Ready to build your real estate empire… but not sure where to begin?
Think of us as your personal trainer.
From detailed breakdowns of real-world deals… to one-...
4+ Ways to Fix Negative Cash Flow (and When to Sell Instead) (Rookie Reply)
Does your rental property have negative cash flow? This doesn’t necessarily mean you bought a bad deal, though losing money probably isn’t what you signed up for. But not to worry—in today’s episode, we’ll share a few changes that could get you back in positive territory in no time!
Welcome back to another Rookie Reply! Today, we’re answering more questions from the BiggerPockets Forums. First up, we’ll get into house hacking—the easiest way for a new investor to build a real estate portfolio—and show you how to use this strategy to keep buying properties with low money down. Next, should you invest in Columbus, Ohio in 2025? This investing hotspot is drawing plenty of attention, but we’ll show you how to find other markets just like it! Finally, is your Airbnb giving you little or no cash flow? Tune in to learn how to plug the holes in your business, when to hold for appreciation, and when it might be wise to sell!
Looking to invest? Need answers? Ask your question here!
In This Episode We Cover:
The number one thing you must do before looking at Airbnb markets
The most crucial data for Airbnb market analysis (and where to find it!)
The BEST short-term rental markets to invest in this year
Must-have Airbnb amenities to add to your rental property
Why we’re choosing secondary markets over primary markets in 2025
And So Much More!
Links from the Show
Ashley's BiggerPockets Profile
Tony's BiggerPockets Profile
Join BiggerPockets for FREE
Real Estate Rookie Facebook Group
Real Estate Rookie YouTube
Follow Real Estate Rookie on Instagram
Top Investment Housing Markets for 2025
Market Analysis Spreadsheet
BrightInvestor
NeighborhoodScout
Breezeway
Sign Up for BiggerPockets Momentum 2025 to Fast-Track Your Investing Journey
Get Early Access to BPCON2025 and Learn Real Estate from Industry Experts
Ask Your Question for a Future Rookie Reply
Grab the Book “Smarter Short-Term Rentals”
Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area
Improve Your Real Estate Returns by Optimizing Your Existing Properties When Deals Are Hard to Find
(00:00) Intro
(00:40) House Hacking 101
(10:58) How to Pick a Market
(21:14) Airbnb Listings & Cleaning Fees
(31:36) “Fixing” Revenue & Exit Strategies
(39:49) Ask Your Question!
Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-520
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
--------
47:29
The BEST Airbnb Markets in 2025 and How to Do Your Own Market Research
Want to get into short-term rentals in 2025? Your first step is to find the right Airbnb market for you. But we know that wading through 20,000 US towns and cities can be overwhelming, which is why we’re turning to our resident short-term rental expert for everything you might need to know!
Welcome back to the Real Estate Rookie podcast! Vacation rentals are Tony’s specialty, and in this episode, he’s going to share his best tips and tricks for choosing a market in 2025. First, he’ll help you pin down your investing goals before covering some of the most crucial factors to consider when analyzing a short-term rental market—including home price, supply and demand, competition, and others. You’ll also learn how to perform your own market research from scratch so that you’re armed with the most accurate data when making your decision!
But that’s not all. Once you’ve chosen your market, you’ll need to determine which types of amenities to include. We’ll show you what’s needed, what’s not needed, and which additions could give you a competitive edge in your market. Finally, we’ll share a list of the best places to invest in 2025, which may even feature a certain Louisiana market Tony notoriously invested in years ago!
In This Episode We Cover:
The number one thing you must do before looking at Airbnb markets
The most crucial data for Airbnb market analysis (and where to find it!)
The BEST short-term rental markets to invest in this year
Must-have Airbnb amenities to add to your rental property
Why we’re choosing secondary markets over primary markets in 2025
And So Much More!
