Is It a Buyer’s Market or a Seller’s Market? How to Evaluate Your Midterm Rental City
On this episode of the Real Estate Education Podcast, Aaron and James dig into one of the most common questions in real estate: is it a buyer’s market or a seller’s market? The answer—like most things in real estate—is more nuanced than you think. Using up-to-date data from Denver and insights from local lender Lonnie Gleisner, we break down the current housing market into three sub-markets: condos, townhomes, and detached single-family homes—and explain why your answer will depend on your asset class.

Plus, Erin shares her insights from consulting with midterm rental investors across the U.S., including how to pick the right city for your MTR strategy, the dangers of analysis paralysis, and why BiggerPockets-style advice like the 1% rule can actually cost you money.

Reach Out

Interested in consulting with Erin? Email erin@erinspradlin.com

Work with James: James@JamesCarlsonRe.com

Also in this episode:

• Why walk scores matter for midterm rentals

• What YouTube "grad school" can teach real estate professionals

• Which inventory types are sitting vs. selling

• The overlap between writing, video, and real estate education

Whether you're a new investor, an aspiring landlord, or a midterm rental host looking to scale, this episode will sharpen how you evaluate markets and make investment decisions.

Subscribe, leave a review, and follow us on YouTube and Spotify for weekly real estate education content.

Airbnb Boom or Bust, Midterm Market Shifts & What a Recession Really Means for Homebuyers

In this episode of the Real Estate Education Podcast, Erin and James dive into short-term rental trends, the surprising psychology of recession-era homebuyers, and why your lifestyle (not the market) might be the smartest guide for when to buy. They also open with a sharp cultural take on the Titan sub implosion documentaries—and how blind trust in "experts" can lead to catastrophic outcomes in both deep-sea exploration and real estate investing.

🏚 Segment 1 – Airbnb: Boom, Bust, or Just Plain Complicated?
Is the short-term rental bust over? We explore the shifting sands of Airbnb economics—from oversaturation fallout to signs of recovery in Colorado. Erin shares why domestic travel might be propping things up, what international tourism is signaling, and how smart investors are pivoting to survive with dual-purpose properties. Rents are softening, especially in California and Florida, and the midterm rental space isn’t immune. James and Erin break down what this means for lifestyle landlords, how to reframe real estate as a long-term play, and why some models are better suited to your goals (and sanity) than others.

📊 Segment 3 – Recession Psychology: Why 30% of Buyers Say They’d Buy More
A new Realtor.com survey reveals that nearly 1 in 3 potential buyers would be more likely to purchase during a recession. Why? We break down the logic, the emotional drivers, and why milestone life events still outweigh market conditions for most buyers. Plus, we explain why timing the market is a trap—and what to focus on instead.

🎥 Bonus Pop Culture Segment
Netflix vs. HBO's Titan sub implosion docs: Why we’re obsessed—and how the same blind optimism and guru worship shows up in real estate. It’s a must-hear metaphor (and a solid Tom Cruise sidebar).

Perfect for:

• Short-term and midterm rental investors navigating 2025

• Buyers trying to make sense of the market during economic shifts

• Agents coaching clients through recession-era decision-making

• People who love when pop culture and real estate collide

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🎧 Subscribe for honest real estate insight with a side of smart sarcasm

Six Months in Mexico, Flat-Fee Listings, and What Our Clients Are Teaching Us About the 2025 Real Estate Market

In this episode of The Real Estate Education Podcast, we’re covering three major topics—from expat life to evolving real estate models to real-time client case studies—all focused on helping you make smarter moves in today’s U.S. housing market.

Segment 1 – Six Months Living in Mexico: What We’ve Learned
Thinking of a life change? Whether you're moving cities or countries, this honest reflection on six months of living in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico covers what it’s really like to leave the U.S. in midlife. We discuss cost of living, healthcare, infrastructure, culture, and how this move unexpectedly changed our perspective on homeownership, pace of life, and housing decisions back home.

Segment 2 – Flat-Fee Listings: Can They Save Sellers Thousands?
Flat-fee MLS listings are becoming more attractive in a tight housing market. Erin explains why she’s launching flat-fee services in Colorado, how it works, which properties are a good fit, and what most sellers misunderstand about traditional real estate commissions. If you’re considering selling in 2025, this segment breaks down when not to pay 3% and what really sells a house (hint: it’s not social media).

Segment 3 – Real Client Case Studies: What Buyers and Investors Are Doing Right Now
From midterm rental investors in Missouri, California, and Florida to traditional buyers in Denver and Castle Rock, we’re sharing real strategies and outcomes from current clients. Learn what’s working (and what’s not) in markets across the U.S., including insurance stays, house hacking, FIRE movement buyers, and high-end midterm rental bookings in Portland.

Topics Covered:

• Living abroad vs. U.S. housing stress

• Flat-fee real estate listings explained

• Midterm rental trends in 2025

• How to sell a house without overpaying

• What makes a flat-fee listing successful

• FIRE movement and affordable home strategies

• How real estate technology is changing the agent model

• When full-service agents are still worth it

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Subscribe for real talk, no fluff, and actionable insight from two working real estate pros—who also happen to live in Mexico.

Contact Information: erin@erinspradlin.com or James@jamescarlsonre.com

What U.S. Cities Are Growing Fastest—and Why Tiny Towns May Be the Smartest Investment in 2025

In this episode of the Real Estate Education Podcast, we explore the fastest and slowest growing cities in the Denver metro area—and zoom out to a national trend reshaping American real estate: the rise of tiny towns. These are U.S. markets with fewer than 25,000 housing units, and they’ve seen surprising population growth since the pandemic. But are these “Zoomtowns” still gaining momentum—or is the trend reversing?

