BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast

Episode: Want to Invest in Real Estate in 2026? Listen to This First

Date: December 24, 2025
Host: Dave Meyer (Head of Real Estate, BiggerPockets)
Featured Guests: Henry Washington, Deandra McDonald, Antoinette Monroe

Episode Overview

In this special recap episode, Dave Meyer revisits the most impactful BiggerPockets episodes of 2025, highlighting key trends, strategies, and real-life investing journeys that defined the year. Through a series of curated discussions with prominent guests, Dave explores how investors adapted their approaches to changing market conditions and offers practical advice for anyone aiming to build financial freedom with real estate in 2026 and beyond.

Main Themes and Purpose

• Adapting to a New Era: Recognizing that real estate investing has evolved, and success now demands flexibility and new strategies—not just waiting for the "old normal" to return.
• Financial Independence as a Journey: Challenging the binary notion of financial freedom and emphasizing incremental progress.
• Real Stories, Real Strategies: Sharing inspirational journeys from ordinary investors who used creative tactics, house hacking, and small value-add improvements to dramatically change their financial trajectories.
• The Fundamentals Still Matter: Amid market shifts, sticking to fundamentals and seeking creative ways to add value are more crucial than ever.
• BRRRR Reimagined: Debunking the myth that the BRRRR (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat) method is “dead” and showing how it can still be effective—even with higher interest rates.

Detailed Breakdown and Insights

Financial Independence Is a Spectrum, Not a Switch

[00:00–09:24] Guest: Henry Washington

Key Discussion Points:

• The path to financial independence isn’t binary; it's about continuous, incremental progress.
• The expectations around “real estate financial freedom” have changed: it now often takes longer to reach, but the payoff is still extraordinary.
• Evolving strategies: Cash flow from rental properties isn’t perfectly predictable, as real estate comes with variable expenses.
• The importance of flexibility, whether through side income, job stability, or real estate profits.

Notable Quotes:

• “Financial independence is not binary… The goal is just to keep moving in that direction.” — Dave [02:46]
• “I realized if I want these properties to pay me cash flow that I could live off of passively, it’s going to happen far in the future when these assets are paid off.” — Henry [04:36]
• “If you can cut a 45-year career into a third, that’s incredible!” — Dave [06:26]
• “The fundamentals… haven’t changed. They’re more important now than ever.” — Henry [06:55]

[Timestamps]

• Binary myths of financial freedom: [01:37]
• Ongoing financial flexibility and lifestyle creep: [03:12]
• Cash flow and the unpredictability of rental income: [03:29–05:20]
• Pivot strategies and not being disappointed by reality: [05:33–06:00]
• The value of sticking with real estate, even if it takes longer: [06:00–07:27]

Inspiration: Transformative First Steps with Little Capital

[09:24–15:11] Guest: Deandra McDonald

Key Discussion Points:

• Starting from $35,000 in debt, Deandra got creative (house-hacking a duplex with a roommate) and gradually scaled up year over year.
• House-hacking (renting out a part of your home) enabled her to drastically improve her quality of life and eventually quit her job.
• Incremental gains: Each deal added practical improvements to her financial situation, showing the power of small but strategic steps.
• Market observations: There are still affordable markets for buyers willing to look and make compromises.

Notable Quotes:

• “Every incremental deal can improve your financial situation and your quality of life.” — Dave [11:28]
• “My first purchase was a two-bedroom townhouse... I took the smaller room and rented out the second room to a roommate, which covered my mortgage. And that started the full addiction to this whole process.” — Deandra [10:23]
• “Having weekends again… I could rest. So even if it was just that, my goodness.” — Deandra [11:11]
• “I went from paying $700 a month in rent to nothing. So all I did was save that money… and go into the next property.” — Deandra [13:40]

[Timestamps]

• Deandra’s first house hack and breakthrough: [10:23–11:11]
• Incremental lifestyle improvements and saving: [11:11–12:46]
• Scaling up and optimizing strategies: [13:00–14:37]

Off-Market Deals and the Power of Community

[19:44–25:20] Guest: Antoinette Monroe

Key Discussion Points:

• Leveraging personal networks and serendipity for off-market deals (her mother tipped her off about a neighbor selling).
• Using the BRRRR method—and knowledge from BiggerPockets forums—to refinance and grow with little original cash.
• Creative problem-solving: turning single-family homes into two cash-flowing units, employing HELOCs, and utilizing private loans.

