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How to Save for Your First Rental Property in 2025 (Starting from Zero!)
Do you want to buy a rental property in 2025 but fear money could get in the way? Putting 15%-20% down is a huge hurdle for new investors, but there are several strategies you can use to limit your expenses, grow your income, and even put LESS money down. If you want to know how to save for a down payment as quickly as possible, you need these money-saving tips! Welcome back to the Real Estate Rookie podcast! Before you can invest in real estate, you need to lay a solid financial foundation, and today, personal finance expert, master live-in flipper, and co-host of the BiggerPockets Money podcast, Mindy Jensen, joins the show to weigh in on this crucial topic. Do you have your spending in check? Are you finding ways to grow your income? How’s your credit score looking? Whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to level up your finances, we’ll share some actionable steps you can take toward buying property in 2025. We’ll also talk about ways to leverage your retirement accounts to buy real estate, whether you should pay down debt before investing, and other investments (that aren’t real estate) that could help you build wealth! In This Episode We Cover: ow to go from ZERO dollars saved to a full down payment for a rental property Whether you should pay off your debt before investing in real estate Creative ways to grow your income so that you can save money faster How to avoid a 20% down payment when buying your first property Leveraging your retirement accounts to buy passive real estate investments How to build wealth with other investment vehicles (beyond real estate) And So Much More! Links from the Show Ashley's BiggerPockets Profile Tony's BiggerPokckets Profile Join BiggerPockets for FREE Real Estate Rookie Facebook Group Real Estate Rookie YouTube BiggerPockets Money 97 – Intentionally Choosing the Path to Financial Independence with Financial Mechanic BiggerPockets Money 35 – Hacking Your Life to Live for (Almost) Free with Craig Curelop Qube Money Buy the Book “Real Estate Rookie” Find Investor-Friendly Lenders BiggerPockets Money 110 – Systematically Increasing Income and Intentionally Decreasing Spending with A Purple Life Connect with Mindy (00:00) Intro (01:13) Laying a Financial Foundation (06:10) Saving for a Down Payment (12:58) How to Grow Your Income (22:59) Other Investment Avenues (28:24) Leveraging Retirement Accounts (31:58) Paying Off Debt vs. Investing (41:07) Connect with Mindy! Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-492 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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48:41
7 Deals in 5 Years by Doubling Down on Rentals in a Tough Housing Market
When interest rates rose, many investors stopped buying. But not Ryan Irwin. This rookie doubled down on real estate, choosing whichever investing strategy made the numbers work. Even in a tough housing market, Ryan’s big bet on real estate paid off, as he’s now up to seven deals and earns a solid chunk of cash flow each month! Welcome back to the Real Estate Rookie podcast! It can take a new investor months, sometimes years, to find their first deal. But when Ryan was just starting out, he did the two things every rookie should do: he told everyone he was investing in real estate, and he started attending networking events. Building these relationships has allowed him to buy multiple rental properties, flip houses, and invest in syndications—all in just five years! But Ryan doesn’t aspire to build his own real estate “empire.” He just wants a small real estate portfolio that gives him financial freedom. Now that he has several deals under his belt, he plans to stabilize his portfolio and squeeze even more cash flow out of his rental properties by refinancing and paying off his mortgages one by one! In This Episode We Cover: Why Ryan is doubling down on real estate (even in a tough housing market!) The number one thing you can do today to fast-track your investing journey Why a virtual assistant should be your first hire as you scale (and where to find one!) Two things you can do to increase your rental property cash flow Chasing financial freedom with a “small and mighty” real estate portfolio How to scale faster by automating and delegating low-level tasks And So Much More! Links from the Show Ashley's BiggerPockets Profile Tony's BiggerPokckets Profile Join BiggerPockets for FREE Real Estate Rookie Facebook Group Real Estate Rookie YouTube Set for Life The House Flipping Framework Shop the BiggerPockets Black Friday Sale and Get Up to 60% Off Your Next Book Purchase Buy the Book “The Small and Mighty Real Estate Investor” Find Investor-Friendly Lenders Achieving FI with Fewer Doors: The Small and Mighty Real Estate Portfolio Connect with Ryan (00:00) Intro (01:31)Discovering Real Estate (07:07) Ryan’s “Lightbulb Moment” (12:49) Current Portfolio & Funding (19:03) Key Systems & Processes (28:56) Cash Flow Numbers (35:27) Advice for New Investors (36:23) Connect with Ryan! Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-491 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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43:56
How to Maximize Your Rental Income on a Single Property (Rookie Reply)
Are you leaving cash flow on the table? Even if you own a single rental property, there are all kinds of strategies you can use to generate more rental income, whether it’s house hacking, renting by the room, or converting your long-term rentals to short-term rentals. And we’re just scratching the surface! Welcome back to another Rookie Reply! Today, we’re diving back into the BiggerPockets Forums to answer some more of your recent questions. First, we’ll hear from someone who’s at a crossroads with their property. This house has paying tenants and consistent monthly cash flow, but the investor would need to sell the property this year to claim it as their primary residence and dodge capital gains taxes. Stay tuned to find out if they should sell or hold! Then, after a few cash-flow-boosting strategies, we’ll discuss using a HELOC (home equity lines of credit) for a down payment and the potential pitfalls you could run into! Looking to invest? Need answers? Ask your question on the BiggerPockets Forums! In This Episode We Cover: How to determine if you should hold or sell