BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast How Dave Went from Broke, Living in Grandma’s Basement to Rental Millionaire
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Mar 9, 2026 
Dave Meyer, real estate investor and Head of Real Estate at BiggerPockets, built a rental portfolio from scratch using house hacking and data-driven market research. He recounts starting with $0, secretly moving into a retirement community to save rent, uncovering mislabeled rental units, reverse-engineering government data to buy in the path of progress, and managing rentals remotely while living abroad.
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How Dave Bought His First Property With Zero Savings
- Dave borrowed his share of a $104,000 down payment from a partner at 7% and repaid it using 10% of rents he earned as property manager.
- He managed the property to generate immediate cashflow while paying down the personal loan for his equity portion.
Secretly Living In A 55 Plus Community To Save Rent
- Dave and a partner secretly moved into a deceased relative's 55+ retirement community basement to avoid rent and save for investments.
- They lived there covertly, doing neighborly favors, and he stayed more than three years while only paying utilities.
Find Value In Mislabeled MLS Listings
- Scan MLS listings for mislabeled units: hidden or mis-marketed apartments often slip through as single-family or wrong unit counts.
- Dave found a permitted one-bedroom behind a listed two-unit and used it to house hack for two years.