My House Hack Success Story

[Andres Felipe Alba Hernandez]

Investment Info:

Single-family residence buy & hold investment.

Purchase price: $340,000
Cash invested: $20,000

I bought a 5-bedroom, 2.5-bath home in a great neighborhood where my wife and I wanted to live and start a family. With just 5% down (yes, I paid PMI initially), we moved into the main bedroom, used the small first-floor room as my office, and rented out the other three bedrooms on Airbnb and Furnished Finder. I set clear rules: no cooking, but guests could use a microwave, toaster, and coffee maker.

What made you interested in investing in this type of deal?

House have good layout, good area, great schools, price point was fair for that area.

How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

Via realtor, it was on the market.

How did you finance this deal?

Conventional.

How did you add value to the deal?

We improve the kitchen and the patio but just because we live here.

What was the outcome?

Appreciation Wins:
- Two years appreciated enough to remove PMI.
- Four years of appreciation -100k HELOC for investing.
Takeaways
This house hack worked because I chose a desirable home in a good area with strong appreciation potential. Despite initial doubts (e.g., “Who rents rooms without a kitchen?”), demand came from travelers, students, and nurses. Sharing our home a bit has been a small trade-off for living nearly mortgage-free while building wealth.