Agent Investor Podcast Tom Cafarella - Real Estate Investor & Coach

The number 1 thing holding people back from building a real estate empire is money. The truth is: you don’t need a hefty bankroll to kickstart your investing journey. You might believe it takes money to make money, but my journey from zero to flipping over 100 houses a year proves otherwise. I started with nothing—no big capital, just sheer determination and the right strategies.Could you start building your real estate business today, with the resources you already have? How did I manage to flip so many houses annually, grow a massive rental portfolio, and direct a 400+ agent brokerage, all starting from scratch?Don't let “I don’t have the money” stop you from pursuing real estate investing. The longer you wait, the more you stand to lose.In this episode, I talk about actionable steps and mindsets that can enable significant growth in real estate—even on a shoestring budget.
Anyone who’s ever had any level of success in anything has done it in a progression. Being flat broke to being worth a billion dollars is a step-by-step process. -Tom Cafarella 

Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
 
-How to Start Investing with Little to No CapitalBegin investing with just a little money. What simple ways can help you start making money in real estate even if you don't have a lot of cash to start?
 
-Growing Your Business Step-by-StepMake more money by finding good deals and managing house projects effectively. Why is it important to think about making your business bigger, and what easy steps can you follow to grow your real estate work quickly?
 
-Getting Help from a Mentor for Rapid GrowthMentorship accelerates your real estate success. Why is it important to find the right person to learn from, and how can they help you avoid mistakes and do well sooner?

If you’re tired of riding the real estate income rollercoaster, investing is the only way out of the stress of sales.
 
What holds people back is thinking we need big money to start. What if we could do it with absolutely nothing?
 
Contrary to what people believe: it’s possible to flip houses and start building wealth with zero upfront cash. You DON'T need a pile of cash to start getting investments under your belt. What you need is what every agent has easy access to - deals.
 
How can you use other people's money to start investing in real estate? What can you do to find good house deals even if your wallet is empty? In this episode, I bust myths and give real world examples of success without starting capital. I also show you how to turn a lack of funds into a flood of opportunities.
 
 
The key thing here is that you don't need YOUR money to invest in real estate. You can invest in real estate with OTHER PEOPLE’S money. -Tom Cafarella
 
Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
 
-Kick-off without capital
You can begin your investment journey with minimal personal financial resources. How exactly did I start with just $5,000 and significant debt?
 
-How to use other people's money
You can use other people’s money for real estate investments. How do we leverage partnerships so we’re not putting up our own capital?
 
-Finding the right deals is crucial
Why is securing good deals more important than having capital? How do we find and secure deals that are off market and require no-upfront-cost? 

The recent NAR Lawsuit Settlement drives home one important point: real estate agents who don’t invest aren’t safe. They should be worried.
 
Without the solid safety net of income-earning assets, you’ll always be a victim to the ups and downs of the market. With just one investing deal, you can protect your income and never have to worry about shrinking commissions or industry disruptions.
 
Many agents are in deep denial about the impact the NAR Settlement will have, and that’s a dangerous position to be in.
 
While it’s definitely too soon to tell what will happen to the industry, make no mistake - things won’t be the same. The faster we adapt, the more bulletproof our businesses will be.
 
What are the implications of the NAR Settlement? How do we bulletproof our income before it’s too late? In this episode, I talk about how to adapt to this development and protect yourself from the worst case scenario. 
 
There’s never been a time where it’s more important for agents to add investing income into their arsenal. -Tom Cafarella
 
Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
 
-The bad news about the NAR Settlement 
Whether we want to admit it or not, this development doesn’t bode well for a lot of agents. Does it mean we’ll have to work harder for less money?
 
-Adapt sooner than later 
The majority of agents believe that the changes of the NAR Settlement will take up to 5 years to kick in. Why should we make changes now regardless of how long it will take?
 
-Investing is evergreen 
Due to disruptions and shifting market conditions, commissions will always be under threat. How can we use investing to build something that can never be taken away from us?

In school, we learn a lot about a multitude of subjects, topics and concepts in order to succeed. While it worked in that space, it can hold us back in our careers, especially as real estate investors.
 
Because of how we were taught, we end up gathering more information than we need in order to get started. We think we need to read every book, absorb all the knowledge and go to all the events to be ready to pull the trigger, but that’s really not necessary.
 
In this game, 80% of our results can come from 20% of the information. Instead of knowing everything, we can go pretty far with a few simple pieces of information, especially when it comes to getting that first deal under our belts.
 
How do we eliminate the information that doesn’t matter and focus on what truly moves the needle? In this episode, I talk about how school might be the thing keeping you from success, wealth and financial freedom.
 
In school, you learn about a lot of things but only end up implementing just a few things, investing is the same. -Tom Cafarella  
 
Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
 
-Focus on deal #1
Thinking we need to have everything figured out keeps us from taking action. What do we need to focus on if we’re new to the game?
 
-The Pareto Principle 
What is the simple minimal work that takes less than an hour a week, but will produce 80% of our results?
 
-Shortcut the path to success 
How does a mentor help you cut out mistakes and gain you confidence in the deals you are and aren’t doing?

One of the critical components of being a successful investor is finding deals, but not all deal sources are created equal. In fact, some of the most common places to find deals, I wouldn’t recommend.
 
As solopreneurs, how we spend our time is directly connected to the results we get. Anytime we’re focused on the wrong lead sources, we’re not getting the most value out of our time. That doesn’t mean any one of these channels won’t get you deals, it just means they aren’t the most efficient.
 
What are some of the most popular deal sources, and why would I recommend you look elsewhere? Which methods lead to us burning time?
 
In this episode, I share where not to look when it comes to finding great investment deals.
 
The odds of getting a deal on the MLS are very low. You’re not just competing with other flippers and buy-and-hold people, you’re also competing with people who want to live in those properties. -Tom Cafarella  

Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
 
-Cut out the competition 
Why do we have to avoid deal sources where there’s always someone looking to pay a little bit more?
 
-The guiding principle of finding good deals 
How do we avoid fishing in red water and fighting other investors when it comes to finding deals? 
 
-Why FSBOS don’t work for investors
FSBOs by their very nature aren’t great for people looking for great deals. What makes them challenging and inefficient? 

Many agents are tired of the rollercoaster ride that small multifamily took them on in 2023 - including us. The constant stress of dealing with high-risk ventures, the disappointing returns that didn't match the effort invested is a far cry from the passive income dream.
 
Managing these units demands constant effort, hardly constituting the 'passive income' dream. And let's not forget the lurking beast of deferred maintenance, ready to devour profits which is why we sold all our rental properties.
 
How do rental properties often fall short in delivering promised rewards? Is there a smarter way to invest our resources?
 
In this episode, I talk about the reasons why we sold our rental properties, how the risk is not worth the meager reward and why we don’t recommend buying them right now.
 
Do not allow 100% of your income to come from residential real estate. -Tom Cafarella
 
Three Things You’ll Learn In This Episode
 
-Swimming against the tide
They say going against the status quo is smart, but can it tire us out in some situations?
 
-Individual case situations in rental properties
Every case is different so how do we figure out what works for us?
 
-Risk vs. reward
Is the risk in rental properties higher than the reward?