On this episode of the Real Estate Education Podcast, Aaron and James break down the return of 100% bonus depreciation for short-term rental investors, now made permanent under the new tax bill. They explain how this powerful tax strategy—often called the "STR loophole"—allows qualifying investors to accelerate depreciation deductions and offset their W2 income, potentially saving tens of thousands of dollars annually. Using real-world examples, they walk through the three key steps to implement this strategy and discuss why it's exclusive to STRs versus traditional long-term rentals.

The hosts also explore a significant shift in mortgage lending: how the Federal Housing Finance Agency is directing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to include cryptocurrency assets in loan qualification processes. Drawing from recent industry reports showing 5.4% of homebuyers now sell crypto for down payments, they discuss the implications of treating volatile digital assets similarly to tech stocks in mortgage underwriting, while weighing the benefits for younger buyers against potential risks to financial stability.
Reach Out:

Interested in consulting with Erin? Email erin@erinspradlin.com

Work with James: James@JamesCarlsonRe.com

Also in this episode:

• Why bonus depreciation works for STRs but not traditional rentals (hint: it's about active vs. passive income)
• The difference between cost segregation studies and 100% bonus depreciation
• Real example of a Miami buyer who lost 12% of his crypto value during forced liquidation
• How crypto reserves compare to stock holdings in mortgage qualification
• The tension between supporting small business investors and addressing housing affordability

Whether you're a high-income earner looking for tax relief, an STR investor wanting to maximize deductions, or curious about how cryptocurrency is changing real estate financing, this episode provides the insights you need. The hosts remind listeners that while they may have political reservations about some tax policies, understanding and legally utilizing available strategies remains important for individual financial success.

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On this special episode of the Real Estate Education Podcast, Erin and James celebrate their ten-year wedding anniversary by exploring the surprising parallels between successful relationships and smart real estate investing. Drawing from their decade of marriage and years of property investment experience, they break down six key principles that govern both domains: from the critical importance of communication and goal alignment to understanding when battles are worth fighting and why daily consistency trumps grand gestures.

The hosts share candid insights about their own relationship dynamics, including lessons learned from their one partnership experience (a Colorado Springs duplex that taught them valuable lessons about working styles), and how their complementary approaches to decision-making have served them well in both marriage and real estate ventures. They also tackle common misconceptions, like the "never go to bed angry" advice and why the 1% rule isn't gospel, emphasizing that there's no universal "right way" to approach either marriage or property investing.

Reach Out:

Interested in consulting with Erin? Email erin@erinspradlin.com

Work with James: James@JamesCarlsonRe.com

Also in this episode:

• Why communication style matters more than you think when choosing business partners
• The danger of assigning negative motivations in both tenant relationships and marriage
• How their consulting work reveals common patterns in both real estate and relationship challenges
• Why playing to strengths works—but overall workload equality still matters
• The pickleball analogy for confidence in real estate investing

Whether you're a real estate investor looking to improve tenant relationships, considering a partnership, or simply curious about how life principles apply across different domains, this anniversary episode offers practical wisdom wrapped in personal stories. The hosts remind us that success in both marriage and real estate comes down to choosing your battles wisely, communicating clearly, and showing up consistently for the long haul.

Subscribe, leave a review, and follow us on YouTube and Spotify for weekly real estate education content.Subscribe, leave a review, and follow us on YouTube and Spotify for weekly real estate education content.

Is It a Buyer’s Market or a Seller’s Market? How to Evaluate Your Midterm Rental City
On this episode of the Real Estate Education Podcast, Aaron and James dig into one of the most common questions in real estate: is it a buyer’s market or a seller’s market? The answer—like most things in real estate—is more nuanced than you think. Using up-to-date data from Denver and insights from local lender Lonnie Gleisner, we break down the current housing market into three sub-markets: condos, townhomes, and detached single-family homes—and explain why your answer will depend on your asset class.

