What does it take to truly find financial independence? Money? Deals? Mentors? Or could it be something else entirely… something intangible? In this episode of the BiggerPockets Podcast, we sit down with Rock Thomas, a real estate investor and agent who shows others the simple mindset shifts needed to achieve financial freedom. In other words, it’s time to work on YOUR “money blueprint.” Through Rock’s story, you’ll learn the most important skills any individual needs to achieve in any field, the best way to find and attract mentors who can teach you the path, how to change your “operating system” to one that is far more successful, and so much more. With powerful stories, humor, and insight, Rock’s story is one you won’t want to miss!
In This Episode We Cover:

Rock’s backstory as a worker on a farm


What mentors look for into someone

How he used pain to propel himself forward

Saying yes to opportunities, no matter how difficult

The importance of having what it takes


Why you should seek out people with energy


Being the guy who solves any problem


The 4 money personality types


The type of properties he invests in


And SO much more!

Links from the Show

BiggerPockets Forums

BiggerPockets Webinar

GoBundance

How to Change the Way You See Yourself | Rock Thomas | Goalcast

BiggerPockets Podcast 250: Grant Cardone on Multifamily Investing and Why You Should Never Buy a House!

BiggerPockets Podcast 108: Building a $350 Million Real Estate Empire Using the 10X Rule with Grant Cardone

BiggerPockets Podcast 226: From “D-Student” to $400,000 in Annual Rental Property Cash Flow with David Osborn

Books Mentioned in this Show


Nothing Down for the 2000s by Robert G. Allen


Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki


The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan


Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki


Why the Rich Are Getting Richer by Robert Kiyosaki


E- Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber


Rocket Fuel by Gino Wickman & Mark Winters

Fire Round Questions

Any ideas on how I get get financing for my first deal?

What are some methods/strategies to lower my upfront costs for the down payment, while not getting beat up on interest rates?

What should I have in my contract and what should I look for in doing a seller finance deal?

Can a landlord evict a tenant for not paying all of the security deposit?

What qualities define a great mentor?

Tweetable Topics:

“Mentors, you want to admire them and you want to be them.” (Tweet This!)

“When you step in the room and you feel you’re not the smartest guy, you’re in the right room.” (Tweet This!)

“Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” (Tweet This!)

“You can get anything you want in life as long as you are committed and creative.” (Tweet This!)

“Find what pisses people off and solve it for them.” (Tweet This!)

Connect with Rock

Rock Thomas’ Personal Website

Rock Thomas’ Website


      
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296: From Farm Boy Beginnings to $15M in Real Estate Holdings with Rock Thomas

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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If you’re a first-time home buyer, now may be one of the best times to get a loan in recent history, according to mortgage advisor Jeff Welgan. With new no-money-down mortgages coming out specifically to help first-time home buyers finally get into a property, you can now buy a house for no money out of pocket, with your entire purchase price and closing costs covered. These 100% financeable loans aren’t a secret, so why don’t most first-time home buyers know about them?
In this BiggerNews, we’re diving deep into the best first-time home buyer loans available in 2024, how to pick up your first property for NO MONEY out of pocket, and low-money-down multifamily deals any brand new investor can start buying today. With affordability at nearly forty-year lows, most Americans struggle to save up a down payment, even if they have enough income to qualify for a home loan. This is where 100% financeable loans come in, making it easier than ever to buy your first home.
So, who can get approved for these first-time home buyer mortgages, where do you find them, and how do they work? Jeff goes through these programs on the federal and state levels, showing first-time home buyers where to find them, which loans to avoid, and whether or not they can use these loans to buy their next property.
Thank you to our sponsor, Rent App: the free and easy way to collect rent. 

