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A Landlord Blog for the Passive Income Obsessed
Know the acronym “FIRE,” in personal finance circles?
It stands for Financial Independence/Retire Early.
Financial independence means that income from your investments (like, oh, I don’t know, rental properties) is enough to cover your living expenses. In other words, you’re no longer “dependent” on your job to pay your bills.
My name is Brian Davis, and I’m a landlord, real estate investor, personal finance writer, co-founder of SparkRental, and world traveler. I get to spend most of the year living abroad, largely because my rental income allows me to live anywhere.
Deni (my partner) and I have a simple goal: to help 5,000 people reach $5,000/month in passive income from rental properties. Actually our goal is to help as many people as possible reach financial independence from rental income, but that doesn’t have the same ring to it 😉
Want to retire early with rental properties? Stack up streams of passive income? Reach financial independence?
We created this landlord blog to help you do just that. Being a landlord is great, but ultimately rental properties are a means to a greater end: giving you the freedom to lead whatever life you want.
The Latest from the Landlord & Real Estate Investing Blog:
How Much Emergency Fund Should I Have as a Property Owner?
Just 40% of Americans could cover an emergency expense costing $1,000, per a 2019 study by Bankrate. The other 60% would be up the creek without a paddle. Because emergencies do happen, and not just to other people, either. Three out of ten Americans say they or an...
Cats vs. Dogs: Should I Allow Pets in My Rental Property? (Infographic)
Pet lover? So are we! There are some great reasons to allow pets in your rental property… and some risks. What are the pros and cons of allowing pets in your rental? Is renting to tenants with cats better than allowing dogs? What are the risks of each? Most...
Should I Pay Off My Mortgages or Invest in New Rental Properties?
You have $15,000 set aside, and you have a few rental properties. Should you aim to pay off a mortgage or invest in a new rental property? The answer, of course, is it depends. But it’s an easier question to answer than you think. Here’s what you need to know to...
The Best Cities for Real Estate Investing in 2019, by 8 Metrics & Maps
What are the best cities for real estate investing in the US? Sure, it’s subjective. And yes, it depends on what kind of investing you’re doing. But that doesn’t mean that some cities don’t have better fundamentals for rental investing. In our hunt for the best cities...
How to Get a Mortgage for an LLC-Owned Rental Property
When new investors start looking into buying real estate, one of their most common questions is: “How do I get a mortgage for an LLC-owned rental property?” Spoiler alert: it’s easier than you think. In fact, it’s one of the easiest things to learn as a new investor...
How One Single Mom Went from 0 to 6 Rentals in One Year
It’s hard being a single parent. You’re constantly triaging all the demands on your time. You have a full-time job, full-time parenting responsibilities, and of course you have to manage a household entirely on your own. And that’s before you even think about...
11 Ways to Lower Your Real Estate Investing Risks as a Landlord
One of the great advantages to real estate versus stocks is the predictability of real estate investing returns. When you buy a rental property, you can accurately predict your average annual yield and cash flow. And while I love stocks too, they’re as volatile as a...
Should Landlords Rent to Illegal Immigrants? Unbiased Pros & Cons
*Note on Terminology: Conservatives and liberals can’t even agree on terminology, with conservatives using the pejorative “illegal aliens” and liberals using the cuddly “undocumented immigrants.” We’ll split the difference here and use the term “illegal immigrants,”...
Competing with Cash Buyers: Persuasive Real Estate Offers to Purchase
If you’ve ever made a real estate offer to purchase and were beat out by an all-cash buyer, you’re not alone. Many potential homebuyers and investors are feeling the pressure from buyers offering of the enticing real estate cash offer to sellers. Corporate investors...
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Who Is This Blog For?
Well, sure, this is a real estate investing and landlord blog. We write about the nuts and bolts of investing in rental properties, tenant screening, leasing issues, collecting rent, managing difficult tenants, and so on.
But while the “how-tos” and “avoid these mistakes” are important, they’re only part of the picture.
The bigger picture? How rental properties and real estate investing fit into your larger strategy for building wealth and passive income.
Specifically: reaching financial independence to give you the freedom to retire young, if you so choose.
So who is this “landlord blog” for? It’s not just for 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 landlord 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 landlords and real estate investors. We offer several premium landlord courses. Our weekly newsletter keeps you abreast of rental industry trends, landlord tips, and the best of real estate investing blogs from around the web.
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’re going 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 landlord education at SparkRental. We want you to make as much passive income as possible, as fast as possible, on the fewest rental investments possible.
Beyond the Blog: More Landlord Resources
Had enough of us going on about the importance of landlord education?
“Cut to the goods already Brian! Gimme some free stuff!”
All right, all right. Here are some free landlord resources, to help you on your quest for financial independence from real estate:
Free Rental Application
Email our free rental application PDF to your prospects; they can type into it, e-sign it, and email it back to you. It even includes authorization for you to contact employers, prior landlords, and run tenant screening reports.
Tenant Screening Reports
Well, it’s free for the landlord. The applicant verifies their identity and releases their credit report, criminal background check, and eviction history tenant screening reports to you. No site inspection required!
State-Specific Lease Agreements
Our rental lease agreements are extremely landlord-protective, and deter any lawsuit-happy tenants. They’re editable, reusable, and include all state-specific lease clauses, disclosures, and addenda.
Free Rent Collection
Collect rent online, through either ACH (bank transfer), credit card, or debit card. Reduce late payments and rent defaults, and use one-click Schedule E tax statements and Income & Expense reports!
Want more free landlord resources? Check out our list of Free Landlord Tools.
Spark Rental Blog Guest Post Policy
This is our skeptical face. Persuade us you’re not another hack!
Yes, we do allow guest blog posts occasionally.
No, we don’t accept crappy posts from bad writers or people who aren’t real estate investing experts, landlords, or rental industry experts.
If you’re an outstanding writer, with something unique to write about, and you’re a rock star real estate investor, landlord, property manager, housing industry analyst, or FIRE and personal finance expert, we can talk. But I’ll warn you right now, we have extremely high standards, and we will probably send you a detailed set of instructions to follow.
We also only accept in-depth articles of 1,500-2,000+ words.
Still interested in contributing to our real estate investing blog?
Contact us using the form below, to pitch a few unique and relevant blog post ideas.
