to the real estate market
• Where the best areas are to purchase based upon neighborhood location
• How to understand localized real estate
• The dos and ds of co-wholesaling
• The differences between flipping and rehabbing
• How to target your best buying audience
• Whether you should use pre-foreclosure lists or not
• Who the best people to invest with are
• The most efficient way to find a private lender
• Whether a BPO is the way to go
• When you should make a package sample deal
• How to attract financiers when you are new to real estate
• Which types of properties make the best house flips
• And lots more!

Links From the Show

• The BiggerPockets Forums
• BiggerPockets Calculator
• BiggerPockets Blog

Books Mentioned in the Show?

• The Book on Flipping Houses by J. Scott
• Brandon Turner’s The Book on Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low) Money Down
• The TenX Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure by Rabbi Grant Cardone
• The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker

Connect with Anson

• Anson’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Anson’s Website

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If nothing else, investing in real estate is an adventure, as well as an ever-evolving learning process, where you can alter your focus to align with the needs of yourself, your clients, and your family. This week on The BiggerPockets Podcast, we’ll learn all about what it takes to branch out in your real estate investing endeavors with our guest Curt Bidwell. 

Curt’s first real estate opportunity arose while he was working as a pastor, when a few good friends asked if he wanted to partner with them on a local fourplex. Since then, he’s acquired quite a portfolio of real estate, including sixplexes, duplexes, new construction, single family homes, townhomes, and mixed properties. He’s done it all — and now he’s even gotten his kids involved! Listen for interesting tips on how to creatively invest, the best ways to find good tenants, as well as how to encourage your kids to get interested in finances and real estate along the way.

In This Show We Cover:

• What makes a good partnership
• How to get started with mixed rental properties
• Ways to keep your children motivated and setting goals
• Where to find the best commercial locations to increase your real estate value
• The positives of renting out large family homes
• How to choose whether you should have in-house management for your multi-unit rentals
• Methods to teach your children to be financially wise
• The best ways to go about obtaining lines of credit for your properties
• Ways to creatively invest and finance your rentals
• What exactly a 1031 exchange is
• Helpful tips to finding a good location manager
• How to work with local commercial lenders
• Best ways to screen your tenants
• And lots more!

Links From the Show

• BiggerPockets Success Stories
• The BiggerPockets Forums

Books Mentioned in the Show 

• Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
• Gary Keller’s The Millionaire Real Estate Investor
• Thou Shall Prosper: Ten Commandments for Making Money by Rabbi Daniel Lapin
• The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker

Connect with Curt

• Curt’s BiggerPockets Profile

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Starting out in the world of house flipping and landlording can be taxing and a lot to take on at first, but it’s all a learning experience, which is why we want you to get to know a master at both, Michael Siekerka. 

Michael’s first real estate investing experience was just six months after he graduated college, when he occupied his first purchase by doing a fix and flip. After years of rehabbing properties by partnering with friends for quick income, he eventually found his niche in buy and hold properties. In this informative episode, Michael shares with us how he manages his properties, the criteria he uses to find new places to rent out and the methods he follows to work successfully with hard money lenders and agents to boost his revenue. This is a show to hear if you’re in the market for success!

In This Show We Cover:

• How to partner with friends correctly
• How to go from a fix and flip business plan to buy and hold properties
• Learning to finance correctly
• The dangers of using hard money lenders
• The pros of working with a real estate agent
• How to handle a basement leak — after the property is on the market
• Collaborating with commercial lenders
• Why working a job AND investing can be an ideal setup
• Making sure you have a Plan B
• The positives of working with a showing agent
• How his focuses have changed since his first purchase
• Importance of vetting tenants
• Why you should get references for prospective property managers
• And lots more!

Links from the Show

• Hotpads
• Postlets
• BiggerPockets.com/analysis 
• The BiggerPockets Forums

Online Rent Pay Tools Mike Recommends

• Intuit
• Google Wallet
• Chase QuickPay

Books Mentioned in the Show 

• Commercial Mortgages 101 by Michael Rinehart
• Tim Ferriss’s The Four Hour Work Week

Connect with Mike

• Mike’s Website
• Mike’s BiggerPockets Profile

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Many people take their time in building their real estate investing… but not today’s guest, who has used his incredible marketing skills to do more than 400 deals in the past five years!

Erik Stark got his start after he had been flipping cars out of high school and wanted to move on to bigger, better things. Since then, Erik has tried his hand at wholesaling, as well as purchasing single family homes, commercial property, bulk estates, multi-family homes, and more — by his estimation, closing over 400 deals. Learn how he implements creative, eye-catching marketing techniques we can (almost) guarantee you’ve never heard of, as well as how he chooses which types of investments to make within his market.

Erik’s business philosophy of adding value to others’ lives through his deals will leave you inspired, and his many unique tips will have you reaching outside the box for innovative ways to grow your business. Don’t miss out on this information-packed episode!

In This Episode We Cover:

• How Erik got his start by flipping cars near Detroit
• Why embracing networking as a lifestyle can be life-changing
• The importance of focusing on a well-executed marketing plan
• How buying a house in a C-Class neighborhood can help finance a house in an A-Class neighborhood (see: napkin sketch below)
• The benefits of doing business in a market you know
• How to decide your focus within the real estate market
• What exactly a “swipe file” of competitors is and how it can help YOU
• An innovative way to execute direct mail when you don’t have the money
• What to look for in a partnership
• The genius marketing technique known as the “drunk letter“
• The importance of loving what you do and waking up inspired
• And LOTS more!

Links from the Show

The Book on Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low) Money Down by Brandon Turner

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Don’t Get Voted Off Real Estate Island by Mike Cantu (not on Amazon)
• Principles of Marketing by Theodore N., Maynard, & Davidson, William Beckman
• Real Estate Rewind – BiggerPockets Community Book

Connect with Erik

• Erik’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Erik’s Facebook

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don’t miss this special feature, as we come to you live from FinCon 2014 for Podcast 90!

In a BiggerPockets Podcast first, we sit down and chat live with financial conference attendees Matt Giovanisci from New Jersey, Romeo Jeremiah from Detroit and KC Beavers from Rochester, NY, three real estate investor newbies with fascinating stories and great tips for beginning investors and veterans alike! Hear from “accidental landlords” — a growing breed of property owners — firsthand, and let yourself be regaled by tales proving that first time investors CAN achieve success from the get go. A unique and high energy recording, this is one episode you’ll definitely want to tune in for!

In This Show We Cover:

• Getting stuck with a property during the economic downtown
• The decision to rent by default, ie. the “Accidental Landlord” situation
• The art of staging a space to rent it out fast
• What exactly a “Streamline Refinance” entails
• The pros and cons of renting from afar
• Why finding a (trusted) property manager can be crucial
• The simple way to fix a garbage disposal you may not know
• A great first-time house flip success story
• How to start out with a 24-unit apartment building
• The concept of “Forced Appreciation”
• Wealth creation vs. wealth preservation
• The importance of thoroughly vetting tenants
• The ins and outs of using Real Estate to diversify your portfolio
• How to get a loan on a commercial property
• And so much more!

Books Mentioned in the Show

• The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Timothy Ferriss
• The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller
• The E-Myth : Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber

Tweetable Topics

• “You can never learn enough about this [industry].” (Tweet This!)
• “Just take action, just go for it…but make sure it was a risk worth taking.” (Tweet This!)
• “There’s not going to be a single path for someone to take.” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Matt

• Matt’s Website

Connect with Romeo

• Romeo’s Website
• Romeo’s BiggerPockets Profile

Connect with KC

• KC’s Website
• KC’s BiggerPockets Profile

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Looking to be inspired?

