Flashback to 18yrs old... I am just starting the difficult path of becoming a Mechanical Engineer. On this path, I spent countless long hours studying my butt off to be the best Engineer that I could be. And I did just that! I graduated top in my class. I had two summer internships at a Fortune 200 Defense Company. I catapulted that academic success into a job with one a top global Pharmaceutical company. The job moved me from Florida to Indianapolis, IN where I now live.

Things were great...I had a secure job, great benefits, I was living in a great city, and amazing friends. But something was missing! I was miserable at my job. There was no passion there. I had spent so much energy preparing for the Engineering field that I didn't even stop to consider I might not enjoy the work.

However, there was something in my life that I did enjoy doing. That was Real Estate Investing and it was my true passion. If I wasn't at work, I was consuming as much real estate content as possible (BiggerPockets, podcasts, books, etc.). I took action on my first investment property in under 1 year while still working full-time in a demanding 60hr/wk engineering job. It was a House Hack (term coined by Brandon Turner that means buying an owner-occupied 1-4 unit property and renting out rooms/units to cover the mortgage).

I wont go too much into the details of the deal but I am currently living at the property while putting $200/mo in my pocket. I'm not just living for FREE, I'm getting paid $200/mo to live in a great neighborhood just minutes away from Downtown Indy!! How cool is that!! Now if you factor in average rent of a 2b/1b in my area (~$1000/mo) then the deal gets even better. That's because I would be paying $1k/mo to live somewhere else but instead I'm making $200/mo (so the spread is really $1200/mo!!!).

Now here's the best part.....because I am saving so much money on living expenses, I was able to build up a substantial amount of capital. I saved up so much that I was able to QUIT my 9-5 corporate job after just 2 years in the workforce. Now I am able to put all of my time and energy into pursuing my real estate passion!

So what does that real estate passion look like?

- The capital I've built up gave me enough runway to become a licensed Indiana real estate broker where I can now help other find residential and investment properties to make their dreams a reality!!
- My partners and I are actively targeting and buying self-storage and small multifamily deals. This is building my portfolio and long term wealth!
- Building out systems and processes to allow my business to grow without me!

And this, my friends, is how I was able to quit my job after just 1 house hack. I hope you enjoyed my story and I'd love to hear if anyone else has executed a successful House Hack?

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QUIT My 9-5 Job After 1 House Hack

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