logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2023
58m 28s

842: Why Barbara Corcoran’s Son, Tom Hig...

BIGGERPOCKETS
About this episode

You’ve seen Barbara Corcoran on Shark Tank, heard of her unbelievable real estate deals that make millions of dollars, and might own a product or two that she’s invested in. She’s spent her entire career betting on New York real estate, and her risk has come with tens of millions of dollars in rewards. And while Barbara is known for her “go with your gut” type of investing, her son, Tom Higgins, went a completely different direction—and it paid off.

Tom has flown under the radar for most of his real estate career, never relying on his Corcoran lineage thanks to his different last name. He worked at a real estate brokerage in college, attended real estate finance classes at night, and eventually found himself in the industry as a real estate development professional, helping develop and renovate over 2,000 multifamily rental units!

Tom is a hard-numbers guy. He knows the cash-on-cash return, loan-to-value, and acquisition cost of every deal he’s done. Barbara, on the other hand, self-admittedly, can barely remember which metrics are which. Today, Barbara and Tom debate whether you should go with your head or heart when investing in real estate and why using a little bit of both could make you richer than all the other investors.

In This Episode We Cover:

Barbara and Tom’s sneaky way of finding up-and-coming real estate investing areas

Why Barbara says to never touch a DIME of your cash flow until…

How Tom made Barbara even more money by making her go against her investing nature 

One super simple way to immediately find out if a contractor will be worth the money 

Risky leverage and the one type of loan Tom says to STAY AWAY from

Why Barbara looks for “old ladies” every time she’s in a new market 

How Tom uses BiggerPockets to meet investors, contractors, and partners (and why you should too!) 

And So Much More!

Links from the Show

Find an Agent

Find a Lender

BiggerPockets Youtube Channel

BiggerPockets Forums

BiggerPockets Pro Membership

BiggerPockets Bookstore

BiggerPockets Bootcamps

BiggerPockets Podcast

BiggerPockets Merch

Listen to All Your Favorite BiggerPockets Podcasts in One Place

Learn About Real Estate, The Housing Market, and Money Management with The BiggerPockets Podcasts

Get More Deals Done with The BiggerPockets Investing Tools

Find a BiggerPockets Real Estate Meetup in Your Area

Davids's BiggerPockets Profile

David's Instagram

Subscribe to David’s YouTube Channel

Rob's BiggerPockets Profile

Rob's Instagram

Rob's TikTok

Rob's Twitter

Rob's YouTube

Meet Your Next Partner, Contractor, or Investing Buddy on the BiggerPockets Forums

Barbara Corcoran’s Wild Real Estate Tactics You’ll Want to Repeat

FIRE by 27 Using the “Chick-Fil-A Rule” of Real Estate

Books Mentioned in the Show:

Pillars of Wealth by David Greene

Connect with Barbara:

Barbara's Instagram

Barbara's Podcast

Barbara's TikTok

Barbara's X/Twitter

Connect with Tom:

Tom's BiggerPockets Profile

Tom's X/Twitter


Click here to listen to the full episode: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-842

