9 “Boring” Investing Habits That Will Actually Make You Rich

Dave Meyer has spent 16 years investing in real estate and talking to hundreds of investors on the BiggerPockets podcast. He has concluded that the difference between the investors who build lasting wealth and those who flame out or stay on the sidelines is not a secret strategy, a special lender, or access to off-market deals. It is habits — boring, repeatable behaviors done deal after deal, year after year. The episode breaks down nine of these habits, and Meyer is explicit that this is good news: habits are available to anyone, regardless of experience, cash, or market.

Patience as a practiced behavior

The single biggest differentiator, according to Meyer, is patience. But he is careful to define patience not as a passive mindset but as a concrete behavior. In practice, patience means not stretching to buy deals that are too thin. It means learning to say no to a lot of deals and going back to the seller one more time to push for an extra concession. It means taking a deep breath, running your numbers a second and third time, and calling an investor friend to check your underwriting. Meyer frames this as a skill you can build, not a personality trait you either have or don't. The logic is that real estate is not a get-rich-quick scheme; wealth comes from staying power in the market over a long time, and patience is the engine of staying power. "You are not going to be