Today on The BiggerPockets Podcast we sit down and chat with Engelo Rumora, a real estate investor with a fascinating story that involved dropping out of high school, playing professional soccer, and building up a massive real estate investment business across two continents! Don’t miss this incredible interview where we cover numerous topics ranging from getting started, flipping houses, networking with potential lenders, finding (and working with) mentors, running a growing business at a young age, and a lot more!

In This Show We Cover:

• How Engelo got his start in Real Estate Investment
• The challenges of jumping in without formal education
• Valuable tips on effective networking
• The varied & diverse deals Engelo has made in his career so far
• Why he decided to move from Australia to the US
• Details on his first deal (and why he almost got killed because of it!)
• The 3 essential traits every investment partner should have
• How to avoid shady operators
• Tips on how to find the most promising properties
• How Engelo and his team finance their deals
• The keys to managing a business from a young age
• What he’s learned about building a brand and marketing a business
• Engelo’s vision for the future of his company
• And so much more!

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Tweetable Topics

• “Formal education will you earn you a living, while personal development will give you a lifestyle.” (Tweet This!)
• “Many people are school smart, but life-dumb.” (Tweet This!)
• “No matter how many times you get hit, you just got to pick yourself up and keep going.” (Tweet This!)
• “Passion definitely inspires passion.” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Engelo

• Engelo’s Personal Website
• Engelo’s Company Website
• Engelo’s BiggerPockets Profile

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Today we’re thrilled to chat with New Jersey real estate investors Matt and Liz Faircloth on The BiggerPockets Podcast, covering everything from the challenges of working with a spouse to purchasing a 10,000 square foot office space!

Matt and Liz have been hooked on real estate since buying their first single family home in 2002. After years of self education, their fair share of learning pains and a healthy dose of hard work, the couple now owns over 100 units and has accomplished around 15 fix and flips. Employing a team of 11, their mission statement is to “revitalize Urban America” and to “transform lives through real estate.” Pick up some great tips on building an empire from the bottom up, choosing the best kinds of financing and earning that all-important track record of success. It’s all here, so don’t miss out!

In This Show We Cover:

• How Liz and Matt got their start in real estate as an engaged couple
• The pros and cons of working with your spouse
• How to successfully get organized
• The importance of making a business plan from the get-go
• The ins and outs of bookkeeping in a home business (program recommendations included!)
• What you stand to gain from a tax deferred exchange
• The thrills — and challenges — of buying a 10,000 sq. ft. office space
• The all-important skill of flexibility (or “learning to pivot“)
• How to gain wealth through commercial real estate
• The intricacies of private equity, private lending, forming LLCs & LLPs (and more!)
• Proof that you CAN see 20-40% returns with no money down
• How to add value to a real estate investment team without putting money up
• The definitive guide to finding great employees for your business
• Why modular homes may be your safest bet
• The worst rehabbing nightmare ever (involving lawsuits, water damage — and a total lack of foundation)
• And so much more!

Books Mentioned in the Show

• The Lean Startup by Eric Reis
• Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki
• Real Estate Riches: How to Become Rich Using Your Banker’s Money by Dolf de Roos
• The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
• Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth by T. Harv Eker

Tweetable Topics

• “So if the game plan goes wrong, have a B, have a C, have a D.” (Tweet This!)
• “Do things that you’re good at and that you enjoy…bringing your real passions to a task is key.” (Tweet This!)
• “Single family home, multi family home — whatever your plan is, get really good at it.” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Matt & Liz

• Matt & Liz’ Company Website
• Matt’s BiggerPockets Profile

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Failure is no stranger in the real estate industry which is why we are excited to bring Nathan Brooks to The BiggerPockets Podcast today, an investor who knows firsthand that real estate can be tough!

Nathan is an investor (both flips and rentals) from Kansas who went through a very difficult period during the real estate crash, losing all his properties and filing bankruptcy due to a shady partner and jumping in too quickly. Nathan has since emerged as a much stronger real estate investor and carries an incredible story with numerous lessons to share. Get ready to learn how failure can transform your life!

In This Show We Cover:

• How Nathan found his first business partner at lunch
• Why Nathan bought two houses as a newbie – and lived to regret it
• How to find partners through BiggerPockets
• The opposite of paralysis by analysis
• How Nathan ended up filing bankruptcy 
• Nathan’s current (more conservative) investing strategy
• Dealing with tenants in a $20k property
• How to make a unit stand out among the competition
• Dealing with “Cat Ladies” and “Hoarder Houses“
• How Nathan finds deals
• Finding mentors and lenders on Craigslist?
• How to find a real estate-minded attorney 
• And so much more!

Books Mentioned in the Show

• The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller
• The Unofficial Guide to Real Estate Investing by Spencer Strauss and Martin Stone
• The Four Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
• Unlimited Power : The New Science Of Personal Achievement by Anthony Robbins

Tweetable Topics

• Don’t go into business with someone you don’t know. It’s just stupid. (Tweet This!)
• The lessons I’ve learned have made me a better investor today. (Tweet This!)
• There’s a deal for everyone, but this deal might not be for you. (Tweet This!)
• The job of a Real Estate Investor is to solve problems. (Tweet This!)
• Know the answers before asking the questions. (Tweet This!)

Connect with Nathan

• Nathan’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Nathan’s Company Website
• Nathan’s BiggerPockets Blog Posts

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Today on the BiggerPockets Podcast we sit down with Cory Binsfield, a multifamily rental property investor who comes from Duluth, MN.

If you ever feel like you don’t have enough time to invest in real estate, wait until you hear Cory’s story. He currently owns and manages 97 units himself while still working a full time job. Today he teaches us how he does it and also touches on a variety of topics related to getting started, house hacking, investing in a college town, and being a master of creative finance.

This show is packed full of valuable tips so make sure to grab a pen and paper for notes, and let’s get to it!

In This Show We Cover…

• Starting out with an investment that makes your wife cry
• How to use a VA Loan
• CreativeFinance vs. Conventional Finance
• The ins and outs of investing in a college town
• The SWAT team that descended on Cory’s property
• Mistakes, mistakes and more mistakes!
• Why partnering may NOT be a good option after all
• How to personally manage over 97 units while working a full time job
• How to build a solid team that can put out the fires while you chill on a beach in Mexico
• Networking as a “lifestyle”
• Owning a frat house
• What to look for when buying a multifamily 
• Why real estate is better than other retirement options
• The most helpful technological aid in Cory’s business
• And a whole lot more!

Links from the Show:

• Why I’m Not a Flipper-Don’t Kill the Goose! by Cory Binsfield
• How to “Hack” Your Housing and Get Paid to Live for Free by Brandon Turner
• The BiggerPockets Tour

Books Mentioned in the Show:

• The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller
• The Shareholder Letters by Warren Buffett

Tweetable Topics:

• “Networking is a lifestyle.” (Tweet This!)
• “There’s not a single path to success in real estate.” (Tweet This!)
• “You don’t want a “good” life, you want a “great” life.” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Cory:

• Cory’s BiggerPocket Profile

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Today on the BiggerPockets Podcast we chat with Mike McKinzie, a full time real estate investor from Garden Grove, CA. Mike is an investor and former property manager who has personally dealt with over 5,000 real estate transactions, but focuses most of his attention today on using property management to invest both locally and out of state.

This show explores a variety of topics related to buy and hold real estate investing and offers a significant amount of actionable information on how to set up property management, covering everything from what questions to ask, what should be expected, and a whole lot more!

