Real Estate Rookie

If you pay attention, you’ll notice there is a game being played. The sooner you realize this, the sooner you can play to win. The game of life has various components, but the top one percent has mastered the game of money and finance. Once you start playing, your financial fear becomes irrelevant. After all, it is a game—and you’re supposed to have fun. Today’s guest, Nick Troutman, started playi...

A rental property falling into foreclosure is a sad sign. “What happened to that landlord?” you might ask. Did a tenant do extensive damage, leaving them with a too burdensome repair bill? Did the landlord forget to pay their mortgage? What could have caused this? Well, if you’re like Ashley Kehr, someone else may have caused your home to (almost) slide into foreclosure, without you knowing. Welco...

If you’re hesitant to start your real estate investing journey, ask yourself this—where would you be now if you started ten years ago, and where could you be in ten years if you started today? As today’s guest, Brandon Rush, said, “everything you enjoy today, is the result of something you did five to ten years ago.” Brandon currently has three multi-family homes with a total of ten units.  Brando...

This week’s question comes from Jerry through Ashley’s Instagram direct messages. Jerry is asking: I’ve finally made the plunge and bought three investment properties. After I rehab, rent, and refinance them, where can I get more money to invest? Is there a type of loan for investors or do I need to look into a hard money lender? Rental property loans are aplenty if you’ve found the right deal. Mo...

A successful investor finds their “why” where other people find excuses. Real estate investing isn’t without its challenges, but as you overcome more challenges, you become a better investor. Today’s guest’s strong “why” led him to real estate, and it’s what pushes him to break through barriers, overcome obstacles, and build the life he’s dreamed of. Hunter Lewis’ "why" came two weeks before his s...

Building a rental property portfolio isn’t complicated. You find deals, finance them, buy them, manage them, and repeat. What could be easier? For most real estate investors, it’s not the big steps that stop them from scaling. It’s the little ones. Finding deals means looking through the MLS, cold calling, driving for dollars, or door knocking almost daily. Financing means talking to mortgage brok...

Successful real estate investors don't find success alone. Real estate is a relationship business, so eventually, you need someone— an agent, contractor, cleaning lady, or handyman. At times, your success depends on these people, so you need to build a relationship with them. Once you cultivate a relationship, maintenance becomes the next step, but how do you do that? How do you find the balance b...

Real estate investors are a hard-working bunch. They put in long hours every day to create passive income and find financial freedom. Many investors resort to doing what they hate, day in and day out, simply to escape the clutches of a nine-to-five job. If you’re a rookie real estate investor, you’re probably the property manager, head of acquisitions, tenant contact, and accountant all rolled int...

Want to become a millionaire? After this episode, you’ll have everything you need to start your journey to a seven-figure net worth through real estate investing. Most people think that to become a millionaire you need to have a high-paying job, a large inheritance, or hundreds of rental properties. This couldn’t be further from the truth, as regular real estate investing allows almost anyone to b...

This week’s question comes from Ricky through Ashley’s direct messages on Instagram. Ricky is asking: I’m about to start my investing journey with short-term rentals. How do I build a real estate team, and which positions should I look for first? On your way to building a short-term rental empire, you’ll need to build out your real estate investment team. These are the people who will help you sca...

The older you get, the more you realize how much life costs. As a kid, it's easy to take for granted the free rent and free meals, but what if you could get back to that? What if you could live mortgage or rent-free as an adult? What if you could have your meals paid for on someone else’s dime? In today’s episode, our guest, Nate Weintraub, shares how he lives for “free” with his three properties...

This week’s question comes from Carolyn through Ashley’s direct messages on Instagram. Carolyn is asking: I just bought my first investment property in cash. Am I still considered a first-time homebuyer? What happens if I take out a mortgage on that property? First-time homebuyer loans tend to confuse many real estate rookies. When it comes to first-time homebuyer loans and programs, what options...

