Understanding The BRRRR Method (2024)

Table of Contents
Buy Rehab Rent Refinance Repeat FAQs

When practicing the BRRRR Method, it’s important to take the following steps in their exact order. Here are a few tips for following each step of the process.

Buy

The BRRRR Strategy relies on you purchasing a distressed property in need of updates and repairs, so it may be hard to get a traditional mortgage on the home. There are a few reasons for this. Most lenders require an appraisal on the property, but the value is difficult to assess on this type of property. Depending on the type of loan you get, the property may also need to pass specific guidelines to qualify. A distressed property will most likely not meet those requirements.

Before you rule out financing completely, talk to a lender to see if you do have any options. It may be possible to use a home equity line of credit (HELOC) or a hard money loan to finance the purchase, but these options can be high-risk and are often not recommended.

When buying a distressed property, it’s important to calculate the after-repair value (ARV). ARV is the estimated value of the home after you renovate or rehab the property. To determine ARV, you compare the planned final result of the home to similar homes, or comparables, that have recently sold in the area. These homes should be similar in size, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, age, type of build and condition.

When deciding how much to offer on the home, follow the 70% rule in real estate. Avoid investing more than 70% of the property’s ARV. For example, if a home’s ARV is $300,000, you shouldn’t pay more than $210,000 for the home.

Rehab

When you rehab a home, the first improvements you’ll need to make are any that will bring the home up to code and ensure it’s safe to live in. Next, you’ll want to identify the types of improvements that will truly increase value. These may include updating the kitchen and bathroom, improving the curb appeal and installing energy-efficient windows, appliances and other features.

Before you start your project, make sure you create a realistic budget and timeline for it.

Rent

It’s important to find renters before you refinance (the next step) because lenders generally won’t refinance until a property has tenants.

When it comes to choosing tenants, you’ll want to look for certain qualities:

  • A good record of on-time payments
  • A stable job with steady income
  • A good credit report
  • No criminal behavior or history of eviction
  • Positive references

You can find this information by meeting with the potential tenant, having them fill out an application, reviewing their credit report, asking for references and performing a background check. Of course, you’ll want to make sure you get their consent and follow all housing laws.

When determining the rent, it’s important that it’s both fair to your renter and able to produce a positive cash flow for you. You can determine this by subtracting the total expenses to own the home from the total amount of monthly rent you’ll charge. Let’s say you charge $1,500 per month for rent and your mortgage payment is $800. Barring any other expenses, your cash flow is $700 per month. Look at rental rate comparables to help you find the right price.

Refinance

In the BRRRR method, you do a cash-out refinance on your investment property so you can use the money to purchase another distressed property to flip and rent out. To do this, you’ll need to find a lender that offers a cash-out refinance, and you’ll need to meet the qualifications of the loan.

While the lender may have its own set of requirements, you’ll need to meet a minimum credit score requirement (typically around 620 for a cash-out refinance), a maximum debt-to-income ratio (usually around 50% or less) and have equity in the home. You may also need to own the property for a certain amount of time before you can get a cash-out refinance.

Keep in mind that you’ll also need an appraisal – and there may be additional fees, including closing costs, that you’ll need to pay to do the loan.

Repeat

In the final step of the BRRRR Method, you’ll go back and repeat the previous steps, in the same order as before. If you want to continue to repeat these steps, it’s a good idea to take notes each time you go through the process so you can learn from past mistakes.

Understanding The BRRRR Method (2024)

FAQs

Does 70% rule apply to BRRRR? ›

The BRRRR strategy is no different. Flippers like to use the “70% rule” for determining a strike price. This rule states that the most an investor should pay for a property is 70% of the After Repair Value minus the estimated rehab cost.

Does the BRRRR method really work? ›

While it may sound boring, using BRRRR to invest in real estate can actually be quite profitable when done correctly. Real estate investors who want to put their business on autopilot may find BRRRR to be an ideal real estate investing strategy.

What is the 1% rule in BRRRR? ›

What is the 1% Rule in BRRRR? The 1% rule is a quick method to figure out how much rent to charge as a landlord. If you follow the 1% rule, the rent you charge your tenants should equal at least 1% of what you paid for the house, including renovations, repairs, and other improvements.

How much money do you need to do the BRRRR method? ›

How Much Money Do I Need to Started The BRRRR Method? The amount that one needs varies, but it is usually about $50-$150K at a minimum because these numbers reflect what would be needed if purchasing another real estate property using BRRRR investing.

Is 100k enough to flip a house? ›

$100,000 is plenty for the rehab, closing costs, and other fees that come along with real estate investing. You'll need a hard money lender for the bulk of your project, but you can flip homes for much less than $100,000—even less than $5k when done right.

What is the 80% rule in real estate? ›

The 80% rule means that an insurer will only fully cover the cost of damage to a house if the owner has purchased insurance coverage equal to at least 80% of the house's total replacement value.

How many times can you do the BRRRR method? ›

This strategy can be repeated infinitely, thus multiplying your income without tying up cash. The BRRRR strategy is a solid method for building wealth and a real estate investment portfolio of rental properties.

Is BRRRR better than flipping? ›

You get to keep all the properties you invest in

An obvious benefit of BRRRR investing is that you don't actually have to sell the properties that you take ownership of. While house flipping is great for generating cash, with BRRRR investing, you forego the short term cash in favor of long term property appreciation.

How long do you have to wait to refinance a BRRRR? ›

DSCR Loans – The Best Refi Option for the BRRRR Method

Many DSCR lenders offer refinances within six months of purchase. Typically, they allow cash-out refinances of up to 100% of the purchase price and rehab costs and up to a 75% LTV or After-Repair Value.

What is the 4 3 2 1 rule in real estate? ›

THE 4-3-2-1 APPROACH

This ratio allocates 40% of your income towards expenses, 30% towards housing, 20% towards savings and investments and 10% towards insurance.

What is the 2% rule in real estate? ›

2% Rule. The 2% rule is the same as the 1% rule – it just uses a different number. The 2% rule states that the monthly rent for an investment property should be equal to or no less than 2% of the purchase price. Here's an example of the 2% rule for a home with the purchase price of $150,000: $150,000 x 0.02 = $3,000.

What is the 100 10 3 1 rule? ›

Many real estate investors subscribe to the “100:10:3:1 rule” (or some variation of it): An investor must look at 100 properties to find 10 potential deals that can be profitable. From these 10 potential deals an investor will submit offers on 3. Of the 3 offers submitted, 1 will be accepted.

What are the risks of the Brrr method? ›

The biggest risks of using the BRRR method involve the amount of competition you'll face that affects your purchase price, your rehab timeline, finding the right tenants, and getting the right rate for refinancing.

How to invest $20,000 dollars in real estate? ›

Now, let's look at eight different ways to invest in real estate with only $20,000.
  1. #1. Low down payment purchase. ...
  2. #2. Seller carryback. ...
  3. #3. Fix-and-flip. ...
  4. #4. Wholesale real estate. ...
  5. #5. Rent-to-own. ...
  6. #6. Buy shares in single-family rental property. ...
  7. #7. Real estate crowdfunding. ...
  8. #8. Real estate ETFs and REITs.
Oct 7, 2021

What is the 70 rule for flippers? ›

The 70% rule can help flippers when they're scouring real estate listings for potential investment opportunities. Basically, the rule says real estate investors should pay no more than 70% of a property's after-repair value (ARV) minus the cost of the repairs necessary to renovate the home.

What is the hardest part about flipping houses? ›

The most obvious risk of flipping houses is losing money. The worst thing that can happen on your flip (besides someone dying or being severely injured), is that you spend 4 to 6 months rehabbing a house only to wind-up losing money on the project.

What is the average ROI flipping houses? ›

House-flipping gross profit and return on investment

In 2022, the average return on investment (ROI) for house flipping was 26.9%, and gross profit was $67,900, according to Attom. Popular as it is, house flipping has become less profitable over the past several years.

What is the 5 and 2 real estate rule? ›

The 2-out-of-five-year rule states that you must have both owned and lived in your home for a minimum of two out of the last five years before the date of sale. However, these two years don't have to be consecutive, and you don't have to live there on the date of the sale.

What is the 50% rule in real estate investing? ›

The 50% rule in real estate says that investors should expect a property's operating expenses to be roughly 50% of its gross income. This is useful for estimating potential cash flow from a rental property, but it's not always foolproof.

What is the 10% rule in real estate? ›

A good rule is that a 1% increase in interest rates will equal 10% less you are able to borrow but still keep your same monthly payment. It's said that when interest rates climb, every 1% increase in rate will decrease your buying power by 10%. The higher the interest rate, the higher your monthly payment.

Can you use hard money to BRRRR? ›

Many hard money lenders will use a local broker's price opinion to determine property value rather than using an appraisal. Because appraisals can often increase the time it takes to close on a property, this is another advantage of using a hard money lender to fund your BRRRR purchase.

