BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast

Scott Trench’s $1,000,000 Bet on Real Estate (Update)

24 snips
Jan 21, 2026
Scott Trench, a real estate investor and former BiggerPockets CEO, shares insights after selling $1 million in stocks to invest in rentals. He weighs the trade-offs between rental cash flow and potential stock gains. Scott reveals his cautious outlook for 2026, predicting an 'absorption' phase in real estate with rent growth of 3-4%. He discusses low inventory's impact on prices, and why investors should strategize carefully in today's market. Plus, hear about his transition to focusing on BiggerPockets Money for financial education.
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ANECDOTE

Million-Dollar Stock-to-Real-Estate Move

  • Scott sold about $1,000,000 of S&P 500 and bought a quadplex and a duplex in Denver last year.
  • The quadplex returned roughly a 6.42% cap rate annually after expenses and management.
INSIGHT

Cashflow Trumps Paper Gains

  • Scott views the rental cashflow as lifestyle income that he actually spends each month.
  • He values predictable monthly transfers over unrealized stock gains.
INSIGHT

Stay In Your Circle Of Competence

  • Scott is less willing to opine on stocks now and focuses on real estate expertise instead.
  • He holds large cash reserves and paid-off rentals to reduce exposure to market uncertainty.
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