We get it – it’s tough to break into the real estate investing game. You’d be surprised at how many relevant websites and platforms exist to help you on your journe. BiggerPockets is one of them!
In short, BiggerPockets is an online platform dedicated to providing information about the nitty-gritty of real estate investing. With over 2 million members, you’ll find a range of advice from individuals with various levels of experience and expertise.
To understand how BiggerPockets works and whether it's the right choice for you, we have written a comprehensive review covering everything you need to know. Let’s take a look at whether BiggerPockets is the right platform for you.
What is BiggerPockets?
In 2004, Josh Dorkin started BiggerPockets as a messaging board for real estate investing, however later on it was funded by a private equity firm to become the success it is now.
Today, the platform serves as a marketplace, social network, and educational hub for real estate investors who are interested in learning and building wealth. It doesn’t matter what stage you’re at, you’ll find advice for every step of your investment and experience journey.
Whether you’re an aspiring investor or a seasoned commercial real estate owner, you’ll be able to learn more about house flipping and boosting your profits. You can even listen to their podcasts, which offer a ton of free content that is beneficial to new investors. Because it's a community website, experienced users can answer questions on the forum.
Beyond being a helpful educational tool, BiggerPockets is also a great way to stay current on industry news and network with other local investors. While most features are free to use, there are subscription plans available to unlock additional features and more educational content.
How Does BiggerPockets Work?
If you’re thinking about signing up for BiggerPockets, it’s pretty straightforward.
First, you navigate to the sign up page and enter your details for a free account.
You simply have to provide your email address and answer a few questions about your real estate journey. That’s it- you’ll soon find yourself to be a part of the BiggerPockets community.
The questions help to tailor your experience on the platform. BiggerPockets asks about your primary goal, the type of investor you are, and your topics of interest. You can also connect with an investor at this stage, or, you can skip that part for now.
Once you’re on the platform, you’ll find a wealth of information and tools that can equip you with the skills you need to set up a strategy. Still, it can be overwhelming to have so many possibilities available, so here’s a guide on how to use the site and where to begin:
Education (Forum, Podcast, Blogs)
On the website, you can find tonnes of real estate advice on their blog where real estate professionals provide you with a more thorough road map for endeavors like house loans, locating deals, tenant screening, how to become a multimillionaire, and more.
For some investors, one of the best free resources on BiggerPockets is the forum, where you’ll find professionals responding to specific questions in the many discussion threads about everything from complex tax tactics to money lending. In the unlikely event that an expert doesn’t respond, there’s a chance someone who’s had the same experience can offer their insights and point of view. There are over 10 forum categories, so there is something for everyone.
The BiggerPockets podcast is also a popular starting point for real estate investors. By listening to the episodes, you can extend your understanding of the realm of using real estate to achieve financial independence. Moreover, real estate investors also share their highlights of how they’ve treated successful, independent lives. Most episodes usually last between one to two hours, with roughly 80% pure information and some little lighthearted banter thrown in here and there.
Bonus Tip: BiggerPockets also has a bookstore that has books published under the Bigger Pockets label. These can be good resources for those starting with real estate investing.
Networking Opportunities
There are plenty of possibilities in the BiggerPockets Community to interact with nearby real estate companies. As mentioned, there is the forum where you can chat with other community members. If you're looking to take if further then you can review a list of partner businesses through the BiggerPockets network and even go through the company directory. Depending on your interests, you can go through different elements of your investing pursuits, such as building and construction, hard money, real estate brokers, wholesaling, etc.
You can find like-minded individuals and more experienced investors that you can connect with through the forums as well. For users on the paid subscription plans, there are additional private and focused forums, which makes the platform perfect for both novices and seasoned real estate investors.
Sometimes, BiggerPockets host meetups of their own which can be useful to grow your network some more.
Webinars & Guides
Joining a live webinar will allow you to learn with investors from across the nation. You can watch webinars hosted by David Greene and other BiggerPockets leaders, but Brandon usually moderates them. You may find it useful that Brandon walks you through the process of analyzing a deal after most of his webinars. Plus, the topics for these webinars are interesting for anyone who’s into real estate investing, so they serve as an educational resource as well.
You’ll also find downloadable materials such as checklists, data sets, and how-to guides to learn more in-depth information than on the blog. A lot of these guides come with step-by-step processes that can help explain complicated concepts more easily.
Software Tools
Apart from educational and networking resources, you’ll find an array of digital tools targeted at resolving real estate investing issues. If you want to assess a specific project, you can use calculators to check whether it’ll be a wise investment- be it a wholesale property, flip, rental, fixer-upper, short-term rental, or something else entirely. There are also tools such as the 70% rule calculator and mortgage payment calculator to help you comprehend the financial side of investing.
There is a brief instructional video available for each calculator to guide you through its usage. However, by attending some of the particular webinars, you may also obtain more in-depth tutorials on how to use the calculators.
In case you already own property, you can identify and screen renters, manage properties, collect rent, and more with the tools and software available for property management.
Now that you’ve gone through some of our BiggerPockets review, you have an understanding what the platform is used for. However, with so many features you may be still wondering if it's right for you. Let's take a look at how it connects buyers and sellers with agents, the cost of Bigger Pockets Pro, and whether it's worth it.
Can You Find a Real Estate Agent on BiggerPockets?
Yes- you can find a real estate agent on BiggerPockets.
With BiggerPockets Agent Finder, you can save time and effort when searching for an agent who meets your criteria for real estate investments. Through their network of real estate agents who are willing to work with investors, you can get in touch with experts in a short amount of time and find the ideal property to add to your portfolio.
Plus, you can choose specific options to find agents that are specialized in getting you the type of property you want, where you want it, the budget, and the time frame.
Once you’ve filled out the survey, you’ll be matched agents who meet your requirements and then you can choose the best option for yourself.
How Much Does BiggerPockets Cost?
As mentioned, there is a free version of the platform that you can use. It comes with access to most of the educational resources we’ve mentioned before but it does have some limited functionality if you’re looking for more specialized advice.
If you want to access the BiggerPockets audiobook collection, then there’s an upgraded Audio plan that allows you to go through all of their audiobooks collection plus an ad-free experience for their podcasts. This is priced at $8.33 per month.
The Pro membership costs $32.50 per month, but it requires a yearly commitment with a one-time payment or recurring monthly investment. The Pro options comes with everything in the free plan, plus detailed insights based on key investor metrics, and the ability to filter properties for sale to meet your criteria. On top of this you get unlimited access to rental analysis calculators, off-market deal finding software, live Q&A sessions with experts, 50% off investing courses, and lease agreement packages for all 50 states. So, this is a great package for the serious investor. However, for those who aren't quite ready to get into real estate investing, these expenses might be unrealistic.
Is BiggerPockets Worth it for Real Estate Investors?
We have covered a lot in this BiggerPockets review. Here's a quick overview of what we found:
| Pros of Using Bigger Pockets | Cons of Using Bigger Pockets |
|---|---|
| The platform provides a variety of free resources such as podcasts, webinars, blog articles, and more. It doesn't matter whether you've been in the real estate investing game for long, you'll find what you're looking for. | Unfortunately, most of the resources are focused on supporting inspirational stories and advancing this narrative so novice users start investing in real estate. So, you're not getting a bias-free understanding of what real estate investing is. |
| You'll have more chances to connect with a range of people from the real-estate investing world, be it your peers or professionals. With Pro access, you can even engage with individuals who are dealing with millions. | Since it's an open forum, there'll be many people who might not be as informative or trustworthy as you expect. You may even find yourself taking advice from someone who doesn't know anything about real estate at all. So it's best to take everything with a grain of salt. |
| In their Free plan, BiggerPockets provides you with almost everything in their toolbox apart from access to a few tools and software. If you're looking to upgrade, Pro membership can be a feasible option. | With BiggerPockets Pro, you are able to use various calculators that can help determine whether your investment is worth it. However, it's not for beginners and you should think twice before going ahead. |
| You'll have everything you need to know about real-estate investing on your fingertips. Plus, you'll also be able to find agents that can help you with your needs. | It can be overwhelming for beginners to know where to start with the resources at hand. There's no specific guide to the website that could help them navigate. |
Looking for Real Estate Advice? Look No Further than Whop
By now you should have everything you need to know about using BiggerPockets and what you can expect from it. Whether BiggerPockets is right for you or not, there are other ways that you can increase your real estate knowledge and connect with like-minded individuals.
Whop is home to thousands of online communities, including real estate groups.
Let’s take a look at some of them:
- Hold My Hand Wholesale is a real estate investment community that provides you with a 7hr one-on-one mentorship opportunity from Monday to Friday.
- If you want a one-stop guide on navigating the complex world of real estate investing, take a look at Real Estate Investing with Tom Brickman. You’ll not only understand what kind of properties or financing you should be looking at, you’ll also gain insights on market trends.
- Another mentorship based program you can take a look at is Wholesaling Mastermind. You’ll have access to almost 4 million cash investors who can provide you with live training sessions, and the answer to whatever question you may have.
This is only the tip of the iceberg, and you’ll find more communities, resources, and courses that can be useful for you as an investor. With no locked-in memberships, access to real estate tools, and tight-knit communities, you will find the advice you need here on Whop.