Plus, Erin shares her insights from consulting with midterm rental investors across the U.S., including how to pick the right city for your MTR strategy, the dangers of analysis paralysis, and why BiggerPockets-style advice like the 1% rule can actually cost you money.

Reach Out

Interested in consulting with Erin? Email erin@erinspradlin.com

Work with James: James@JamesCarlsonRe.com

Also in this episode:

• Why walk scores matter for midterm rentals

• What YouTube "grad school" can teach real estate professionals

• Which inventory types are sitting vs. selling

• The overlap between writing, video, and real estate education

Whether you're a new investor, an aspiring landlord, or a midterm rental host looking to scale, this episode will sharpen how you evaluate markets and make investment decisions.

Subscribe, leave a review, and follow us on YouTube and Spotify for weekly real estate education content.

Airbnb Boom or Bust, Midterm Market Shifts & What a Recession Really Means for Homebuyers

In this episode of the Real Estate Education Podcast, Erin and James dive into short-term rental trends, the surprising psychology of recession-era homebuyers, and why your lifestyle (not the market) might be the smartest guide for when to buy. They also open with a sharp cultural take on the Titan sub implosion documentaries—and how blind trust in "experts" can lead to catastrophic outcomes in both deep-sea exploration and real estate investing.

🏚 Segment 1 – Airbnb: Boom, Bust, or Just Plain Complicated?
Is the short-term rental bust over? We explore the shifting sands of Airbnb economics—from oversaturation fallout to signs of recovery in Colorado. Erin shares why domestic travel might be propping things up, what international tourism is signaling, and how smart investors are pivoting to survive with dual-purpose properties. Rents are softening, especially in California and Florida, and the midterm rental space isn’t immune. James and Erin break down what this means for lifestyle landlords, how to reframe real estate as a long-term play, and why some models are better suited to your goals (and sanity) than others.

📊 Segment 3 – Recession Psychology: Why 30% of Buyers Say They’d Buy More
A new Realtor.com survey reveals that nearly 1 in 3 potential buyers would be more likely to purchase during a recession. Why? We break down the logic, the emotional drivers, and why milestone life events still outweigh market conditions for most buyers. Plus, we explain why timing the market is a trap—and what to focus on instead.

🎥 Bonus Pop Culture Segment
Netflix vs. HBO's Titan sub implosion docs: Why we’re obsessed—and how the same blind optimism and guru worship shows up in real estate. It’s a must-hear metaphor (and a solid Tom Cruise sidebar).

Perfect for:

• Short-term and midterm rental investors navigating 2025

• Buyers trying to make sense of the market during economic shifts

• Agents coaching clients through recession-era decision-making

• People who love when pop culture and real estate collide

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🎧 Subscribe for honest real estate insight with a side of smart sarcasm

Six Months in Mexico, Flat-Fee Listings, and What Our Clients Are Teaching Us About the 2025 Real Estate Market

In this episode of The Real Estate Education Podcast, we’re covering three major topics—from expat life to evolving real estate models to real-time client case studies—all focused on helping you make smarter moves in today’s U.S. housing market.

Segment 1 – Six Months Living in Mexico: What We’ve Learned
Thinking of a life change? Whether you're moving cities or countries, this honest reflection on six months of living in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico covers what it’s really like to leave the U.S. in midlife. We discuss cost of living, healthcare, infrastructure, culture, and how this move unexpectedly changed our perspective on homeownership, pace of life, and housing decisions back home.

Segment 2 – Flat-Fee Listings: Can They Save Sellers Thousands?
Flat-fee MLS listings are becoming more attractive in a tight housing market. Erin explains why she’s launching flat-fee services in Colorado, how it works, which properties are a good fit, and what most sellers misunderstand about traditional real estate commissions. If you’re considering selling in 2025, this segment breaks down when not to pay 3% and what really sells a house (hint: it’s not social media).

Segment 3 – Real Client Case Studies: What Buyers and Investors Are Doing Right Now
From midterm rental investors in Missouri, California, and Florida to traditional buyers in Denver and Castle Rock, we’re sharing real strategies and outcomes from current clients. Learn what’s working (and what’s not) in markets across the U.S., including insurance stays, house hacking, FIRE movement buyers, and high-end midterm rental bookings in Portland.

