Want financial freedom through real estate investing? Then the BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast is for you. Sit down every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with D...
Should You Pay Off Debt or Invest in Real Estate? (Follow This Rule) | AMA (Ask Meyer Anything)
Can’t figure out how to buy multiple rental properties a year with your current income? Wondering whether you should get rid of your student loans before buying your next property? Maybe your market is too expensive, so is it time to go out of state instead? These are some of the most common questions we see on the BiggerPockets Forums, and today, we’re answering them so you can get to your next rental(s) faster, even if you’ve got debt and even if your home market is too expensive.
First, we’re explaining when and why we buy properties without ever seeing them in real life. Isn’t that a huge risk? Yes—if you do it the wrong way. Next, should you invest out-of-state if your home market is too expensive, and if you decide to do so, what should you know BEFORE buying a property well outside driving distance? Want to scale faster? We’re discussing purchasing multiple rental properties a year and when it’s time to grow your real estate portfolio.
Got student debt? You’re not alone! Henry had his student loans until recently and still heavily invested in real estate. But, if your interest rate crosses a certain threshold, we’d definitely recommend reconsidering real estate investing. Stay tuned; we’ll share when your debt is too much to invest.
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In This Episode We Cover:
How to buy multiple rental properties a year and when it’s time to scale
Paying off debt vs. investing and whether six-figure student loans are stopping you
Buying rentals sight unseen, the risks, and why we do it under certain circumstances
Out-of-state investing 101 and signs it’s time to leave your home market to invest elsewhere
Keeping vs. selling a negative cash-flowing rental property (and when to hold for equity)
And So Much More!
Links from the Show
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Connect with Henry
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(00:46) Buy Rentals Sight Unseen?
(06:03) Out-of-State Investing 101
(10:59) Ask Us Questions LIVE!
(12:37) Buy 2 Rentals in 1 Year?
(16:12) Invest While in Debt?
(21:46) Keep Negative Cash Flow Property?
(27:03) Post Your Question!
Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1070
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35:03
The Financial Freedom Formula Has Changed (2025 Update)
Can you still achieve financial freedom with real estate investing? Around a decade ago, it was common knowledge that with a few rental properties, you could easily replace your income, retire early, and be fast-tracked to financial independence within just three to five years of investing. Is that possible anymore? How long will financial independence actually take if you start investing in real estate in 2025? And if you feel like you’re almost there, should you quit your job and dive head first into real estate?
We’ve got two financially free investors on the show, each taking different paths to get there. Dave kept his full-time W2 to pay for his more passive real estate investments, while Henry quit his job to buy rentals and flip houses full-time. Would they both be okay if they lost their “active” income today? Yes! But they STILL choose to work to build the dream life that goes far beyond basic financial freedom.
Today, they’re sharing how the financial freedom formula has changed, what you need to do to get on the path to financial independence/early retirement in 2025, and whether you should stay at your W2 while you build your rental portfolio or quit your job to pursue real estate full-time. The good news: financial freedom through real estate is still a significantly quicker route to retirement, but which path will you choose to get there?
In This Episode We Cover:
What “financial independence” really means and how long it will take for you to get there
The cash flow myth that most new real estate investors believe (this could hurt you later!)
Full-time real estate investing vs. keeping a nine-to-five and why you NEED “active” income to scale fast
What to know about full-time real estate investing BEFORE you quit your job
And So Much More!
Links from the Show
Join BiggerPockets for FREE
Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show!
Ask Your Question on the BiggerPockets Forums
BiggerPockets YouTube
Grab Dave’s New Book, “Start with Strategy”
Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area
How to Retire Early with Fewer Rental Properties Than You Think w/Chad Carson
Connect with Henry
Connect with Dave
Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1069
Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email [email protected].
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35:53
J Scott: We’re Due for a Recession, But It Isn’t All Bad for Real Estate
Will mortgage rates remain above seven percent in 2025? Are we closer to a recession than most Americans realize? Why does it feel like this economic cycle of high rates and a struggling middle class will never end? The biggest question is: What do all these factors mean for real estate, and should you still be investing? We brought on the man who literally wrote the book on Recession-Proof Real Estate Investing to give his 2025 outlook.
J Scott has flipped over 500 homes, manages and owns thousands of rental units, and has been involved in tens of millions of dollars in real estate transactions. He started investing in 2008; he’s seen the worst of recessions and the highest of pricing peaks. We brought him back on the show as our industry expert to provide his time-tested take on what could happen in 2025 and share his economic framework for forecasting what’s coming next.
J says we’re long overdue for a recession—and the red flags are popping up more frequently. While signs of a global recession loom, J explains what this means for mortgage rates and home prices and why now might still be the time to invest.
In This Episode We Cover:
Why J believes we’re closer to a global recession than most people think
New Trump presidential policies that could have huge impacts on inflation (and mortgage rates)
Whether mortgage rates will stay in the seven percent range EVEN as the Fed lowers rates
The broken economic “cycle” we find ourselves in and the only way to fix it
Could home prices correct/crash if mortgage rates finally do fall?
And So Much More!
Links from the Show
Join BiggerPockets for FREE
Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show!