Links from the Show
Ashley's BiggerPockets Profile
Tony's BiggerPokckets Profile
Join BiggerPockets for FREE
Real Estate Rookie Facebook Group
Real Estate Rookie YouTube
Follow Real Estate Rookie on Instagram
AirDNA
“Best Places to Invest in Short-Term Rentals in 2025”
Try REsimpli, The Only All-In-One Real Estate Investor CRM Software That Helps You Manage Data, Marketing, Sales, and Operations
Sign Up for BiggerPockets Momentum 2025 to Supercharge Your Investing This Year
Buy the Book “Smarter Short-Term Rentals”
Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area
The 5 Best Housing Markets for Short-Term Rentals in 2025
(00:00) Intro
(00:43) What’s Your Motivation?
(02:12) Crucial Data Points
(10:22) Choosing Your Market
(18:46) Must-Have Amenities
(21:40) Supply, Demand, & Competition
(27:03) Ongoing Market Research
(28:59) BEST Markets in 2025
(34:46) Do Your Own Research!
Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-519
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
--------
42:10
Tiny Investments, Killer Cash Flow, and Starting with Just $12K
“Tiny” investments with BIG upsides? Today’s guest turned a $12,000 down payment (all the money he had) into four rental properties and a unique real estate investing business. After an injury from his time in the Army left Manny Reyna with altered life plans, he had to decide what to do next. He didn’t have much money but wanted to provide for his wife and young son. The best option: use his VA loan to buy a house.
With every dollar he had, he bought a home, knowing it could one day be a rental, but little did he know that it would kickstart a very different real estate investing journey. Fast forward a few years later, and Manny has a glamping/tiny house business that he started with just $20,000. This tiny home brings in some respectable cash flow but wasn’t without its struggles.
In this episode, we’re going through the big ups (and big downs) of Manny’s journey, from having to literally move a house to bad guests ruining his first short-term rental, installing utilities on completely raw land, and managing his properties from very far away (he’s in Japan right now!).
In This Episode We Cover:
Why every veteran or active duty military member should use THIS loan to buy a house
How to start investing without much money by buying “tiny” investment properties
Whether you should hire property management or self-manage your first property
Why lowering your rent price is worth it to avoid prolonged vacancies (don’t make Manny’s mistake!)
How much it cost Manny to install utilities (electrical, septic, etc.) on a raw land for his glamping properties
And So Much More!
Links from the Show
Ashley's BiggerPockets Profile
Tony's BiggerPokckets Profile
Join BiggerPockets for FREE
Real Estate Rookie Facebook Group
Real Estate Rookie YouTube
Follow Real Estate Rookie on Instagram
Get Casita on Instagram
Sign Up for BiggerPockets Momentum 2025 to Supercharge Your Investing This Year
Grab the Book, “Short-Term Rental, Long-Term Wealth”
Property Manager Finder
$11,000/Month with One VERY Unique Rental Property w/Garrett Brown
Connect with Manny
(00:00) Intro
(02:10) First House for $12K Down!
(06:00) Hiring Property Management
(09:34) I Can't Get Tenants!
(10:37) $50K Tiny Homes and Land Investing
(16:15) Setting Up Utilities on New Land
(21:21) Tiny House Amenities
(24:11) Cash Flow and Current Rent
(26:37) Tenants Trashed My Property!
(29:58) Buying MORE Tiny Homes
(33:44) Managing Properties from Abroad
(35:09) Connect with Manny!
Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-518
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
--------
43:05
Fund Your FIRST Rental Property with These Side Hustle Ideas (Rookie Reply)
Do you need more money to buy your first rental property? Fortunately, there are all kinds of real estate side hustles you can use to supercharge your savings, all while learning the ropes of real estate investing. And in this episode, we’re going to share some of our favorites that YOU can start today!
Welcome back to another Rookie Reply! Today, we’re tackling more of your recent questions from the BiggerPockets Forums and BiggerPockets Facebook groups. First, a new investor has a lofty investing goal they want to achieve in just five years, and we’ll share our best advice and side hustle ideas to help them reach it. Next, we’ll hear from an investor who wants to buy their dream home. Can they leverage their current real estate portfolio to help fund it? Should they sell their rentals? Stay tuned to find out! Finally, what’s the best way to structure a real estate investing partnership? Should you go into business with a family member? We’ll share some crucial dos and don’ts!
Looking to invest? Need answers? Ask your question here!
