What is BRRRR? Here’s an intro to the most basic concepts.
BRRRR is one of the most powerful forms of real estate investing.
It’s not uncommon for people to retire, 10x their net worth, or become full-time investors with BRRRR.
Done wrong, though, BRRRR is a giant waste of time and money.
We want to help you have a positive experience with BRRRR. Getting BRRRR right is a matter of basic education. So let’s go over the 3 key fundamentals that explain: What is BRRRR?
What Is BRRRR?
“BRRRR” stands for “buy, rehab, rent, refinance, repeat.” It’s a process for capturing equity and creating cash flow on rental properties.
What Is BRRRR Step 1: Buy
BRRRR is not a retail-buy strategy. The properties you get for a BRRRR need to be off-market and under-market.
There are several considerations that go into a “good” BRRRR property:
The rent you can charge has to create cash flow.
The appraisal during the refinance will need to create a profit.
The property needs to be desirable enough to attract great tenants.
BRRRRs are bought with “sweat equity.” This doesn’t just refer to the physical work you put into a home once you have it… It also applies to the work you have to put in before purchasing the property to ensure it’ll make you money.
What Is BRRRR Step 2: Rehab
For the rehab of a BRRRR, there’s a balancing act to make the project “rental grade.” On the one hand, you have to stay within budget. Rental properties take some wear and tear, so your updates should account for that.
On the other hand, you still want quality. Why? Firstly, because better properties attract better tenants. And secondly, because your refinance depends on the appraisal. To get a good appraisal value, the property must show quality work.
What Is BRRRR Step 3: Rent
A BRRRR property’s cash flow is largely dependent on the amount of rent you can charge. Be aware of the rent range you can realistically charge in your property’s location.
Knowing the rent will help tell you what updates you should make to the property. For example, if adding an extra bedroom would get you an extra $500 per month, it may be worth the construction costs.
You can estimate an area’s rents by going to Zillow, Rentals.com, or talking to local property managers.
What Is BRRRR Step 4: Refinance
Part of the BRRRR strategy is to use two loans. You buy with a short-term hard money loan, then refinance into a long-term loan after all the rehab.
To make the most money, you’ll want to set yourself up for a rate and term refinance rather than cash out.
What Is BRRRR Step 5: Repeat
The true secret to how BRRRR can create so much wealth is the repeat-ability of the process.
We recommend people getting into real estate investing to buy 10 BRRRR properties in 3 years, or 5 in 2 years.
How can you possibly afford to buy so much real estate in such a short amount of time? The right BRRRR properties require zero money down. If you were pulling from your savings for every down payment, you wouldn’t be able to get as far.
So, what is BRRRR? It’s a method for building an investment rental property portfolio that requires no money out of your pocket.
3 Factors that Ensure a BRRRR Success
After helping investors through the BRRRR process for over 15 years, we’ve seen 3 key factors that make these transactions successful.
1. Building a Team
The really good under-market BRRRR properties won’t just jump into your lap. These properties require a little digging, and – more importantly – a team to help you.
You’ll need to know wholesalers, real estate agents, other investors, and anyone else who can help you locate good undermarket properties.
(It’s also an advantage to keep lenders on your team so you can close fast on these great properties once you find them.)
2. The Money Side
“It takes money to make money.”
If you can learn the basics about the costs of your BRRRR projects, you can squeeze more money out of each project.
We always say that there’s money in the money. Do the research to learn about real estate before your first investment, and you’ll be miles ahead of other investors.
3. Using the Right Leverage
Yes, it takes money to make money, but it doesn’t have to be your money.
Plan for and understand the entire BRRRR process, and leverage can work to 10x your net worth.
Where To Go From Here
This only brushes the surface of BRRRR. Over the coming weeks, we’ll visit each of these topics in much more detail. Why do you use two loans? How can you do this with zero money down? How do you go about a refinance?
Some people just win at the BRRRR method. How can beginners do it?
