BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast

Has the Federal Reserve gone too far? Many Americans are critical of the Fed’s move to raise interest rates sharply, pause for years, and then slowly start implementing rate cuts. The arguably most prominent critic of the Fed? President-Elect Donald Trump, who, shortly after nominating the current Fed chair, Jerome Powell, reversed his opinion on whether Powell was the right person for the job. Now, with Trump coming back to the White House, Powell’s job hangs in jeopardy—or does it? Can a President fire the Fed chair? Does the President have the authority to influence how the Fed operates? What would happen if Trump decided to go after Powell and request his resignation? Nick Timiraos, reporter at The Wall Street Journal and Federal Reserve expert, is on to answer these questions. Nick gives us the latest update on rate cuts, where the Fed is headed, how the future of the Fed looks with Trump back in office, and why some politicians champion “Fed Independence,” while others argue that Fed power has overstepped its bounds. Are Trump and Powell more aligned than they think, and is this government drama all talk? We’re getting Nick’s expert viewpoint on it all.  In This Episode We Cover: Why “Fed Independence” could actually be a crucial piece to keeping the economy stable  Whether or not Trump has the authority to fire and replace a Fed chair  Future rate cuts, inflation concerns, and the Fed’s latest “signal” on rates  Powell’s simple response when asked if he would resign because of Trump’s request  Why the Fed does NOT have to answer to the President (and is this a good thing?) Trump’s proposed tax and tariff policies and why they could challenge the Fed And So Much More! Links from the Show Join BiggerPockets for FREE Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! Nick’s WSJ Articles Grab Dave’s New Book, “Start with Strategy” Find Investor-Friendly Lenders Trump May Consider Shaking Up the Federal Reserve If Elected—Here’s What That Could Look Like Connect with Dave (00:00) Intro (01:52) Latest Fed Meeting Update (03:04) More Rate Cuts Coming? (05:07) Can Trump Change the Fed? (08:45) Is the Fed Above the Law? (16:42) Can Trump Fire Powell? (18:53) What Happens Next? (24:52) Trump's Tricky Policies Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1047 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

Every landlord has some wild tenant stories. We’re sharing the ones you probably won’t believe in this episode. And we’re not just talking about a bad eviction or an upstairs neighbor blasting loud music. Instead, we’re talking about identity theft, living room toilets (this actually happened), random people sleeping on YOUR couch, and the mystery of the magically appearing staircase.  Being a landlord isn’t always easy, but some stories make real estate investing truly worth it. We’ve seen some of our tenants turn their lives around completely, all by having a safe place to live. Even with all the chaos, broken toilets, non-paying tenants, and occasional hard conversations, being a landlord can be pretty rewarding.  Do you have a tenant story you want to share? Drop it in the BiggerPockets Forums! In This Episode We Cover: Why you MUST have a (secured) separate entrance when house hacking  The reason Henry now double-checks the identity of his tenants before signing a lease with them Turning bad tenants into good friends by taking shots with them  What to do when your tenants turn your living room into a bathroom (this one was pretty bad) Why taking a chance on a tenant isn’t always a bad thing and how being a great landlord can turn people’s lives around  And So Much More! Links from the Show Join BiggerPockets for FREE Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! Landlord the Right Way with “The Book on Managing Rental Properties” Property Manager Finder 12 Tenant Nightmare Stories I Swear Are Actually True Connect with Henry Connect with Dave (00:00) Who's In My House?! (05:20) My Tenant Isn't Really My Tenant... (12:04) Taking Shots with My Tenant (16:39) They Did WHAT in the Living Room? (25:53) The Tenants Everyone Wants (29:35) Tenant Turning His Life Around Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1046 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

What if, within ten years, you could reach financial freedom? Imagine it. You may have a high-stress job where you’re working long hours and making good money but feeling burnout creeping in. You NEED an exit strategy if you’re going to keep up with this lifestyle because before long, you may need an early retirement. That’s precisely how Benjamin Aaker, emergency medicine physician, felt. Benjamin loves his work, and he’s still working today, but now, he has the option to leave when the burnout gets too much. After becoming an “accidental landlord,” Benjamin quickly saw the benefits of investing in real estate. He bought a few more houses and a multifamily building, then went bigger and bigger. Now, he’s equity-rich with a real estate portfolio that can support his lifestyle if he decides not to work. Even if you’re not stressed out at your job (yet), Benjamin encourages you to financially prepare to exit your career, if just for peace of mind. He talks about how you can scale smarter, faster, and better with partners, why sometimes you need to get dirty to succeed in real estate, and how to juggle investing with your full-time job.  In This Episode We Cover: How to scale your real estate portfolio fast and reach financial freedom  The crucial mistake Benjamin made when he bought his first big property  Determining your financial independence timeline and when you want to be able to quit  Appreciation vs. cash flow and the surprising choice Benjamin made to reach financial independence faster  Vetting a real estate partner BEFORE you invest and red flags to look for Syndication investing for beginners and using other people’s money to buy real estate  And So Much More! Links from the Show Join BiggerPockets for FREE Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! Invest in Turnkey Properties with REI Nation Grab “The Intention Journal” Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area How to Build a Real Estate Portfolio & Quickly Scale Your Investments Connect with Benjamin Connect with Dave (00:00) Intro (00:48) Got a High-Stress Job? (02:30) The “Accidental” Landlord (03:54) Becoming Work-OPTIONAL (10:22) Equity Over Cash Flow (14:31) Multifamily and BIG Syndication Mistakes (23:55) A Really Crappy Problem (27:30) Finding (and Vetting) Partners (30:35) WAY Bigger Deals Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1045 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

What makes a “good” real estate deal in 2025 and beyond? How much of a return should your investment property be producing? Are real estate returns good enough in this tough housing market to beat out other performing assets like stocks? Today, we’re sharing our exact investing criteria, defining what makes a “good” real estate deal to us, and how you can use key indicators to identify deals worth the effort. We’re breaking this episode into a few parts as we touch on the primary types of investment properties: long-term rentals, short-term rentals, and house flips. Garrett Brown is our resident vacation rental expert and shares how he’s routinely getting twenty percent (or greater) returns by reinvesting in his short-term rentals. Next, familiar face James Dainard discusses the unbelievable house-flipping returns he nets, but are they worth the risk? Finally, Dave shares the metric he goes after when investing in long-term, low-risk rental properties. Plus, we’ll share when it’s a better use of your money to reinvest in your current properties vs. going out and buying new ones! In This Episode We Cover: What makes a “good” real estate deal in 2025 and beyond The massive return James is making with house flipping (and the HUGE risks he takes) Garrett’s unique short-term rentals pulling in twenty percent (or higher!) average returns  IRR (internal rate of return) explained and why everyone should calculate this when investing When to buy more properties vs. reinvest back into your performing portfolio And So Much More! Links from the Show Join BiggerPockets for FREE Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! Get a Quote on Your Next Short-Term Rental Loan with Host Financial Calculate IRR with Dave’s Book, “Real Estate by the Numbers” Property Manager Finder What's a "Good" Deal in Real Estate? 5 Criteria to Consider Connect with Garrett Connect with James Connect with Dave  (00:00) Intro (00:51) What's a "Good" Return? (06:21) IRR (Internal Rate of Return) Explained (07:59) What Makes a "Good" STR Deal? (11:14) Flipping Houses (High Risk/Reward) (16:43) Long-Term Rentals (Low Risk) (23:17) When to Reinvest vs. Buy More (29:23) Do This NOW! Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1044 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