Interested in learning more about today’s sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email advertise@biggerpockets.com.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up next
Yesterday
The “Golden Age” of Real Estate is Over.
The golden age of real estate investing is over, and there’s a good chance it isn’t coming back (for a while, at least). We have to admit it—real estate deals aren’t nearly as good as they were in the 2010s. But here’s the thing…we’re still buying real estate. Even with low affor ... Show More
44m 9s
Jul 9
2025 Long-Distance Investing Blueprint (Listen Before Buying)
Can’t make the numbers work in your local market? No worries—long-distance real estate investing is the natural next step. We’ve done it before, many times, and made the beginner mistakes, so you don’t have to. Now, we’re gearing up to do it again. Dave and Henry are heading out ... Show More
41m 2s
Jul 7
Replacing His Income with Rentals (in 3 Years!) by “Recycling” Money
In just three years, this investor scaled up to making over $100,000 per year thanks to real estate. He did it all starting in 2022 when interest rates were beginning to rise, the market was turning, and many investors decided to sit on their hands. Thanks to a strategy that allo ... Show More
40m 2s
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2023
317: 7 Deals in 2 Years with HUGE Cash Flow: How to Grow Your Real Estate FAST w/Mackenzie Brogdon
Growing a real estate business with multiple rentals and HUGE cash flow…in just two years!? How do you get so many deals done in such little time? Simply by putting one foot in front of the other, today’s guest was able to create a sizable portfolio in no time—allowing her husban ... Show More
50m 30s
Oct 2021
125: Using OnlyFans to Fund Ownership in Her First BRRRR w/ Brin Amberlee
You could say that Brin Amberlee isn’t a traditional real estate investor. She doesn’t have tons of experience with property management, construction, or investing, but she does have the will to succeed. After buying her primary residence in Las Vegas, Brin was prompted by friend ... Show More
49m 2s
Aug 2023
313: The REAL Side of Real Estate: When Rehabs and Rentals Go Wrong w/Tyrin Tyson
No real estate investing journey is ever sunshine and rainbows, but some are certainly more difficult than others. Many rookie investors are either so fearful of making a mistake that they experience “analysis paralysis” or are so eager to own property that they rush into several ... Show More
1h 5m
Apr 2023
277: Leaks, Surprise Rehabs, and the Reality of Buying Your First Rental Property w/Sara Plaisted
You don’t need to look very far to find a real estate success story, but it’s not every day that you hear from someone who is currently in the trenches of their very first real estate investment. The truth is that there are all types of hurdles to overcome during an investing jou ... Show More
51m 17s
Jul 2020
18: Starting at Age 45 With a "1% Rule" Property (in New Jersey!) With Tricia Baxter
She read Rich Dad Poor Dad, got angry at herself for not having built multiple income streams... and decided to do something about it! Tricia Baxter is a real estate rookie who got in the game in her mid-40s. In this episode, she shares how she built a healthy portfolio of small ... Show More
58m 16s
Dec 2023
346: The Multifamily Investing Masterclass: How to Get Started in 2024 w/Andrew Cushman
Multifamily real estate investing can be scary to a new investor. After all, buying more units requires more money, more resources, and a larger team. But today’s guest is here to show you that multifamily investing is not nearly as intimidating as it may seem and why NOW is the ... Show More
1h 4m
Aug 2020
23: From Dave Ramsey Disciple to No-Money-Down Real Estate Investor with Sarah Brandenberger
Interested in real estate investing... but wary of taking on debt?That's the situation Sarah Brandenberger found herself in, and today shares her journey from a staunchly anti-debt "penny pincher" to a creative financier raising private money!Sarah also gives us the goods on port ... Show More
1h 4m
Dec 2022
365: Finance Friday: How to Become Real Estate Ready in 2023
Don’t know how to become a millionaire? There’s a pretty simple formula for seven-figure wealth that the average American doesn’t know about. It isn’t complicated, but it does take a fair amount of time to come to fruition. If you follow the same strategy, regardless of where you ... Show More
1h 2m
Sep 2023
319: The Beginner’s Guide to Real Estate Development (with LOW Money Down!) w/Terry Harris
Getting into real estate development with low money down!? Many rookies assume that you need more money to develop, but there are a variety of ways to fund these projects. It all depends on how creative you’re willing to get! Today’s guest learned quickly that you don’t need a hu ... Show More
1 h
Dec 2023
349: How to Use Public Data to Find Real Estate Deals That 99% of Investors Miss w/Ariel Herrera
Do you lean into data when analyzing real estate deals? In a competitive market, ANY kind of advantage goes a long way towards helping you land better deals. And guess what? Harnessing the power of data is much easier than you think. Today’s guest delivers a handful of helpful ti ... Show More
50m 33s