Joining us on this episode of Living Off Rentals is someone who turned grit, experience, and strategy into over 500 successful home flips and now uses that same knowledge to build long-term wealth through long and short-term rentals, and self-storage.

Brandon Rickman is a seasoned real estate investor based in Atlanta who scaled his flipping business to over 100 deals a year. He now owns 865 self-storage units, short and long-term rentals, and a private lending company.

In this conversation, Brandon walks us through his journey from learning construction with his dad to building scalable, freedom-generating real estate systems.

Listen as he breaks down the evolution of his strategy, what made him pivot into self-storage, how to raise private money effectively, and why time freedom, not just financial freedom, is the ultimate goal.

Whether you're just getting started or looking to scale sustainably, this episode offers a playbook for building wealth without burning out. Enjoy the show!

Key Takeaways:

[00:00] Introducing Brandon Rickman and his background
[02:17] Getting into real estate and his first deal
[05:10] Brandon on being a cop and doing real estate on the side
[08:14] Just take imperfect actions; you are not going to have all the answers
[09:52] Hope is never a good strategy
[10:16] Why short-term rentals became more viable than long-term rentals
[16:19] Recognizing the risk of transactional businesses
[19:10] Why self-storage offers time freedom and lower maintenance headaches
[24:19] Market demand, square footage per capita, and self-storage resiliency
[28:09] His advice for people raising private money for the first time
[33:34] How Brandon raises 100% of funds without using his capital
[35:36] The non-paid marketing
[40:53] Structuring a flexible real estate business around family and lifestyle
[42:49] Financial freedom is a great thing, but time freedom is even better
[45:35] Connect with Brandon Rickman
[46:41] Outro

Guest Links:

Website: https://www.theflipgenius.com/
Email: brandon@theflipgenius.com

Show Links:

Living Off Rentals YouTube Channel – youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentals
Living Off Rentals YouTube Podcast Channel - youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentalsPodcast
Living Off Rentals Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/livingoffrentals
Living Off Rentals Website – https://www.livingoffrentals.com/
Living Off Rentals Instagram – instagram.com/livingoffrentals
Living Off Rentals TikTok – tiktok.com/@livingoffrentals

In this episode of Living Off Rentals, we're joined by a thought leader in the real estate investing space who has built a diverse and intentional portfolio, all while designing a lifestyle rooted in peace, purpose, and efficiency.

Jonathan Greene is the host of Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing and has been investing in real estate since his early twenties. Raised by a real estate-savvy father, Jonathan learned firsthand the power of buying smart and holding long-term. But for Jonathan, it’s never been just about building wealth: it’s about doing it without sacrificing time or values.

In this wide-ranging conversation, listen as Jonathan shares how he developed what he calls “time freedom,” why he doesn’t answer phone calls, and how prioritizing self-care has made him a better investor.

Enjoy the show!

Key Takeaways:

[00:00] Introducing Jonathan Greene and his background
[02:04] How he gets into the real estate investing world
[03:23] The shift from old school to the updated way of investing
[05:25] First deals, lipstick flips, and early career in law
[09:49] How his background in law and art impacts his investing strategy
[14:27] Being an asset hunter
[20:16] His main deal source for his deals, especially in Main Street mixed-use
[21:41] Hybrid development of Main Street
[25:05] The Origin of Zen and the Art of Real Estate Investing
[27:49] Why phone calls are the biggest time-wasters in business
[32:49] Scheduling self-care and maintaining boundaries as an entrepreneur
[35:34] Effective ways to prioritize things that are important as a real estate investor
[41:55] Lifestyle architecture
[43:58] How to build your investing network without being pushy
[46:28] Why most new investors should stop rushing and start showing up
[49:05] Outro

Guest Links:

Website: https://zenandtheartofrealestateinvesting.com/

Show Links:

Living Off Rentals YouTube Channel – youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentals
Living Off Rentals YouTube Podcast Channel - youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentalsPodcast
Living Off Rentals Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/livingoffrentals
Living Off Rentals Website – https://www.livingoffrentals.com/
Living Off Rentals Instagram – instagram.com/livingoffrentals
Living Off Rentals TikTok – tiktok.com/@livingoffrentals

Joining us in this episode of Living Off Rentals is someone who brings clarity to one of the most confusing parts of real estate investing: financing.

Christian Bachelder is the co-founder of The One Brokerage and one of the most trusted lending advisors in the real estate investing space. He is a UC Berkeley graduate, and a former chemical engineer turned seasoned investor. He now helps others invest in real estate by connecting them with the right financing strategies.

Listen as he breaks down the different types of loans available to investors—from traditional mortgages to DSCR and hard money loans—and how to use them strategically to grow your portfolio.

We also talk about how to qualify for your first loan, when to use each lending product, the truth about BRRRR strategy funding, and why some “creative” financing methods may be more dangerous than they seem.

Enjoy the show!

Key Takeaways:

[00:00] Introducing Christian Bachelder and his background

[02:35] From being a chemical engineer to being an investor and real estate lending

[04:55] The spark that ignited Christian’s obsession with real estate

[08:38] Partnering with David Greene and building The 1 Brokerage

[11:32] How to stay competitive with a large variety of multiple loan products

[14:01] The three buckets of loans every investor should know

[15:55] What is a DSCR Loan, and why do investors love it

[19:27] How the BRRRR loan flow works

[24:44] DSCR loan terms explained: Rates, down payments, and pitfalls

[29:21] Three ways of calculating a rent

[31:35] Talk to your lender first before anybody

[32:48] Loan options for first-time investors

[35:35] 5 proven ways to find down payment funds

[43:00] Why good short-term rentals still win despite market noise

[46:08] Two main things that encompass the creative financing world

[52:58] Connect with Christian Bachelder

Guest Links:

Website: https://www.theonebrokerage.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theonebrokerage/

Youtube Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/c/DavidGreeneRealEstate

Show Links:

Living Off Rentals YouTube Channel – youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentals

Living Off Rentals YouTube Podcast Channel - youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentalsPodcast

Living Off Rentals Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals Website – https://www.livingoffrentals.com/

Living Off Rentals Instagram – instagram.com/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals TikTok – tiktok.com/@livingoffrentals