Cash-flowing rental properties… With little-to-no money down… That passively run themselves after fix-up… This is the stuff beginner real estate investors dream about. And it’s possible with BRRRR.
But there are a lot of ways to do BRRRR wrong that’ll wreck this beautiful dream.
How do successful investors make it work? Here are 5 ways beginners can win at BRRRR:
I. Understand the Meaning of BRRRR
BRRRR winners understand what BRRRR is – and just as importantly – what it’s not.
We aren’t just talking about the literal meaning: Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat. We’re talking about understanding the strategy behind the BRRRR method. Successful investors understand the money side of these investments.
Types of Properties that Win at BRRRR
Foundationally, BRRRR means buying undervalued properties.
These properties have a lot of rehab needed, causing them to be valued much lower than other homes in the area. These houses are problems for someone else but opportunities for you. You can fix them up and get them in your rental pool.
We often see people who want to use the BRRRR strategy, but they buy their properties at 90% or 95% of the ARV. They buy close to retail price, and once they put the time, money, and effort into fixing up the property… They can’t even really use BRRRR.
BRRRR’s Two-Loan Strategy
BRRRR means using a two-loan strategy. At the beginning of the project, closing with a hard money bridge loan. At the end of the project, refinancing a traditional loan.
Using this strategy on an undermarket purchase captures the equity of the home to use to your advantage. If you buy a property too close to its ARV, the whole system falls apart and you lose your refinancing power.
To be successful with this two-loan plan, you have to search for undermarket properties you can get for 75% or less of the ARV. With this 75% rule, you can complete a BRRRR project with little or no money out-of-pocket.
Buying undermarket and using two strategic loans is the meaning behind BRRRR that winners fully grasp. But there’s much more to it.
What should you really look for when you buy for BRRRR?
II. Set Yourself Up to Win at the BRRRR method
There are two ways beginners can set themselves up for success using the BRRRR method: focusing on the numbers and putting together a team.
Numbers for Beginners
The BRRRR method is all about numbers. Beginners sometimes fail because they make a deal emotional and bid the property up. When buying properties, you have to stick to the math.
Your North Star for BRRRR investments is the 75% rule – the best properties only cost 75% of the after repair value.
The reason for the 75% rule is because that’s the number banks will rate-and-term refinance a conventional loan for. When you can do this type of refinance, you can finish up the deal without putting any of your own money in.
It’s smart to shop around for banks for your refinance loan, though. Some banks may allow you to buy up to 85% of the ARV, under certain conditions.
Get a Team Together
So you need good, low-priced properties. And the best way to find them is to build a good team. Especially as a beginner, you’ll need to know several of these kinds of people:
Realtors and Wholesalers
Knowing wholesalers and realtors can help you locate better properties and close with better deals.
Lenders
You’ll need private lenders for bridge loans and another lender for the long-term refinanced loan. Having relationships with lenders ahead of time speeds up a closing and can earn you a lower price.
Contractors
Ideally, from closing to refinance, BRRRRs are completed in 90 days. This means you’ll need contractors at-the-ready who can work efficiently and reliably to fix up your properties.
Property Managers
If you want your BRRRRs to be passive after the refinance, find a good property manager. A common beginner’s mistake is to take the first tenant who shows an interest – without any background checks or other renting requirements.
A good property manager can both find you better tenants and manage them for you. Many investors overlook this member of their team, but it can truly make or break your BRRRR experience.
Knowing several people from each of these categories gives you options to customize for each of your deals. Putting together a good and broad team will make the BRRRR method much easier and smoother — especially for a beginner.
III. Know What Makes a Good BRRRR Property
A good BRRRR property follows the 75% rule. But that’s not the only criteria you should follow. What else makes a good BRRRR property?
What to Look for in a BRRRR Property
Here are the factors successful BRRRR investors consider in their properties.
Single-family properties
For multi-family or commercial tenants, lenders have different requirements. They often need you to hold your loan for 12 months after purchase (or even 12 after tenants move in). That timeline doesn’t work well with the BRRRR method. You’ll have a much easier time with single-family homes.