In This Show We Cover…

• Growing up in a real estate family
• Hybrid real estate investing
• The key is to success in rental properties  
• Getting your real estate license as an investor
• How to prepare yourself for future-changing markets
• If you’re going to invest based on appreciation, THIS is how you do it! 
• The importance of updating trusts…
• How property managers can turn into lead sources
• How do you vet property managers?
• What does a property manager do?
• Managing your own portfolio
• How neighbors will help you keep an eye on your property
• How to deal with HOA’s the right way!
• The importance of due diligence 
• The difference between housing classes
• Dealing with marijuana
• And a whole lot more!

Links from the Show:

• The Ultimate Guide to Growing Your Business with BiggerPockets Keyword Alerts by Brandon Turner
• The BiggerPockets Keyword Alert System

Books Mentioned in the Show:

• The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Real Estate Investing by BiggerPockets.com

Tweetable Topics:

• “You are the boss of your property manager…fire them if need be!” (Tweet This!)
• “Make friends with the neighbors of your property, and you’ll always have eyes on your property…” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Mike:

• Mike’s BiggerPocket Profile

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the BiggerPockets Podcast we sit with Chad Carson, a full time real estate investor from Clemson, South Carolina. Chad brings expertise in a TON of areas including everything from fix-and-flips to creative finance, property management to buy-and-hold.

This show explores how to use real estate as a means to design the lifestyle you really want.

There are a ton of tips and tricks in this one, so dive in!

In This Show We Cover…

• How to get started straight out of college
• The benefit of having a few key buyers vs. a buyers list
• The key is sincerity, hunger and enthusiasm  
• Getting your real estate license as an investor
• How to prepare yourself for future-changing markets
• The key to networking with financial partners
• Direct mail tips and strategies
• Lifestyle design through real estate
• The importance of the “why” behind your business
• 50/50 partnerships
• Property managing your own portfolio
• Creative finance strategies
• Self-Directed IRA’s
• Using court records to look up potential tenants
• An awesome example of an elevator pitch
• The importance of protecting your lenders
• And a whole lot more!

Links Mentioned in The Show:

• The BiggerPockets Member Blogs
• See who is looking at YOUR profile
• BiggerPockets Pro Memberships 
• Tenant Screening: The Ultimate Guide

Books Mentioned in the Show:

• Building Wealth One House at a Time: Making it Big on Little Deals , by John Schaub
• The Warren Buffet Way, by Robert G. Hagstrom
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey

Tweetable Topics:

• “Sometimes growing big brings a price you might not need to pay for the lifestyle you want…” (Tweet This!)
• “The minute you break people’s trust is the moment you lose everything!” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Chad’s:

• Chad’s BiggerPocket Profile

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the BiggerPockets Podcast we are excited to sit down with Marcia Maynard, a hands-on landlord who hails from Vancouver, Washington.

Marcia got her start in real estate by marrying into “the family business” that already had an existing portfolio, but continued on the tradition to help fund her own future retirement. On today’s show, she goes into detail on how you can invest part-time for retirement while making a HUGE impact on the community in the process!

This show covers the importance of integrity in a landlord’s life and is filled with actionable tips for dealing with tenants in an ethical – yet profitable – way. This is a great show, let’s get into it!

In This Show We Cover…

• How to invest with family
• The importance of setting up your business structure and what happens when you don’t!
• Insurance – Do you need an umbrella policy?
• The awesome path of buying rental properties slowly
• Personal Finance 101
• How to love your job and invest in real estate on the side
• The benefits of a mission statement
• The importance of coaching your tenants to have more integrity
• How to handle conflicts with tenants
• An awesome alternative to evictions! 
• The importance of a calling up prior landlords
• Red flags of bad tenants,
• Actionable items for vetting tenants over the phone
• Using court records to look up potential tenants
• And a whole lot more!

Links Mentioned in The Show:

• The NYC Real Estate Investor Meetup with Brandon
• BiggerPockets Keyword Alerts
• Marcia’s exact Tenant Screening Interview questions
• A Slow, Boring, Incredibly Awesome Strategy for Building Wealth Through Passive Real Estate Investing by Brandon Turner
• Padmapper.com

Books Mentioned in the Show:

• Landlording by Leigh Robinson
• Your Best Year Yet by Jinny S. Ditzler

Tweetable Topics:

• “Start with a dream, make goals, take action, then reflect and improve…” (Tweet This!)
• “Landlording is like a game of chess.” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Marcia’s:

• Marcia’s BiggerPocket Profile

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the BiggerPockets Podcast we are excited to sit down with David Krulac, a real estate renaissance man who has experience in nearly every aspect of the industry, being involved in over 800 deals in his career.

In today’s show we cover everything from prospecting tenants, how to buy at auctions, sub-dividing land, tax deeds and much, much more!

In This Show We Cover…

• Purchasing houses from auctions
• How David’s first deal lead to him living rent and mortgage free for 6 months
•  The importance of working with Credit Unions
• Dealing with probates
•  Month-to-month leases vs annual leases
• 1031 Exchanges
• The ins and outs of subdividing land
• Tax deeds vs. tax liens
• The importance of an epic business card
• How to go from o to 800 deals
• An example of a super risky deal!
• What to watch out for when you go to buy at auctions
• What to look for in a potential tenant
• And a TON more!

Links Mentioned in the Show:

• The BiggerPockets Fileplace
• The BiggerPockets Rewind

Books Mentioned in the Show:

• How to Turn $1,000 into a 5 Million by William Nickerson
• Landlording  by Leigh Robinson
• Buy and Hold by David Schumacher
• Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley
• How I Started with Nothing and Made 12 Million in Real Estate Part-Time by David Krulac

Connect with David:

• David’s BiggerPocket Profile
• David’s Website: CentralPennLots.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the BiggerPockets Podcast we are excited to welcome back Michael Quarles to the show. Several weeks ago we talked with Michael about his story and spent most of the show discussing the topic of negotiation, never getting to one of the most important topics we wanted to discuss with Michael: marketing. Specifically, Michael is a wealth of knowledge on all things involving direct mail, so today we’re going to tap into that knowledge.

Today, Michael is going to teach you everything you need to know to get started in successful direct mail marketing and attract leads that no one else can get. We cover everything from market research to creating a call-capture system and everything in between. This show will go down in the history of BiggerPockets as one of the most actionable shows to date!

In This Show, We Cover:

• The ins and outs of whole-tailing
• Everything you ever wanted to know about direct mail
• The beauty of controlling who calls you through direct mail
• How to start marketing even if you only have $500
• What to do in the face of rejection
• How much does a starter marketing budget cost?
• How BiggerPockets is like a beautiful woman
• How to do your market research 
• Softwares that tell you what houses in your market have equity
• What filters to set in terms of lead generation
• Probate vs. absentee owners
• How to generate leads from bandit signs without EVER using them
• The 5 different types of direct mail
• The importance of using multiple types of mail
• Hand-written font vs. actual writing 
• The biggest mistake people make in direct mail
• How many times should you repeat a mail sequence?
• The importance of setting up your call capture system
• How to memorize scripts
• and much, much more!

Links Mentioned

• BP Podcast 077: Negotiating Your Way to 1000 Wholetail Real Estate Deals with Michael Quarles
• How to Write the Perfect Elevator Pitch in Under 10 Minutes!

Tweetable Topics

• “I’m not a passive income earner, I’m a massive income earner.” (Tweet This!)
• “People don’t buy what you sell, they buy who you are.” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Michael

• Michael’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Michael’s Website: http://www.yellowletters.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the BiggerPockets Podcast we are excited to sit down with a Jonna Weber, a buy-and-hold investor and real estate agent out of the Boise, ID area.