Notable Quotes:

• “If you’re putting out what you’re interested in... people usually try to help.” — Antoinette [22:47]
• “If I hadn’t been listening to the podcast... that opportunity would’ve come and I wouldn’t have known what to do with it.” — Antoinette [23:03]
• “My strategy to make single families have twice as much cash flow: splitting them in half.” — Antoinette [25:19]

[Timestamps]

• How Antoinette found her off-market deal through her mom: [21:32–22:13]
• Financing: combining HELOCs, private money, and rental splits: [24:40–25:19]

Is BRRRR Dead? Updating a Classic Method for Today

[25:38–31:12] Guest: Henry Washington

Key Discussion Points:

• The BRRRR strategy still works, but timelines have shifted—think “delayed BRRRR.”
• Instead of rapid, back-to-back refinances, investors now deploy capital and pull it back out when advantageous over longer periods.
• “Full BRRRRs”—where you pull out all your original capital—are rare, but partial cash-out and portfolio growth remain attainable.
• Caution about over-leverage: sometimes HELOCs (home equity lines of credit) make more sense than full cash-out refinancing.

Notable Quotes:

• “Those long-term BRRRRs are still BRRRRs.” — Henry [26:33]
• "If you reframe the conversation… just getting some of your money out, that's still a win.” — Dave [29:26]
• “Even when BRRRRs were easy, I didn’t really like doing them… I liked the cash flow.” — Henry [29:58]
• “If you don’t immediately reinvest your capital… you’re just reducing your cash flow for no reason.” — Dave [31:12]

[Timestamps]

• Slow/Delayed BRRRR approaches: [27:04–28:33]
• Myths and realities of full-capital-out BRRRR: [28:33–29:54]
• The appeal of HELOCs over new mortgages: [30:09–31:12]

High-Impact, Low-Cost Value-Add Strategies

[34:44–42:11] Guest: Henry Washington

Key Discussion Points:

• Small reno projects (under $5k) can increase value dramatically—e.g., converting an unused laundry or sunroom into a bedroom.
• Look for extra or underused square footage in basements, garages, sunrooms for easy conversions.
• Always check local comparables and zoning regulations to ensure your improvements make sense for resale or rental.

Notable Quotes:

• “You can sometimes add direct value for under five grand if your property is set up for it.” — Henry [35:32]
• “We added about 200 square feet to the house… and sold it for an extra $20,000.” — Henry [36:29]
• “It’s important for people to realize this isn’t luck. This is the stuff you need to be looking for when you buy properties.” — Dave [38:11]
• “Look for homes where the square footage just seems too big for that bedroom count—there’s probably room.” — Henry [39:49]

[Timestamps]

• Examples of low-budget value-add: [35:32–37:31]
• What features to look for in value-add properties: [38:11–40:38]
• The importance of neighborhood research and code compliance: [40:59–42:11]

Memorable Moments and Speaker Highlights

• Dave’s “Upside Era” framework: “We’re in a new era of investing… it is still the best path to securing your financial future.” [00:44]
• Deandra’s $3,800 start-to-financial-freedom journey: “A down payment of less than $4,000… four years later, she quit her job and became a full-time investor.” [09:24]
• Henry on dual careers: “I enjoyed my [corporate] job… I was going to do both until I could not do both anymore.” [08:01]
• Creative renovations: Dave’s anecdote about childhood sunrooms (“I think my dad skipped the insulation and heat part… I was just always cold.”) [40:38]

Actionable Takeaways for 2026 Investors

• Don’t wait for perfect market conditions; adapt your strategies now.
• Think of financial independence as a journey—take incremental steps.
• Leverage creative financing (house hack, HELOCs, private loans).
• For BRRRR, patience and flexibility are key—timeframes may be longer.
• Always hunt for hidden value in properties; small improvements can yield massive returns.

For Further Listening

• Real Estate Financial Freedom Formula has Changed (Ep. 1069) — Dave w/ Henry Washington [January]
• Investor Story with Deandra McDonald (Ep. 1105) [April]
• Antoinette Monroe’s Off-Market BRRRR (Ep. 1120)
• BRRRR in 2025: Is It Dead? (Ep. 1165)
• Adding Value for Under $5K (Ep. 1088) [February]

Stay tuned—brand new BiggerPockets episodes resume January 2!