Rent prices
“Knowing your numbers” also means knowing the rent prices in the area of a property. Cash won’t flow on your investment if you’re unable to charge enough rent.
Desirable Areas
Find properties people want to live in. If you wouldn’t want to spend time there, good renters probably won’t either.
Vacation Rentals
If you’re doing vacation rentals, do the research on:
What areas people want to visit
What the rates are in the area
What third-party booking sites would be most profitable
What fix up levels you’ll need
Whether there are good hosts or property managers in the area.
Don’t Rush into Bad BRRRR Properties
Beginners fail at BRRRR when they don’t choose properties wisely. Don’t just buy property to buy property. You can own ten bad rentals and make no money. BRRRR should be a system that builds cash flow.
We see people do one or two BRRRRs then stop because it’s not what they expected. They put too much money in, or the area isn’t good, or their renters aren’t paying, or the rent isn’t enough to generate cash flow.
Those issues aren’t BRRRR’s fault. A prepared investor, beginner or experienced, can always succeed with BRRRR properties.
IV. Know the Numbers of a BRRRR Deal – An Example
We always talk about “knowing your numbers.” But what exactly do we mean? Here’s an example of an ideal BRRRR property using the 75% rule.
Example Breakdown of a BRRRR Deal
After repair value (ARV) is the number the house should sell for once it’s all fixed up and on the market. This number is often dictated by what similar properties in the area are going for.
To get the best long-term rates, you refinance your second, permanent loan. In order for it to cover everything (i.e., you don’t have to put any money down), all your costs must be 75% or less of the ARV.
PURCHASE PRICE + REHAB + CARRY COSTS + LOAN CLOSING COSTS = 75% of ARV
Let’s say, for example, other properties in the area are selling for $200,000, so that’s your ARV. You want to spend 75% less than that, so we’ll do:
$200,000 X .75 = $150,000
When the ARV is $200,000, all costs of the job should only be $150,000 or less. This includes the closing price, carry costs, rehab costs, and any loan costs.
V. Know Good Lenders for BRRRR
People who win at BRRRR understand the two most important aspects of the process: getting properties undermarket, and organizing their lenders early on.
Lenders are an important member of your investment team. Here’s how to get them ready for your BRRRR investments.
BRRRR Lender Options
You’ll have a hard money or private money lender up-front. Then, in the second half of the project, you’ll have a more conventional lender with a traditional loan.
This traditional loan is usually 30-year with fixed rates, but comes with some constraints. You’re limited to ten properties with this kind of loan (including your own home). There’s also usually a limit on loan-to-value ratio, and conventional loans won’t let you put a loan in an LLC’s name.
Another option for this second loan is DSCR no-income loans. DSCR loans come in a variety of options: five- or seven-year ARMs, standard 30-year fixed mortgages, and more. Successful BRRRR investors know all their options for refinancing.
Set Your Lenders Up Ahead of Time
People who win at BRRRR set up all their lenders before they jump into a deal.
The amount loaned for the purchase and for rehab can very a lot from lender to lender. Good investors will always know how much their hard money lenders will give them.
Hard Money Mike, for example, does a lot of 100% loans if the cost is 75% less than ARV because we know the investor can easily refinance out. We know we can set them up with a rate-and-term refinance, and they’ll have no money out-of-pocket.
BRRRR winners don’t get into a property, get it fixed up, and then figure out the long-term loan. Winners figure out firstwhether they can get the cash out they need, and how.
Smart BRRRR investors have a pool of lenders they work with. They know what each lender can offer, and which will best fit their current strategy, ability, and deal.
Find out more on how to leverage up your real estate investments on our Youtube channel.
The Cash Flow Company can help you with BRRRR loans and all real estate investor loans.
We also can help you find and set up real private money from those around your area.
We scour 100’s of loan programs across the country every month locating the best investor friendly loans.
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