Jonna is a great example of how anybody can and should invest in real estate! In our conversation, we cover a lot of ground on how to use real estate for retirement and why real estate is a better avenue than the stock market. We also cover why an investor might want to become a real estate agent, how to find investor-friendly agents, what to look for when purchasing an investment property and much much more!

In This Show We Cover…

• How anyone can invest in real estate
• Why would an investor become an agent in the first place?
• The importance of running the numbers with someone else
• Why investors are the best clients for an agent to have
• The hardest part of being a landlord
• How to get longer leases out of your tenants
• How to use BiggerPockets as a resource to manage your own properties
• Creating an “in-house” property management company for only your own properties
• Financing how-to’s
• Using cash flow to build cash reserves
• Real estate vs. the stock market
• Investing in real estate for retirement
• How to be safe as an investor and agent
• What to check for during your due diligence process
• On market deals vs. off market deals
• How to find an investor-friendly agent
• And a TON more!

Links Mentioned in the Show:

• BP Podcast 006: Investing While Holding a Full Time Job with Arthur Garcia
• Landlord on Autopilot by Mike Butler
• The Real Estate Agent’s Ultimate Guide to Working with Investors 
• BiggerPockets’ Keyword Alerts
• The BiggerPockets Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Real Estate Investing
• The BiggerPocket’s Weekly Webinar

Books Mentioned in the Show:

• Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau
•  Buy and Hold Forever by David Schumacher

Tweetable Topics:

• “Managing your own properties is short term pain for a long term goal.” (Tweet This!)
• “It’s not an emergency unless it’s ACTUALLY an emergency.” (Tweet This!)
• “If you can run your numbers with someone else, it will help you avoid the shinny object syndrome.” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Jonna:

• Jonna’s BiggerPocket Profile

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the BiggerPockets Podcast we are excited to sit down with a couple who together, intentionally invest where most landlords fear to tread . . . low income housing.

Michele and Bruce Fischer who hail from Longview, Washington, decided to make a difference by landlording in areas that are so low-income, that even Section-8 doesn’t work in their neighborhood. In our conversation we dive into some really important topics regarding how to screen low-income tenants, how to handle (pets like pitt-bulls), what to do when your tenant is late on the rent, working with your spouse, what to do when the reality is your tenant will become homeless if you evict them, how to “tenant-proof” in low-income areas and a lot more! You don’t want to miss this one!

In This Show We Cover…

• Why would you invest in low-income areas in the first place?
• What to look for when purchasing a low-income property
• How playing “Monopoly” with no money makes you a better real estate investor
• Handling late payments
• The “prostitute tenant” story (Yes, really…)
• How to practically invest with your spouse
• Renting to low income tenants with low income pets (including those with dangerous animals.)
• Michele and Bruce’s #1 source of leads
• How to “tenant-proof” low-income rentals
• How to utilize a line of credit for investing in real estate
• Cash flow vs. appreciation
• Using Facebook to vet potential tenants
• And a TON more!

Books Mentioned in the Show:

• See Poverty, be the Difference by Donna M. Beegle
• Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez

Tweetable Topics:

• “Prostitution does pay the rent well!” (Tweet This!)
• “Arguing with your spouse is part of the #landlording process!” (Tweet This!)
• “We invest in real estate in order to make a difference.” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Michele and Bruce:

• Michele’s BiggerPocket Profile
• Michele’s BiggerPockets Member Blog

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the BiggerPockets Podcast we are excited to sit down with a real estate investor who just said “you’re fired!” to her day job and became a full-time real estate investor!

We are talking with Brie Schmidt, who invests in a wide range of rental properties in the Midwest and shares some incredible insight into how she finds them, finances them, and manages them. In our conversation we dive into some really important topics regarding personal finances, getting your first deal, working with your spouse, tenant-friendly laws, when to quit your job, and a lot more! You are going to LOVE this episode!

In This Show We Cover…

• Why Brie chose a triplex for her first primary residence
• Choosing appreciation vs. cash flow in a buy and hold investment
• Why Brie decided to diversify her investments into long-distance investing.
• What makes an area “landlord–friendly” vs. “tenant friendly“
• Dealing with maintenance request issues.. even while on vacation.
• Why Brie calls herself a “YouTube Landlord“
• Real Estate as a hobby vs. a business
• Why Brie encourages Pets.. even a 120lb dog!
• When should you quit your job?
• Investing with your spouse: how to make it work
• House Hacking and using your personal finances to fund your investments
• Using online software to help you control your spending and invest in real estate
• The one question that Brie asked that led to a ton of deals, financing, and partnerships.
• Should you allow smokers in your rental unit?
• And a TON more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Webinars
• PayNearMe.com/biggerpockets
• Handyman Matters
• Income Property TV Show
• How to Hack Your Housing and Get Paid to Live For Free Blog Post by Brandon Turner
• Mint.com
• The Book on Estimating Rehab Costs book by J Scott, Published by BiggerPockets Publishing.
• Tenant Screening: The Ultimate Guide
• Postlets.com
• IfThisThenThat: IfTTT.com

Books Mentioned in the Show:

• The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller
• The One Thing by Gary Keller

Tweetable Topics:

• “They should force lawmakers to own rental properties before writing the laws.” (Tweet This!)
• “BiggerPockets: Pissing Off Employers Since 2004” (Tweet This!)
• “What’s more important? Getting rich or staying married?” (Tweet This!)
• “The beginning of budgeting is understanding where you are.” (Tweet This!)
• “I’ve learned more on the BiggerPockets forums than any book I’ve ever read.” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Brie:

• Brie’s BiggerPocket Profile
• Brie’s Twitter: @ChicagoBrie
• Brie’s Website: ChicagoBrie.com

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Today on the BiggerPockets Podcast we are excited to welcome Michael Quarles to the show. Michael is an active investor coming out of California’s Central Valley who has done so many deals that he has lost count!

His experience is diverse and includes developing, flipping and more, but today his primary strategy is what is known as “wholetailing” and today’s show covers this strategy in detail!

Also, as a master negotiator, Michael breaks down the science of haggling a deal that both honors the seller and benefits the investor. This episode is so jammed-packed that you’ll finish feeling like you just graduated with a degree in negotiation!

You even get to walk away word-for-word scripts! You really don’t want to miss this one!

In This Show, We Cover:

• How Michael convinced a stranger to give him $200,000 in order to invest in real estate.
• The complete breakdown of what wholetailing is and how to do it…
• The 5 important question you HAVE to ask leads over the phone
• Practical lesson in Neuro Linguistics – Complete with role playing!
• The importance of  being ethical and taking care of people 
• The peanut butter story…
• The proper mindset behind negotiating
• Getting over fear in order to take action
• and much, much more!

Links Mentioned

• BiggerPockets Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Real Estate Investing

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff
• E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber

Connect with Michael

• Michael’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Michael’s Website: http://www.yellowletters.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the BiggerPockets Podcast we are excited to welcome back Brian Burke, who we last talked to back in episode number 3. Brian is the owner of a large, successful real estate company headquartered in Santa Rosa, CA. Last time we sat down with Brian, he showed us how he got started investing in real estate, walking us through his first steps. On today’s show Brian goes deeper, sharing the details of how he scaled his real estate business from a one-man operation to fully staffed multi-million dollar company! This show goes into incredible detail (and offering highly actionable steps) on how to bootstrap your business, how to vet employees, how to gauge your market and much much more! If you are looking to turn your investing company into more than just a hobby… this show is for you!