While constantly hearing success stories can be encouraging, it can also start to seem unattainable when you don’t know where to start. How did all these successful investors get to where they wanted to be? And if they can do it, why can’t you? Today’s guests, Simon Murillo and Kristina Vaio adjusted their mindset from “why them?” to “why not us?,” which resulted in some serious short-term rental...

The term “other people’s money” is common in the rental property industry. You may hear successful investors use it all the time—but what does it mean? Who are these “other people,” and why are they giving out money so freely? Don’t worry—rich relatives are not necessary for this episode of the Real Estate Rookie Podcast. We’re not talking about taking money from your Grandma. We’re talking about...

As an investor, finding and closing on a deal is only the beginning, and it sets the tone for how the rest of the deal will go. So what criteria should you have to make finding a profitable deal easier? Once you find a deal that's promising, how do you do your due diligence before submitting an offer? In today’s episode, Kenneth Donis shares his bulletproof process for finding and underwriting pro...

This week’s question comes from Aaron on the Real Estate Rookie Facebook Group. Aaron is asking: How do you set up your rental income for tax season? Do you just show your accountant, for example, a Stessa report? Do you give receipts to your tenant when they pay so you have one for tax season? Navigating the world of real estate accounting can be tricky. Do you write everything down by hand or up...

As an entrepreneur trying to build wealth, how do you find work-life balance? How do you prioritize your family and life when you work long hours for a better future? Is the time freedom you’re ultimately working towards worth the time you have to give up presently? Amanda Salovitch, today’s guest, shares the balance she’s been able to maintain as a full-time working mom, building a short-term ren...

Not knowing how to deal with a bad contractor can cost you thousands, if not tens of thousands, on a single deal. The wrong contractor can cause months more of holding time, thousands in materials wasted, and drain your energy when trying to get the project done. But, once you know the common contractor red flags, you’ll be able to spot which workers won’t work out in the future so you can hire th...

Sometimes in real estate, less is more, and as the saying goes—quality over quantity. You don’t need a portfolio with 100+ properties if you have a strong cash flow from five. This approach allows less to fall through the cracks and a more personalized experience for the tenant while still building wealth like never before. Today’s guest, Kelly Cronin, explains how she has created Cronin Castles,...

New short-term rental regulations are sprouting up around densely-populated states like California and New York. These regulations can stop new investors from setting up shop while making established hosts much wealthier. With stricter short-term rental laws, what should real estate investors do to hedge their risk against being stuck with a property that can’t be rented out? Both Ashley and Tony...

Property management can be one of the more complex decisions when it comes to investing. Do you save money and ensure the job is done exactly how you want it by self-managing, or do you invest in someone with experience and save yourself time, energy, and headspace? Today’s guest, Karen Lane, breaks down property management in bite-size chunks, so whether you’re deciding between property managemen...

This week’s question comes from Brandon on the Real Estate Rookie Facebook Group. Brandon is asking: On a cash-out refinance, is this considered income? If so, will I have to report it on my taxes? Real estate investing provides a lot of tax benefits, some that new investors or everyday homeowners simply don’t know about. One of the greatest tax benefits? No taxes on loans and liabilities! That me...

The beautiful thing about real estate is that there is endless room for growth. While some jobs have a capped amount of opportunity, real estate encourages constant advancement. Today’s guest, Gus Ofili, began his investing journey after the pandemic and now has nine properties with twenty-three units.  Gus turned to real estate after deciding to leave his nine-to-five at a bank. He didn’t hate hi...

You’re here to buy your first rental property. This is the Real Estate Rookie Podcast, and as a rookie, where should you start? Most new real estate investors think that the steps to buying a rental property are simple—find an agent, find a property, buy the property. And although that could buy you a rental property, the chances of you becoming successful are very low. Real estate investing requi...

We are in the age of social media, so how do you use that to your advantage? How do you create a platform that helps you reach your career goals? What content should you create to target your desired audience? Today’s guest, Kerwin Donis, shares how he and his brothers have built the platforms that have helped them partner in over 600 units of apartment syndication deals. The Donis Brothers have a...