After falling behind on retirement savings, a Gen-Xer turned to real estate. He explains how he built a 7-figure portfolio starting with $15,000.

Brannon Potts owns a mixture of single-family and multi-family properties. He builds and designs each of his rentals. Brannon Potts Brannon Potts uses a build-to-rent strategy to create cash flow from rental properties. He got started in 2020 with $15,000, enough for the down payment and closing costs on three lots. Today, he estimates his 14 properties are worth about $3.5 million based on appraisals. In his late 40s, Brannon Potts realized he was behind on retirement savings. Looking for another source of income, he turned to something he already enjoyed: building from scratch. "I love building — to be able to put my fingerprint on a property," Potts, who grew up in a home his parents built in Fort Worth, Texas, told Business Insider. In 2020, he started using what he calls a " build-to-rent " strategy: buying land, constructing rental properties, and holding them for cash flow.