Topics Covered:

• Living abroad vs. U.S. housing stress

• Flat-fee real estate listings explained

• Midterm rental trends in 2025

• How to sell a house without overpaying

• What makes a flat-fee listing successful

• FIRE movement and affordable home strategies

• How real estate technology is changing the agent model

• When full-service agents are still worth it

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Subscribe for real talk, no fluff, and actionable insight from two working real estate pros—who also happen to live in Mexico.

Contact Information: erin@erinspradlin.com or James@jamescarlsonre.com

What U.S. Cities Are Growing Fastest—and Why Tiny Towns May Be the Smartest Investment in 2025

In this episode of the Real Estate Education Podcast, we explore the fastest and slowest growing cities in the Denver metro area—and zoom out to a national trend reshaping American real estate: the rise of tiny towns. These are U.S. markets with fewer than 25,000 housing units, and they’ve seen surprising population growth since the pandemic. But are these “Zoomtowns” still gaining momentum—or is the trend reversing?

Segment 1 – The Rise (and Plateau?) of Tiny Towns:
We dive into why small markets boomed after 2020, what makes them attractive for real estate investors, and why 2025 might be the turning point as urban population rebounds. We highlight recent data from Briefcase Real Estate, touching on occupancy rates, remote work impacts, and national investment strategies for smaller U.S. metros.

Segment 2 – Fastest and Slowest Growing Cities in the Denver Metro:
From Arvada’s red-hot housing market (5 days on market!) to Castle Rock’s suburban sprawl slowdown, we analyze which Colorado cities are thriving and which are stagnating—and why. Learn how zoning, transit, housing diversity, and urban planning all play a role.

Bonus: We also kick things off with a quick take on Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning and the movie’s unexpected AI villain twist—plus some hot takes on Tom Cruise, Marvel movies, and yes, Scientology.

Perfect for:

• Investors hunting for undervalued real estate markets in the U.S.

• Buyers and sellers trying to time their entry into fast-moving cities

• Real estate agents tracking market demand and homebuyer trends

• Anyone curious about how remote work, zoning, and urban planning impact home values

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Subscribe for smart, unscripted real estate insights from two full-time pros.

Contact Information: erin@erinspradlin.com or James@jamescarlsonre.com

Briefcase Link: https://www.briefcase.email/subscribe?ref=wFlln8t7WI

In this episode of the Real Estate Education Podcast, we break down two of the hottest topics in the U.S. housing market right now: the difference between condos and townhomes in today’s market and the real-world impact of the 2024 NAR commission lawsuit on buyers, sellers, and real estate agents across the country.

Condos vs. Townhomes – Which attached home is selling better in 2025? We analyze national housing data and local market trends to explain why townhomes are outperforming condos in pricing, days on market, and financing ease. If you're planning to buy or sell an attached home, this segment could influence your strategy—especially in cities like Denver, Colorado Springs, and beyond.

Real Estate Commissions in 2025 – The 2024 lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors (NAR) promised sweeping change, but what’s actually different now for buyer’s agent commissions? We walk you through how this affects homebuyers, sellers, and real estate professionals, from required written agreements to changes in MLS advertising rules. Spoiler: much of the hype has not played out in practice, but we give you a grounded breakdown of what has shifted.

And yes—NBA fans, we start the episode with a fun riff on the 2025 NBA Playoffs, wild comebacks, and why Nikola Jokić might still be the best player in the league.

Perfect for:

• Buyers wondering if now is the time to purchase a condo

• Sellers deciding how to price and position townhomes

• Realtors adapting to new buyer commission structures

• Investors tracking shifts in residential real estate strategy

• Fans of informed, no-hype real estate talk with personality

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Subscribe now for practical insight, straight talk, and actionable real estate strategies.

Contact Information: erin@erinspradlin.com or James@jamescarlsonre