“So, you are saying I can buy a house with the bank’s money and someone else pays for it?! …”

Cherita and I started our real estate adventure in our early 20s. We bought a bungalow and in complete ignorance proceeded to make more mistakes than I thought possible converting it to two units. I had heard vaguely about something called a building code but never learned about zoning bylaws, fire code or landlord tenant board before?! In fact, that first property was so riddled with mistakes it is a wonder the main floor laundry unit hasn’t fallen through the floor yet! 

But those mistakes have proved to be invaluable learning tools. 

At the time the main floor rented for $1,250 and the basement was around $700. While those rents may seem low in today’s dollars the cash flow started to roll in ever so sloooowly. 

The real light bulb moment came when I got the mortgage statement in the mail. A year had elapsed already, and I had never received an “Annual Mortgage Statement” before:

$3,951 taxes (gov cut). 

$8,284 mortgage interest (bank cut). 

$8,104 principal… $8k in principal?!  

I started to do the math on how many hours I would have to spend at my 9-5 job at the time to earn that much extra income for the year. It was simply not feasible. I concluded that owning an asset paid for by others had the potential to make a huge difference in our financial future. 

So, how do we do this again?

More importantly, how can I incorporate real estate investing into my lifestyle? My brother and I crossed paths with a coach at Rock Star. 

The next couple of years were a deep dive filled with books, podcasts, videos, networking, trial and error, etc.  My 1.25-hour commute became real estate university on wheels with the anthem “Are you ready? Let’s go!” 3 years later we were able to purchase our primary residence by leveraging our first property. The debt seemed HUGE at the time, but we were increasingly convinced that debt (on a good asset) can be a good thing… 

Like humble house hackers we lived in the basement and rented out the main floor for several years to help build some equity. I still remember the steak dinner Cherita & I had to celebrate paying off that loan (which more or less put us back in debt 😊).

I also remember cooking on a hot plate on our washing machine for several months and taking cold showers with a hose while renovating the basement. 

Since then, we have been so blessed to participate as an active partner with multiple investors on multiple properties. I was privileged to quit my 9-5 job in the design field to do real estate investing full-time. 

Tom & Nick and the team at Rock Star have been pivotal in this life transformation and I’m sincerely grateful! To have freedom of time for family and loved ones is something many people don’t have. When I reflect on the impact each one of our properties has, I’m amazed how many people are employed, housed, or helped along the way. 

Our goal for the years to come is to continue growing in this space: creating finer living spaces for tenants, generating exceptional returns for investors, and making a positive impact in the community. 

To what end and for what purpose? If you can answer that you’re set.

Investing = Committing. Devote yourself to a particular undertaking. The results will come.

Think different: Who you put in it, where you buy it, what you buy