How to make $40K more on your Airbnb Rental
The Real Estate Education Podcast
Release Date: 11/12/2025
Leaving the US? Here's What to Do With Your House (3 Options From People Who Did It)
The Real Estate Education Podcast
One year after relocating to Mexico, Erin Spradlin and James Carlson share three options for handling property when leaving the US—and why their choice saved their marriage. 🏠 Three Options When Leaving Option 1: Sell (Least Favorite) Most time-consuming and permanent. Requires prep, photos, staging. Markets moving slowly, especially Southeast US/Arizona. Best if certain about leaving permanently. Option 2: Rent Unfurnished (Middle Ground) Three-week timeline. Remove all furniture (storage costs extra). If rent doesn't cover mortgage by $100-200/month, that's your "experimentation...
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Trump's 50-Year Mortgage: Insane or Smart? Plus Ethical Landlording
The Real Estate Education Podcast
Erin Spradlin and James Carlson tackle Trump's 50-year mortgage proposal with real numbers, then discuss whether "ethical landlording" is an oxymoron. 🏠 The 50-Year Mortgage Reality Trump's team showed him a poster with FDR and Trump labeled "Great Presidents" to pitch this. James admits it's "not automatically batshit crazy"—low bar. The Math ($500K home, 6% rate): 30-year: $3,000/month, $579K interest, $1.079M total 50-year: $2,632/month ($366 saved), $1M+ interest, $1.5M total Pros: Lower monthly payments. Harvard/UChicago economists say it's "not that much crazier than 30-year...
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How to make $40K more on your Airbnb Rental
The Real Estate Education Podcast
The Simple Steps That Added $40,000 to an Airbnb (In Just One Year) James Carlson reveals how his clients transformed an existing Airbnb from $50K annually to $90K—an 80% revenue increase—by following five straightforward principles. He shares two strategies while teasing his $49 Stand Store report with all five. 🏠 The Proof Property 45 minutes south of Breckenridge averaged $50K/year. New owners bought in early 2025, implemented all five strategies, now tracking $90K annually—$40K more ($3,333/month). Most investors drop off after closing instead of pushing through. 📋 Two...
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Why Donald Trump is Bad for Your Real Estate Investments
The Real Estate Education Podcast
Erin Spradlin and James Carlson directly address how Trump administration's 2025 policies are impacting real estate markets—while making clear that economics aren't their biggest concern. 💸 Four Ways Trump Policies Are Hitting Real Estate 1. Immigration Crackdown = Construction Cost Explosion Removal of legal and illegal immigrant labor means construction and renovation costs are skyrocketing. Expect to pay significantly more and wait longer for any building project. 2. Tariff Chaos = Market Paralysis Retaliatory tariffs create inflation while Fed won't lower interest rates. Buyers have...
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One Year in Mexico: The Surprising Truth About Moving, Living & Buying Here
The Real Estate Education Podcast
We just hit our one-year anniversary of moving to Mexico, and we’re sharing everything we’ve learned — the real pros, the unexpected cons, and why we have no plans to leave anytime soon. We’ll also dive into: Our best tips for road-tripping through Mexico What to know before buying property here And what everyday life in Mexico actually feels like after 12 months If you’ve ever dreamed about moving south of the border — this episode will give you the honest, firsthand scoop. 📧 Contact Information: for midterm rental consulting...
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How to Make Money for a Down Payment
The Real Estate Education Podcast
Erin Spradlin and James Carlson explore an accessible income alternative to real estate: the Stan Store digital marketplace. They share their experience with Gary Vaynerchuk's 8-week course on selling digital products and consulting services—arguing this might be faster than saving for a down payment. 💰 The Stan Store Solution Stan Store works as "Airbnb for selling your ideas"—digital products (PDFs, guides) or consulting services without needing thousands for a down payment. Tim Ferriss's insight: you don't need to know more than everyone—just more than enough people. The math: if...
