Build Passive Income with Real Estate
Who says you need to work until you’re 65?
A Passive Income Blog for the Obsessed
Want to work forever?
We certainly don’t. Which is why we’re so obsessed with passive income. And while we love stocks, our true passion is passive real estate investing.
My name is Brian Davis, and I’m a passive real estate investor, personal finance writer, co-founder of SparkRental, and world traveler. I get to spend most of the year living abroad hiking, scuba diving, wine tasting, and breaking toes trying to learn how to surf.
Deni (my partner) and I have a simple goal: to help 5,000 people reach $5,000/month in passive real estate income. Want to be one of them? To start stacking up streams of passive income? To reach financial independence and retire early with rental properties or real estate syndications?
We created this real estate investing blog to help you stop relying so heavily on your 9-5 salary and start living more intentionally. Welcome!
The Latest from Our Real Estate Investing Blog
Who counts as upper-middle class?
At a Glance: “Upper-middle class” is subjective, but two objective ways to measure it are net worth and income We used the 75th to 90th percentiles for both to define upper-middle class Real estate investing can help you get there faster here’s how The term...
“Back Door” Syndication Investments and $2,500 Minimums?
At a Glance: Sometimes operators back-fill deals to wrap up the last round of renovations That can reduce risk, since the operator already runs and knows the property inside and out The downside: the cap on how much you can invest Deni and I are constantly checking in...
Ultra-Niche Passive Real Estate Investments That Pay Ultra-Returns
At a Glance: In general, the deeper the niche, the higher the returns. We’ve had good experiences with these four niche investments over the last year. Ever hear the expression “the riches are in the niches”? Hokey rhymes aside, it’s true. Here are a few examples of...
Weakening Economy? How Should You Invest?
At a Glance: There are actually huge advantages to investing through a downturn especially in real estate Dollar cost averaging protects you from dangerous emotions like fear and greed I keep investing $5,000 a month no matter what happens in the economy The Labor...
U.S. Housing Market Outlook: Cities Facing the Steepest Home Price Declines
At a Glance National Home Prices Declining: Unlike most past recessions, U.S. home prices are projected to fall about 1% nationally, with some local markets facing much steeper drops of 5–15%. Key Drivers of the Decline: Rising insurance premiums, higher mortgage...
Who Counts as Middle Class and Upper-Middle Class in America Today?
At a Glance Income & Net Worth Benchmarks – The upper middle class is typically defined as households earning $145K–$235K annually or having a net worth of $658K–$1.9M, though exact ranges vary. Location Matters – What qualifies as upper middle class depends...
Housing Markets Projected to Fall in 2025: The Cities at Risk
At a Glance Certain U.S. housing markets are projected to see significant price declines in 2025, with smaller cities like Greenville, MS (-16.7%) and major metros like New Orleans (-7.2%) and San Francisco (-6.1%) most at risk. Key factors driving these declines...
Trump vs. Powell: Can Trump Force Mortgage Rates Lower?
At a Glance: The Fed controls the federal funds rate, not mortgage rates Mortgage rates are more based on bond yields, not the federal funds rate The Trump Administration can’t control bond yields – or mortgage rates The Fight Over the Fed President Trump has tried...
Is Robert Kiyosaki Right That a Greater Depression Is Coming?
At a Glance Kiyosaki Predicts a “Greater Depression” but Experts Disagree Economic Risks Are Real but Not Catastrophic Balanced Portfolios with Stocks and Real Estate Remain Key In a world where economic forecasts are often vague and cautiously worded, Robert Kiyosaki...
How Real Estate Can Hedge Against an Overpriced Stock Market
At a Glance Real estate provides diversification and stability – Unlike stocks, real estate often holds steady during market corrections, offering consistent rental income and long-term appreciation. Resilience across risks – Real estate can withstand geopolitical...
How the 2025 Tax Law Creates Massive Advantages for Real Estate Investors
At a Glance: 100% Bonus Depreciation Is Permanent Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZs) Made Permanent Expanded Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) The information provided on this website is for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as...
How The One Big Beautiful Bill Affects Us Real Estate Investors
The Big Picture on How The One Big Beautiful Bill Affects Real Estate Investors: Real estate investors can now permanently write off 100% of eligible property depreciation in the first year—greatly enhancing passive investing tax benefits. The act allows states to...
The “Live Off Rents” Podcast
Prefer to watch or listen to your real estate investing and FIRE tips & tricks? No sweat.