In This Episode We Cover:
How to get 100% financing on your first property (no money down!)
Who qualifies for these first-time home buyer loans, and which properties require a down payment
The problem with FHA loans and where you should/shouldn’t use them
Rate buydowns and why this once valuable tool is no longer being used
How to invest in small multifamily with VERY little money down
And So Much More!
Links from the Show
Find an Agent
Find a Lender
BiggerPockets Youtube Channel
BiggerPockets Forums
BiggerPockets Pro Membership
BiggerPockets Bookstore
BiggerPockets Bootcamps
BiggerPockets Podcast
BiggerPockets Merch
Join BiggerPockets for FREE
Learn About Real Estate, The Housing Market, and Money Management with The BiggerPockets Podcasts
Get More Deals Done with The BiggerPockets Investing Tools
Find a BiggerPockets Real Estate Meetup in Your Area
Expand Your Investing Knowledge With the BiggerPockets Books
Be a Guest on the BiggerPockets Podcast
Ask David Your Real Estate Investing Question
Dave's BiggerPockets Profile
Dave's Instagram
BiggerPockets' Instagram
Hear Dave on The “On the Market” Podcast
Watch Dave on the “On The Market” YouTube Channel
Grab the “First-Time Home Buyer” Book from BiggerPockets
4 Popular Mortgage Programs for First-Time Home Buyers
Connect with Jeff:
Jeff's Instagram
Jeff's LinkedIn
Jeff's Website

(00:00) Intro
(01:12) 100% Financing For Your FIRST Home? 
(06:28) How These Loans Work 
(11:40) The Problem with FHA Loans?
(14:35) Getting a Lower Mortgage Rate
(25:30) Low Money Down Multifamily Investing 

Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-939
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939: BiggerNews: 100% Financing for First-Time Home Buyers is HERE w/Jeff Welgan

If there’s one thing that’ll make or break your real estate portfolio, it’s property management. When done correctly, property management can feed you consistent, passive income without the everyday stressors of being a landlord. Whenever you hear people talking about bad tenants, midnight phone calls, or surprise maintenance problems, they’re really talking about property management gone wrong. So, how does a rookie real estate investor, with even just one rental property, start managing the right way so they can scale their portfolio faster? 
Amelia McGee and Grace Gudenkauf, authors of The Self-Managing Landlord, did it all wrong initially. They were picking up every tenant phone call, placing every service request, taking rent payments every which way, and here’s the thing—none of it was working. As they scaled their portfolios, things only got more difficult until finally, one day, they stopped and developed a system, and like that, their businesses took off.
Now, only a few years into real estate investing, both Amelia and Grace have dozens of rental units to their names and less stress than ever before. How did they do it all WITHOUT hiring everything out to a property manager? In today’s show, they’ll share the self-managing principles they used to explode their rental portfolios while staying sane! And if you’re a new investor or are about to be one, these tips could save you YEARS of headaches!
In This Episode We Cover:
Why EVERY real estate investor should be self-managing when building their portfolio
How to start building your property management “system” that’ll save you HOURS a week
What brand new investors NEED to start doing once they have their first property
Three apps/software that every real estate investor should have
Tenant selection 101 and simple mistakes that could cost you months of rent 
How to know it's time to start outsourcing and signs you need some help
And So Much More!
Links from the Show
Find an Agent
Find a Lender
BiggerPockets Youtube Channel
BiggerPockets Forums
BiggerPockets Pro Membership
BiggerPockets Bookstore
BiggerPockets Bootcamps
BiggerPockets Podcast
BiggerPockets Merch
Join BiggerPockets for FREE
Learn About Real Estate, The Housing Market, and Money Management with The BiggerPockets Podcasts
Get More Deals Done with The BiggerPockets Investing Tools
Find a BiggerPockets Real Estate Meetup in Your Area
Expand Your Investing Knowledge With the BiggerPockets Books
Be a Guest on the BiggerPockets Podcast
Ask David Your Real Estate Investing Question
Dave's BiggerPockets Profile
Dave's Instagram
Henry's BiggerPockets Profile
Henry's Instagram
BiggerPockets' Instagram
Rookie Podcast 111 - 26 Doors in 1 Year? Here’s How You Can Do It Too! w/Amelia McGee
Rookie Podcast 161 - Using Calculated Risk to Acquire 17 Doors In Under a Year (at Age 24!) w/ Grace Gudenkauf
Self-Management vs. Property Management Company: What’s Right for You?
Book Mentioned in the Show
The Self-Managing Landord by Amelia McGee & Grace Gudenkauf
Connect with Grace & Amelia:
Amelia's Instagram
Grace's Instagram
Amelia and Grace's Website


(00:00) Intro
(01:48) EVERYONE Should Self-Manage
(04:06) How Bad Management Burns YOU
(09:31) Start Doing This NOW
(14:08) Tips for Your First Rental Property
(19:26) 3 Apps/Software You Need
(22:44) Tenant Selection and Screening
(26:56) Outsourcing vs. DIY
(32:21) When to Hire it Out
(36:11) Grab the Book!

Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-938
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938: Scaling from 0 to 20+ Doors Using These "Self-Management" Tools & Tips w/Amelia McGee and Grace Gudenkauf

Should I pay off my rental property or reinvest? How do I replace my six-figure salary with cash flow from real estate investing? And what’s the best way to analyze crime BEFORE I invest in an area? You asked, and we’re here to answer on this episode of Seeing Greene as we take questions from rookie real estate investors, veterans in the rental property game, and everyone in between. If you want to scale your portfolio faster or quit your job with real estate, this is the place to be!
First, we take a question from a high-earner asking whether they should pay off their rental properties OR use their extra money to build a bigger portfolio faster. A fledgling house hacker wants to know the best way to analyze an investing area for crime now that many online listing websites have taken down this data. A business owner is struggling to find real estate write-offs and asks for help, and a rental property investor needs to know which commercial real estate investment boasts the biggest cash flow. Finally, an anonymous question comes in from a techie who’s about to lose their job. How can they replace their six-figure income with rental properties fast?
Want to ask David a question? If so, submit your question here so David can answer it on the next episode of Seeing Greene. Hop on the BiggerPockets forums and ask other investors their take, or follow David on Instagram to see when he’s going live so you can jump on a live Q&A and get your question answered on the spot! 
In This Episode We Cover:
Whether to pay off your mortgages early or reinvest to build a bigger portfolio
Replacing your salary with real estate income and why you may want to get a job instead 
How to analyze an investment area for crime with limited online data 
The short-term rental tax loophole that could save you a TON on taxes
Will an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) add value to your property on an appraisal?
Cash-flowing commercial real estate investments and why top investors pay attention to something else 
And So Much More!
Links from the Show
Find an Agent
Find a Lender
BiggerPockets Youtube Channel
BiggerPockets Forums
BiggerPockets Pro Membership
BiggerPockets Bookstore
BiggerPockets Bootcamps
BiggerPockets Podcast
BiggerPockets Merch
Join BiggerPockets for FREE
Learn About Real Estate, The Housing Market, and Money Management with The BiggerPockets Podcasts
Get More Deals Done with The BiggerPockets Investing Tools
Find a BiggerPockets Real Estate Meetup in Your Area
Expand Your Investing Knowledge With the BiggerPockets Books
Be a Guest on the BiggerPockets Podcast
Ask David Your Real Estate Investing Question
David's BiggerPockets Profile
David's Instagram
Rob's BiggerPockets Profile
Rob's Instagram
Rob's TikTok
Rob's X/Twitter
Rob's YouTube
BiggerPockets' Instagram
Ask Other Investors Their Takes on a Neighborhood
Rookie Podcast 368 - Pay Less Tax to the IRS This Year With THESE Real Estate Tax Strategies w/Natalie Kolodij
Real Estate Podcast 823 - The Tax-Free Strategy Only Real Estate Investors Can Access
Real Estate Podcast 919 - How to Use Real Estate to Quit the 9-5 Grind
Get a Short-Term Rental Cost Segregation
Books Mentioned in the Show
Pillars of Wealth by David Greene


Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-937
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937: Seeing Greene: Paying Off Rentals, Estimating Crime, & Replacing Your Salary

Want to know how to invest in real estate with NO money down? Or, maybe you’ve got a bit of cash in the bank and think now is the time to get into the real estate investing game. No matter where you’re at or how much money you have, we’re bringing you four ways to invest in real estate with no money AND low money in 2024. Does it sound too good to be true? Thankfully, this is just how real estate works and our expert investor hosts can back up the facts—these methods CAN be done with little or no money down.
Some of these strategies will get you in the game, making cash flow every month, EVEN without owning a rental property. Others will allow you to put very little money down to buy your first house, but you must be willing to follow a few rules. We’ll also get into the short-term rental side hustle that has landlords pay YOU for managing their property and exactly how Rob scored a three percent interest rate (in TODAY’s market) while putting very little money down on a property.
Don’t let money stop you from starting your investing journey! Combine a few of these strategies, and you could have a cash-flowing rental property portfolio in just a few years’ time!

