We’re a young couple eager to make the most out of our lives. Like many others, retirement is the goal, and we’d like to get there a little sooner. Unlike some of our more adventurous peers, we don’t want to quit our day jobs and backpack around the globe either. While that sounds awesome, we like our jobs and we’re in this wealth building thing for the long run. So we chose the arguably boring and slow process of building wealth through buy and hold rental properties.
Oh, you think that buying properties at auctions sight unseen and flipping them for large sums of money is way more exciting?
Us too, but we’re not big risk takers.
Rentals to Wealth documents our journey of buying, rehabbing and renting out homes to build long-term wealth so we can retire by 2041. This blog is for those interested in real estate investing, personal finance, home renovations and anyone who wishes to learn through our mistakes.
We’re relatively new to this game so we’re learning along the way and plan on documenting all of the ups and downs we face while trying to reach our goal.
So who are we?
We are a husband and wife team living in New Jersey. I, Lauren, the main writer for this blog, have been interested in real estate for years.
Growing up, my original goal was to save enough money so I could pay for a house in all cash. This way, I wouldn’t have a mortgage payment each month and I’d be better off financially. In 2015, My brother recommended I read Robert Kiyosaki’s book, Rich Dad Poor Dad. It completed blew my mind and shifted my mindset on money and finances. After many books, podcasts, and discussions with others, I learned about the power of building long-term wealth through real estate. The idea of having others pay down our mortgage was fascinating to me and I was hooked.
If you ask my 24-year-old self where I’d be in this process today, she’d insist I was already on my sixth or seventh property. But hey, I followed societal norms and got a 9-5 job, moved out of my parents house and got engaged.
Sounds like an excuse, huh? And it is.
This blog was created to help keep us accountable. They say you have a better chance of achieving a goal if you write it down, so we took it one step further and decided to share it with you!
Since then, we’ve spent a good amount of time educating ourselves as much as possible, house hacked our first duplex, renovated and rented out property number two, and just purchased property number three! We’re revved up and loving this path we’re on.
My partner in crime on this journey is my husband who will be affectionately referred to as “The Troop” as he is a State Trooper here in Jersey. A lover of good food and fitness, and a true MacGyver when it comes to problem solving.
We are a normal couple with a normal goal – saving for retirement. But instead of achieving that through stocks and bonds, we thought we’d have a heavier hand in investing our money.
So join us on this ride as we try to figure it all out.
This blog is currently self hosted through bluehost.com. ” rel=”noopener noreferrer”>Bluehost. At $3.95/month, it’s very affordable (this low price is only through my link). If you have any questions at all about starting a blog, please reach out as I’d be happy to help!