The Co-Living Show Podcast By Craig Curelop and Miller McSwain cover art

The Co-Living Show

The Co-Living Show

By: Craig Curelop and Miller McSwain
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Co-living is one of the most misunderstood, and highest-potential, ​ strategies in residential real estate investing. Most investors hear the buzzwords, see the cash-flow claims, and immediately assume it’s either too risky, too operationally intense, or too complicated to scale. The truth is simpler: coliving work exceptionally well when built on systems, governed by operational clarity, and executed like a real business, not a side hustle. The Co-Living Show exists to make that clarity accessible for serious professionals who want smarter returns without gambling on guesswork.
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Hosted by BiggerPockets authors Craig Curelop and Miller McSwain, The Co-Living Show goes far beyond surface-level real estate content. This is the only real estate investing podcast dedicated exclusively to the economics, operations, regulations, and strategic frameworks that drive high-density co-living and shared housing at scale. Whether you’re new to the model or a high-earning, time-poor professional seeking exposure to a sophisticated cash-flow real estate strategy without becoming an operator, this show delivers the confidence, understanding, and insight needed to invest intelligently.
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Each episode takes you inside the real-world systems behind co-living performance. You’ll hear from operators running multi-market portfolios, attorneys specializing in zoning and compliance, designers who understand space optimization and profitability, lenders financing room-by-room rental strategies, and property managers and city officials shaping the future of affordable housing innovation. You’ll also hear from the Co-Living Cash Flow Community, everyday investors solving operational challenges and executing the exact frameworks discussed on the show.
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👉 Join the community: www.millermcswain.com/community
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There is no fluff here. No hype. No motivational noise. Every conversation is grounded in data, regulatory insight, operational logic, and investor-level clarity. Co-living is not “passive income.” It’s not a shortcut. It’s a system. And systems — when executed correctly — produce scalable, predictable returns that outperform traditional rental models. This is not speculative theory. It’s cash-flow real estate strategy in action.
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Craig brings acquisitions, underwriting, and market strategy. Miller brings operations, pricing systems, and standardization frameworks that make coliving scalable. Together, they deliver an operator’s perspective of an asset class most investors only see from the outside. As BiggerPockets authors, educators, and practitioners, they simplify complexity without diluting truth: coliving works, but only when done correctly.
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You’ll hear underwriting breakdowns, operator case studies, deal teardowns, regulatory realities, tenant strategy, market analysis, and the economic logic behind high-density residential investing. You’ll learn how to invest passively, partner with experienced operators, or simply understand the business model in depth, even if you never plan to manage a property yourself.
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The Co-Living Show does not claim co-living works.
It proves when, why, and under what conditions it works.
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If you want confidence instead of conjecture, systems instead of speculation, and clarity instead of chaos, this is your source of truth for professional-grade residential real estate investing.
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Subscribe and join thousands of investors building deeper understanding, stronger portfolios, and smarter strategies, without wasting time on noise.
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This is the future of residential real estate investing. And now you’ll finally understand how it works.
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© 2026 The Co-Living Show Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Personal Development Personal Finance Personal Success
Episodes
  • EP 6 - The Co-Living Operator’s Secret Weapon: Systems, Automation, and Scale

    EP 6 - The Co-Living Operator’s Secret Weapon: Systems, Automation, and Scale
    Mar 18 2026

    In this episode of The Co-Living Show, Craig Curelop and Miller McSwain are joined by Jordan Smith, a co-living operator who has built a 30-bedroom portfolio with a strong focus on systems, automation, and operational efficiency.

    Jordan breaks down how he got started with his first house hack, what the numbers looked like on that first deal, and how his background in management consulting shaped the way he now runs his portfolio. The conversation covers lead generation, pre-screening, automations, communication systems, maintenance workflows, tenant issues, and the operational mindset required to scale co-living well.

    They also discuss why co-living should be treated like a real business, not just a real estate strategy, and why investors need to think carefully about return on equity as they grow.

    If you want a more practical look at what it takes to build a sustainable co-living operation, this episode is for you.

    Connect with the hosts:
    Miller McSwain: www.instagram.com/millermcswain
    Craig Curelop: www.instagram.com/craigcurelop

    Connect with Jordan Smith:
    Instagram: www.instagram.com/smith.t.jordan
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    54 mins
  • EP 5 - How Clara Scaled Co-Living to 160 Rooms in 2.5 Years Without Ads

    EP 5 - How Clara Scaled Co-Living to 160 Rooms in 2.5 Years Without Ads
    Mar 11 2026

    In this episode of The Co-Living Show, Craig Curelop and Miller McSwain are joined by co-living pioneer Clara Arroyave, who scaled a 160-room co-living portfolio generating nearly $2M annually using the arbitrage model.

    Clara shares how she filled rooms without paid marketing by partnering directly with employers, universities, and HR departments, how her portfolio grew rapidly in Boston, and what ultimately happened when COVID disrupted the arbitrage model.

    She also explains the lessons she learned from scaling quickly, why arbitrage shouldn’t be your long-term strategy, and how she’s now focused on purpose-built co-living developments.

    Topics covered include:

    • Building a 160-room co-living portfolio
    • Filling rooms through employer and university partnerships
    • The risks of the arbitrage model
    • Designing co-living properties that maximize occupancy
    • Why private bathrooms increase tenant retention
    • The future of co-living housing

    If you're investing in co-living, house hacking, or room-by-room rentals, this episode provides real insights from someone who has operated at scale.

    Follow the hosts and guest:

    Craig Curelop – https://instagram.com/craigcurelop
    Miller McSwain – https://instagram.com/millermcswain
    Clara Arroyave – https://instagram.com/lifeisrocknroll
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    55 mins
  • EP 4 - 500 Rooms. One Strategy: How Harrison Scales Co-Living in 100+ Unit Buildings

    EP 4 - 500 Rooms. One Strategy: How Harrison Scales Co-Living in 100+ Unit Buildings
    Mar 4 2026

    In this episode of The Co-Living Show, Craig Curelop and Miller McSwain welcome Harrison DeMaira, a large-scale co-living operator with experience managing everything from small townhouse conversions to 100+ unit buildings and 400-unit purpose-built co-living developments.

    Harrison breaks down what changes when you scale co-living into multifamily—and what operators get wrong when they assume co-living leases like traditional rentals. We cover the real leasing funnel, scrappy marketing that still works (signage + employer outreach), the operational systems you must build early, and how to think about furnishing, unit design, and resident experience at scale.

    We also unpack:

    • What Common Living was and why it went defunct (and what co-living operators can learn from it)
    • Why Harrison avoids 2-bedroom co-living units
    • The bathroom-to-resident rule he won’t break
    • Why leasing + marketing is the foundation that makes everything else easier
    • Outsourcing earlier (and the accounting mistake most operators make)
    • And an unforgettable operations story involving an emotional support duck and a missing snake

    If you’re trying to fill rooms faster, scale beyond one property, or understand what multifamily co-living really looks like—this episode is for you.

    Follow the hosts:

    • Miller McSwain: https://www.instagram.com/millermcswain
    • Craig Curelop: https://www.instagram.com/craigcurelop

    Guest: Harrison DeMaira

    • Email: hpd@harrisondemaira.com

    If you enjoyed the episode, please follow the show and leave a rating/review, it helps more operators find the podcast.
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    1 hr and 9 mins
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