Most people grow up hearing the same advice: buy a house, build equity, and you’ll be set for life. In this episode, I sit down with Josh Messiah, a real estate investor and operator with 23 years in the game, to explain why that advice is wrong for most people... especially in high-cost markets like Southern California. Josh is known for saying “Don’t Buy Real Estate,” and it’s not clickbait. His point is simple: buying a primary residence is NOT the same thing as investing, and in many cases your home is a liability, not an asset.

We break down why most people confuse lifestyle purchases with investments, why cash-flowing rental properties matter more than appreciation, and what Josh has learned from surviving multiple market cycles — including the wins, the losses, and the mistakes no one talks about. This episode isn’t about convincing you to buy property. It’s about understanding whether you should even be in the game...and if you are, how to play it the right way.