Sellers Are Accepting Even Less | Jan. 2026 Housing Market Update
Buyers just got even more in control, and it’s excellent news for investors. Homes are now sitting on the market for the longest time in a decade, with sellers accepting thousands less than their original list price. For those who have been waiting to buy their first or next investment property, this could be the sign that it’s time to get in the game. But, with mortgage rates (slowly) coming down, will this window of opportunity last months or mere weeks? We’re back with our January 2026 housing market update! Dave is getting into it all—mortgage rates, inventory, demand, and why investors are becoming so bullish heading into this new year. Think there’s a housing crash on the way? Dave does his favorite thing—looks at data instead of guessing—to show some clear signs that those hoping for a crash will (unfortunately for them) be waiting quite a while. Demand is growing (steadily), and hungry homebuyers are itching to get back into the market. How much time do we have before steady appreciation returns? Stick around, we’re getting into it in this housing market update! In This Episode We Cover Sellers are accepting less: How much should you be bidding on houses? The best (and worst) housing markets in America (updated) Growing buyer demand and signs that the housing market (probably) won’t crash Why mortgage rates reversed after falling below 6% earlier this month Why investors are getting so bullish about rental properties in 2026 And So Much More! Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1230 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email advertise@biggerpockets.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Scott Trench’s $1,000,000 Bet on Real Estate (Update)
Last year, Scott Trench, former BiggerPockets CEO, made a big bet on real estate—selling $1,000,000 in stocks to buy rentals instead. A year later, he’s on the show, and we’ve got one crucial question to ask him. Was it worth it? The man behind the mustache (yes, he’s still got it!) is joining us today to give a life update and share how his huge financial decision played out. But a lot has changed in the past year, markets aside. Scott stepped down as BiggerPockets CEO and is now fully dedicated to BiggerPockets Money, helping as many people as possible find their own version of financial freedom. We’ll go over his $1,000,000 stock sell-off, how his investments have been performing since then, his 2026 outlook, and why he believes many investors will be proven wrong about the housing market and real estate investments. Scott believes the next three years will be an “absorption” phase for real estate, but what does that mean for your property values, rent prices, and cash flow? And don’t worry, Scott also shares what he’s been doing since stepping away from 100-hour weeks as BiggerPockets CEO. In This Episode We Cover Was selling worth it? The results of Scott’s $1,000,000 bet on rentals Scott’s growing fear about the stock market and AI-led price rallies Scott’s investment portfolio in 2026 and why he still has so much of his net worth in the stock market The “absorption” phase begins, and Scott’s 2026 rent price growth prediction Stocks vs. real estate: Are either truly safe in an economy like this? And So Much More! Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1229 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email advertise@biggerpockets.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Retire Early with Less Than 10 Rentals? Dion McNeeley’s “Boring” Strategy
Over $20,000 per month in pure cash flow from just eight rental properties—all achieved in around a decade. Dion McNeeley did it and has inspired thousands of others to repeat his “boring” and self-proclaimed “lazy” strategy to reach financial freedom. Today, he’s teaching you how to do it, too. A 40-year-old single dad with less than $1,000 in the bank and over $80,000 in debt is not who you’d think would become a multi-millionaire rental investor. But now, over a decade later, joining us from Thailand and making over $200,000 per year in cash flow, is the same man—Dion McNeeley! His tried-and-true strategy for rental investing is one anyone can replicate, and if you put in five years of hard work and another five years of patience, you, too, can be living your dream life, just like Dion. Dion is walking through his exact rental property criteria and what he plans to buy in 2026. Plus, he’ll share his best advice for beginners, the first step every new investor should take, how to know you’re ready to invest, and three tips to optimize your portfolio to make the most cash flow possible. This is the lazy path to early retirement with rentals! In This Episode We Cover How Dion went from making $17/hour to $20,000/month with just eight rentals Why “recycling” your cash flow makes you so much wealthier and massively increases passive income The two signs that you’re ready to invest in real estate (Dion still follows these rules) Proof that you can still retire with real estate in 2026 (it’s not too late to buy) Dion’s number one resource for real estate investing that you can use for free The “game-changing” skill that Dion says makes investors the most money And So Much More! Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1228 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email advertise@biggerpockets.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Where We’d Invest in Real Estate in 2026 (If We Could Buy Anywhere)
If we could invest in real estate anywhere in the country, where would we put our money? It’s a new year, and markets have already shifted, changing where the best buying opportunities are. So today, Ashley Kehr (from the Real Estate Rookie podcast), Henry, and Dave are back to share their updated 2026 best places to buy rental property list! These markets span multiple states, but many have affordable home prices (some even below $200K!). But of these top markets, which one would we make the biggest bet on? These markets fly under the radar—we’re not talking about big cities like Miami, Austin, Chicago, or Denver. Many of these may be real estate markets you’ve only heard of once or twice, but once you hear the numbers, you might take a deeper look. If you want cash-flowing cities with landlord-friendly laws, we have them. If you want appreciation potential in affordable pockets of the country, we’ve got that, too. And, if you want to buy a rental in the birthplace of Mountain Dew, you’re in luck. Each of these cities is broken down into metrics that matter most to investors: average home price, rent price, rent-to-price ratio, population growth, job growth, and more. These aren’t just “cheap” markets with low home prices, but “sleeper” cities that only the savviest investors know about. In This Episode We Cover A cash-flowing college town with home prices that are below $200K The hurricane-safe southern city that is growing at lightning speed An affordable “sleeper” market between two very unaffordable cities Small multifamilies and Mountain Dew: this market has plenty of both You can buy a home for around $160,000 in this Midwest market with a (surprisingly) large population And So Much More! Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1227 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email advertise@biggerpockets.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How to Buy Your First Rental Property in 2026 (Step-by-Step)
This is how to buy a rental property in 2026. You don’t need experience, a big bank account, or a complicated spreadsheet. Anyone can follow these seven steps to acquire (at least) one rental property by the end of 2026. Real estate investments are one of the best ways to grow wealth, reach financial freedom, and retire early. But you need to start with your first rental property to get to your end goal. We know how to do it because both Dave and Henry went from zero rentals (and almost no money) to financially independent investors. It took Dave 15 years, but Henry only 7. And you might be able to do it faster. We’ll start by helping you define your goal: how much passive income do you want and by when? Then, how to pick the right strategy, market, and property to fit that goal. We’ll share key rules of thumb to help you analyze (calculate the profit of) your first rental and understand what a “good deal” really looks like. Then, how to make offers, manage your first rental, and repeat it, so you can reach financial freedom. This isn’t theory; we’ve followed these seven steps to achieve life-changing passive income. Now, it’s your turn. In This Episode We Cover How to buy your first rental property by the end of 2026 (it’s possible!) The first thing you should do before you look at a single rental property Why we choose our investing strategy before choosing a market to invest in The easiest way to analyze rental properties (and what a “good deal” looks like) The biggest mistake new investors make when submitting offers Do this during the first 90 days of owning a rental (very, very important) And So Much More! Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1226 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email advertise@biggerpockets.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices