The Top 20 Real Estate Investing Blogs
Author’s Note: The original list, and a subsequent update, were compiled by Joshua Dorkin. The most recent update (as of May 2018) was compiled by G. Brian Davis.
Just like our now-famous list of the top 35 real estate blogs (August 2006) — which has been seriously withered down over the years — some of the blogs here on our original Top 20 Real Estate Investing Blogs list simply died out, lost focus, or decreased in quality.
I thought it was high time that we updated this list by creating a new one — a live list that brings new blogs into the mix. Below you’ll find below our updated list of blogs about real estate investment — as well as the original top 20 list where you’ll see all those blogs that have faded or disappeared.
Related: The Best Real Estate Books for Your Investing Business
The Top Real Estate Investing Blogs – Methodology
To put the original list together, we looked at close to 200 different blogs from both real estate investing–related companies and individual real estate investors. Here are a few things of note about the blogs selected:
- Any blogs included in this list have been recommended by at least several people that I respect
- They are updated on a regular basis
- I generally have respect for the blogger/bloggers
- Content is educational and informative
There are many other quality real estate investing blogs out there, but they couldn’t all make the list for one reason or another. Most didn’t make the cut for the following reasons:
- It’s no longer active or simply don’t post at a regular enough frequency.
- The blog spends too much time on topics other than real estate.
- It is primarily a corporate blog, promoting the services of the company rather than providing top quality content for investors to learn from.
- The blog spends too much time simply promoting products and services (affiliate or otherwise).
- It uses some other tactics that annoyed me upon repeated visits.
I recommend you check these out, add them to your reader, and participate by sharing your thoughts in the comments after reading articles. With all that in mind, let’s take a look first at our original top 20 blogs, then at our revamped list as of May 2018 (in alphabetical order, not by preference):
Original Entries in Our Top Real Estate Blogs List
You might notice there are 23 blogs listed here, not 20. That’s because some have rotated in and out over the years.
Here are the original top real estate blogs, most of which have fallen by the wayside:
- 1-2-3 Flip — no longer active; last blog post was over a year ago
- A Student of the Real Estate Game — still up and running
- Adventures in Mobile Homes — still up and running
- BawldGuy Talking — no longer a blog, but there are still a handful of educational videos
- Big Rock Investments Blog — no longer active; last blog post was over a year ago
- The BiggerPockets Blog — as if you didn’t know it would make the list ?
- The Blog Of Matt Rosen — dead as of April 2012
- Build Bankroll — dead as of June 2013
- The Buy and Hold Guys — website no longer up
- Flip This Wholesaler — last updated May 2012, removed July 20, 2012
- Flipping Smart — still up and running
- Good Faith Investing — dead as of January 2012
The Investor — still up and running - Live As Real Estate Investors — dead
- Live and Flip — last updated Jan. 2012, removed July 20, 2012
- Llenrock Commercial Real Estate Finance Blog — dead
- Mobile Home Investing (previously Mobile Home Madness) — still up and running
- Real Estate In Your Twenties
- REI Tips
- Shaun’s Real Estate Adventures —– dead as of 2016
- Struggling to Get Started — still up and running, although there was over a year between the most recent and previous blog posts
- The Successful Landlord Blog — last updated May 2012, removed July 20, 2012
- Tom Tarrant — now simply a showcase for their home flips
Updating for Today’s Top 20 Real Estate Investing Blogs
Enough with the old war stories, Grandpa! What are the best real estate investing blogs of 2018?
A few of the blogs above have maintained consistent quality over the years and appear below. I added a few comments about the strengths of each blog, and what niche they excel in.
Related: Top 35 Real Estate Blogs
And look, no one is claiming this list is bias-free. I gave preference to independent bloggers over corporate blogs. I’m friendly with some of the bloggers below, and respect them as people, as real estate investors, and as writers. My own blog is (of course!) included.
Call me biased, but at the end of the day, these are the real estate blogs I personally find to have the most value.
I tried to choose the best examples across multiple real estate investing niches. Some contain podcasts or vlogs, as content consumption has evolved and diversified over time. All offer a tremendous amount of value for free.
Without further ado, here’s the list!
The Top 20 Real Estate Investing Blogs of 2018 (in alphabetical order)
1. A Student of the Real Estate Game
Niche: Commercial real estate
Joe Stampone started this blog in 2009, first as a personal journal of real estate investing thoughts and ideas, and later as a core commercial real estate blog.
It’s a must-read blog if you’re interested in starting your own commercial real estate investing firm.
Niche: Mobile home investing for beginners
Interested in mobile home investing? While Adventures in Mobile Homes is not the slickest looking blog, it boasts easy-to-read tips and guides for beginners.
Rachel Hernandez offers an entire series of articles under the umbrella “Investing 101” for new mobile home investors. If you’re intrigued by this niche, give this blog a spin!
Niche: Lifestyle design & financial independence through real estate
When Paula Pant appeared on the BiggerPockets podcast, Joshua and Brandon introduced her as “the most interesting woman alive.”
She doesn’t disappoint.
Her posts are thoughtful, insightful, honest, and spunky. Paula will push you to build more intentionality in your life — and to design your perfect life with purpose.
Niche: All things real estate & personal finance
The leviathan of real estate investing blogs!
I did mention this list may be slightly biased, right?
But one of the great strengths of the BiggerPockets blog is its wealth of timely content. Every day, new articles go live, covering every niche in the real estate spectrum.
It’s been around for over a decade, and will still be here a decade from now.
Niche: Marketing, lead generation & getting started in REI
While it’s among the more corporate blogs on this list, Cody Sperber’s well-oiled Clever Investor machine can’t be ignored.
Cody and his team at Clever Investor especially excel at marketing. Take a look at their articles on lead generation for some fresh ideas.
Niche: House hacking, lifestyle design, early retirement, landlording
Chad Carson managed to move to Ecuador with his family for 17 months, based on his real estate income and blog.
He’s down-to-earth, honest, and knowledgeable — a great combination in a real estate blogger. Perhaps best of all, Chad brings some much-needed perspective to the real estate investing conversation. Buying real estate is not an end in itself; it is a means to an end, and only you know exactly what that end is for yourself.
7. Commercial Real Estate Show
Niche: Commercial real estate
Michael Bull hosts this high-gloss radio show, podcast, vlog, and blog, where he explores every angle of commercial real estate. Consistently strong guests and a diverse range of commercial real estate topics make Michael’s show a great weekly resource for anyone interested in the commercial side of the sector.
Niche: Financial independence/early retirement through real estate
Host Matt Theriault has built an almost-daily podcast all about building wealth and income through real estate investments. His guests bring a fresh perspective, and shows range from snackable four-minute quickies to immersive 90-minute classes.
Worth a listen!
Niche: Flipping
Danny Johnson knows flipping inside and out.
In addition to his blog, where his wife Melissa often contributes, Danny’s weekly podcast takes a deep dive into everything flippers need to succeed in an increasingly competitive market.
Niche: Residential investing & realtor-investors
Mark Ferguson brings plenty of personal stories and experience to his blog and podcast, illustrating investor lessons beautifully.
One area where Mark particularly shines is teaching others how to succeed as realtor-investors. Mark excels not only at each individually, but in synergizing the two to come out ahead on both fronts.
Niche: Global market research, commercial real estate
If you’re looking for a global perspective and comprehensive market research on commercial real estate trends, The Investor is for you. As the news and media outlet for JLL Capital Markets, it’s corporate, glossy, and well-funded.
Just don’t expect mom-and-pop anecdotes or beginner advice here!
Niche: Investing automation & real estate websites
Joe’s blog has evolved into a vlog, where he does a particularly good job of walking you through automating your investing business and building real estate-related websites.
Having spent five years working in Hollywood, Joe is right at home on video. Check out his vlog when you’re ready to scale from investing as a side gig to building a real estate business.
Niche: Luxury house hacking, multifamily
Many of you recognize Ben Leybovich’s name from the BiggerPockets blog where he’s a regular contributor.
Ben is best known for teaching others how to house hack luxury single-family homes. If you’ve ever been drawn to the idea of house hacking, but don’t want to live in a duplex, you’ll find Ben’s blog a breath of fresh air.
Niche: Apartment buildings, multifamily investing, private fundraising
Michael takes a lifestyle design view of multifamily investing, and is quick to ask readers and listeners what their monthly FI number looks like.
And then he’s quick to show them how easily they can reach that number with only one or two apartment buildings.
If you’re interested in apartment and multifamily investing, Michael Blank’s blog and podcast are a great place to start.
Niche: Mobile & manufactured homes
Corporate types tend to thumb their nose at the idea of investing in mobile homes… which spells opportunity for mom-and-pop investors. And because they’re inexpensive, they can be particularly attractive to new investors who don’t have much capital.
John Fedro is a 30-something who reached financial independence quickly through mobile homes, and he teaches others to do the same. He’ll show you exactly how to start building a portfolio of mobile homes, with starting capital of only $5,000 or so.
16. The Real Estate Guys Radio
Niche: Real estate as part of a financial strategy
Investor Robert Helms and financial strategist Russell Gray have been on the air since 1997, before blogs, podcasts, vlogs, or YouTube. Of course, now they do all of these.
But because they’ve been around so long, they’ve seen just about everything, and they cover it all on their podcast and blog. If you’re looking for broad-based exposure to investing ideas, and wondering how real estate could fit into your larger investing strategy, this show is a great place to start.
17. Real Estate in Your Twenties
Niche: Getting Started in Real Estate Investing
You already know Brandon Turner – he’s the co-host of the BiggerPockets podcast!
One area he excels is helping younger adults start building their real estate empire. Brandon keeps it fun and accessible, with a focus on building an entrepreneurial mindset, and his blog is a great starting place for new investors.
Niche: Wholesaling, flipping, lead generation
Interested in wholesaling? Flipping homes? Or where to find the best deals on properties? Real Estate Worldwide has some great free education to help you score great deals.
Kent Clothier remains the primary writer behind the blog, and brings a wealth of real estate investing experience to it.
Niche: Land investing, landlording, finding deals, real estate tech
Seth Williams boasts an astonishing breadth of real estate-related knowledge. Not only does Seth cover a wide range of real estate investing niches, but he goes into incredible depth in each.
One less common niche where he particularly shines is land investing — a niche not well represented elsewhere on this list.
It’s worth mentioning, in the spirit of disclosure (or bragging?), that I’m a regular contributor on RETipster myself.
Niche: Rentals, landlording, passive income, financial independence
Interested in building passive income from rentals to reach financial independence and retire young?
That’s where SparkRental shines.
We cover landlord and property management issues, cash flow analysis, and automating rental management for maximum passive income. I say “we” because, once again with the full disclosure, I’m one of the co-founders!
Takeaways from the Top 20
Whether you’re interested in wholesaling or landlording, residential or commercial, land or mobile homes, there’s at least one blog for you on this list.
That’s the beauty of real estate investing — you have so many diverse options to choose from. You can invest for passive income, for quick profits, or for long-term appreciation. These represent the best blogs in the biz, in helping you with whatever your specific real estate goals may be.
Without a doubt, there are other excellent real estate blogs in the blogosphere. But these are my favorites for each niche. If you have other favorites, well… share them in the comments below!
What are your favorite real estate investing blogs?
Why do you love them? Share your thoughts below!
Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.
