Retire Early with Rental Properties
Who says you need to work until you’re 65?
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:
What Happens If My Tenant Goes to Jail?
No landlord thinks their tenant will end up in prison. And yet. Rental properties come with plenty of upsides, like consistent passive income and investing in an asset that is likely to appreciate in value over time. But they come with their fair share of risks and...
How to Compete with Cash Real Estate Offers
Beaten by a cash offer on your last real estate offer to purchase? You’re not alone. The percentage of cash offers in real estate markets across the country have surged to 25% per the National Association of Realtors, up from just 15% a year ago. Still, you don't need...
8 (Awesome) Alternative Housing Ideas to Save Money & See the World
Feeling a little “blah” about the idea of a traditional apartment or a suburban house with a white picket fence? You’re not alone. From the rise of tiny homes to the spike in co-living spaces, people from all walks of life are rebelling against skyrocketing housing...
Eviction Moratorium Status: Federal & States (July 2021 Update)
In spring 2020, the CARES Act placed a partial moratorium on evictions across the country. Many states and cities implemented their own more stringent eviction bans, barring landlords from starting the eviction process. That made lease agreements effectively one-way...
What Is Wholesaling Real Estate? Is It Too Good to Be True?
The term "wholesale" refers to the lower price that a business pays for items, compared to the retail price that they sell to consumers. In the real estate industry, wholesaling works exactly the same way. Real estate investors don't want to pay full retail prices...
Repairs vs. Capital Improvements to Rental Properties: What’s the Difference?
Every landlord must carry out regular maintenance and repairs to keep their rental properties habitable. Fixing a faulty faucet, AC unit repair, or painting the property are simply part of a landlord’s job description. In contrast, capital improvements boost the...
How to Deal with Bad Contractors
Working with contractors ranks among the hardest parts of real estate investing. However, as a real estate investor, unless you have a property manager, working with contractors unavoidably comes with the job whether you are building a property, remodeling or making...
What Are Squatters Rights? State-by-State Guide to Squatters Rights
“Possession is nine-tenths of the law.” Adverse possession of property – squatters' rights – is commonly accepted in countries around the world. “Homesteading” – a legal form of squatting – was prevalent in the early and mid-1800s in the United States and formally...
When Can Landlords Break a Lease Agreement?
In most cases, landlords cannot break a lease agreement mid-term. For that matter, tenants aren’t allowed to do so either, even if they often get away with it. It’s hard to chase down tenants and actually collect money for early move-out. Here’s what landlords need...
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. #51 Rent Default Insurance & Other Ways to Protect Your Rents
Some landlords haven't collected rents in 16 months, as eviction moratoriums have prevented them from serving eviction notices on nonpaying tenants. But not landlords that bought rent default insurance. They've collected every payment, on time and in full, from their...
Ep. #50 CYA – Cover Your Assets
Real estate investors own more assets than most people, which makes them easy targets for lawsuits. Unless you protect your assets, that is. Deni chats with attorney Sayge Grubbs, Esq. about asset protection as you get older and accumulate more wealth, so you don't...
Ep. #49 Land Investing: No Sexiness, Low Headaches, High Profits
Why should real estate investors consider raw land over residential properties? Deni and Brian talk over the advantages, including: No renovations or contractors No ongoing maintenance expenses No tenant headaches No pest control problems Very little competition No...
Ep. #48 FIRE Investing Strategies with Wealth Planner Brian Thorp
What do traditional wealth planners have to say about rental properties? What about the FIRE movement and retiring early? Brian interviews former wealther planner and founder of Wealthtender.com Brian Thorp about how he personally invests, and his plans for passive...
Ep. #47: How to Invest in Real Estate with a Self-Directed IRA
Real estate comes with a slew of inherent tax benefits, from landlord tax deductions to depreciation, from the lower capital gains tax rate to the many ways to reduce or avoid capital gains taxes. But real estate investors can go even further, and invest in rental...
Ep. #46: How Michael Quan Retired at 36
Michael Quan retired at 36. With a full family that includes several children. How did he do it? Brian chats up Michael about his combination of real estate investing, entrepreneurship, stock investing, and avoiding lifestyle creep to keep his living expenses low....
Who Is the Rental Income 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.
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.
