Quote · BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast
I Bought 15 Rental Units While Making $15/Hour Putting Up Fences
Where this was said
Deals #3 & #4: The 7-Mailbox Discovery and Buying 7 Units for $265K
At 26:15 · chapter starts 24:20
While touring a Zillow listing for a triplex priced at $185,000, Britton Eads did something most buyers don't: he looked next door. An identical building with 7 mailboxes on the porch told him there were more units there than on the listing. A quick call to the realtor confirmed the same owner held both properties and was open to selling together. The second triplex, with two units gutted to the studs, was priced at $80,000. For a combined $265,000, Britton was under contract for 7 income units already generating $3,200/month. Henry Washington connects this moment to a broader truth: deals exist on public platforms, but it takes a trained eye and the habit of always looking beyond the obvious to find them [1] — Britton Eads "While touring a triplex, Britton noticed the identical building next door had 7 mailboxes. One quick call confirmed the neighbor owned it t…" 21:10 . Post-renovation, the portfolio hit $6,000/month in rents and appraised at $545,000 — $240,000 above all-in costs.
Every single one of Britton's deals except his first came from Zillow. The key wasn't a secret database — it was a trained eye. Sellers and agents routinely mis-market properties. A property sitting 6 months on Zillow with a hole in the ceiling isn't a bad deal; it's a deal nobody wanted to look at closely enough.
With $1,500 in his bank account and a $265K deal under contract, Britton posted in an investor community offering 10% interest-only for one year. Two weeks later, a wire for $46,025 arrived. No bank, no credit score barrier — just a compelling deal and the right audience.
After posting the deal in a real estate investor community, Britton raised $46,025 in private down payment money within two weeks, paying 10% interest-only for one year.
After renovating the two triplexes and the cottage, the portfolio appraised for $545,000 — well above the $305,000 all-in cost, creating significant equity.