In This Show, We Cover:

• How to grow your business from a 1-man business to a full scale operation
• How to prepare for legal issues as an investor
• When is the right time to grow your team?
• How do you find good players for your team?
• When is it time to use property management?
• The importance of growing organically… and we’re not talking about vegetables!
• How to track your deal history in order to raise money
• What bootstrapping your real estate business really looks like
• How to find a mentor
• What BiggerPockets has to offer experienced real estate investors (Brian made over $400K netfrom using BP!)
• and much, much more!

Links Mentioned

• BiggerPockets Podcast 003: Getting Started in Real Estate and Raising Money with Brian Burke
• How to Build a Shed in 7 Simple Steps (Yes, That’s Me – On the Roof!)
• Investment Calculators

Books Mentioned in the Show

• One Minute Manager by Kenneth H. Blanchard
• The Art of the Deal by Donald Trump
• BiggerPockets Forums

Tweetable Topics

• “If you haven’t been sued, you haven’t been in business long enough.” (Tweet This!)
• “You say the early bird get’s the worm, I say the 2nd mouse get’s the cheese… ” (Tweet This!)
• “You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Brian

• Brian’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Brian’s Website: http://www.praxcap.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the BiggerPockets Podcast we are excited to welcome a guest who specializes in an aspect of real estate that no other guest has covered before!

John Fedro is a mobile homes investor out of the Austin Texas area who introduces us to all the incredible opportunities that one can experience in the mobile home arena. If you’re someone asking yourself, “What type of real estate investing should I do?” Than this show is for you! Throughout the show John gives incredible advice and insight that can be applied to any aspect of real estate. This is a perfect show for people looking to get started, regardless if you like mobile homes or not!

This is one of the most actionable shows we’ve had so without further adieu, let’s jump into it!

In This Show, We Cover:

• How to find deals no one else is looking for
• The in’s and out’s of mobile home investing
• What do you do when you look 15 yrs old and want to invest in real estate?
• Why mistakes are ESSENTIAL to your success in real estate
• John’s Creative finance on steroids!
• The importance of adding value and caring about motivated sellers
• Using Leverage to crush it when getting started
• How to Forget what people say and take action!
• How to screen incoming lead-calls 
• and much, much more!

Links Mentioned

• 1 Trick for Being a LOUD and Proud Real Estate Investor
• One Small Simple Step To Growing Your Network and Increasing Your Influence
• The Top 100 Ways To Make Money In Real Estate

Books Mentioned in the Show

• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

Tweetable Topics

• “We can’t tell where lighting is going to strike but we can have several lighting rods in different locations.” (Tweet This!)
• “When starting out in real estate investing aim for the path of least resistance. ” (Tweet This!)

Connect with John

• John’s BiggerPockets Profile
• John’s 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of the BiggerPockets Podcast – we’re going to change things up- again!

This is our official 2nd newbie podcast and it’s probably our most fun show yet. Just like the last newbie podcast back on episode 25, all of our guest today are investors who are just starting out and who have recently finished their first deal.

These stories are not only helpful for new investors, but even the pros can learn valuable lessons from their experiences! Each of these investors also are working full time jobs, which is something a lot of our listener’s struggle with. Additionally, we cover everything from investing when you live in an expensive city to the importance of confidence when everyone thinks your crazy and we even get to talk to a real-life rocket scientist who’s smart enough to hack his mortgage!  You really don’t want to miss this one!

Links from the Show:

• The New Dumb and Dumber Trailer
• Nextdoor.com
• Asana.com
• How to “Hack” Your Housing and Get Paid to Live for Free

Books Mentioned in the Show

• HOLD: How to Find, Buy, and Rent Houses for Wealth by Steve Chader
• Fooled By Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
• Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
• Drive by Daniel H. Pink

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Today on the BiggerPockets Podcast we are excited to welcome back a repeat guest coming to us from The Los Angeles area!

We first met Mehran Kamari  in the newbie podcast back on show 025, where he took us through the process of his first out-of-state deal, and… well, a lot has happened since then!

Since his last appearance, Mehran’s business has blown up – just completing the purchase of his 10th property!

In today’s show, Mehran teaches us how to successfully invest out-of-state when your local market is too expensive. He goes into detail on how to use BiggerPockets to find out-of-state partners, what due diligence you need to do, who you need on your team, how to overcome fear and much, much more!

If you are in a market where the numbers just don’t seem to work, then this Podcast is for you!

In This Show, We Cover:

• How to use real estate to quit your job, the smart way!
• How Mehran invests in real estate from 2000 miles away
• How to use BiggerPockets to invest in markets you are unfamiliar with 
• Using tools such as Google Maps and Google Docs for real estate
• Joshua Dorkin used to be an actor!
• The importance of mindset and integrity
• Leverage is a tool!
• Making sure you vet out-of-state property management companies the right way!
• What’s involved in out-of-state due diligence
• and much, much more!

Links Mentioned

• BP Podcast 029: Using Peer-to-Peer Lending to Finance Deals, Cash Flow, and Fix and Hold Investing with Dawn Anastasi
• BP Podcast 063: Automating Your Investing, Long Distance Rehabs and Spec Building with J Scott
• HipChat.com
• Real Estate Rewind [A BiggerPockets Community Book]
• Google Map View of Detroit back in 2008

Books Mentioned in the Show

• How I Turned $1,000 into a Million in Real Estate in My Spare Time by William Nickerson
• Success Mastery Academy by Brain Tracey

Tweetable Topics

• “To be honest I wouldn’t invest out of state unless I had a partner with boots on the ground.” (Tweet This!)
• “You are the average of the 5 people that you spent the most time with.” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Mehran

• Mehran’s BiggerPockets Profile

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the BiggerPockets Podcast we jump straight into the nitty-gritty with a real estate broker, investor and property manager from the greater Chicago area.

Mark Ainley brings a fresh perspective on how to successfully invest in lower-income rentals and goes deep into the details of everything you’d need to know, covering acquisition to rehab to management, straight out of of his experience investing in the notorious South Side Chicago area.

Today’s show also gives great insight on the in’s and out’s of Section 8 housing, the program that has the government paying a portion (even up to 100%) of the rental income for the tenant. Mark also covers a lot of the managerial secrets behind being a successful property management company and gives you specific criteria on how to vet property managers.

This show is really meaty so be sure to grab a pen and paper for notes… and with that, let’s jump into it!

In This Show, We Cover:

• How to build a real estate company from your mom’s basement.
• “Cash-for-keys” – an alternative to eviction
• Warning: How to lose money by betting on appreciation
• How to handle late Section 8 tenants when they only owe $15
• How Brandon got a broke tweaker out of his property
• Advice for newbies who are thinking about getting started in lower income areas
• How to find flexible non-profit portfolio lenders
• The full-gambit of investing in Section 8 housing
• Major red flags  to look for in tenant screening
• How to do deals via text message
• and much, much more!

Links Mentioned

• House Hacking
• SocialServe.com

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Art of The Deal by Donald Trump
• The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller
• The E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber
• Trump: The Way to the Top: The Best Business Advice I Ever Received by Donald J. Trump

Tweetable Topics

“To do a flip successfully it takes being at the property every single day!” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Mark

• Mark’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Mark’s Website: www.gcrealtyinc.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of the BiggerPockets Podcast, we have Phillip Vincent, an acquisition specialist who hails from the St. Louis, Missouri area. Phillip is part of a large real estate investment firm, handling all the ins and outs of getting properties under contract. This week’s podcast goes into great detail on how to interact with distressed homeowners, how to generate leads from the high-end price points  and walks you through the best way to handle Probate leads.