In This Episode We Cover:
The BEST side hustles for making extra money and learning real estate
Whether it’s ever too late to start your investing journey
How many rental properties you need to achieve your cash flow goals
Our biggest fears, headaches, and lessons learned when WE started investing
How to leverage your current real estate portfolio to buy your next property
What you must know before forming partnerships (and how to structure one!)
And So Much More!
Links from the Show
Ashley's BiggerPockets Profile
Tony's BiggerPokckets Profile
Join BiggerPockets for FREE
Real Estate Rookie Facebook Group
Real Estate Rookie YouTube
Follow Real Estate Rookie on Instagram
“Like” Real Estate Rookie on Facebook
Ask Your Question for a Future Rookie Reply
Grab Tony & Ashley’s Book “Real Estate Partnerships”
Find Investor-Friendly Lenders
6 Real Estate Side Hustles to Make Extra Money & Gain Experience
(00:00) Intro
(00:35) Cash Flow Goals
(07:24) Biggest Fears & Headaches
(11:36) BEST Side Hustles
(18:42) Buying Your Dream Home
(24:24) Partnerships 101
(32:02) Ask Your Question!
Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-517
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
--------
39:18
How to Manage Your First or Next Rental (and Save Thousands of Dollars)
Managing rental properties doesn’t have to be hard. You can do it without the midnight tenant phone calls, “lost” rent checks, and other common landlord headaches. Looking to buy your first or next rental property? Today, we’re giving a masterclass on how to manage a rental property, even if you’re a real estate rookie with zero experience in investing. Ready to start?
Here’s what we’re breaking down in this episode: What to do before you buy, getting your lease agreement together, handling maintenance requests and repairs, move-ins and move-outs, security deposits, and more! What software do we use to streamline all the tenant communication so we don’t deal with a dozen phone calls a day? How do we handle tenant complaints and damages to the property without having our hair fall out (Tony optionally shaves his head!)? We’re giving you complete lists of every app and software we use so you can manage with ease, too!
Also, why did Ashley publicly weep in a courthouse early in her real estate career? She shares one key tip to save you time, money, and tears!
In This Episode We Cover:
What you should do BEFORE you buy your first/next rental to make your life much easier
Lease agreements 101 and the crucial additions that most landlords miss
How Ashley handles all her tenant maintenance requests without picking up a single phone call
What you MUST have a tenant fill out when moving into your property (this will save you a TON of money)
Every rental property software Ashley uses to manage her long-term rentals
What you should NEVER do during an eviction filing (Ashley’s BIG mistake)
And So Much More!
Links from the Show
Ashley's BiggerPockets Profile
Tony's BiggerPokckets Profile
Join BiggerPockets for FREE
Real Estate Rookie Facebook Group
Real Estate Rookie YouTube
BiggerPockets Resource Hub
Lease Agreements by State
Rookie Resource Hub
RentRedi
Stessa
Sign Up for BiggerPockets Momentum 2025 to Supercharge Your Investing This Year
Grab the Book “The Self-Managing Landlord”
Property Manager Finder
9 Incredible Resources To Help You Self-Manage Your Rental Properties
(00:00) Intro
(00:28) BEFORE You Buy
(07:40) Lease Agreements 101
(15:11) Maintenance, Repairs, Tenant Requests
(20:17) Move Ins and Move Outs
(26:39) Security Deposits
(28:05) Best Rental Property Software Best Rental Property Software
(33:49) Landlord-Tenant Laws
(40:23) You’re Ready for Your First Rental!
Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-516
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
Ready to build your real estate empire… but not sure where to begin?
Think of us as your personal trainer.
From detailed breakdowns of real-world deals… to one-on-one coaching sessions and a warm, welcoming community… hosts Ashley Kehr and Tony J Robinson bring on a wide range of guests to tackle the “newbie” questions you've wondered about but might be afraid to ask.
Looking to 10X your real estate investing business this year? This show isn’t for you.
Looking for your first, second, or third deal -- or envisioning a more modest portfolio? Step right up.
Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we’ll arm you with the tips, tools, and roadmaps you'll need as you embark on your journey toward financial freedom.