Deni and Brian have been broadcasting live every week to the SparkRental-sponsored Facebook groups since 2017, and started releasing the content via podcast in 2020. Each episode is quick, 15-20 minutes, but jam-packed with actionable content.
No fluff, just advice you can put to work immediately to build passive income from real estate.
If you enjoy the episodes, share them, and please rate and review on iTunes or wherever else you listen!
Recent Episodes
Beyond Education: Group Real Estate Investment Club
Learning is wonderful, and we offer nearly endless free education content for real estate investors. But nothing beats getting in the trenches and actually investing to earn real returns.
At your request, we created a real estate investment club that lets you “earn while you learn” with a club of other investors. Every month, we meet on a video call to vet a new passive real estate investment. These group real estate investments range from private parnetships to private notes to real estate syndications and funds for fractional ownership in an apartment complex, self-storage facility, retail or other large property. You get all the benefits of real estate investing, from cash flow to appreciation to tax benefits, without the headaches of buying properties yourself.
Best of all, you can invest with a lot less money. Rather than the $50,000 – $100,000 needed for a typical private equity real estate investment or rental property down payment, you can invest with $5,000 per deal.
Oh, and non-accredited investors are welcome on all deals. We intentionally propose inclusive deals open to all investors.
Who Is this Real Estate Investing Blog For?
Well, sure, it’s for aspiring and active investors and landlords. We write about the nuts and bolts of investing passively in real estate syndications or actively in rental properties. We cover topics ranging from real estate crowdfunding to tax benefits, tenant screening to collecting rents, single-family to multifamily to self-storage and beyond.
But while the “how-tos” and “avoid these mistakes” are important, they’re only part of the picture.
The bigger picture? How real estate investing fits into your larger strategy for building wealth and passive income.
Specifically: reaching financial independence to give you the freedom to retire early, if you so choose. Or to supplement your current lifestyle so you can live better or switch to your dream work.
So who is this “real estate investing blog” for? It’s not just for passive real estate investors or active landlords — it’s for anyone looking for creative ways to reach FIRE through real estate investing.
Real Estate Investing & Landlord Education
Our real estate investing blog includes hundreds of articles personal finance articles, property management tips, and detailed real estate investing advice. Browse it, search it, use it as a free resource.
But our landlord education doesn’t end with the blog.
We offer a range of free webinars and online masterclasses for real estate investors. We offer a premium course called FIRE from Real Estate, to help you reach financial independence and retire early in years rather than decades. Our weekly newsletter keeps you abreast of rental industry trends, landlord tips, and the best of real estate investing blogs from around the web. And every week, Deni & Brian hop on live video on Facebook for a 15-minute live vlog and answer questions.
What for? Why do real estate investors and landlords need continuing education, anyway?
Because investing in rental properties is not like throwing money in an index fund.
Buying real estate investment properties takes skill (at least if you want to make money). Managing rental properties takes skill.
Your returns on rental investment properties are directly proportionate to your knowledge and skill, both as an investor and as a landlord. If you want to reach financial independence from real estate, you’re going to need to know what you’re doing.
That’s why we’re obsessed with ongoing real estate education at SparkRental. We want you to make as much passive income as possible, as fast as possible, on the fewest real estate investments possible.
More Resources for Investors
Had enough of us going on about the importance of real estate investing education?
“Cut to the goods already Brian! Gimme some free stuff!”
All right, all right. Here are some free real estate investing resources, to help you on your quest for financial independence from real estate:
Real Estate Investing Calculators
Real estate investing involves math. But it doesn’t have to be hard math. Use our free rental income calculator, house hacking calculator, property depreciation calculator and more to get ahead in the game of life.
Interactive Real Estate Maps
It’s a big country, with thousands of towns you could invest in. Where should you invest? Why? Check out our interactive maps of the hottest housing markets, cooling real estate markets, best cities for real estate investing by price/rent ratio, and more.
Real Estate Crowdfunding Comparison
Wondered whether real estate crowdfunding investments are worth considering? The answer: some are, others aren’t. But which are worth it? Check out our comparison of real estate crowdfunding platforms — and which we invest in ourselves.
Landlord Software & Mobile App
Use our free landlord software to screen tenants, collect rent online, and automate your rental accounting. Sync your bank account, automatically label income and expenses, and use one-click Schedule E tax statements.
Want more free landlord resources? Check out our list of Free Real Estate Investing Tools.
