Uncommon Real Estate

When every closing pays for the next month, building lasting wealth can keep getting pushed aside. In a 2026 market where cash flow can be harder to find, how do you start buying investments while keeping your real estate business running?

In this replay of Uncommon Real Estate, Chris sits down with investor and author Farrah Ali to revisit how she built a 41-property rental portfolio while working a corporate job and raising her children as a single mom. At the time of the original conversation, Farrah shared how that portfolio generated roughly $20,000 a month and helped her leave her 9–5.

They discuss using private money, choosing deals, investing in mentorship, and recognizing opportunities agents might otherwise pass along to someone else. For agents whose income depends on the next closing, Farrah’s story offers a reason to start thinking about ownership alongside production.

This conversation was recorded previously. Farrah’s portfolio figures and cash flow examples reflect her experience at that time; evaluate potential deals using today’s financing terms, rents, and operating expenses.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How Farrah used private money to build a 41-property rental portfolio
• The $500-per-property monthly cash flow target she used to evaluate deals
• How agents can recognize investment opportunities in their everyday business
• What she looks for in a rental property and which deals she avoids
• How she built her portfolio while working a full-time job
• Why earning commissions and building wealth require different decisions
• How mentorship helped her move from hesitation to action

Connect with Farrah:

• Book: Diaries of a Female Real Estate Investor
• Website: FarrahAli.com
• Instagram: @farrahali7

Connect with Chris:

• Instagram: @craddrock

Resources:

🏠 The Redux Group: Hire or refer Chris’s real estate team serving Northern Virginia, Richmond, Washington, DC, and Maryland.

⚡ DMV Agents: Explore agent opportunities with The Redux Group.

🧠 Worldwide Agent Mastermind: Join the Uncommon Real Estate Community Facebook Group.

💰 Text Marketing Automation: Reconnect with dormant leads through AI-powered text marketing so you can spend more time having conversations and closing deals.

🧑‍🎓 The CE Shop: Use the episode’s referral link and promo code UNCOMMON25 for 25% off pre-licensing and continuing education.

What if the property isn’t the problem—your strategy is? In this rewind episode, Chris revisits his conversation with Craig Curelop, author of The House Hacking Strategy, about creating opportunities other buyers overlook. From house hacking and renting by the room to leasing to an Airbnb operator, Craig explains how a different approach can change the numbers—and how agents can use that knowledge to help clients build wealth.

In this episode:

• How house hacking can help buyers start investing with a smaller down payment.
• What to look for in a property’s layout to uncover additional rental potential.
• How renting by the room can change a deal’s cash flow.
• Why Craig recommends having at least two rental strategies for a property.
• How Craig increased his income by leasing to an Airbnb operator.
• How agents can become trusted investment guides and build repeat business.

Connect with Craig

• Instagram: @thefiguy
• Website: thefiguyteam.com
• Book: The House Hacking Strategy, available through BiggerPockets and Amazon.

Contact details and financing examples were shared in the original recording and may have changed.

Hit Chris Up:

Instagram: @craddrock

Facebook: Chris Craddock Business

RESOURCES: 

🏠 The Redux Group: hire or refer Chris’s Real Estate Team Serving Northern VA & Richmond VA, Washington DC, and Maryland

⚡ DMV Agents, Join Our Team: Agent Opportunities with The Redux Group

🧠 Worldwide Agent Mastermind: Join the Uncommon Real Estate Community Facebook Group

💰BEST Text Marketing Automation Software: let the power of AI bring your dormant leads to the surface so you can spend more time closing deals!

🧑‍🎓AGENTS, get a 25% discount on your pre-licensing and continuing education from The CE Shop with promo code UNCOMMON25 but only if you go through the link here. 

Want to be the first investor people call with a deal? Learn how to turn trash into cash for everyone involved.

In this replay, Chris sits down with Army veteran and real estate investor Dustin to break down how making deals profitable for agents, wholesalers, and lenders kept opportunities coming his way. At the time of recording, Dustin estimated receiving 15–20 deal opportunities a week through inbound referrals. He shares why he’s willing to split profits—and sometimes take a smaller cut—to become the person his partners want to work with again.

