The #1 Mistake That Keeps Real Estate Investors Stuck at 1-2 Properties

[Grant Shipman]

Hey BiggerPockets Community,

I’ve been investing in co-living real estate since 2020, and over the years, I’ve met countless investors who get their first deal (or maybe their second)… and then stop.

They don’t stop because they want to—they stop because they hit a wall.

Somewhere between Property #1 and Property #3, investors often find themselves stuck, unable to scale the way they originally envisioned. I've BRRRR'd, partnered with flippers, and built most of my portfolio through syndications across CO, FL, and TX, and I’ve seen this mistake over and over again.

The Biggest Mistake? Trying to Scale Solo.

The Myth of Doing Everything Yourself

When I first got into real estate, I thought I had to:
✅ Find the deals
✅ Secure financing
✅ Handle renovations
✅ Manage tenants
✅ Deal with maintenance
✅ Track every dollar

I figured, “If I want to maximize my profits, I need to do it all myself.”

Sound familiar?

This works for the first 1-2 properties—but after that, it becomes a bottleneck. You run out of time, capital, or both. The investors who never scale past this point? They’re still trying to do everything alone instead of leveraging other people’s skills, money, or resources.

How I Got Unstuck & Scaled My Portfolio

If you’re stuck, the solution is simple:

1. Leverage Other People’s Money (OPM) & Syndications

I built most of my portfolio through syndications because I realized I didn’t have to fund every deal myself. By structuring partnerships, I was able to take down properties I never could have afforded alone. If you’re only using your own cash, you’ll hit a wall.

2. Work WITH Other Investors, Not Against Them

I started partnering with flippers to buy their properties rather than competing against them for deals. If you’re trying to scale, think beyond the one-man show approach—find ways to work with wholesalers, rehabbers, and syndicators.

3. Stop Micromanaging & Start Delegating

Managing properties is great—until you own too many and realize you’re spending all your time on tenant calls, maintenance, and bookkeeping. Handing off property management and admin tasks allowed me to focus on acquiring new deals instead of babysitting old ones.

Are You Stuck? Here’s How to Break Through

🚀 Run out of money? → Start raising capital through partnerships or syndications.
🚀 Struggling to find deals? → Work with wholesalers or flippers instead of going solo.
🚀 Too busy to scale? → Hire a property manager or use automation to free up time.

Discussion: What’s Keeping You Stuck?

1️⃣ If you’re stuck at 1-2 properties, what’s your biggest challenge?
2️⃣ If you’ve broken through and scaled, what was the key move that helped you?
3️⃣ What’s one thing you need to let go of to grow your portfolio?

Let’s talk in the comments! 👇👇👇