BiggerPockets Daily BiggerPockets

Setting up an emergency fund is one of the fundamental pillars of financial well-being. And yes, saving can be hard, especially in 2024. According to a recent poll by Bankrate, many of us are saving less, with the majority (63%) saying that recent high inflation means they’re able to save less than before. As of 2024, only 44% of Americans could pay for an emergency expense of $1,000 or more from their savings. The majority would rely on credit cards, payment plans, or cutting spending elsewhere.
However, not everyone’s situation is quite as dire. About a third of us (30%) report having more savings this year than last year. And millennials are not doing so badly, with 35% of this generational group saying that they have more savings than they did a year ago. So, some of us are on the right track. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Denver’s housing market is on fire—at least according to a U.S. News analysis of December 2023 data from the U.S. News Housing Market Index, which includes multiple indicators of housing supply and demand, along with financial health measures. A healthy job market, low rental vacancy rates, and a low housing supply that keeps rents from falling may make Denver an attractive market to investors as well, U.S. News reports, despite its high home prices relative to the national median. 
Several more of the top 20 housing markets ranked by U.S. News were also located in Colorado, and three were located in North Carolina. Multiple markets in Texas and Florida also made the list, consistent with recent migration trends into these states. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When buying rental real estate, where you buy now matters just as much as getting a great deal. Matt Myre, managing editor of the BiggerPockets Blog , shares today’s Headlines about states that are becoming unapproachable for investors due to their politics and what you should look for when trying to avoid bad policies. There are really two main points that contribute to the issue with these states.high taxes and stringent regulations.
Meanwhile, other markets are looking to improve zoning, making a big difference in how cities have developed, and how they are currently priced.When choosing a market to invest in, these are major considerations for new and experienced investors.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett’s much-anticipated annual letter to investors is out. As is customary for the maverick investor, it’s peppered with headline-grabbing statements about Buffett’s disdain for investment advisors and unearned wealth. 
But setting the flashy statements aside, Buffett’s latest letter contains some very valuable information. It’s worth paying attention to, even if you are at the very beginning of your investment journey because it concerns the future of one of the biggest, traditionally most profitable segments of the investment market. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Purchasing a home is an extraordinarily expensive process, especially once you add up the down payment, closing costs, and potential relocation expenses. And once you’ve acquired the home, you still need to consider the ongoing taxes, mortgage payments, and associated costs like HOA fees, insurance, and home maintenance costs.
Many people understandably wonder what costs and expenses could be tax-deductible and what additional taxes they may need to pay as part of the homebuying and ownership process. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I love telling people that I have been a Brandon Turner copycat when it comes to my real estate investing career. While our backgrounds in finding real estate are a bit different, our stories are quite similar because I followed what Brandon coined the “stack method.”
The stack method is self-explanatory: First, you buy one property, then two, four, six, and eight more, but you start small and scale up gradually over time. In the hopes that you can avoid (or at least laugh at) some of the mistakes I made, here is how I utilized the stack method and my biggest failures along the way.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices