For most real estate investors—especially beginners—cash flow is the metric that matters most. It’s the money that hits your bank account every month after paying all the bills. In a rising-cost environment like Arizona (insurance, taxes, and HOA fees all trending upward), knowing how to correctly calculate cash flow has never been more important.This guide will walk you through what cash flow really...
If you’re getting started in real estate investing, you’ve probably heard the term cap rate thrown around a lot. It’s one of the simplest—but most misunderstood—metrics in the industry.And for Arizona investors, understanding cap rates can help you quickly compare rentals in Phoenix, Mesa, Tucson, and fast-growing areas like Queen Creek, Buckeye, and Maricopa.This guide breaks cap rates down in a...
A 1031 Exchange is one of the most powerful tax-deferral tools available to real estate investors. For new (and even experienced) Arizona investors, understanding how a 1031 works can be the difference between slow growth and compounding long-term wealth.This guide breaks down the essentials in a warm, straightforward, Arizona-specific way—without unnecessary jargon. What Is a 1031 Exchange?...
If you’re a newer investor looking to scale in Arizona, the term DSCR loan will come up almost immediately. These loans have exploded in popularity because they allow investors to qualify based on the property’s income, not their personal tax returns.For investors with self-employment income, multiple rental properties, or complex write-offs, DSCR financing can be a game-changer. They aren’t perfect,...
If you talk to any seasoned real estate investor in Arizona, eventually you’ll hear the acronym BRRRR. It stands for Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat, and it’s one of the most popular strategies for accelerating portfolio growth—especially for investors who don’t have endless capital to deploy.BRRRR is powerful because it transforms a single down payment into multiple properties over time....
For new investors, house hacking is one of the simplest, safest, and smartest ways to build wealth through real estate. It’s the strategy that has launched thousands of investor careers nationwide—and it works especially well in Arizona, where rising rents, strong job growth, and a flexible lending environment create ideal conditions for beginner investors.This guide breaks down what house hacking is,...
Once you own a few rental properties, the game changes.You’re no longer asking “How do I buy my first investment?” — you’re asking:“What should my long-term portfolio look like?”“Should I stay focused, or diversify?”“What mix of cash flow and appreciation will get me to retirement?”“Which Arizona sub-markets should I expand into?”This is where portfolio strategy becomes just as...
Real estate investors love clarity — and Maricopa County’s Year-to-Date (YTD) 2025 data finally gives us a clean picture of what actually happened this year in the Phoenix metro single-family market. Using ARMLS data through October 2025, we can accurately analyze activity for detached single-family homes only (condos/townhomes/manufactured are excluded).Below is a breakdown of the most meaningful...
2025 marked a pivotal reset for Arizona real estate — especially for investors. Inventory climbed to multi-year highs, pricing flattened, operating costs surged, and underwriting discipline became the new competitive edge. It was also the first full year under major industry reforms: the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), new state-level housing initiatives, and the NAR settlement, which changed how...
If you’re a real estate investor, you’ve likely heard about how cost segregation unlocks massive tax deductions by reclassifying parts of your property into faster-depreciating components. But with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), some of the long-standing rules have changed — and the timing of when you do your cost segregation study (or acquire property) could materially affect...