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
Tenant Retention: How to Maximize ROI
The Big Picture on Improving Tenant Retention and ROI: Compare your rental units to competitors in terms of pricing and amenities. Conduct market research and exit interviews to understand why tenants leave and what improvements could encourage them to stay. Keep a...
What Bills Help Build Your Credit?
The Big Picture On What Bills Help Build Your Credit: Not all bills impact your credit score; only those reported to credit bureaus do. Commonly reported bills include car payments, mortgages, student loans, and credit cards. Some providers report only late payments,...
Home Renovations with the Highest ROI: Which Renovations Add the Most Value?
The Big Picture On Home Renovations With The Best ROI: Improvements like garage door replacements, manufactured stone veneer, and new front doors offer high returns on investment due to their significant impact on a property's first impression. Minor kitchen remodels...
12 Lessons About Money from Game of Thrones and HoTD
The Big Picture On Money And Real-Estate Lessons From Game of Thrones and House of The Dragon: Just like in the series, leveraging resources and forming strategic alliances can significantly amplify real estate investment returns. Managing and mitigating risks are...
The Role of Dividends in Financial Independence/Retiring Early
The Role Of Dividends In Financial Independence: Dividend stocks, particularly Dividend Kings with over 50 years of increasing dividends, are ideal for generating passive income. Investing in stocks with high dividends can help investors achieve financial independence...
How to Increase Property Value: 11 Ideas to Boost Equity & Rents
The Big Picture On How To Increase Property Value: Boost the property's exterior with landscaping, a fresh coat of paint, or new fixtures to make a strong first impression. Modernize the kitchen and bathrooms with new hardware, countertops, and fixtures. This upgrade...
Should Landlords Accept Rent by Credit Card?
The Big Picture On Accepting Rent by Credit Card: Accepting rent by credit card provides flexibility for renters who might be short on cash and can help them avoid late fees. For landlords, it offers faster and more reliable payments. Using credit card payments can...
Investment Property Interest Rates: Latest Update
The Big Picture Investment Property Interest Rates: Getting loans for rental property allow investors to take advantage of increased capital, leverage, improved cash flow, and more. There are many potential sources of property loans, including conventional, personal,...
Minimum Down Payment for an Investment Property: 9 Ways to Invest with Less
The Big Picture On The Minimum Down Payment For An Investment Property: You can borrow at a higher LTV (loan-to-value ratio) if you live in the property for at least a year, have higher credit scores, negotiate seller financing, or cross-collateralize with other...
How to Avoid Capital Gains Tax on Real Estate
The Big Picture On How To Avoid Capital Gains Tax on Real Estate: The IRS taxes your profits on real estate and other investments as capital gains. The tax rate on capital gains is lower than regular income — if you owned the investment for at least a year. Real...
17 Clever Ways to Come Up with a Down Payment for a Rental Property
The Big Picture On Clever Ways To Come Up With Down Payment For A Rental Property: Various financing options exist for rental property down payments, such as using home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), borrowing from retirement accounts like 401(k)s or IRAs, and...
Mashvisor Review: Are They Legit?
The Big Picture On Our Mashvisor Review: Mashvisor offers a range of tools for property analysis, including heatmaps, Mashvisor Airbnb calculator, and other investment calculators, which help investors identify profitable rental properties. The platform is designed 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.
