The BetterLife Podcast
Episode: Real Estate Investing Kinda Sucks Right Now. What We’re Doing About It
Hosts: Brandon Turner (A) & Cam Cathcart (B)
Date: November 11, 2025

Episode Overview

Brandon Turner and Cam Cathcart deliver an unfiltered look at the current challenges plaguing real estate investors—rising interest rates, stagnant property markets, lower margins, and more. With honesty, humor, and their signature optimism, Brandon and Cam break down why real estate feels so tough in 2025 and, more importantly, the mindset shifts and tactical changes they’re making to not only survive, but to set themselves up for the next wave of opportunity. If you’ve felt the burn of this market, you’re not alone—and this episode is full of both relatability and practical encouragement.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Why Real Estate “Sucks” Right Now

(00:00–05:19)

• Locked-In Mortgages & Frozen Inventory: Most homeowners have low-rate mortgages—"65 to 70% of people are locked into a mortgage under three and a half percent"—so nobody wants to move, leading to fewer deals for investors (B, 00:02).
• The Impact of Rising Rates: On commercial deals, higher interest rates mean higher cap rates and plummeting property values. Brandon reflects: "Properties I bought for $50 million are now worth $30 million. The income could be higher, the profit could be higher, but simply because of interest rates… values are just down significantly" (A, 01:07).
• Overbuilding in Hot Markets: Austin, TX has seen rents drop by 20-30% due to oversupply: "We were renting apartments for $1,350, now getting $800. That's what it takes to fill a unit now" (A, 02:55).
• Selling & Flipping Difficulties: Frustrations about properties sitting unsold and declining profits ("This year I will make…probably 25% of what I made in 2022" - B, 05:27).

2. Ownership and Mindset in Hard Times

(06:27–11:17)

• Taking Radical Ownership: Brandon moved his family from Maui to Austin to be physically near his struggling properties—"I don't know how being in person is going to help, but it doesn't hurt to be there to show up, be close to the problem and to figure things out" (A, 06:27).
• All-In Commitment vs. Comfort: Cam notes, “I will never forgive myself if I don't go all in on this... I don’t want to look back and say I was too worried about comfort” (B, 08:27).
  • The hosts share the importance of working with intensity, referencing Tim Tebow: "I don't want to enter heaven well rested. It's like, I don't want to enter a recession well rested. Like, I want to know that I fought tooth and nail" (A, 09:26).
• Identity in Work: Cam questions the narrative around rest—"My emotional and mental well-being has been so much better when I'm working really, really hard...it’s the way that literally God wired us." (B, 10:17).

3. Resilience: Keep Showing Up

(11:17–14:52)

• Consistency Over Brilliance: Cam’s mantra is "Keep showing up". He compares this to the P90X “keep pressing play” motto—just showing up daily beats waiting for perfect motivation (12:21).
• Tackling Only the Core Problems: Both hosts have cut side projects (e.g., Brandon shut down 'The 50' mastermind), team distractions, and events to free up focus for their biggest challenges.

4. Adapting Strategies and Seeking Opportunity

(16:30–21:59)

• "Someone Is Doing It, Why Not You?": Cam’s note to self from his early days—other investors are still succeeding, so you can too. ("The answer is: we can. We just haven't figured it out yet." - B, 16:30).
• Pivoting to Fringe Strategies: Brandon shares how traditional models don't work like before, so he's using approaches like rent-by-the-room, assisted living, midterm rentals, and the BRRRR strategy. "If it works for them, it'll work for you" (A, 19:31).
• Avoiding Strategy-Hopping: Cam warns against jumping strategies at the first sign of trouble—“It’s all going to be hard. There are experts in every field winning.” (B, 20:50).

5. Doubling Down on Habits and Disciplines

(24:17–28:30)

• Personal Accountability: Both hosts track their habits, work with coaches, and stress the importance of daily routines.
  • Example: Brandon’s coach calls him out for skipping weekly family calls, prompting actionable change (A, 25:10).
• Inner vs. Outer Focus: "When things get hard, we tend to shift our focus to external factors instead of internal factors," Cam says, underscoring the value of controlling what you can—yourself (B, 26:13).
• Growth in Adversity: Cam recognizes he had to step up as a leader and operator only now that the market isn't doing the work for him (B, 28:30).

6. Leaning into Leadership

(28:30–30:33)

• From Problem Solver to Leader: Brandon’s hiring business coaches, defining vision and process, and focusing on inspiring teams rather than just doing everything himself (A, 29:00).

