REI INK

What REI INK does

REI INK is a monthly business publication for serious real estate investors, operated by Choice Publishing LLC and founded in 2019 by Robert "Bob" Rakowski. The publication covers the full real estate investment lifecycle—single-family, multifamily, commercial, alternative strategies, lending, acquisitions and dispositions, and property management—positioning itself as a comprehensive alternative to niche outlets that cover only single stages such as mortgage, default, or fix-up content. Its core product is the REI INK Monthly Magazine, distributed as a 9,200-copy print run via direct mail to affinity groups, trade associations, and individual subscribers, with a projected digital monthly distribution above 60,000 and a weekly e-newsletter. Supporting products include the Uncontested Investing podcast (hosted by Suzanne Andresen and Nate Zielinski), a Digital Library spanning 2019-2026, a Supplement Library of sponsor materials, and the REI Referral Network, a two-sided networking service connecting investors with service providers.

The company's revenue model is a hybrid of four streams: annual subscriptions at $59.95 per year, print magazine advertising, online banner advertising on www.rei-ink.com, and newsletter sponsorships plus targeted email blasts. Go-to-market is sales-led: the publication sells advertising directly to investment companies, lenders (private, public, institutional), service providers (property management, data research, investment advisors, insurance), and reaches investors through print distribution at national, regional, and local conferences via media partnerships. The business is bootstrapped, privately held, and described in source material as a "rare profitable" monthly print real estate magazine. Suzanne Andresen serves as Chief Revenue Officer and President; Carole VanSickle Ellis is editor and featured writer. Geographic focus is North America with no disclosed international expansion, and there is no public ticker, no venture capital funding, and no parent company.

Name

REI INK

Legal name

Choice Publishing LLC

Website

https://rei-ink.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

REI INK is a privately held monthly print and digital business publication for serious real estate investors, covering the full investment lifecycle. Operated by Choice Publishing LLC, it generates revenue from $59.95 annual subscriptions, print and digital advertising, and newsletter sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bath

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Annual Subscriptions: Annual subscription revenue at $59.95 per year. Subscribers receive monthly print and digital issues plus weekly e-newsletter access.
2. Print Magazine Advertising: Revenue from display advertising placements in the 9,200-copy monthly print magazine distributed to affinity groups, trade associations, and individual subscribers.
3. Online Advertising: Revenue from banner advertisements on www.rei-ink.com website.
4. Newsletter Sponsorships: Revenue from weekly electronic newsletter sponsorships and targeted email blasts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

REI INK is a monthly print and digital business publication for serious real estate investors, covering single-family, multifamily, commercial, alternative investing strategies, lending, acquisitions and dispositions, and property management. The core offering includes a 9,200-copy print run, a replica digital magazine, a weekly e-newsletter, the Uncontested Investing podcast, a digital archive spanning 2019-2026, and a referral network for investors.

Product overview

REI INK is a comprehensive real estate investment publication operated by Choice Publishing LLC, offering a multi-platform content portfolio. The core product is the monthly REI INK Magazine, available in both print and digital formats (9,200-copy print run with 60,000+ projected digital monthly distribution), which covers all aspects of real estate investing including single-family, multifamily, commercial properties, alternative strategies, lending, and property management. Supporting the magazine are the Uncontested Investing Podcast (delivering weekly practical investing advice), the Digital Library (archive of past issues), the Supplement Library (sponsor-provided supplementary materials), the weekly Newsletter, and the REI Referral Network (networking service). Annual subscriptions are available for $59.95.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Uncontested Investing: Podcast hosted by Nate Zielinski and Suzanne Andresen, designed for small to medium investors looking to scale their business. Episodes cover real estate investing strategies, successes, and challenges.