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The 7 Biggest Landlord Mistakes (That Are Costing You Money Right Now)
The Real Estate Education Podcast
The 7 Biggest Landlord Mistakes (That Are Costing You Money Right Now) Recording from their sickbed in Mexico after experiencing building-shaking waves from Hurricane Priscilla, Erin Spradlin and James Carlson power through to deliver critical advice: the seven biggest mistakes landlords make. They tackle everything from skipping background checks to overpricing rentals, with trademark honesty about what actually matters versus landlord paranoia. 🚫 The 7 Deadly Landlord Sins 1. Not knowing the laws - Federal, state, city, and HOA rules change frequently, especially around affordable...
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Lazy Landlording: The One Number That Solves Every Rental Decision
The Real Estate Education Podcast
Lazy Landlording: The Simple System for Managing Rentals Without the Headaches Erin Spradlin and James Carlson explore "lazy landlording"—smart systems that make property management effortless using one metric: your daily rate. 💰 The Day Rate Formula Monthly mortgage ÷ 30 days = your decision metric. Average US mortgage ($2,715) = $90/day. A 5% discount on one month? That's $135 or 1.5 days vacancy—take it. Six-month lease at 5% off? Nine-day discount equivalent. Make financially smart decisions based on market reality, not stubborn pricing. 🏠 Systems Over Stubbornness Prevent...
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Why Chat GPT Is the WORST Thing That Ever Happened to Real Estate Investors
The Real Estate Education Podcast
In this episode of the Real Estate Education Podcast, Erin Spradlin and James Carlson dive into a critical warning for real estate investors: AI is dangerously unreliable for investment advice. James shares his experiment testing ChatGPT's Colorado Airbnb market knowledge, revealing that over 50% of recommendations were completely illegal—including cities that banned STRs entirely. 🤖 The ChatGPT Airbnb Disaster James asked ChatGPT multiple ways to identify the best Colorado Airbnb markets. Results were alarming: ChatGPT recommended Denver (banned investment STRs since 2017), Boulder...
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Spencer Sutton from Evernest Discusses Accidental Landlord Mistakes & The Appreciation vs. Cash Flow Reality Check
The Real Estate Education Podcast
Accidental Landlords, Cash Flow Myths & Why Some Money is Better Than No Money Erin sits down with Spencer Sutton from Evernest (20,000+ properties) to tackle accidental landlords forced into renting due to selling difficulties. They cover overpricing pitfalls, tenant screening mistakes, and why cash flow obsessions often miss the bigger picture of long-term appreciation. 🏠 The Accidental Landlord Trap Spencer breaks down the two biggest mistakes: emotionally overpricing rentals and compromising screening when anxious about vacancy. His diagnostic—views but no showings means...
info_outlineThe Simple Steps That Added $40,000 to an Airbnb (In Just One Year)
James Carlson reveals how his clients transformed an existing Airbnb from $50K annually to $90K—an 80% revenue increase—by following five straightforward principles. He shares two strategies while teasing his $49 Stand Store report with all five.
🏠 The Proof Property 45 minutes south of Breckenridge averaged $50K/year. New owners bought in early 2025, implemented all five strategies, now tracking $90K annually—$40K more ($3,333/month). Most investors drop off after closing instead of pushing through.
📋 Two Strategies Revealed
1. Know Thy Laws Don't rely on AI—ChatGPT recommended Denver despite felony charges for STR violations. Call planning departments, read ordinances, work with knowledgeable agents.
2. Design Matters More Than You Think Stand out on Airbnb's first page (18 properties). Beige and bland gets lost. This client: painted walls forest green, rebranded as "Starry Pines," added large art, replaced all furniture (no cup-holder couches). Hire a designer for $2K-3K—best money you'll spend.
The Edge: Your competition quits after closing. Be the 2 out of 10 who push through the final month of work.
Full report: stan.store/jamescarlson ($49)
🔍 Search terms: Airbnb revenue optimization, STR design tips, Breckenridge investment, rental interior design
🔍 Search terms: Airbnb revenue optimization 2025, short-term rental design tips, STR property transformation, Breckenridge Airbnb investment, cohesive interior design rentals
🎧 Simple advice, hard work, massive results
📧 Contact: james@jamescarlsonre.com for Colorado STR/MTR investments