7. Radical Transparency—With Others and Yourself

(30:33–35:27)

• Honesty with Investors and Family: Brandon explains, "Nobody will ever say Brandon didn’t share exactly what was going on all the time" (A, 32:30).
• Integrity Over Shortcuts: Cam refuses to use dubious wholesaling methods—"I just want to be able to sleep at night. I want to have integrity in everything I do" (B, 33:07).
• Brutal Self-Honesty: "I just kind of stuck my head in the sand because I knew it was bad and I didn’t want to know how bad it was…"—Cam discusses the need to face financial reality and numbers head-on. (B, 33:45)
• “All progress begins by telling the truth”—Brandon, quoting Alcoholics Anonymous, describes how clarity enables effective strategy (A, 34:47).

8. Building Systems Now for Tomorrow’s Success

(35:27–39:54)

• Use Downtime Productively: Instead of waiting for the market to pick up, both are creating and documenting systems—how they acquire, manage, rent, and flip homes.
• Preparedness = Future Opportunity: "The people who survive this season are going to be the ones that thrive in the next season" (B, 36:30).
• Example—Follow Ups: Realization that even when leads are few, sharpening follow-up processes positions you for future success (B, 39:01).

9. Preparing for the Next Wave

(39:54–43:59)

• Market Cycles are Normal: Veteran investors remind them of the cyclical nature—2 great years, 2 bad ones, and stability in-between (B, 40:16).
• Housing Shortage Looming: The ongoing undersupply paired with eventually falling rates will likely bring a rebound—Brandon expects rising rents and prices around 2027 (A, 41:23).
• Strength Built in Hard Times: Brandon’s baseball analogy—“Right now we’re swinging with five bats, when you drop down to one, you’ll be ready to knock it out of the park!” (A, 43:20).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Ownership:

  "If all you do is sit there and play victim that it's the market's fault, you live in this disempowered state... I can't control the market, but I can control what I do."
  — Brandon (A), 06:27

• On Showing Up Consistently:

  "It's not the best, it's not the smartest. It's the person that shows up day in and day out."
  — Cam (B), 11:17

• On Adapting to Win:

  "Someone is doing it. Why not you? I think that's a really important thing to remember in this season where it's hard."
  — Cam (B), 16:30

• On Having Integrity:

  "I just want to be able to sleep at night. I want to have integrity in everything that I do."
  — Cam (B), 33:07

• On Self-Honesty and Moving Forward:

  "All progress begins by telling the truth."
  — Brandon (A), quoting the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, 34:47

• On Cycles and Resilience:

  "Part of that for me is remembering that it's a wave. Like when you're in the bad times, you tend to assume times will always be hard."
  — Brandon (A), 39:54

• On Failing Forward:

  "Failure right now is good. If you feel like you're failing, good, because it's making you better. And as long as you keep showing up, even to fail, (...) you are becoming a better person, a better leader, a better real estate investor."
  — Cam (B), 43:59

• On Real Estate’s Potential:

  "I still think that real estate is the best way for most people to make a lot of money and build financial freedom... Let this educate you for things that you should be doing right now to power through this season."
  — Cam (B), 46:06

Timestamps for Significant Segments

• [00:00] – Why real estate is tough in 2025: fundamental market shifts
• [06:27] – Taking radical ownership and going all-in during adversity
• [11:17] – Keep showing up: the power of consistency and perseverance
• [14:43] – Cutting distractions, focus on the core problem
• [16:30] – “Someone is doing it—why not you?”: reframing possibility
• [19:31] – Optimizing with fringe cash flow strategies
• [20:50] – Avoiding strategy-hopping and sticking it out
• [24:17] – Doubled-down habits, disciplines, and routine
• [28:30] – Sharpening leadership and team strategies
• [30:33] – Radical transparency—with investors, partners, and yourself
• [35:27] – Systems-building as the “off-season” play
• [39:54] – Preparing for the next wave: cycles, optimism, and readiness
• [41:23] – U.S. housing shortage forecast and market outlook
• [43:59] – On the value of failing forward and closing encouragement

Final Takeaways

Even as real estate presents “sucky” challenges in 2025, Brandon and Cam refuse to let circumstances dictate outcomes. Their response: radical accountability, diligent self and team improvement, transparent communication, creative adaption, and systems-focused discipline. They remain bullish on real estate, seeing today’s adversity as training for tomorrow’s opportunities.

“Don't use this as an excuse not to invest...right now is when you get in there. So focus on the habits, the people, the preparation, the education, and the strength and just keep doing well.”
— Brandon (A), 43:20

If you’re feeling isolated in the grind, let this episode remind you: you’re not alone, the hard times won’t last, and the winners of the next boom are being forged right now.