In This Episode We Cover:
How to start a real estate business without owning a single property!
The exact method Rob used to score a three percent interest rate in 2024
How to buy one house every year using these low-money-down loans
Real estate partnerships 101 and how to invest using other people’s money 
The property management side hustle for short-term rentals that could help you save up a down payment
And So Much More!
Links from the Show
Find an Agent
Find a Lender
BiggerPockets Youtube Channel
BiggerPockets Forums
BiggerPockets Pro Membership
BiggerPockets Bookstore
BiggerPockets Bootcamps
BiggerPockets Podcast
BiggerPockets Merch
Join BiggerPockets for FREE
Learn About Real Estate, The Housing Market, and Money Management with The BiggerPockets Podcasts
Get More Deals Done with The BiggerPockets Investing Tools
Find a BiggerPockets Real Estate Meetup in Your Area
Expand Your Investing Knowledge With the BiggerPockets Books
Be a Guest on the BiggerPockets Podcast
David's BiggerPockets Profile
David's Instagram
Rob's BiggerPockets Profile
Rob's Instagram
Rob's TikTok
Rob's X/Twitter
Rob's YouTube
BiggerPockets' Instagram
Network and Learn from Other Investors on The BiggerPockets Forums
Grab “The Book on Investing in Real Estate with No (and Low) Money Down”
How to Buy a Rental Property With No Money: 10 Strategies for Real Estate Investors


Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-936
Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email advertise@biggerpockets.com.
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936: 4 Ways to Start Investing in Real Estate with NO or LOW Money

Mortgage rates are high, supply is low, and inflation just won’t go away. These market conditions make investing in real estate harder than ever…or so most investors think. The truth? This housing market isn’t all that different from years past, and if you know which moves to make, you can get ahead of all the other investors without them noticing. What do we mean? We’ve got a seasoned investor with over thirty years of rental property experience on the show, ready to share how buying during “high” rates can be a huge advantage.
But that’s not all we’re getting into on this BiggerNews episode. We’ve got questions directly from BiggerPockets listeners that we’re throwing at expert investor Kathy Fettke to see what time-tested advice she’d give. First, a listener wants to know why mortgage rates aren’t falling and how to get into the real estate investing game during a time like this. Then, we discuss how investors can save themselves against inflation. With a spike in part-time work, could the American economy be showing signs of weakness? Finally, we answer the question everyone has on their minds: Is it the darn millennials’ fault for causing these high home prices?
Want to ask a question for a future BiggerNews episode? Post your question in the BiggerPockets forums and get answers from a community of over 2,000,000 real estate investors!
In This Episode We Cover:
Mortgage rates explained and why interest rates are staying so high
Sneaky ways to snag a LOW interest rate in 2024 (Kathy got 4.75%!)
The best hedge against inflation and how to protect the money you have
Rising part-time work and whether or not this is a recession warning sign 
Did millennials cause this unaffordable housing market?
And So Much More!
Links from the Show
Find an Agent
Find a Lender
BiggerPockets Youtube Channel
BiggerPockets Forums
BiggerPockets Pro Membership
BiggerPockets Bookstore
BiggerPockets Bootcamps
BiggerPockets Podcast
BiggerPockets Merch
Join BiggerPockets for FREE
Learn About Real Estate, The Housing Market, and Money Management with The BiggerPockets Podcasts
Get More Deals Done with The BiggerPockets Investing Tools
Find a BiggerPockets Real Estate Meetup in Your Area
Expand Your Investing Knowledge With the BiggerPockets Books
Be a Guest on the BiggerPockets Podcast
BiggerPockets' Instagram
Hear Dave and Kathy On the “On the Market” Podcast
Dave's BiggerPockets Profile
Dave's Instagram
Kathy's BiggerPockets Profile
Kathy's Instagram
BiggerNews, September: Will Anything Slow Down this Housing Market? with Dave Meyer & Kathy Fettke


Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-935
Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email advertise@biggerpockets.com.
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296: From Farm Boy Beginnings to $15M in Real Estate Holdings with Rock Thomas

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