I Bought 30 Rental Units in 5 Years, EVEN with High Interest Rates

Episode #1267 Baselane: Automate your real estate finances with banking and AI-powered bookkeeping. Claim your $100 bonus! https://www.baselane.com/lp/bigger-pockets/?utm_source=bigger_pockets&utm_campaign=bigger_pockets&utm_medium=YT-M *In 2021, Jesse Walters bought his first rental unit. Now, in 2026, he’s got a portfolio of around 30 rentals* composed of small, affordable (mostly) multifamily properties that he’s getting killer returns on. Jesse did it *even when mortgage rates were at 8%,* even when home prices were flying up and subsequently correcting back down, and even when he didn’t know where he’d find the money to do it. So, how does *someone with zero real estate investing* experience scale *from no rentals to close to 30 in just five years,* during a very volatile housing market? Jesse is sharing exactly how he grew, even when financing was expensive or hard to come by, the small multifamily rentals he looks for that have the most demand in his community, and how he *flips* (and sometimes accidentally flops) *to make five-figure, repeatable profits.* And *Jesse’s latest deal* is something every investor dreams of. Converting a small hotel into *11 rental units,* and, get this, *for a $325,000 purchase price,* putting just *$0 down.* It’s true, and after he’s done, this property alone will bring in a portfolio-producing *amount of rent.* How much? Jesse is sharing the exact numbers in today’s show! Episode Show Notes: https://lnk.to/biggerpocketsYT Join BiggerPockets for FREE 👇 https://www.biggerpockets.com/signup?utm_source=owned_media 🎉Join us at the BiggerPockets Conference October 2-4 in Orlando. Buy tickets: https://biggerpockets.com/bpcon2026 Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! https://www.BiggerPockets.com/Podcastfeedback Grab Henry’s Book, _Real Estate Deal Maker_ : https://store.biggerpockets.com/products/real-estate-deal-maker?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Sign Up for the BiggerPockets Real Estate Newsletter: https://www.biggerpockets.com/email-subscribe?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area: http://biggerpockets.com/agentmatch _BiggerPockets Real Estate_ 1114 - 11 Rentals in 4 Years with SMALL, Affordable Multifamily Properties w/Jesse Walters: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1114?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Connect with Jesse: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/jessew175?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Connect with Henry: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/henryw22?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Connect with Dave: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/davem27?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none 00:00 Intro 02:04 Slowly Stacking Rentals 04:34 Finding Off-Market Deals 09:16 Scaling During 2025 (Getting Deals!) 14:27 Sponsor: Baselane! 15:42 House Flip Turned Flop 23:34 11 Units for $0 Down (BIG Job!) 30:20 Five-Figure Profit Strategy 33:31 Current Portfolio