In this episode:

• How Dustin built relationships that generate inbound deal opportunities.
• Why worrying about a wholesaler’s profit can cost you future business.
• How sharing profits can encourage partners to bring you their next deal.
• Why Dustin had never completed a flip alone, even after more than 100 projects.
• What to look for in an experienced partner for your first flip.
• How mentorship and coachability shaped his transition from the military to real estate.

Connect with Dustin Olverson:

📧 Email: [email protected] 

Hit Chris Up:

Instagram: @craddrock

Facebook: Chris Craddock Business

RESOURCES: 

🏠 The Redux Group: hire or refer Chris’s Real Estate Team Serving Northern VA & Richmond VA, Washington DC, and Maryland

⚡ DMV Agents, Join Our Team: Agent Opportunities with The Redux Group

🧠 Worldwide Agent Mastermind: Join the Uncommon Real Estate Community Facebook Group

💰BEST Text Marketing Automation Software: let the power of AI bring your dormant leads to the surface so you can spend more time closing deals!

🧑‍🎓AGENTS, get a 25% discount on your pre-licensing and continuing education from The CE Shop with promo code UNCOMMON25 but only if you go through the link here. 

In this encore episode of the Uncommon Real Estate Podcast, Chris sits down with Gabe Petersen, commercial real estate investor and host of The Real Estate Investing Club Podcast, to explore the hidden cash flow potential of mobile home parks.

Gabe shares his journey from flipping houses and wholesaling properties to investing in mobile home and RV parks. He breaks down why this asset class caught his attention, how he finds off-market opportunities, and why seller financing can be a powerful tool for building a real estate portfolio.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why mobile home parks can offer attractive cash flow opportunities
• How to find off-market deals through direct mail, cold calling, and creative marketing
• Why seller financing can open doors to investment opportunities
• The difference between park-owned and tenant-owned homes
• Hidden expenses and due diligence mistakes that can derail a deal
• How to approach property management and reduce operational headaches
• What to look for before investing in your first mobile home park

Whether you're an experienced investor or a real estate agent looking for new ways to build wealth, this conversation will challenge you to think beyond traditional real estate investments.

This episode originally aired in 2021 and is being shared again for its timeless investing principles. Deal examples, pricing, and market conditions discussed reflect the original recording.

Connect with Gabe Petersen

Website: https://therealestateinvestingclub.com

Podcast: The Real Estate Investing Club Podcast

Email: [email protected]

Real Estate Investment Firm: Kaizen Properties

Hit Chris up: 

• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ChrisCraddockBusiness/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/craddrock/
• Join the Uncommon Community: Uncommon Real Estate Facebook Group

RESOURCES: 

🏠 The Redux Group: hire or refer Chris’s Real Estate Team Serving Northern VA & Richmond VA, Washington DC, and Maryland

⚡ DMV Agents, Join Our Team: Agent Opportunities with The Redux Group

🧠 Worldwide Agent Mastermind: Join the Uncommon Real Estate Community Facebook Group

💰BEST Text Marketing Automation Software: let the power of AI bring your dormant leads to the surface so you can spend more time closing deals!

🧑‍🎓AGENTS, get a 25% discount on your pre-licensing and continuing education from The CE Shop with promo code UNCOMMON25 but only if you go through the link here.

If you're an ambitious new agent feeling overwhelmed, broke, or like an imposter, this conversation with top producer Belle Tunstall is worth revisiting.

Belle went from crying in her car, struggling to stay afloat, and borrowing $75 from her sister for running shoes to becoming a 30 Under 30 honoree and consistently closing 65+ deals a year. Her advantage isn't a luxury car, a viral Instagram account, or looking successful before she was successful. 

It's this: get the reps, prepare relentlessly, and build the discipline to perform.

What You'll Learn:

• How Belle stretched a single transaction into multiple pieces of authority-building content.
• Why future top agents chase low-stakes reps through showings, rentals, inspections, and other agents' clients.
• How to stop "Tokyo drifting" into your 9:00 AM meetings.
• Why going viral isn't the goal on social media.
• How Belle protects her time and why top production requires systems that keep you from playing defense all day.
• Why discipline is a muscle, and why changing your results as a real estate agent requires changing the systems behind your life and business.

The high-volume one-two punch: Belle also breaks down when you've earned the right to stop doing everything yourself, how a showing partner helped take her business to the next level, and why leverage works best after you've put in the reps yourself.

Connect with Belle:

@buy_w_belle

[email protected]

Hit Chris up: 

• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ChrisCraddockBusiness/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/craddrock/

RESOURCES: 

🏠 The Redux Group: hire or refer Chris’s Real Estate Team Serving Northern VA & Richmond VA, Washington DC, and Maryland

⚡ DMV Agents, Join Our Team: Agent Opportunities with The Redux Group

🧠 Worldwide Agent Mastermind: Join the Uncommon Real Estate Community Facebook Group

💰BEST Text Marketing Automation Software: let the power of AI bring your dormant leads to the surface so you can spend more time closing deals!

🧑‍🎓AGENTS, get a 25% discount on your pre-licensing and continuing education from The CE Shop with promo code UNCOMMON25 but only if you go through the link here.

In this episode of the Uncommon Real Estate Podcast, Chris breaks down why so many agents stay stuck in “dabbler” mode—trying door knocking, open houses, cold calling, sphere of influence, and the next new strategy without sticking with anything long enough to develop mastery.

Chris walks through what that can look like with your SOI, cold calling, or open houses and explains why you need to give your chosen pillar at least 90 days of intense focus before deciding whether it works.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why constantly switching strategies keeps you from mastery
• The difference between dabbling and becoming a professional
• How to choose one lead-generation pillar and go all-in
• Why repetition makes you better at scripts, objections, and conversations
• How Chris approaches SOI, cold calling, and open houses
• Why you shouldn’t judge a strategy after only a few weeks
• The power of committing to one approach for 90 days

Hit Chris up: 

• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ChrisCraddockBusiness/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/craddrock/

RESOURCES: 

🏠 The Redux Group: hire or refer Chris’s Real Estate Team Serving Northern VA & Richmond VA, Washington DC, and Maryland

⚡ DMV Agents, Join Our Team: Agent Opportunities with The Redux Group

🧠 Worldwide Agent Mastermind: Join the Uncommon Real Estate Community Facebook Group

💰BEST Text Marketing Automation Software: let the power of AI bring your dormant leads to the surface so you can spend more time closing deals!

🧑‍🎓AGENTS, get a 25% discount on your pre-licensing and continuing education from The CE Shop with promo code UNCOMMON25 but only if you go through the link here.

You don’t need to be rich to start building wealth through real estate.

Chris bought his first rental property in 2008 when he was making around $50,000 a year, raising a growing family, and eventually JV'd with his mom to buy his first rental property.

In this episode of the Uncommon Real Estate Podcast, Chris shares how he purchased that first rental and breaks down several ways real estate professionals can start acquiring properties even when cash is limited. 

Chris also discusses the potential tax advantages of owning investment real estate, including cost segregation and depreciation, and why real estate professionals should talk with qualified tax professionals about strategies that may apply to their individual situation.

If you’re an agent who spends every day helping other people buy real estate but still haven’t started building your own portfolio, this episode is designed to help you think differently about what it takes to get started.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why partnering can help you get into a deal when you don't have enough capital yourself
• How an undesirable property can become an opportunity when the problem is fixable
• Why house hacking can be a powerful entry point into real estate investing
• How buying a property you can improve may help you build equity
• Ways renting rooms or separate living spaces can offset housing expenses
• How cost segregation and depreciation may create tax advantages for qualifying real estate owners
• Why getting started can matter more than waiting for the “perfect” financial situation

Hit Chris up: 

• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ChrisCraddockBusiness/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/craddrock/

RESOURCES: 

🏠 The Redux Group: hire or refer Chris’s Real Estate Team Serving Northern VA & Richmond VA, Washington DC, and Maryland

⚡ DMV Agents, Join Our Team: Agent Opportunities with The Redux Group

🧠 Worldwide Agent Mastermind: Join the Uncommon Real Estate Community Facebook Group

💰BEST Text Marketing Automation Software: let the power of AI bring your dormant leads to the surface so you can spend more time closing deals!

🧑‍🎓AGENTS, get a 25% discount on your pre-licensing and continuing education from The CE Shop with promo code UNCOMMON25 but only if you go through the link here.

What if buying more real estate could actually help you keep more of the money you’re already making?

In this throwback episode of Uncommon Real Estate, Chris breaks down one of his favorite wealth-building strategies: using real estate ownership, depreciation, and cost segregation to potentially reduce your taxable income while acquiring assets that can produce cash flow, principal paydown, and appreciation.