What is an example of BRRRR calculation? ›

BRRRR Formula: Total Investment = ARV x 75%

For example, if you run the comps and determine the ARV of a property will be $100,000, your total investment in the deal should not exceed $75,000.

How do you find the best BRRRR property? ›

The best way for investors to find BRRRR properties is to seek out off-market real estate. Methods for locating these types of properties would be utilizing a direct mail campaign, partnering with real estate wholesalers, using the driving for dollars strategy, posting bandit signs, and visiting estate sales.

What is the bird method in real estate? ›

What is Bird Dogging Real Estate? In real estate investing, bird dogging is the process of locating properties with investment potential, and then passing those properties on to a real estate investor in return for a commission.

Is it more profitable to rent or flip? ›

For short-term investors hoping to make money quickly, flipping and renting is probably the better option. However, if you need a regular income and have more time and money to invest, you could consider buying a rental property.

Where is house flipping most profitable? ›

Investors saw the largest profits after flipping homes in New York City, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle and Washington, D.C., while the lowest profits were in Kansas City, Indianapolis, San Antonio, Houston and Dallas, according to ATTOM.

Can I refinance my house then rent it out? ›

Can I rent my house after refinancing? You can rent your home after refinancing, but you may have to wait (which is true for any home mortgage). This is because lenders typically have higher standards for investment properties - there's a higher minimum credit score, a higher minimum down payment, and more.

Who invented BRRRR method? ›

If you're one to often attend real estate investing events and networking conferences, you've certainly heard the term BRRRR before: Ever since the acronym was coined by Brandon Turner at BiggerPockets, the BRRRR strategy has become one of the most talked-about and polarizing investment strategies in the industry.

What is the cash-out refinance method? ›

A cash-out refinance is a type of mortgage refinance that takes advantage of the equity you've built over time and gives you cash in exchange for taking on a larger mortgage. In other words, with a cash-out refinance, you borrow more than you owe on your mortgage and pocket the difference.

What is the 0.8 rule in real estate? ›

This general guideline suggests that you charge around 1% (or within 0.8-1.1%) of your property's total market value as monthly rent payments. A property valued at $200,000, for instance, would rent for $2,000 a month, or within a range of $1,600-$2,200.

What is the 30 10 1 rule? ›

It's a classic decor rule that helps create a color palette for a space. It states that 60% of the room should be a dominant color, 30% should be the secondary color or texture and the last 10% should be an accent.

Is the 1% rule in real estate realistic? ›

The 1% rule is a guideline that real estate investors use to choose viable investment options for their portfolios. Although the rule has helped many investors make wise decisions regarding their investment properties, the current real estate market may make following the 1% rule unrealistic.

What is the 25 rule in real estate? ›

To calculate how much house you can afford, use the 25% rule—never spend more than 25% of your monthly take-home pay (after tax) on monthly mortgage payments.

What's a good ROI for rental property? ›

Generally, a good ROI for rental property is considered to be around 8 to 12% or higher. However, many investors aim for even higher returns. It's important to remember that ROI isn't the only factor to consider while evaluating the profitability of a rental property investment.

What is the 36 rule in real estate? ›

A household should spend a maximum of 28% of its gross monthly income on total housing expenses according to this rule, and no more than 36% on total debt service. This includes housing and other debt such as car loans and credit cards. Lenders often use this rule to assess whether to extend credit to borrowers.

What is 10 5 3 rule of investment? ›

The 10,5,3 rule

Though there are no guaranteed returns for mutual funds, as per this rule, one should expect 10 percent returns from long term equity investment, 5 percent returns from debt instruments. And 3 percent is the average rate of return that one usually gets from savings bank accounts.

What is the rule of 1-10-100 1000? ›

The 1-10-100 Rule is related to what's called “the cost of quality.” Essentially, the rule states that prevention is less costly than correction is less costly than failure.

What is the rule of 110 or 120? ›

The common rule of asset allocation by age is that you should hold a percentage of stocks that is equal to 100 minus your age. So if you're 40, you should hold 60% of your portfolio in stocks. Since life expectancy is growing, changing that rule to 110 minus your age or 120 minus your age may be more appropriate.

How to make money using the BRRRR method? ›

The BRRRR (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat) Method is a real estate investment approach that involves flipping a distressed property, renting it out and then getting a cash-out refinance on it to fund further rental property investments.

What is the snowball effect in real estate investing? ›

The snowball effect in rental property investment involves increasing your cash flow with each property you invest in. The first property needs to be a good one that will generate a level of cash flow that will allow you to invest in a new one.

