House Hacking with 20k at 19 years old?

[Ethan Davis]

Hello bp forum I’m 19 years old and I would like to know if 20k is enough to either house hack or do a fix n flip. I’m in Los Angeles so I’ll have to look for out of state markets. Would Columbus OH, Cleveland OH, Cincinnati OH, or Toledo OH work? Thanks guys.

[Scott E.]

Do not try to flip a house that is 2,300 miles away from where you live.

My recommendation is you pat yourself on the back for saving up so much at such a young age. Then spend the next 6-12 months getting educated. Read as many real estate books as you can. Listen to as many biggerpockets podcasts you can. Spend more time here on the forums asking questions. Completely immerse yourself in real estate for the next 6-12 months and don't touch your $20k.

Then after you have a foundation of education, pick a strategy that feels right. If you do want to get into fix n flipping, I recommend you move to within 5-10 minutes of the homes you will be flipping (especially when you're first starting out).

But who knows, maybe after you do some more studying (and let the market pick a direction) you might realize you are interested in a completely different strategy.