What Is House Hacking?

House hacking is a simple but powerful strategy for building wealth and learning about real estate investing while you live in your home. At its core, it means you live in part of a property while renting out the other part (or even just a room) to cover your expenses. The rent your tenants pay helps offset your mortgage, taxes, and insurance - sometimes even allowing you to live for free.

It’s a strategy used by countless investors, including Brandon Turner and David Greene, who were made household names in the investing world during their time on BiggerPockets. Both started with house hacking early in their journeys and built from there.

Why Buying Right Matters

In real estate investing, success or failure usually happens the day you buy the property. If you buy wrong - the wrong location, the wrong house, or without clear standards - you set yourself up for headaches and disappointment. But if you buy right, you lay the foundation for a rental that performs well for years to come.

Early in my investing journey, I learned this lesson firsthand. What kept me focused was creating something I call a “buy box” - the non-negotiables that every property had to meet before I’d pull the trigger. Over the years, the buy box has evolved depending on the type of rental we were pursuing, but having one has always been critical to my success.