Ask Your Question on the BiggerPockets Forums
BiggerPockets YouTube
J's Newsletter
Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio
Join the Future of Real Estate Investing with Fundrise
Grab J’s Top Real Estate Investing Books
Find Investor-Friendly Lenders
Read the Latest Blog Posts from J
Connect with J
Connect with Dave
Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1068
Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email [email protected].
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42:08
The Easiest Way to Invest in Real Estate This Year
There is an easier way to invest in real estate in 2025. It doesn’t require a ton of money or experience; anyone can do it (even a complete beginner), and it’ll lead to you having more money, more passive income, and a bigger bank account. Successful real estate investors agree: this is a “cheat code” to start investing in real estate in 2025.
What are we talking about? It’s not short-term rentals or buying apartment complexes; it’s actually extremely simple—house hacking. Both Dave and Henry used this low-money down, high-impact real estate investing strategy to grow their portfolios to be worth multiple million dollars. It’s the BEST way for a beginner to get into the real estate investing game and allows you to buy properties with just a fraction of a regular down payment.
We’re so convinced that it’s the best bet for beginners that we’re bringing on the BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast producer Ian Kay, a complete real estate beginner, to walk him through how to use this exact strategy to start his real estate portfolio. We’ll break down the numbers to show how one smart investment can fund your dream home and leave you tens of thousands richer. Ready to invest in 2025? Then don’t sleep on house hacking!
In This Episode We Cover:
The easiest, most beginner-friendly way to start investing in real estate in 2025
One simple investing mistake that could cost you $60K+ (and how to avoid it)
The steps you should start taking NOW to get your first investment property in 2025
How to analyze a house hack and crucial metrics to check BEFORE you buy
In analysis paralysis? This is what to do NOW to get out of it and get closer to your goals
And So Much More!
Links from the Show
Join BiggerPockets for FREE
Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show!
Ask Your Question on the BiggerPockets Forums
BiggerPockets YouTube
BiggerPockets Deal Finder
Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show!
Grab the Book on House Hacking, “The House Hacking Strategy”
Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area
House Hacking 101: What It Is and How to Get Started
Connect with Ian
Connect with Henry
Connect with Dave
(00:00) Intro
(02:20) Want to Start Investing?
(04:54) What Do YOU Want to Achieve?
(08:23) House Hacking (Easiest First Investment)
(18:42) Analyzing a House Hack
(23:40) What to Do RIGHT NOW
(32:59) Stuck in Analysis Paralysis?
(34:13) Next Steps
Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1067
Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email [email protected].
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43:14
The State of Real Estate Investing: What You Need to Know for 2025
The opportunity coming for real estate investing in 2025 is almost unimaginable. A decade from now, if you buy right, you’ll be looking back thanking yourself for planting the seed of financial freedom, generational wealth, and an early retirement. This isn’t just hype or hope because we’re real estate investors—all the data points to one thing: real estate is the best investment of 2025 and will continue to be so throughout the next decade.
This show is a bit different. Dave has done months of research to give you the single strongest case for real estate investing in 2025 and beyond. Don’t believe real estate is the best place to park your money? Listen to this episode and see whether Dave gives the most convincing argument you’ve ever heard for buying investment property.
This new era is brimming with “upside,” so much so that we’re calling this the “Upside Era,” a new dawn for real estate investing that will lead you to financial freedom in fifteen years (or less), get you to your financial goals, and leave you better off than any of the other investments around, whether that’s stocks, bonds, or crypto.
Don’t delay. The “Upside Era” starts now. The only question is, will you be part of it?
In This Episode We Cover:
Why real estate is still the single greatest asset for achieving financial freedom
The reason why 2025 is a prime time for investing in real estate
Whether the high cash flow and easy deals of the 2010s will ever return
Data pointing to home prices and rent prices rising well into the future
Dave’s ten core principles to follow that will lead you to wealth in the “Upside Era”
The best resource on the planet to get free information on real estate investing
And So Much More!
Links from the Show
Join BiggerPockets for FREE
Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show!
Ask Your Question on the BiggerPockets Forums
BiggerPockets YouTube
Grab Dave’s Book, “Start with Strategy”
Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area
Real Estate Investing For Beginners: How To Get Started
Connect with Dave
(00:00) Intro
(02:23) The Case for Real Estate
(03:11) 1. Financial Independence
(06:37) 2. Huge Demand for Housing
(08:31) 3. Market Stability
(09:24) 4. Income Replacement
(10:13) 5. Diverse Returns
(10:49) 6. Stock Market Hedge
(11:43) 7. Inflation Hedge
(12:25) 8. Tax Advantages
(12:55) 9. Valuable Service Provider
(13:46) “It’s Not as Good as Before!”
(17:19) The "Upside" Era Begins
(20:48) What to Know for 2025
(27:02) Thrive in the "Upside" Era
Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1066
Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email [email protected].
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Want financial freedom through real estate investing? Then the BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast is for you. Sit down every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with Dave Meyer, the Head of Real Estate at BiggerPockets, as he uncovers tried and true tactics and shares candid conversations with real estate investors who are building wealth in today’s market. Join Dave to walk through deals that went right (and wrong) and learn the strategies you can deploy—start growing your side income today to take control of your financial future.
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