Additionally, Phillip is particularly knowledgeable in wholesaling and shares excellent insight on exactly what you need to do to get started in real estate, ethically. This is an action-packed show, so let’s get into it!

In This Show, We Cover:

• Powerful and unique lead generation
• The benefits of having a real estate team
• How to flip a $1,000 house
• How to actually purchase in high-end markets
• How Phillip lost $200,000 on a spec build
• Time Capsule Homes and why they make great investments
• Using SEO and PPC to get deals
• A snapshot of the life of an Acquisition Specialist
• Why marketing doesn’t really cost you any money…
• How to leverage wholesalers and newbies for lead generation
• The importance of being ethical when wholesaling
• How to network effectively
• And a whole lot more!

Links Mentioned

• The BiggerPockets Marketplace
• How NOT to Flip a House: An Embarrassing Story of Wasted Time, Money, and Opportunity
• Automatic.com

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Rick Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
• The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes by Bryan Burrough

Tweetable Topics

“In real estate, don’t buy weird.” (Tweet This!)

“Find people in your market that have too many leads and simply go help them with those leads.” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Phillip

• Phillip’s BiggerPockets Profile
• FasterHouse Website: http://www.FasterHouse.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of the BiggerPockets Podcast, we sit down and chat with a real estate investor who is absolutely CRUSHING IT in a very unique niche. Grant Kemp, from the Dallas Area, got his start in real estate only 2 years ago and already has hundreds of transactions under his belt, and regularly purchases 6-15 properties a month!

On the show today, Grant shares with us the dirty details on his business and shows how YOU can start capitalizing on more leads, make more income, and spend less (or even none) of your own money to make it all happen! The best part is: Grant’s strategy relies on generating profits from leads that most real estate investors simply throw away by utilizing subject-to purchases and mortgage wraps! Don’t miss a second of this incredible interview and prepare to have your mind blown!

In This Show, We Cover:

• What “Subject To” investing is, and how you can use it to acquire properties for little to nothing down.
• What a wrap-around mortgage is
• How to protect yourself from the ‘due-on-sale’ clause
• How to use sell to the owner-finance market
• How Grant uses other wholesalers to grow his network
• Where to find leads for subject-to deals
• Clarity on the Dodd Frank from someone who actually read it in it’s entirety
• The importance of full-disclosure when doing subject to
• Selling via seller financing to get incredible returns
• And a lot more!

Links Mentioned

• How to “Hack” Your Housing and Get Paid to Live for Free
• BP Radio Podcast 002: Starting Out with Karen Rittenhouse – Subject To, Direct Mail, and Investing from a Woman’s Perspective
• Podio

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Rick Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
• The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason
• The Bible
• BiggerPockets Forums

Tweetable Topics

• “I asked myself, “How do I get into real estate with no money? The answer was subject-to.” (Tweet This!)
• “In real estate you just got to do it… it’s the Nike way.” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Grant

• Grant’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Grant’s Website: www.texaspridelending.com
• Grant’s LinkedIn

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode of the BiggerPockets Podcast, we sit down and chat with a real estate investor who is a successful wholesaler and rehabber out of the Grand Rapids, Michigan area.

 Brandon Krieg shares his insights on how he transitioned out of a full-time job to become a full time real estate investor and shares some incredible insight for others who are thinking about making the leap themselves. During the show, Brandon speaks on the importance of integrity in business and the priority of taking care of family and then continues on to shed light on his innovative marketing tactics, that has him averaging a 15-25% response rate with direct mail!

Whether you are a new investor struggling to figure out how to generate deal flow or struggling with making the transition from part-time real estate to full-time or you’ve been investing for years and need some marketing tips to take you to the next level, this is the show for you.

In This Show, We Cover:

• How to transition from a full time job you hate to full time real estate
• How to find good wholesalers
• The keys you need to succeed at wholesaling
• How Brandon uses direct mail with an  15-25% response rate
• How to ethically use bandit signs
• How Brandon used BiggerPockets to grow his network
• Who Brandon uses for his direct mail success
• How many deals should you do before jumping into real estate full time?
• How to handle leads outside your comfort zone
• How important are business systems?
• And a lot more!

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
• E-Myth by Michael E. Gerber
• Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Book on Flipping Houses by J Scott
• The Book on Estimating Rehab Costs by J Scott
• FLIP, by Rick Villani and Clay Davis

Tweetable Topics

• “If I quit real estate when it gets tough, I lose my chance of gaining success from it.” (Tweet This!)
• “Ask yourself, “If this client was my sister, my cousin or my uncle, how would I help them?” (Tweet This!)
• “The greatest moments of growth in my life have always been sparked by great books.” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Brandon

• Brandon’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Brandon’s Website: TheHoneyBeeHomes.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on the BiggerPockets Podcast we sit down with real estate investor Mark Ferguson to talk about his adventures in flipping and renting single family homes in the Colorado market. Mark is truly a real estate superhero: managing a real estate sales team, flipping houses, making offers, being a landlord, and writing about real estate all while working less hours than the normal employee (all while also having twin toddlers at home!)

Mark has truly mastered the art of delegation, team building, and using systems to stay on track and find success in his business – and he shares all his secrets with us today, so don’t miss a second of this incredible show!

In This Show, We Cover:

• Should you get your real estate license?
• Tips for buying properties on the MLS
• Using electronic signatures to get more deals
• Why Mark doesn’t buy multifamily properties
• How to find a niche and strategy for your investment business
• Finding the “sweet spots” in your market
• Working with Portfolio loans
• When should you hire an employee to manage your rentals?
• Why Mark chooses to pay off his loans
• Finding and managing contractors
• How Mark decides if he’ll flip or rent a house
• Finding time to fit in all the busy parts of life
• The team members who help Mark work less than 40 hours per week
• Why Mark wants to buy 100 houses
• How to invest when the bank says “no.”
• And lots more!

Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Success Stories Forum
• Five Tips to Get Great Deals On the MLS (Including Buying Houses on Friday…?) by Mark Ferguson
• The Real Estate Agent’s Ultimate Guide to Working with Investors
• BiggerPockets.com/meet
• How Life Coaching has Helped Improve My Business and Life by Mark Ferguson

Books Mentioned in the Show

• The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller
• The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Tweetable Topics

• Take care of your real estate agent and they’ll take care of you. (Tweet This!)
• When looking for good real estate deals, speed is the name of the game. (Tweet This!)
• When investing in real estate – no one is going to do your job for you. (Tweet This!)
• Make goals – and then break them down into actionable steps to accomplish them. (Tweet This!)

Connect with Mark

• Mark’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Mark’s Website: www.InvestFourMore.com

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On today’s episode of the BiggerPockets Podcast, we sit down and chat with a real estate investor who wasn’t seeing a lot of action in his business – until a friend challenged him to take his investing seriously and start treating it like a business.

Our guest today, Tim Gordon, accepted the challenge, changed his approach, and his business took off! Several short years later, Tim Gordon runs a successful investment business that focuses primarily on finding and wholesaling incredible deals in a competitive market, making tens of thousands of dollars every month in his business while still working a day job. Tim shares with us the lessons he learned to overcome inaction and the steps needed to consistently fill his pipeline with deals worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Whether you are a new investor struggling to get your first deal, or you’ve been investing for years and need a motivational kick to take your business to new levels, this is the show for you.

In This Show, We Cover:

• How Tim used BiggerPockets to get started
• Why it took Tim a full year to get his first deal
• Should new investors start with wholesaling?
• The major skill you need to succeed at wholesaling
• How Tim uses direct mail to find leads
• Reverse engineering to find success in wholesaling
• Tips for negotiating with motivated sellers
• The exact messaging on Tim’s direct mail postcards
• How Tim finds the “Big Dog“ cash buyers
• How many cash buyers do you need?
• The best deal Tim has ever done – $48,000 over a round of beers
• The catalyst that helped Tim take his business more seriously
• Working with assistants and others in your wholesaling business
• Why Tim makes $60 every time someone calls him
• And a lot more!

