Want financial freedom through real estate investing? Then the BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast is for you. Sit down every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with D...
The Best Markets to Buy Rental Properties Right Now (2025)
New to real estate investing? Stuck in an area with expensive housing prices or not-so-landlord-friendly laws but want to buy real estate? We’ve got you covered. We’re sharing our favorite 2025 real estate markets for rental property investing, many of which are so affordable even a real estate rookie will have no trouble buying in. But these aren’t just cheap markets; they all have strong fundamentals that drive appreciation and rising rents.
We brought the market-picking experts, Ashley Kehr and Henry Washington, back to the show to share their picks and see how they compare to Dave’s. We’ve got “sleeper” markets that are growing but fly under the radar, a new Midwest manufacturing hub that will soon become one of America’s most prized chip-building markets, and the next boom city with great jobs and even better cash flow.
Then, we’ll share bonus affordable markets for those who don’t have much money to start. Got some more cash saved and looking to buy in a big city with big upside potential? We’re listing the three big cities we’d happily call home and invest in, with phenomenal housing market metrics and much more affordable prices than New York, Seattle, and the other “big” real estate markets.
In This Episode We Cover:
The best rental property markets of 2025 that sport appreciation, cash flow, and affordable prices
Why Henry thinks this “unsexy sleeper” market could be a phenomenal place to buy
The chip-manufacturing Midwest market that could see massive growth
One market with a booming economy but still very affordable home prices
The “big” cities we’d buy in that are poised for growth and home price appreciation
How to find the perfect market for YOU to invest in (free data on HUNDREDS of markets)
And So Much More!
Links from the Show
Join BiggerPockets for FREE
Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show!
Ask Your Question on the BiggerPockets Forums
BiggerPockets YouTube
Free Market Data
Ashley’s Free Market Worksheet
Join the Future of Real Estate Investing with Fundrise
Grab Dave’s Book, “Real Estate by the Numbers”
Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area
Real Estate Podcast 1007 - Where We’d Invest in Real Estate in 2024 if We Were Starting from Scratch w/Ashley Kehr and Henry Washington
Connect with Ashley
Connect with Henry
Connect with Dave
(00:00) Intro
(04:18) Best “Sleeper” Markets
(09:29) The Next Tech Market
(14:28) Midwest Boom Market
(18:56) Most Affordable Markets
(21:46) Best Big Cities to Invest In
(27:04) How to Find YOUR Market
Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1074
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
--------
36:04
The Opportunity is Coming in Commercial Real Estate (How to Take Advantage)
The multifamily and commercial real estate crash seems to be nearing its end, which means some incredible buying opportunities are on the way. Big apartment owners have been decimated after their occupancy rates dropped, interest rates shot up, and loans got called due. But when prices fall and the masses turn away from an asset, it’s usually time to buy, and 2025 could be one of those times for commercial real estate.
But YOU don’t have to be the one to go out and find the deal yourself, do all the renovations, and deal with tenants—you can invest all while someone else does it for you. That’s exactly what today’s guests, Jim Pfeifer and Paul Shannon from the PassivePockets podcast, are on to talk about. They see coming opportunities to invest in multifamily real estate deals passively and will teach you exactly how to do it.
Both Jim and Paul previously owned rental properties but moved over to real estate syndications, a passive real estate investment, as they grew. Now, they can have someone else do all the work for them while they reap the benefits. The best part? 2025 is looking like an opportune time to get in on investments like these, as many of the inexperienced syndicators have fled the market. Still, the veterans remain, ready to buy underpriced assets and pass the profits on to you!
In This Episode We Cover:
Why the historic commercial real estate crash could be close to over
Real estate syndication investing 101 and how to invest without the stress of landlording
Better, safer multifamily real estate deals that are coming to the market
How to analyze a passive real estate investment AND the syndicator running it
What to ask any syndicator before you invest in their deal (this is crucial)
And So Much More!
Links from the Show
Join BiggerPockets for FREE
Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show!