Products and services

• REI INK Monthly Magazine A monthly print and digital business publication for serious real estate investors, covering single-family, multifamily, commercial, alternative investing strategies, lending, acquisitions and dispositions, property management, and market data. Distributed via a 9,200-copy print run and 60,000+ projected digital monthly distribution.
• Uncontested Investing Podcast A real estate investing podcast hosted by Nate Zielinski and Suzanne Andresen, delivering practical advice for small to medium investors looking to scale their business, featuring expert guests and covering investing strategies, successes, and challenges. Episodes are released every Tuesday.
• Digital Library An archive of past issues of REI INK magazine available in digital format, spanning from 2019 to 2026, providing searchable historical content for real estate investors.
• Supplement Library A collection of supplementary content and special reports including materials from Home Depot, HomeVestors, Invigorate Finance, MCS, PlanOMatic, Fund that Flip, RCN Capital, and other sponsors, providing investors with additional resources and tools.
• REI Referral Network A networking service connecting real estate investors with service providers and other investors, facilitating business development and partnership opportunities within the real estate investment community.
• REI INK Newsletter A weekly electronic newsletter delivering timely industry news, updates, and insights to real estate investors and industry subscribers.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• HomeVestorsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHomeVestors supplement advertiser featured in the REI INK supplement library. HomeVestors is a real estate investment company offering advertising and branding within the publication.
• RCN CapitalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRCN Capital is a leading nationwide private lender for real estate investors, featured as a supplement advertiser and recurring banner advertiser in REI INK.
• The Home DepotminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Home Depot featured as a supplement advertiser in REI INK supplement library, targeting real estate investors with home improvement products and services.
• PlanOMaticminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlanOMatic supplement advertiser featured in REI INK supplement library, offering property-related services to real estate investors.
• EXIT RealtyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEXIT Realty supplement advertiser in the REI INK supplement library, a real estate brokerage franchise.
• PIP GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPIP Group featured as supplement advertiser in REI INK supplement library, offering real estate investment services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• BiggerPockets: BiggerPockets is the largest real estate investing education and community platform, serving the same small-to-mid-cap investor audience with podcasts, forums, books, and a pro membership. It is the most directly comparable peer given overlapping audience, content categories, and monetization model.
• Think Realty: Think Realty is a print and digital publication plus event series dedicated to real estate investors, with similar focus on serving active small-to-mid-cap investors through editorial content and conferences — directly comparable in product and audience.
• Scotsman Guide: Scotsman Guide is a long-running print and online publication serving residential mortgage and real estate professionals. It overlaps REI INK on lending and investor education but skews more heavily toward mortgage originators than active investors.
• REFI (Real Estate Finance Intelligence): REFI covers real estate finance, debt, and capital markets for institutional and private investors. It overlaps REI INK on the lending and capital-markets segments of the real estate investment lifecycle and serves a comparable finance-oriented investor reader.
• National Real Estate Investor (NREI): National Real Estate Investor is a long-established trade publication covering commercial and investment real estate, distributed in print and digital. It targets a similar investor and capital-markets audience and even advertises within REI INK, signaling direct category overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Commercial Observer: Commercial Observer is a print and digital publication focused on commercial real estate, capital markets, and CRE dealmaking. It overlaps REI INK on commercial investment content but is a broader CRE news platform rather than a small-investor trade publication.
• Inman: Inman is a leading real estate news and information platform with broad coverage of residential, technology, and brokerage trends. It competes for the same advertiser dollars (brokerages, lenders, tech) but addresses a larger, more agent-and-broker-oriented audience.
• HousingWire: HousingWire is a well-funded digital media company covering the U.S. housing and mortgage industry. It overlaps REI INK on lending and single-family investment content but addresses a broader mortgage and housing audience beyond investors specifically.
• The Real Deal: The Real Deal covers real estate news across residential, commercial, and luxury segments with print and digital editions. It overlaps REI INK in commercial and investment coverage but with a broader news-driven mandate and larger scale.
• GlobeSt.com: GlobeSt.com is a commercial real estate news and information platform covering transactions, capital markets, and industry trends. It competes for the same commercial investment advertising spend but addresses a wider CRE professional audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/rei_ink
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/RehabCashNow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rei-ink-magazine
• Facebookfacebook.com/reiinkmagazine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about REI INK