The hardest part of real estate investing is, of course, getting started. Once you have your first rental property, it’s much easier to scale your real estate portfolio than you might think—even if you don’t have much money to your name!

Earning modest salaries from their nine-to-five teaching jobs, Rob Schou and his wife couldn’t afford a large down payment on an expensive property. But by starting multiple side hustles and sharpening their DIY home renovation skills, they were able to purchase a cheaper property and add value to it. The best part? This created a “domino effect,” giving them more capital and momentum for future deals. Even when they didn’t have everything figured out, taking action and having multiple exit strategies meant they always turned a profit—even when a project didn’t go to plan!

In this episode of the “Real Estate Rookie” podcast, you’ll hear about some creative side hustle ideas you can use to fund your next down payment. You’ll also learn how to choose a niche that aligns with your long-term goals, as well as how to build your “buy box” and find the right market. But that’s not all. Rob even dives into new construction, showing you how to buy land, vet builders, and more!

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Join BiggerPockets for FREE 👇
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Join the Real Estate Rookie Facebook Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/realestaterookie
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Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area:
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Find Investor-Friendly Lenders:
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Real Estate Rookie 395 – Rookie Reply: Using a Car as a Down Payment (!?), ADUs, & House Hacking 101:
https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-395?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none
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Real Estate Rookie 319 – The Beginner’s Guide to Real Estate Development (with LOW Money Down!):
https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-319?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none
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Real Estate Rookie 123 – ‘Building’ Wealth as a 24-Year-Old with 12 New Construction Projects:
https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-podcast-123-donovan-adesoro?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none
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Grab Your Copy of “Four Thousand Weeks”:
https://www.amazon.com/Four-Thousand-Weeks-Management-Mortals/dp/0374159122
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Connect with Rob:
BiggerPockets: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/robs267?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Rob-Schou-Living-in-Southern-Maryland-100076353102710/
Instagram: @rob_schou_realtor or https://www.instagram.com/rob_schou_realtor/
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Connect with Ashley and Tony on BiggerPockets:
Ashley: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/echopm?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none
Tony: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/tonyr75?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none
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Connect with Ashley and Tony on Instagram:
Ashley: @wealthfromrentals or https://www.instagram.com/wealthfromrentals/
Tony: @tonyjrobinson or https://www.instagram.com/tonyjrobinson/

Show notes at: https://link.chtbl.com/Rookie


00:00 Intro

00:58 Buying the Vacation Home

10:04 Side Hustling for Down Payments

15:52 Analysis Paralysis & Finding Your Niche

22:47 New Construction 101

26:57 How to Vet a Builder

34:47 Choosing Your “Buy Box” & Market

41:07 Connect with Rob!