Retire Early with Real Estate
Who says you need to work until you’re 65?
A Passive Income Blog for the 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 Our Real Estate Investing Blog
Taxes on Real Estate Sales: Homes, Investment Properties, Crowdfunding & Syndications
Sure, property taxes aren’t fun while you own a home or investment property. But what about taxes on real estate sales? Do you pay taxes when you sell a house? Are taxes on real estate sales different for homes versus investment properties? Selling properties isn’t...
What Is Gross Rent Multiplier? How to Use GRM in Real Estate
Sometimes it feels like real estate investors use too many ways to measure returns. Are they all really necessary? What is gross rent multiplier anyway, and why should investors bother with it? While a blunt instrument, gross rent multiplier (GRM) offers an easy,...
Terms in Real Estate Investing: Glossary of Real Estate Vocabulary
People throw hundreds of jargony real estate terms around in the industry, half of them acronyms. If you’re new to the industry, you almost need to carry around a glossary of terms in real estate investing. Which is precisely what this is: your pocket guide to real...
Loans for Investment Property Rates: Dec. 2022 Loan Terms & Types
Image Credit: Trading Academy, CC BY-NC-ND) Wondering what interest rates you can expect to pay on loans for investment properties? It depends on your credit score of course, and on your other risk factors as a borrower. But it also largely depends on what type of...
How Much Emergency Fund Should I Have as a Property Owner?
Just 39% of Americans could cover an emergency expense costing $1,000, per a 2021 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...
What Is a Wholesaler in Real Estate? How to Wholesale Real Estate
People talk about real estate wholesaling almost as if it's cheating. Too good to be true. But what is a real estate wholesaler, anyway? Real estate wholesalers never actually own the properties they put under contract. Instead, they simply flip the contract to an end...
How to Find Properties Before They Hit the Market
Want to score better deals on investment properties? Learn how to find properties before they hit the market. In a competitive real estate market, buyers and investors want to learn how to find homes before they become public knowledge. Try these 10 ways to find...
Reverse 1031 Exchange Timeline & Rules
Real estate investors can famously defer capital gains taxes on investment properties with a 1031 exchange. They sell a property for a profit then roll the proceeds into a new real estate investment to avoid paying capital gains on the sold property — at least for the...
Cash-on-Cash Return Calculator: What Is Cash-on-Cash Return in Real Estate?
Heard real estate investors throw around the term “cash-on-cash return” but not entirely sure what it means? While it might sound technical and complicated, it’s anything but. Especially since we have a free cash-on-cash return calculator that you can bookmark and...
What do you want to learn more about?
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 for years, although they only 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, Stitcher, or wherever else you listen!
Recent Episodes
Ep. #121: Using Tech to Score Off-Market Real Estate Deals w/Paul Wakim
How can real estate investors leverage technology to find great deals and joint venture partners? Paul Wakim of TwnSqr joins us to talk tech and scoring killer deals as a real estate investor.Video Broadcast VersionAudio Podcast Version Also available on iTunes,...
Ep. #120: 5 Creative Ways To Finance Rentals While Rates Are High
The year started with mortgageg interest rates around 3%. Now, averages are hovering around 7%. For savvy investors, that means it's time to get creative. Brian and Deni break down five outside-the-box ways to finance rental properties while interest rates are...
Ep. #119: How to Vet Real Estate Syndications with Kenneth Gee
What are the risks and returns of real estate syndications? Veteran syndicator Kenneth Gee explains how to vet syndication deals for low risk and high returns.Video Broadcast VersionAudio Podcast Version Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever else you listen...
Ep. #118: 3 (and a Half) Recession-Proof Real Estate Investments
Worried about a recession on the horizon? Brian and Deni break down four recession-resistant investments, to help protect your portfolio from turbulent times.Video Broadcast VersionAudio Podcast Version Also available on iTunes, Stitcher, and wherever else you listen...
Ep. #117: How Brian Clayton Went from Landscaper to Real Estate Mogul
Brian Clayton started as a landscaper. Today he's built an eight-figure real estate portfolio and has become debt-free and financially independent, in addition to founding a successful real estate technology company. How did he do it? Video Broadcast VersionAudio...
Ep. #116: Active Vs. Passive Real Estate Investing – Which Is Better
Should invest actively or passively in real estate? What's the difference? What are the pros and cons of each? Deni & Brian break down how you should decide whether to invest as a passive or active investor in real estate.Video Broadcast VersionAudio Podcast...
Who Is the Passive Investing 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. 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’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 Real Estate 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.
Online 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.
