Real Estate Rookie Podcast

Episode Title: No Money? Creative Ways to Fund Your Next Rental Property (Rookie Reply)

Hosts: Ashley Kehr & Tony J. Robinson
Date: February 6, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of Real Estate Rookie dives into three core questions faced by new real estate investors:

• How to fund your next deal with little or no money down
• How to connect with reliable wholesalers for finding deals
• Whether to line up financing before making offers or after securing a deal

Ashley Kehr and Tony J. Robinson draw from their personal experiences and answer real questions from the BiggerPockets forums, offering practical, actionable advice for rookies. The tone is encouraging, realistic, and packed with tips for those just getting started.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Funding Your Next Deal with Little to No Money Down

[00:29 - 08:15]

Tony’s Take:

• Leveraging other people’s money is the “golden goose” for investors, but a track record seriously helps.
  • “If you can show people you can be a good steward of maybe your own capital first, it makes it more likely for them to actually give you their own capital in a deal.” – Tony, [01:05]
• Even without using your own money, having reserves is critical in case of unexpected issues.
• Building relationships and trust is essential, especially without prior experience.

Ashley’s Tips:

• Don’t lock into a single funding strategy. She recommends putting in multiple offers with various financing options (bank loan, seller financing, private money).
  • “If you limit yourself to only thinking about one funding strategy, that’s going to limit the deals you can do.” – Ashley, [03:23]
• Submitting multiple offers gives sellers options and helps you negotiate.
• Seller financing is highlighted as a powerful, flexible approach for rookies.

Methods Ashley & Tony Used:

• Tony: Used 100% bank financing for his earliest deals; also private money (sometimes mixed with hard money), especially for flips to quickly recycle cash and build a track record.
  • “Call every single bank… and see what kind of loan products they offer that are low or no money down.” – Tony, [04:32]
• Ashley: Started with a money partner on a 50/50 equity split; her partner was paid back capital plus interest over 15 years. Early on, she gave up favorable terms to get in the game and build experience.
  • “The biggest thing for me that really helped was not being worried about giving up too much in the deal.” – Ashley, [06:32]
• Ashley underscored the value of just getting started: early deals don’t need to be the perfect financial win—the experience is invaluable.

2. How to Find and Build Relationships with Good Wholesalers

[10:21 - 14:12]

Ashley’s Advice:

• She’s never bought directly from a wholesaler but shares ways to find them:
  1. In-person Meetups: Wholesalers often attend and hand out sign-up sheets for their buyers’ lists.
  2. Respond to “We Buy Houses” Texts: Even if you don’t want to sell, ask to be added to their buyers’ list.
  3. Google “Sell My House Fast [Your City]”: Reach out to sites that come up and ask to join their buyers’ lists as a buyer.
  • “Just let them know you are a buyer and you would like to be on their buyers list.” – Ashley, [11:44]

Tony’s Perspective:

• Most rookies don’t see the best wholesale deals because wholesalers prefer certainty and proven buyers.
  • “What wholesalers really value is certainty in the person they’re working with… they want to make sure whoever they go under contract with has a good chance of actually closing.” – Tony, [12:27]
• The “A-list” deals are offered personally to trusted buyers before being blasted to a big email list.
• How to get into the inner circle:
  • Build better relationships—communicate regularly, and share your business plans, funding, or desire for deals.
  • Consider taking thinner-margin deals to prove yourself and become a preferred buyer.
    • “Maybe take a deal that gives you $30k if it means building a better relationship with that wholesaler.” – Tony, [13:11]

3. When to Line Up Your Financing—Before or After Submitting Offers?

[18:32 - 21:41]

Tony’s Approach:

• Always know your purchasing power before hunting for deals.
  • “One of the very first steps… even before you really focus on a market is understanding what is your purchasing power.” – Tony, [18:53]
  • Avoid wasting time (and risking earnest money deposits) chasing deals you can’t actually close.

Ashley’s Experience:

• Being pre-approved or having financing options ready helps you get offers accepted and close deals smoothly.
  • Sometimes she’s found deals first and scrambled for financing, but prefers to be prepared.
  • “It’s definitely easier to make the offer and get the offer accepted too when you have proof of funds or proof of financing.” – Ashley, [19:47]

Practical Scenario:

• Tony warns that with off-market and wholesaler deals, you may need to put down non-refundable earnest money. If you haven’t lined up financing, you risk losing that deposit.
  • “If you go out and you put down $5, $10, $20, $30,000 as a non-refundable EMD and then you try and go get the financing only to figure out that you can’t… that’s a tough spot to be in.” – Tony, [21:19]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you can show people you can be a good steward of maybe your own capital first, it makes it more competent for them to actually give you their own capital in a deal.” – Tony, [01:05]
• “If you limit yourself to only thinking about one funding strategy… that’s going to limit the deals you can do.” – Ashley, [03:23]
• “Don’t overcomplicate it and don’t overthink… It’s okay if they end up getting the better end of the deal because it’s the way you got started and you can grow and learn from there.” – Ashley, [07:18]
• “What wholesalers really value is certainty in the person they’re working with.” – Tony, [12:27]
• “One of the very first steps… is understanding what is your purchasing power, how much cash do you have on hand, how much can you deploy into a deal, and what kind of loan amount can you get pre qualified for?” – Tony, [18:53]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Funding deals with limited/no money: [00:29 - 08:15]
• Finding quality wholesalers: [10:21 - 14:12]
• Should financing be lined up before submitting offers? [18:32 - 21:41]

Summary Table: Rookie Takeaways

| What You Should Do as a Rookie | Why It Matters | |--------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------| | Build a small track record | Makes others more willing to fund deals | | Have multiple funding strategies ready | Increases negotiation opportunities | | Submit various types of offers | Gives seller choices, improves odds | | Build relationships with wholesalers | Access better (not widely marketed) deals| | Prove yourself—take leaner deals if needed | Earn your spot on preferred buyer lists | | Always know your purchasing power first | Avoid wasted effort and costly mistakes |

Final Thoughts

This episode is a practical deep-dive for rookies who want to move past funding constraints and begin building real momentum. The hosts stress that relationships, preparedness, and flexibility are the keys—not just capital. Getting in the game, even if the first deal isn’t overly lucrative, is often the springboard rookies need for growth and confidence.

For more, join the Real Estate Rookie Facebook group or follow the hosts on Instagram @BiggerPocketsRookie.