How to make money in real estate without ever buying any property? ›

Subleasing. “A more creative way to actually invest in real estate without actually owning property is to lease a property with a one- to two-year lease and then subsequently sublease the property for use as a short-term rental or STR,” Hager said.

How to make money in real estate without capital? ›

Here are 11 ways to invest in real estate with no money:
  1. Hard Money Lenders.
  2. Private Money Lenders.
  3. Wholesaling.
  4. Equity Partnerships.
  5. Home Equity.
  6. Option To Buy.
  7. Seller Financing.
  8. House Hacking.

How to turn $25,000 into a million? ›

Based on an investment of $25,000 today, it'd take a return of 13.08% per year to transform into $1 million in 30 years. If you require a shorter time to grow your investments, you'll need a higher return to arrive at $1 million sooner.

How to make $1000000 a year in real estate? ›

How To Make A Million Dollars In Real Estate
  1. Learn About Real Estate Investing.
  2. Establish Your Goals.
  3. Start Now, But Start Small.
  4. Write Offers For Affordable Deals.
  5. Generate Cash Flow.
  6. Start Growing Your Portfolio.
  7. Invest In Larger Properties.
  8. Continue Growing To 1 Million Dollars.

Is $40 K enough to invest in real estate? ›

While $40,000 can start you toward significant earnings, it likely won't be enough to purchase property outright. However, there are still several ways you can use it to start investing in real estate. For some, $40,000 can be a sizable portion of your down payment.

What does the rule of 70 apply to? ›

The rule of 70 is used to determine the number of years it takes for a variable to double by dividing the number 70 by the variable's growth rate. The rule of 70 is generally used to determine how long it would take for an investment to double given the annual rate of return.

What is the 70% rule in house flipping? ›

The 70% rule can help flippers when they're scouring real estate listings for potential investment opportunities. Basically, the rule says real estate investors should pay no more than 70% of a property's after-repair value (ARV) minus the cost of the repairs necessary to renovate the home.

What is the 10 5 3 rule? ›

The 10,5,3 rule

Though there are no guaranteed returns for mutual funds, as per this rule, one should expect 10 percent returns from long term equity investment, 5 percent returns from debt instruments. And 3 percent is the average rate of return that one usually gets from savings bank accounts.

What is the rule of 69? ›

What is Rule of 69. Rule of 69 is a general rule to estimate the time that is required to make the investment to be doubled, keeping the interest rate as a continuous compounding interest rate, i.e., the interest rate is compounding every moment.

How do you apply rule 72? ›

Do you know the Rule of 72? It's an easy way to calculate just how long it's going to take for your money to double. Just take the number 72 and divide it by the interest rate you hope to earn. That number gives you the approximate number of years it will take for your investment to double.

Should I BRRRR or flip? ›

Pros of BRRRR Investing

An obvious benefit of BRRRR investing is that you don't actually have to sell the properties that you take ownership of. While house flipping is great for generating cash, with BRRRR investing, you forego the short term cash in favor of long term property appreciation.

How do I get started with the BRRRR method? ›

There are 5 simple steps to the BRRRR method for investing in real estate:
  1. Step #1: Buy. Invest in your first rental property. ...
  2. Step #2: Rehab. The next step is to repair and remodel the property right away. ...
  3. Step #3: Rent. ...
  4. Step #4: Refinance. ...
  5. Step #5: Repeat. ...
  6. MLS. ...
  7. Driving for dollars. ...
  8. Wholesaler.

What is the 90 flip rule? ›

If you plan to purchase a flipped home with an FHA loan, you must abide by the FHA 90-day flipping rule. This rule states that a person selling a flipped home must own the home for more than 90 days before home buyers can purchase the property.

What is the hardest part of flipping houses? ›

What is the hardest part of flipping a house? Finding the right property (at the right price), budget management and unforeseen structural issues are often considered some of the biggest challenges that house flippers will have to face.

Why is house flipping illegal? ›

Property flipping is a common practice in real estate. It involves buying a property and then reselling it for more money. Usually, when someone flips a property, he or she makes repairs and improvements beforehand. It can become illegal if the person falsely represents the condition and value of the property.

What is Robert Kiyosaki's strategy? ›

The BRRRR method is a real estate investing strategy that involves buying properties, renting them out, and then selling them. The BRRRR method was created by Robert Kiyosaki in his book “Rich Dad Poor Dad” and is used by many real estate investors today.

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