Brandon Elliott
Brandon Elliott has been a guest on Collecting Keys, the real estate investing podcast hosted by Mike DeHaan, Dan Austin and Dylan Koch.
Buying Houses With 0% Interest Debt (Seriously!) With Brandon Elliott
Brandon Elliott explains how he funded his early real estate deals almost entirely with credit cards, including asking existing card issuers for behind-the-scenes 0% promotional offers that get wired to his bank account as usable cash. He walks Mike DeHaan through raising credit limits, the "mass apply" sequence that can produce dozens of cards at once, why he pays contractors on credit for points, and how he went from house arrest and restaurant jobs to a BRRRR portfolio in Ohio and San Diego.
Key takeaways
- Existing credit card issuers often have unadvertised promotional offers that can be wired into your bank account as liquid cash at 0% interest for 18 months, functioning like a much cheaper hard money loan — but making new purchases on that card can void the 0% terms on the whole balance.
- Applying for one card or 30 cards within the same 30-day window has roughly the same impact on your credit profile, which is why Brandon batches applications ("mass apply") before new accounts report, then waits three to six months to repeat.
- Start with big banks for approvals, then move to credit unions and local community banks where limits and flexibility are better but the relationship matters most.
- Paying contractors by credit card protects you and generates enough points that a renovation can fund a free trip; Mike notes he cashed in roughly 800,000 points and flew first class to Africa.