Ask Your Question on the BiggerPockets Forums
BiggerPockets YouTube
Sign Up for BiggerPockets Momentum 2025 to Supercharge Your Investing This Year
Maximize Your Real Estate Investing with a Self-Directed IRA
Grab the Book on Passive Investing, “The Hands-Off Investor”
Property Manager Finder
Invest Smarter with PassivePockets
Connect with Jim
Connect with Paul
Connect with Dave
(00:00) Intro
(03:53) The Multifamily Crash Explained
(06:48) Has Multifamily Hit the Bottom?
(11:16) Investing Opportunities Coming?
(13:17) How to Take Advantage
(20:58) Analyzing a Deal/Operator
(28:02) Massive Passive Investing Benefits
(32:31) Join PassivePockets!
Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1073
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
--------
40:19
How to Make More Passive Income with Fewer Rentals (& ACTUALLY Retire Early) w/Chad Carson
Want to retire early? Then, STOP buying rental properties. You heard that right; buying more rental properties may actually push you further away from early retirement IF you’ve crossed a certain threshold. Today’s guest proves you don’t need dozens of rental properties to reach financial freedom. Chad Carson, the “small and mighty” investor, is back to share why he scaled down his rental portfolio and now only works two hours a week because of it!
Don’t know Chad? He’s the investor who did it right. After building a real estate business way too big for his liking, he and his partner thought, “Is this the life we dreamed of?” It wasn’t, so they began scaling down, only keeping the properties they loved and selling the rest. Now, Chad does what he wants full-time, including traveling the world and living abroad with his family, coaching other investors, and spending a fraction of his waking hours on his rental property portfolio. This is an investor who has actually retired early with real estate.
Want to copy Chad’s blueprint to financial freedom in just ten to fifteen years? He’s sharing the three “phases” every investor goes through, including the most important one—the “harvesting” phase that allows you to retire early. How do you get to the “harvest” after all your hard work, and what should you do once you get there to unlock ultimate financial freedom? Chad is sharing it all, step-by-step, in this episode.
In This Episode We Cover:
How to retire early with fewer rental properties than you’d think
The three “phases” of financial freedom investing (and how long it’ll take to retire early)
How to start building your real estate portfolio even if you have no money or experience
Why cash flow is far less important than you think when building a rental portfolio
Why Chad sells some of his successful rental properties to pay off others (this is a cheat code!)
Three tools you can use to start “harvesting” your portfolio and retire early
And So Much More!
Links from the Show
Join BiggerPockets for FREE
Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show!
Ask Your Question on the BiggerPockets Forums
BiggerPockets YouTube
BiggerPockets Money Podcast
Set for Life by Scott Trench
Zeckendorf: The autobiography of the man who played a real-life game of Monopoly and won the largest real estate empire in history
Find Your Next Real Estate Deal with PropStream
Grab Chad’s Book “The Small and Mighty Real Estate Investor”
Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area
BiggerPockets Real Estate 1004 - How to Retire Early with Fewer Rental Properties Than You Think w/Chad Carson
Connect with Chad
Connect with Dave
(00:00) Intro
(01:52) Financial Freedom, Not Just Getting Rich
(05:09) The "Harvesting" Phase
(09:51) 3 Phases of Financial Freedom Investing
(18:32) How to "Grow" the Right Way
(24:29) What About Cash Flow?
(26:58) How to Start "Harvesting"
(33:55) Consolidating Your Portfolio
(36:32) Spending Your Time Freedom
Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1072
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
--------
47:38
The Macro Analysis is Clear: Why We Are Reallocating (Away From Stocks) to Real Estate in 2025
Is it a good time to invest in real estate? Yes, and we have proof that real estate may be underpriced, even as we hover around the most expensive average home prices in history. How can real estate be undervalued when prices are at historic highs? Dave is sitting down with Scott Trench, CEO of BiggerPockets, who has condensed ten hours' worth of research into one episode to prove to you that, without a doubt, real estate will be winning over the next few years. Plus, he’s about to make a BIG financial bet on it.
We’ve been talking a lot about entering the “upside” era recently—the new cycle of real estate investing—and wanted Scott’s take on it, too. He has invested in real estate for over a decade, reached financial independence through rental properties, and has been openly critical about multiple sectors of the real estate industry over the past few years.
