$100K/Year Passive Income with Cheap, Small, Repeatable Rentals episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 9, 2025 · 29 MIN

$100K/Year Passive Income with Cheap, Small, Repeatable Rentals

from BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast · host BiggerPockets

This investor is making $100,000 per year with small, affordable, repeatable rental properties. He started investing years ago but recently bought another home-run rental for just $87,000, which will continue to boost his passive income. His slow, steady “tortoise” approach is one that anyone (especially beginners) can use in 2025 to build wealth and massive passive income through rental property investing. How do you do it? He’s sharing his blueprint. Nathan Nicholson woke up one day in his 30s to realize that his bank account had only $32,000 in it. While by no means is $32,000 a small sum, as a top producer in the mortgage business, he expected to have much more—something needed to change. After watching clients close (and make it rich) on rentals, he decided to give it a shot. But instead of going for the biggest house his money could buy, he opted for a small, affordable property where less could go wrong. It was a good move and one worth repeating. Fast forward over a decade later, Nathan has 22 properties, 10 of which are paid off, with six-figure cash flow coming in every year. He scaled smart (and safely) using his “tortoise approach” to investing—an approach you can use, too! In This Episode We Cover Why buying small (less than 1,000 square feet!) rentals is a smart move for beginners  Taking the “tortoise approach” to wealth so you safely get to early retirement  Cashing out your 401(k) for rentals? Why Nathan says it’s worth it  One quick calculation (that beats the 1% rule) every investor should use  Why Nathan is buying even more as price cuts hit many major housing markets  And So Much More! Check out more resources from this show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BiggerPockets.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1132 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This investor is making $100,000 per year with small, affordable, repeatable rental properties. He started investing years ago but recently bought another home-run rental for just $87,000, which will continue to boost his passive income. His slow, steady “tortoise” approach is one that anyone (especially beginners) can use in 2025 to build wealth and massive passive income through rental property investing. How do you do it? He’s sharing his blueprint. Nathan Nicholson woke up one day in his 30s to realize that his bank account had only $32,000 in it. While by no means is $32,000 a small sum, as a top producer in the mortgage business, he expected to have much more—something needed to change. After watching clients close (and make it rich) on rentals, he decided to give it a shot. But instead of going for the biggest house his money could buy, he opted for a small, affordable property where less could go wrong. It was a good move and one worth repeating. Fast forward over a decade later, Nathan has 22 properties, 10 of which are paid off, with six-figure cash flow coming in every year. He scaled smart (and safely) using his “tortoise approach” to investing—an approach you can use, too! In This Episode We Cover Why buying small (less than 1,000 square feet!) rentals is a smart move for beginners  Taking the “tortoise approach” to wealth so you safely get to early retirement  Cashing out your 401(k) for rentals? Why Nathan says it’s worth it  One quick calculation (that beats the 1% rule) every investor should use  Why Nathan is buying even more as price cuts hit many major housing markets  And So Much More! Check out more resources from this show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BiggerPockets.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1132 Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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$100K/Year Passive Income with Cheap, Small, Repeatable Rentals

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How long is this episode of BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast?

This episode is 29 minutes long.

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This episode was published on June 9, 2025.

What is this episode about?

This investor is making $100,000 per year with small, affordable, repeatable rental properties. He started investing years ago but recently bought another home-run rental for just $87,000, which will continue to boost his passive income. His slow,...

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