BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast

When is seller financing worth it (as a buyer AND a seller)? Do you need an LLC to start investing in real estate, and will it help you buy more deals? Can you BRRRR (buy, rehab, rent, refinance, repeat) your primary residence to realize some serious home equity gains? We’re getting into these topics and more as we answer YOUR questions from the BiggerPockets Forums.  First, a seller has been presented with an interesting seller finance offer. Should they take it? How do they vet the buyer before giving them the house in exchange for monthly payments? We’ll explain when seller financing makes sense for sellers and how buyers can create compelling offers. Next, do one-bed, one-bath rentals do well, or are they too small for most areas?  How can you use your primary residence to build wealth without renting to tenants? We’re talking about the new BRRRR, or as Dave calls it, the LIFLOC (we’ll describe it in detail!). Do you need an LLC to invest? Most new investors get this totally wrong. Finally, why do investors and agents think so poorly of wholesalers? Do we ever use them? And how do you tell a good one from a bad one?  Looking to invest? Need answers? Ask your question on the BiggerPockets Forums!

Redfin just released their highly-anticipated 2025 housing market forecast, and today, we’re reacting to each of their ten crucial housing market predictions. We’re touching on the exact numbers you want to hear about—home prices, mortgage rates, home sales, rent prices, and housing supply. Knowing what’s coming could give you an edge as an investor, agent, or first-time homebuyer. First, we’re reviewing Redfin’s home price predictions for 2025. Will things get any more affordable, or will high home prices persist into 2025? Will mortgage rates finally reach the low sixes, maybe even into the high fives? Dave disagrees with Redfin’s take on interest rates, so where does he think they’ll be headed? If you’re a real estate agent, broker, loan officer, or in the industry, listen up! Redfin has some good news you want to hear about home sales! Renters and landlords, take note—Redfin’s predictions suggest rents could become more affordable for everyday Americans. But that’s not all; we’ll also review their housing inventory, agent commission, and migration predictions for 2025!

Should you keep, refinance, or sell your rental property? If you’re sitting on a low mortgage rate and plenty of equity, you’ve probably asked yourself this once or twice within the past year. Most people who bought a rental property before 2020 have seen unprecedented appreciation and rock-bottom interest rates and are likely sitting on a war chest-sized home equity position. But that equity could be better spent investing in new properties than keeping your old ones. This is Dave’s exact predicament. He’s got a property he bought back in 2016 that has over $300,000 in home equity. It’s cash flowing a solid $500 per month with a mortgage rate of just under four percent, but only producing a measly two percent cash-on-cash return. He’s getting four times the return on his recent investment property purchases, so should he sell? Not so fast; we’re doing the math to figure out whether he should keep, refinance, sell, or change strategies on this property. Got the same good problem? Stick around as we even drop a fifth option most investors overlook entirely, which gives you the best of both worlds. 

Why does this veteran real estate investor say that early retirement and financial freedom are a bad idea? Why does he think renting, NOT buying a house, makes more sense for most Americans in 2025? And what’s the one mistake that lost him hundreds of thousands of dollars even after being an experienced investor for decades? Jonathan Greene, one of our favorite repeat guests, is back on the show to share. Jonathan’s father, a serial real estate investor, taught him everything about rental properties early on. Together, they walked potential properties, snuck into foreclosed homes, reviewed the profits and figures line by line, and even dealt with evictions together. This equipped Jonathan with the skills to not only build generational wealth for his family but also financial freedom for himself. However, once he achieved it, Jonathan realized that early financial freedom wasn’t worth it. But why? This episode looks into the mind of one of the most experienced investors in the entire industry. Jonathan shares why he still decided to work even after building a real estate portfolio, the investment he made that cost him severely, why he’s moving his money into a more “passive” investment, the reason renting makes MORE sense than buying in 2025, and what a beginner should do RIGHT NOW to start investing in real estate.

The 2024 housing market was nothing short of "wild," to put it lightly. We came from years of unprecedented growth, rock-bottom mortgage rates, and fiery homebuyer demand. While some predicted a housing market crash, we were quite sure that real estate prices would stay stable—and that’s precisely what happened! So, before we enter the 2025 housing market, we’re recapping 2024 with all its trends and surprises so you don’t get caught off guard next year! We’re touching on the big topics: prices, inventory, affordability, best and worst markets, and the commercial real estate crash. Why did prices RISE even when buyer demand fell significantly? Why did the existing housing inventory stay so low? And is now the best time to buy multifamily after its massive value drop in 2024? Get prepared to make 2025 your best year yet, but don’t make the same mistakes of the past. Stick around; we’re giving you your 2024 housing market in review!