Chris shares how discovering the principles in Tax-Free Wealth changed the way he thought about taxes—and why he believes real estate professionals should have a CPA who proactively understands strategies like cost segregation instead of simply telling them what they owe each year.

He also walks through his own experience of acquiring additional properties and saving nearly $90,000 in taxes, turning money that otherwise would have gone toward taxes into real estate that could continue building his net worth.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why Chris says, “If your CPA has not talked to you about cost segregation, you are with the wrong CPA.”
• How cost segregation can accelerate depreciation on investment properties
• Why qualifying as a real estate professional can have major tax implications
• How Chris used additional real estate purchases to save nearly $90,000 in taxes

Hit Chris up: 

• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ChrisCraddockBusiness/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/craddrock/

RESOURCES: 

🏠 The Redux Group: hire or refer Chris’s Real Estate Team Serving Northern VA & Richmond VA, Washington DC, and Maryland

⚡ DMV Agents, Join Our Team: Agent Opportunities with The Redux Group

🧠 Worldwide Agent Mastermind: Join the Uncommon Real Estate Community Facebook Group

💰BEST Text Marketing Automation Software: let the power of AI bring your dormant leads to the surface so you can spend more time closing deals!

🧑‍🎓AGENTS, get a 25% discount on your pre-licensing and continuing education from The CE Shop with promo code UNCOMMON25 but only if you go through the link here.

In this episode of the Uncommon Real Estate Podcast, Chris breaks down why open houses remain one of the most overlooked opportunities for agents to generate new business. 

The goal is to meet potential buyers and sellers, uncover what they actually need, and set the next appointment before they walk out the door.

Chris shares the mistakes that cause agents to host dozens of open houses without landing a single client, why the “nosy neighbor” could actually be your next listing, and how asking better questions can reveal opportunities most agents completely miss.

You’ll learn:

• How to choose open houses that are actually worth your time
• The property details you need to know before anyone walks through the door
• Why setting an appointment should be your primary objective
• How to turn “I’m just looking” into a real conversation about motivation
• Why nosy neighbors can be some of your best seller leads
• How off-market properties can help differentiate you from other agents
• Why shorter, more frequent open houses can dramatically increase your opportunities
• How asking more—and better—questions helps you convert more prospects into clients

Hit Chris up: 

• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ChrisCraddockBusiness/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/craddrock/

RESOURCES: 

🏠 The Redux Group: hire or refer Chris’s Real Estate Team Serving Northern VA & Richmond VA, Washington DC, and Maryland

⚡ DMV Agents, Join Our Team: Agent Opportunities with The Redux Group

🧠 Worldwide Agent Mastermind: Join the Uncommon Real Estate Community Facebook Group

💰BEST Text Marketing Automation Software: let the power of AI bring your dormant leads to the surface so you can spend more time closing deals!

🧑‍🎓AGENTS, get a 25% discount on your pre-licensing and continuing education from The CE Shop with promo code UNCOMMON25 but only if you go through the link here.

When other agents slow down, you don’t have to.

Keep talking to people. Keep following up. Keep solving problems. Keep doing the work closest to the money.

The harder the problem, the fewer people willing to solve it—and sometimes, the bigger the opportunity on the other side.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• How Kelli went from survival mode to consistently closing deals
• Why “everything is figureoutable” became more than just a motivational phrase
• How solving difficult real estate problems can create disproportionately large opportunities
• How Kelli changed personally as her business began to change
• Why the fall and holiday season can be an opportunity to gain ground instead of an excuse to coast

Connect with Kelli

• Phone: 484-643-8758

Hit Chris up: 

• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ChrisCraddockBusiness/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/craddrock/

RESOURCES: 

🏠 The Redux Group: hire or refer Chris’s Real Estate Team Serving Northern VA & Richmond VA, Washington DC, and Maryland

⚡ DMV Agents, Join Our Team: Agent Opportunities with The Redux Group

🧠 Worldwide Agent Mastermind: Join the Uncommon Real Estate Community Facebook Group

💰BEST Text Marketing Automation Software: let the power of AI bring your dormant leads to the surface so you can spend more time closing deals!

🧑‍🎓AGENTS, get a 25% discount on your pre-licensing and continuing education from The CE Shop with promo code UNCOMMON25 but only if you go through the link here.