Links from the Show:

• Zoho CRM
• Act CRM
• Salesforce CRM
• BiggerPockets Pro Memberships

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Good to Great by Jim Collins
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
• Lifeonaire by Steve Cook and Shaun McCloskey

Tweetable Topics

• “The idea of running a business through an excel sheet – if there is a Hell, that’s it.” (Tweet This!)
• “Until I can go away for 2 weeks, and have the business still making money, it’s still a job.” (Tweet This!)
• “Wholesalers are not your competitors, they are your allies.” (Tweet This!)
• “My favorite word in all of real estate is ‘vacant.'” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Tim

• Tim’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Tim’s Website: GordonBuysHomes.com

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On today’s show, we sit down with real estate entrepreneur Michael Blank to talk about his journey from a successful house flipping business and his entrance into apartment buildings… and the systems needed to run his investments well.

Michael is a business entrepreneur through and through and today we get to talk about everything from getting started, investing with no money, working with (and as) a wholesaler, and even hear the story of the professional tenant that almost destroyed Michael’s investment career!

This show is packed with useful, actionable tips, so don’t forget your pen and paper on this one… you are going to need it!

In This Show, We Cover:

• How Michael started his investing journey by flipping dozens of houses per year
• Why building up a network of wholesalers is important
• How Michael raised money to fund his flipping
• The “magic question” to ask when raise private money
• Michael mistakes and successes when getting started
• Developing a great real estate team
• Using virtual assistants in your business
• Michael’s transition from flipping to apartment complexes
• Michael’s tricks for finding great commercial real estate deals
• Michaels take on the topic of rent control
• Michael’s major mistakes in his REI career… and that one tenant in DC
• And so much more!

 Links from the Show

• BP Podcast 033: How to Close 27 Deals in Your First Year While Working Full Time with Sam Craven
• eLance.com
• Loopnet.com
• Marcusmillichap.com
• Cbre.com

Tweetable Topics

• “Cutting corners hurts you and your business at the end of the day.” (Tweet This!)
• “When you have a good team, firing on all cylinders, you can do amazing things.” (Tweet This!)
• “You get what you negotiate.” (Tweet This!)
• “The secret to success is to be intentional.” (Tweet This!)

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
• Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal by Oren Klaff
• The 4-hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss

Connect with Michael!

• Michael Blank’s BiggerPockets Profile
• TheMichaelBlank.com

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Working a full time job while investing in real estate is not always easy – but as our guest today shows us: it’s totally possible. On today’s show we chat with Josh Sterling, a real estate investor who has built up a portfolio of fifty units (complete with rehabs and doing his own management) all while working a full time job.

Discover the tricks, tactics, and systems that Josh has used, as well as an inside look at his creative finance methods to acquire these properties. This show is definitely one that people will want to come back to time and time again!

In This Show, We Cover:

• Why doing things “the typical way” may not have been the right path
• Investing when the bank says “no.”
• How Josh used credit cards to buy his first few properties
• Portfolio lenders: the best technique for finding one
• Using a blanket loan to buy and sell real estate
• Using the 2% rule to screen for great properties
• How Josh managed his real estate business while having a full time job
• How Josh finds deals 
• Using Homepath Mortgages for 10% down investment loans
• How Josh found his first apartment complex using Facebook!
• Dealing with tenants while working a full time job
• And so much more!

 Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets.com/pro (New Video!)
• BP Podcast 048: Duplex Investing, Finding Great Properties, and Tips for Managing Tenants with Darren Sager
• BP Podcast 055: The Five Steps Needed to Get Any Lender to Say “Yes” with Jimmy Moncrief
• The 2% Rule
• BP Podcast 061: How to Succeed in Multifamily Investing – A Unique Conversation with Josh, Brandon, and Ben
• HomePath.com
• BP Podcast 063: Automating Your Investing, Long Distance Rehabs and Spec Building with J Scott
• Jason Hartman Podcast
• Buildium Property Management Software

Tweetable Topics

• “If you can stand out, do extra work – you are going to get incredible results.” (Tweet This!)
• “Buy and Hold real estate is the best way to build wealth.” (Tweet This!)
• “I’m much more of a ‘ready fire aim’ kind of guy.” (Tweet This!)
• “Be proactive, not reactive, when looking for contractors.” (Tweet This!)

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki
• The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder

Connect with Josh!

• Josh Sterling’s BiggerPockets Profile

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Today on the BiggerPockets Podcast we are thrilled to bring back one of the most popular guests we’ve ever had, J Scott.

Last time we dug into the process of house flipping, but today we dig much deeper into the “business” of real estate investing and explore ways to automate your real estate investing business so you can spend less time working and more time doing the things you love. We also learn all about J’s venture into house flipping at a distance as well as his foray into spec building (and the lesson’s he learned… and things you should avoid!)

This show is incredibly inspiring and can help any new or seasoned investor improve their game – especially the 5 tips for automating your business, found toward the end of the show!

In This Show, We Cover:

• How J chose his location for long distance flipping
• The difficulties of rehabbing at a distance
• Incredible tips for finding great people to work for you
• Why J’s advice is “don’t trust anyone…”
• Getting bids on your work the easy way
• How to make the permit process MUCH faster and easier
• A step by step financial breakdown of J’s recent spec build
• The “best answer” Brandon’s heard on the podcast ever…
• J’s 5 tips for automating your business
• And so much more!

 Links from the Show

• Real Estate Rewind: The BiggerPockets Community Book! 
• The Book on Flipping Houses
• Diary of a New Construction Project
• PlankIsland.com
• What Is The Best Interior Paint for Landlords and House Flippers? (Hint… It’s Not What You Think)

Tweetable Topics

• “Nobody cares about your properties or your assets more than you do.” (Tweet This!)
• “Great people tend to associate with other great people.” (Tweet This!)
• “By automating things in your business, it frees up time for your family.”  (Tweet This!)
• “Do the things that are most important, don’t do the things that aren’t important.” (Tweet This!)

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Real Estate Rewind: The BiggerPockets Community Book! 
• BiggerPockets’ The Book on Flipping Houses by J. Scott
• BiggerPockets’ The Book on Estimating Rehab Costs by J. Scott
• Diary of a New Construction Project Ebook by J. Scott
• The 4-hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss
• The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

Connect with J Scott

• J Scott’s BiggerPockets Profile
• J Scott’s Website: www.123flip.com 

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Managing tenants can be a real pain.

Trust me.

However, on this episode of the BiggerPockets Podcastwe sit down with a full time property manager to talk about the business of managing tenants – and discover ways to make it easier and more profitable for YOU.

Today Phil Dwyer from the Las Vegas area shares with us his story of becoming a real estate appraiser and transitioning to a successful property manager. In addition, we also discuss the best strategies for finding and managing the best property managers.

If you have any rental properties – or ever plan to – this is a “don’t miss” episode!

In This Show, We Cover:

• Dealing with FHA buyers
• Where to buy – appreciating areas vs. declining areas
• Finding a great property manager
• Why Phil chose Vegas to build his business
• Getting started by working a job in real estate
•  The most difficult part of investment property management?
• How to know if you are getting ripped off from your management company.
• The #1 best way to know how your tenant will act for you
• “What Would You Do” questions for Phil
• Red flags for tenants
• Dealing with pets in a rental
• Single family vs. Multifamily Investments
• What property management software Phil uses
• And so much more!