your rental property How to reach your cash flow goals with the fewest properties possible Creative ways to maximize your rental income on a single property How to set realistic cash-on-cash return goals for 2024 and beyond Potential pitfalls to avoid when getting a home equity line of credit (HELOC) And So Much More! Links from the Show Ashley's BiggerPockets Profile Tony's BiggerPokckets Profile Join BiggerPockets for FREE Real Estate Rookie Facebook Group Real Estate Rookie YouTube Real Estate Rookie 447 – Making $300K+ Profit Per Rental and Scaling FAST with “DADUs” Real Estate Rookie 375 – Making $160K/Year From ONE “Rare” Property Thanks to Seller Financing Protect Your Properties with an LLC Through Corporate Direct Ask Your Question on the BiggerPockets Forums Buy “The Book on Rental Property Investing” Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area Real Estate Rookie 195 – Financially Free in 2.5 Years by Buying “Low Risk” Rental Properties (00:00) Intro (01:01) Should I Hold or Sell? (10:13) Maximizing Rental Income (20:43) What’s a “Good” Cash-on-Cash Return? (23:40) Should I Get a HELOC? (32:36) Ask Your Question! Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-490 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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39:48
How Much Real Estate Did We Buy in 2024? (Deals, Mistakes, and More)
Today, we’re talking about the real estate deals we did in 2024. What went right, what went wrong, and what mistakes did we make that you must avoid in 2025? This year was wild for the real estate market—you probably felt it, too. Whether you were buying rentals, flipping houses, or just getting started, this year felt hot, cold, and lukewarm all at the same time. So, how did we end the year? Did we hit our 2024 goals, or was this wild housing market just too much for us? We’re sharing exactly what our 2024 goals were, whether we hit them, and what we’re planning for in 2025. We decided to give up one real estate investing strategy that wasn’t worth it anymore; we made some BIG mistakes by choosing the wrong agent, hiring the wrong people, and forgetting to systematize some properties. But we also made some solid moves that saved us when some of our deals began to fall apart. Don’t repeat the same mistakes we made—learn from them instead! Tune in, write these lessons down, and build a better real estate portfolio in 2025! In This Episode We Cover: Our 2024 real estate deals in review and the one strategy we’ve decided to ditch How choosing the wrong real estate agent can completely throw off your closing Mistakes we made by hiring the wrong people to take care of our properties (we did this three times THIS year alone) Why the right contractor is worth the extra cost (and can save your flip) Tony’s newest house flip and how he’s trying to make up for a BIG loss Our 2025 goals and why we’re deciding to scale SLOWER this coming year And So Much More! Links from the Show Ashley's BiggerPockets Profile Tony's BiggerPokckets Profile Join BiggerPockets for FREE Real Estate Rookie Facebook Group Real Estate Rookie YouTube Grab the “Real Estate Rookie” Book Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area How to Start Flipping Houses for Huge Profits in 2025 (Step-by-Step!) (00:00) Our 2024 Goal Progress (10:04) We’re Giving Up On This (14:53) DON’T Choose the WRONG Agent (19:26) Hiring the Wrong People (22:30) The Right Team Pays Off (29:37) Tony’s New House Flip (33:52) Our 2025 Goals Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-489 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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47:14
How I’m Flipping 12 Houses (at Once!) All While Traveling
At the age of twenty-seven, this “rookie” has already completed over 100 real estate deals. The key to her success? She’s been in real estate since she was just seventeen years old. Seriously! By starting early and taking action, she has been able to make mistakes, sharpen her skills, and set herself up for success! Welcome back to the Real Estate Rookie podcast! While her peers headed off to college, Dominique Gunderson got her real estate license and started learning the ropes. Before long, she was wholesaling—using direct mail, flyers, cold calling, and other strategies to complete more than forty deals in just eighteen months. But that’s not all. She then used these profits to buy her first rental property in cash when she wasn’t yet lendable. Once she was priced out of her hometown of Los Angeles, she turned to New Orleans, where she started flipping houses remotely! Today, Dominique manages several projects simultaneously, and in this episode, she will walk you through her process for doing a long-distance flip—from building an out-of-state team to estimating rehab costs and managing contractors from afar. You’ll even learn about her exit strategy for the properties that don’t sell: the BRRRR method! In This Episode We Cover How to find off-market real estate deals and flip them for a profit in 2025 The key adjustments house flippers need to make in today’s housing market How to build your team for long-distance real estate investing The number one red flag to watch out for when hiring a general contractor Crucial tips for managing an out-of-state renovation project Estimating rehab costs and building a scope of work from hundreds of miles away How to fund your fix and flips (without the banks) through private money lending And So Much More! Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-488 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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48:13

Ready to build your real estate empire… but not sure where to begin? Think of us as your personal trainer. From detailed breakdowns of real-world deals… to one-on-one coaching sessions and a warm, welcoming community… hosts Ashley Kehr and Tony J Robinson bring on a wide range of guests to tackle the “newbie” questions you've wondered about but might be afraid to ask. Looking to 10X your real estate investing business this year? This show isn’t for you. Looking for your first, second, or third deal -- or envisioning a more modest portfolio? Step right up. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we’ll arm you with the tips, tools, and roadmaps you'll need as you embark on your journey toward financial freedom.

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