Antoine Martel has a secret to finding the best real estate markets around, and here’s the thing—ANYONE can repeat his process. After flipping over SIX HUNDRED houses and building a BIG real estate portfolio, he knows a thing or two about where to buy, which markets make the most sense, and what type of house is worth the risk. That’s why, instead of doing multimillion-dollar luxury flips, Antoine decided to do “micro-flips” in affordable markets, with a staggering rate of success.  

What is "micro-flipping?" If you’re a beginner investor like Antoine, starting out with only $40,000, buying in the big cities won’t work. So, instead, Antoine found the real estate markets with low prices, high demand, and LOTS of deals so he could get his money back faster and keep repeating the system. These low-risk “micro-flips” all-in often cost less than a down payment, but they can give beginner investors the snowball effect they need to start building wealth. 

Shortly after seeing massive success with his “micro-flips,” Antoine ran out of deals and decided to move into more markets. From there, he developed a detailed system that ANYONE can copy to pinpoint America's BEST real estate investing markets. And if you stick around, you’ll learn how to do it, too! 

In This Episode We Cover
How to find the best real estate markets in the country, just like Antoine 
The “micro-flipping” strategy that beginner investors can use to start building wealth WITHOUT a big investment 
How to use the BRRRR method to turn one property into an entire passive income portfolio 
How to “test” your long-distance real estate investing market and ensure it’ll be worth investing in 
The home renovation budget “sweet spot” that has ninety-six percent accuracy on ANY flip or BRRRR 
And So Much More!


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878: The Low-Risk “Micro-Flips” ANY Beginner Investor Should Try w/Antoine Martel

On the BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast, co-hosts David Greene and Rob Abasolo interview real estate investors and entrepreneurs about successes, failures, and hard-earned lessons. Through in-depth conversations, 1-on-1 listener coaching calls, and news analysis, you’ll get a breakdown of real strategies that work for different niches and experience levels. Tune into the #1 real estate investing podcast every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

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Which will make you richer: real estate vs. stocks? We brought the fine folks from The Motley Fool on the podcast to get into a serious debate over which asset makes you more money, which is easier to invest in, and which saves you the most in taxes. We’ll go head-to-head against The Motley Fool’s Jason Moser and Matt Argersinger to finally answer the age-old question: Should you invest in stocks, real estate, or both?

For this debate, we had to bring out the big guns. That’s why Dave Meyer and BiggerPockets CEO Scott Trench will be on team real estate for this debate, as Chris Hutchins from All the Hacks moderates to ensure things stay fair. Although we’d love to admit that we crushed this debate, there are some moments when the stock investors will surprise you, showing that real estate may not be for everyone and how stocks beat real estate in numerous ways. But that doesn’t answer the question, “Does real estate make you richer?” Don’t worry; we’ll get into all that in this debate. 

Stick around as we get into the topics you care about most: building wealth, barriers to entry, volatility and risk, diversification, REITs vs. rentals, leverage and liquidity, time commitments, tax advantages, and more. If you’re itching to park your cash in an investment, hear out the debate BEFORE you make a move!

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In This Episode We Cover
The ultimate real estate vs. stocks debate (and which will make you richer)
Barriers to entry and which asset class is the EASIEST for beginners
Volatility and risk, and the sizable advantage real estate has for stable pricing 
REITs (real estate investment trusts) vs. rentals and the more “passive” type of real estate investing 
How much time it actually takes to succeed at stock investing and landlording 
The MASSIVE tax advantages to real estate investing that stocks cannot beat 
Why BiggerPockets CEO Scott Trench invests more in stocks than in real estate (!?)
And So Much More!

(00:00) Intro
(02:20) Stocks vs. Real Estate Investing 
(04:08) Building Wealth 
(08:43) Barriers to Entry 
(14:50 )Volatility and Risk 
(20:41) Diversification
(23:42) REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) vs. Rentals 
(32:57) Time Commitments 
(35:53) Leverage and Liquidity 
(41:12) Tax Advantages 
(43:54) Closing Arguments 

Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and  https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-955
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955: BiggerNews: Real Estate vs. Stocks, the Ultimate Wealth-Building Debate w/The Motley Fool!