 Links from the Show

• BiggerPockets Show 61 on YouTube
• BP Podcast 007: Making Appraisals Work For You with Ryan Lundquist
• FHA Home Inspection Checklist
• Property Manager Interview Checklist

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Landlording on Autopilot by Mike Butler
• The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life by Alice Schroeder

Connect with Phillip

• Phillip’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Phillip’s Website: VegasDigs.com

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Change is good, right?

We hope so – because in this episode of the BiggerPockets Podcast, we change a lot of things up and invite you to come sit in the BiggerPockets digital coffee shop and listen in on a fascinating discussion! For the first time, we bring back a previous guest on the BiggerPockets Podcast to move beyond “their story” and dig into the dirty details on a very popular and important topic: multifamily rental properties.

Today Ben Leybovich, who shared with us his powerful journey almost a year ago on episode 14 of the BiggerPockets Podcast, is going to talk with us about what it takes to succeed as a multifamily investor – looking beyond the numbers and truly investing in the right kind of properties.

As I said- this show is a little different. Rather than just an interview, we decided to make this episode more of a “conversation” between Ben, Josh, and myself – discussing (and often loudly debating) everything from “what kind of properties to buy,” “what kind of location someone should buy in,” and a long debate on one of Brandon’s most recent purchase- the ugly purple triplex.

Although this is our longest show, at almost two hours in length, I think this is one of the most powerful podcasts we have ever done because it’s totally unfiltered, deep, and raw. Come be a fly on the wall in our “digital coffee shop” and discover everything you ever wanted to know about investing in multifamily rental properties.

In This Show, We Cover:

• Managing single family versus multifamily properties
• Why cash flow is not enough to base your decisions on
• Brandon’s “Waldo” property: good, bad, or something else? (Leave your opinion on the debate in the comments below!)
• The Validity (and Problems with) the “Rental Property Rules“
• The 13 Steps to Analyzing a Multifamily Property
• How valuation differs between single family and multifamily
• Dealing with studio or one bedroom apartments
• Why Ben doesn’t like 2 bathrooms in an apartment
• Ben tells Josh to “shut up“
• How to really learn what expenses will be
• And a lot more!

 Links from the Show

• BP Podcast 048: Duplex Investing, Finding Great Properties, and Tips for Managing Tenants with Darren Sager
• BP Podcast 060: From 0 to 68 Rental Units in Just Four Years with Serge Shukhat
• How I Found, Analyzed, and Bought an Ugly Purple Rental Property (Waldo) by Brandon Turner
• Should I Buy a Rental Property with Great Cash Flow in a Bad Location? by Brandon Turner
• How to Buy a Small Multifamily Property by Brandon Turner
• Bigger Pockets Rental Property Calculator
• Bigger Pockets Fix and Flip Calculator
• The 50% Rule: How to Quickly Analyze a Multifamily Investment Property
• BiggerPockets.com/meet  (Find Local BiggerPockets Members)

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Landlording on Auto-Pilot by Mike Butler
• 13 Steps to Valuing Your First Multiplex – A Step by Step Guide [Kindle Edition] by Ben Leybovich

Tweetable Topics

• You can put lipstick on a pig all day long – but if you have a pig, you still have a pig. (Tweet This!)
• We don’t put money into property- we put money into location. (Tweet This!)
• If you wanna fly – you need to hang with people who fly. (Tweet This!)
• Stumbling blocks and stepping stones look very much alike. (Tweet This!)
• Our job as an entrepreneur is to produce cash flow out of thin air. (Tweet This!)

Connect with Ben

• Ben’s BiggerPockets Profile
• Ben’s Website: JustAskBenWhy.com

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Today we are pumped to bring you one of the most exciting conversations yet on the BiggerPockets Podcast when we sit down with Serge Shukhat, a real estate investor from the Arizona area who is absolutely crushing it in real estate. Serge started with no rental properties just four years ago but has quickly built up a sizable portfolio with a mix of both single family and multifamily properties using creative finance methods and using the cash flow to quit his job.

On this show we cover everything from getting started, choosing single family versus multifamily, tricks for dealing with tenants, increasing the value of your properties, and a ton more. This is definitely a show you’ll want to take some notes, so get ready to have your mind blown!

In This Show, We Cover:

• How Serge got started while working full time
• How an Umbrella Policy can reduce your risk
• Landlord responsibilities vs. tenant responsibilities
• What kind of legal entity Serge uses
• Overcoming bad deals by “Doubling Down”
• How a competitive advantage can transform your business
• Working with real estate agents vs. getting your license
• Serge’s unique apartment that he’s bought and sold 4 times
• Hiring a resident manager to help reduce the load
• How to increase the value of your property by hundreds of thousands of dollars (OMG)
• And a lot more!

 Links from the Show

• BP Podcast 048: Duplex Investing, Finding Great Properties, and Tips for Managing Tenants with Darren Sager
• Newbies Take Note: Why You Shouldn’t Buy Houses for $30,000 by Ben Leybovich
• HomePath.com/
• Buildium.com

Books Mentioned in the Show

• Landlording on Auto-Pilot by Mike Butler
• The Real Book of Real Estate by Robert T. Kiyosaki
• Good to Great by Jim Collins
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

Tweetable Topics

• “Real estate never works out how you thought it would when you bought it in paper.” (Tweet This!)
• “I don’t want to work till I’m 65, sick, or corporate downsized.” (Tweet This!)
• “My biggest risk was not losing my job- it was not buying enough real estate.” (Tweet This!)
• “You can go broke buying good deals.” (Tweet This!)
• “Population, income, and jobs drive real estate.” (Tweet This!)
• “It doesn’t matter if the first deal is bad… at least you learned.” (Tweet This!)
• Take what the market gives you and be quick to pivot. (Tweet This!)

Connect with Paul

• Serge’s BiggerPockets Profile

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Most of the guests we’ve had on the BiggerPockets Podcast have specialized in one niche of real estate.

However, not all real estate investors focus on just one field.

Today we want to shake things up a bit and introduce you to a relatively new investor who took 10 years to get his first deal… but has been on fire ever since engaging in numerous different real estate niches and crushing it in his business. Paul Tschetter, an investor from Washington State, shares his diversified real estate strategies and explains how we went from nothing to over a dozen deals in the past several years. From manufactured homes to vacation rentals, commercial, and more- there are an unbelievable amount of great actionable tips in today’s show. Definitely don’t miss a second of this motivation and insightful conversation!

In This Show, We Cover:

• Getting started by working a job in real estate 
• Why Paul started investing with a free manufactured home
• How much Paul pays for handymen
• How to get infinite returns with your investments
• Using Hard Money to invest in real estate
• Working with partners to invest
• Attracting private money
• Working with multiple exit strategies to minimize risk
• How to invest when you live in a big area
• Paul’s vacation rental on “Useless Bay”
• Tips for getting your first deal
• The worst financial advice Paul has ever heard
• And a lot more!

 Links from the Show

• How I Found, Analyzed, and Bought an Ugly Purple Rental Property by Brandon Turner
• Redfin.com
• VRBO

Books Mentioned in the Show

• The ABCs of Real Estate by Ken McElroy
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Tweetable Topics

• “As an investor, you need to be extremely disciplined.” (Tweet This!)
• “Different locations are good for different investment strategies.” (Tweet This!)
• “At some point – you have to just pull the trigger and just jump in and do it.” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Paul

• Paul’s BiggerPockets Profile
•  Paul’s Website http://www.KingdomEG.com

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