Today, Scott makes a compelling case for real estate as a better investment than stocks, crypto, or gold. Some specific real estate niches could see prices drop even more, making 2025 (and 2026) phenomenal opportunities to buy. Make your choice: tune into this episode and build wealth while others sit on the sidelines or wish you had done so in a few years.
In This Episode We Cover:
Why residential real estate may actually be undervalued in 2025
One sector of real estate with enormous buying opportunities nobody is noticing
Scott’s MASSIVE real estate bet and why he’s selling much of his stock portfolio
Where interest rates will be in 2025 and whether they could rise even more
Rental housing demand and the almost irrefutable case that rent prices will rise
Why Scott believes Bitcoin will be going to $0 in the long term
And So Much More!
Links from the Show
Join BiggerPockets for FREE
Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show!
Ask Your Question on the BiggerPockets Forums
BiggerPockets YouTube
BiggerPockets Money Podcast
Rent Growth
Treasury Yields
Real Median Household Income
Median Sales Price of Houses
S&P 500 Ten-Year Returns vs. S&P 500 P/E
Join the Future of Real Estate Investing with Fundrise
Grab Scott’s Book, “Set for Life”
Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area
The Rational Investor’s Case Against Bitcoin
Connect with Scott
Connect with Dave
Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1071
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
--------
54:56
Should You Pay Off Debt or Invest in Real Estate? (Follow This Rule) | AMA (Ask Meyer Anything)
Can’t figure out how to buy multiple rental properties a year with your current income? Wondering whether you should get rid of your student loans before buying your next property? Maybe your market is too expensive, so is it time to go out of state instead? These are some of the most common questions we see on the BiggerPockets Forums, and today, we’re answering them so you can get to your next rental(s) faster, even if you’ve got debt and even if your home market is too expensive.
First, we’re explaining when and why we buy properties without ever seeing them in real life. Isn’t that a huge risk? Yes—if you do it the wrong way. Next, should you invest out-of-state if your home market is too expensive, and if you decide to do so, what should you know BEFORE buying a property well outside driving distance? Want to scale faster? We’re discussing purchasing multiple rental properties a year and when it’s time to grow your real estate portfolio.
Got student debt? You’re not alone! Henry had his student loans until recently and still heavily invested in real estate. But, if your interest rate crosses a certain threshold, we’d definitely recommend reconsidering real estate investing. Stay tuned; we’ll share when your debt is too much to invest.
Join BiggerPockets Momentum 2025 to supercharge your investing this year!
In This Episode We Cover:
How to buy multiple rental properties a year and when it’s time to scale
Paying off debt vs. investing and whether six-figure student loans are stopping you
Buying rentals sight unseen, the risks, and why we do it under certain circumstances
Out-of-state investing 101 and signs it’s time to leave your home market to invest elsewhere
Keeping vs. selling a negative cash-flowing rental property (and when to hold for equity)
And So Much More!
Links from the Show
Join BiggerPockets for FREE
Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show!
Ask Your Question on the BiggerPockets Forums
BiggerPockets YouTube
Grab Dave’s New Book, “Start with Strategy”
Get Fully Customizable Insurance Coverage for All Phases of Occupancy on One Monthly Schedule and Bill with NREIG
Sign Up for BiggerPockets Momentum 2025 to Supercharge Your Investing This Year
Property Manager Finder
Ask Your Question on the BiggerPockets Forums
Connect with Henry
Connect with Dave
(00:46) Buy Rentals Sight Unseen?
(06:03) Out-of-State Investing 101
(10:59) Ask Us Questions LIVE!
(12:37) Buy 2 Rentals in 1 Year?
(16:12) Invest While in Debt?
(21:46) Keep Negative Cash Flow Property?
(27:03) Post Your Question!
Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1070
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
Want financial freedom through real estate investing? Then the BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast is for you. Sit down every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with Dave Meyer, the Head of Real Estate at BiggerPockets, as he uncovers tried and true tactics and shares candid conversations with real estate investors who are building wealth in today’s market. Join Dave to walk through deals that went right (and wrong) and learn the strategies you can deploy—start growing your side income today to take control of your financial future.