Biggerpockets Money Podcast

As an investor, it’s easy to become fixated on cash flow, much like today’s guest at the start of his real estate journey. After realizing he was “house poor” with a mortgage payment larger than he could afford, Eric Garber stumbled upon house hacking. He rented out his basement and used the extra money to pay off his house early. With proof of concept for his newfound house hacking strategy and income from a stable W2 job, everything was going great. Then Eric’s world came crashing down when his marriage ended and his employer froze his pension plan. Without a prenuptial agreement, his financial fate was left to the state court system. Losing more than half of the assets he had worked tirelessly to grow, Eric found himself back at square one. This time, he was going to do things differently. Rather than pouring his time, energy, and money into paying off his real estate and living off the cash flow, Eric realized the opportunity that could be had by accessing his equity and putting it to work—a revelation th