Would you buy a house for $100K? That’s right, just twenty-five percent of the median home price in America. Well, we found a couple who does just that, finding fixer-upper properties that often cost less than six figures and turning them into eye-catching, head-turning homes. They even argue that these cheap old homes are BETTER than the newer-built house flips that so many investors are targeting today. So, how do you find your next $100K home, and where do you start looking?

Elizabeth and Ethan Finkelstein, the brains behind HGTV’s Cheap Old Houses and the social media account by the same name with millions of followers, join us on today’s show. Elizabeth and Ethan love cheap old houses, but not for the reason you think. Most investors purely look at the numbers or the profit potential, but Elizabeth and Ethan see beyond that, fixing up old houses to not only collect the significant equity gain but restore communities and bring back long-forgotten styles, materials, and looks.

They’ve bought houses for as cheap as $27,000 and turned them into homes anyone would dream of having. If you’re an investor without much capital and can get a little handy, these old houses could explode your portfolio. But who SHOULD be buying these cheap old houses? Stick around as Elizabeth and Ethan give their expert advice on what to DIY vs. hire out, which old pieces to keep, the best way for beginners to get started with little money, and the decades that built the BEST houses!

In This Episode We Cover
How to get on the path to financial freedom by buying cheap old houses 
Buying houses for just $27,000 and where to find these types of homes 
How old is old enough, and the decades when building quality starts to decline
Using the “live in flip” strategy to buy your first fixer-upper or primary residence 
DIY vs. hiring it out and the tasks that Elizabeth and Ethan enjoy the most 
And So Much More!

(00:00) Intro
(01:24) Why Cheap Old Houses?
(05:16) $150K Houses!?
(07:17) Rehabbing New vs. Old Houses 
(19:03) Who Should Do These Rehabs?
(20:11) Best Ways to Get Started 
(23:38) DIY vs. Hiring it Out
(27:47) Connect with Ethan and Elizabeth!

Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and  https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-954
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954: Cheap Old Houses: Buying Fixer-Uppers for Just $100K w/Ethan and Elizabeth Finkelstein

Could building houses make you more money than buying existing ones? When should someone use the 1% rule in real estate, and when does this metric point to a cash flow disaster? What’s the best way to get more capital or funding for future real estate deals: get a HELOC on your primary residence or look for investor-only DSCR loans? We’re pulling some of the top questions from the BiggerPockets Forums and giving our answers on today’s show!

Expert investors Dave Meyer, James Dainard, and Kathy Fettke from the BiggerPockets On the Market podcast are on today to answer YOUR real estate investing questions. First, we return to the age-old debate, “Does the 1% rule exist anymore?” With high home prices and lagging rent growth, this once foolproof metric could be an outdated calculation inexperienced real estate investors should avoid. Next, can you make more money building houses than flipping houses? 

Are turnkey rentals the best “low headache” real estate investment? We’ll answer that and give our thoughts on when to use a HELOC (home equity line of credit) vs. a DSCR loan (debt service coverage ratio). Finally, for our out-of-state investors, we share the top metrics to look at BEFORE you invest in a new market. 

Want to ask a real estate investing question? Post yours in the BiggerPockets Forums, and we might select it for our next show!

In This Episode We Cover
The 1% rule explained and when you should (and definitely shouldn’t) use it to decide on deals
Building new construction vs. flipping houses, plus which could make you more in 2024
Turnkey real estate investing and whether the lost value-add potential is worth the passive income
HELOCs (home equity lines of credit) vs. DSCR (debt service coverage ratio) loans
Best tools to use and metrics to track when looking into out-of-state investing markets 
And So Much More!

(00:00) Intro
(00:46) Is the 1% Rule Dead?
(08:24) Building vs. Flipping Houses
(14:30) Are Turnkey Rentals Worth It?
(20:56) HELOCs vs. DSCR Loans
(25:07) Local Market Metrics to Track
(30:46) Ask Us Your Question!

Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and  https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-953
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953: Is the 1% Rule Dead? + Why Building (NOT Buying) Could Make You More

You don’t have to race to financial independence to get there. Dave Meyer, VP of Market Intelligence at BiggerPockets, took his time building up passive income, and years later, it’s what has allowed him to amass impressive wealth all while living abroad, working where he wants, and securing a very stable retirement. But Dave wasn’t always some housing market genius who knew every statistic and metric about real estate investing. He started as a broke college student with no job prospects, struggling to pay his own rent.

After graduating college during one of the worst recessions America had ever experienced, Dave was waiting tables to keep the lights on. He realized that he needed a different way to get ahead, and just getting a job wasn’t going to be enough. So, even with no money, Dave convinced a few friends to buy a house together while he borrowed money for his share of the down payment. Dave managed the property, took the tenant phone calls, and did what he had to do to learn the real estate ropes. And…it worked!

Now, a decade and a half later, Dave has an entire real estate portfolio of long-term and short-term rentals and passive income streams from syndication investments, but this all started with one small deal he took a chance on. Today, Dave shares every part of his story, from finding the first deal to moving abroad, pausing buying rentals, and why he’s getting BACK in the game now and doing deals again!

In This Episode We Cover
How to invest in real estate even if you’re starting from zero with NO money
The power of house hacking and how this strategy can explode your real estate portfolio 
Optimizing your portfolio and how to systematize your rentals so YOU don’t do all the work
Investing during a housing crash and why most Americans were running from rental properties 
Passive investing through real estate syndications and the pros and cons of putting your money in one 
Why Dave is finally getting back into the rental property game after years on the sidelines 
And So Much More!

(00:00) Intro
(01:08) First Rental with NO Money
(12:25) Optimizing His Portfolio 
(18:30) Investing During the Crash 
(19:46) Moving Abroad 
(21:45) Passive vs. Active Investments 
(30:59) Dave’s Current Portfolio 

Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and  https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-952
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952: From Broke College Graduate to Financial Freedom While Living Abroad w/Dave Meyer

Housing prices won’t budge, but there could be some relief on the horizon for homebuyers. As America’s affordability crisis continues to strain consumers, one of the most considerable costs, housing, is much to blame. Rising mortgage rates are making monthly payments significantly more expensive than just a few years prior, but how long can this last? According to the Vice President of Enterprise Research Strategy at ICE, Andy Walden, not much longer.

Every month, Andy’s team at ICE releases their Mortgage Monitor data reports, sharing valuable insights on what’s happening in the housing market. On this BiggerNews, we’re asking Andy to share what the data is telling him about home prices, mortgage rates, housing inventory, and buyer demand but, even more importantly, where we could be headed in 2024 and whether or not this hot housing market still has room to run.

While there has been huge home price growth over the last few years, Andy reckons prices could begin to “soften” as affordability reaches its breaking point. With demand retreating from the market and housing inventory still on the rise, prices may start to decline, and even if interest rates do fall again, we may not see the uptick in demand many home sellers are waiting for. Stick around as we unpack exactly what’s moving the housing market with ICE’s Andy Walden! 

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In This Episode We Cover
Why home prices may begin to “soften” in 2024 and what’s causing demand to fall
How to predict housing market trends and the key metrics that indicate potential price movement 
The “lock-in” effect that’s causing homeowners to hold on to their properties 
Why inventory is quickly rising across much of America, EVEN with sky-high rates
The ongoing affordability crisis and the dramatic changes that could solve it 
Record home equity and why American homeowners may be richer than ever 
And So Much More!

(00:00) Intro
(01:37) Home Prices Hit New Highs
(06:08) How to Predict Market Trends
(09:53) Will Prices Soften?
(11:37) Why is Inventory Rising? 
(19:09) Rate Cuts Won’t Solve This 
(27:15) The Cure for Low Affordability 
(29:15) Home Equity Breaks Record 

Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and  https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-951
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878: The Low-Risk “Micro-Flips” ANY Beginner Investor Should Try w/Antoine Martel

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