Segment 1 – The Rise (and Plateau?) of Tiny Towns:
We dive into why small markets boomed after 2020, what makes them attractive for real estate investors, and why 2025 might be the turning point as urban population rebounds. We highlight recent data from Briefcase Real Estate, touching on occupancy rates, remote work impacts, and national investment strategies for smaller U.S. metros.

Segment 2 – Fastest and Slowest Growing Cities in the Denver Metro:
From Arvada’s red-hot housing market (5 days on market!) to Castle Rock’s suburban sprawl slowdown, we analyze which Colorado cities are thriving and which are stagnating—and why. Learn how zoning, transit, housing diversity, and urban planning all play a role.

Bonus: We also kick things off with a quick take on Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning and the movie’s unexpected AI villain twist—plus some hot takes on Tom Cruise, Marvel movies, and yes, Scientology.

Perfect for:

• Investors hunting for undervalued real estate markets in the U.S.

• Buyers and sellers trying to time their entry into fast-moving cities

• Real estate agents tracking market demand and homebuyer trends

• Anyone curious about how remote work, zoning, and urban planning impact home values

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Subscribe for smart, unscripted real estate insights from two full-time pros.

Contact Information: erin@erinspradlin.com or James@jamescarlsonre.com

Briefcase Link: https://www.briefcase.email/subscribe?ref=wFlln8t7WI

In this episode of the Real Estate Education Podcast, we break down two of the hottest topics in the U.S. housing market right now: the difference between condos and townhomes in today’s market and the real-world impact of the 2024 NAR commission lawsuit on buyers, sellers, and real estate agents across the country.

Condos vs. Townhomes – Which attached home is selling better in 2025? We analyze national housing data and local market trends to explain why townhomes are outperforming condos in pricing, days on market, and financing ease. If you're planning to buy or sell an attached home, this segment could influence your strategy—especially in cities like Denver, Colorado Springs, and beyond.

Real Estate Commissions in 2025 – The 2024 lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors (NAR) promised sweeping change, but what’s actually different now for buyer’s agent commissions? We walk you through how this affects homebuyers, sellers, and real estate professionals, from required written agreements to changes in MLS advertising rules. Spoiler: much of the hype has not played out in practice, but we give you a grounded breakdown of what has shifted.

And yes—NBA fans, we start the episode with a fun riff on the 2025 NBA Playoffs, wild comebacks, and why Nikola Jokić might still be the best player in the league.

Perfect for:

• Buyers wondering if now is the time to purchase a condo

• Sellers deciding how to price and position townhomes

• Realtors adapting to new buyer commission structures

• Investors tracking shifts in residential real estate strategy

• Fans of informed, no-hype real estate talk with personality

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Subscribe now for practical insight, straight talk, and actionable real estate strategies.

Contact Information: erin@erinspradlin.com or James@jamescarlsonre

In this episode of the Real Estate Education and Investing Podcast, Erin Spradlin and James Carlson, seasoned real estate agents and investors, reveal a crucial pre-listing strategy most homeowners never consider. Erin explains how sellers can contact Redfin directly to remove their property's estimate when it's lower than their intended listing price, preventing buyers from seeing unfavorable discrepancies that could hurt negotiations. Automated valuations like Redfin estimates and Zillow's Zestimate have major limitations since they can't account for aesthetic improvements or updated features that add real value to properties.

The conversation then examines two Colorado neighbors' contrasting insurance experiences after the 2021 Louisville Fire. While Safeco paid $311,000 within seven weeks after a simple interview, State Farm initially paid only $131,000 after requiring extensive documentation and a year-long process, though they eventually reached $850,000. Critical protection strategies emerge from this analysis, including understanding depreciated versus replacement value coverage, filming property contents, and asking specific questions about claims processes before disasters strike. This episode combines practical listing advice with essential insurance knowledge for today's challenging real estate market.

Contact James:
james@jamescarlsonRE.com

Contact Erin:
Erin@erinspradlin.com

For more information visit:

https://www.jamescarlsonre.com/
https://www.erinandjamesrealestate.com/

In this episode of the Real Estate Education and Investing Podcast, Erin Spradlin and James Carlson take a data-backed look at the hottest real estate markets in 2025, as revealed by Zillow’s latest heat index. The Northeast—particularly Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse—is experiencing rapid price growth and tight inventory, making it a strong seller’s market. Meanwhile, the Sunbelt markets are cooling, with Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi now offering better deals for buyers thanks to price reductions and seller concessions. The hosts weigh in on what these shifts mean for investors, and why the upper Midwest might be the next smart move for those thinking long-term—especially in light of climate change risks.

They also tackle the question: Should landlords cap utilities for tenants? Sharing their own midterm rental lease setup, they explain how to structure utility caps, why setting clear expectations is crucial, and how this approach protects landlords from extreme overages. Erin walks through her utility clause strategy, including deposit coverage, setting generous limits, and how to handle overages state by state—especially in landlord-restrictive states like California, DC, Oregon, and New York. Whether you're trying to forecast future rental costs or scout the best cities for real estate investing in 2025, this episode is packed with practical insights.

Contact James:
james@jamescarlsonRE.com

Contact Erin:
Erin@erinspradlin.com

For more information visit:

https://www.jamescarlsonre.com/
https://www.erinandjamesrealestate.com/