Rent To Retirement: Building Financial Independence Through Turnkey Real Estate Investing Building Wealth Through Single-Family Rentals & Lease-to-Own Programs
Sep 8, 2025
In this discussion, Mahesh Shetty, the founder and CEO of ILE Homes, shares his insights on lease-to-own programs that aim to increase homeownership among renters. He recounts his transition from investing in NYC hotels to single-family rentals during the 2008 downturn. Mahesh highlights how his platform helps tenants improve credit and access down payment assistance, making homeownership a reality. He also discusses the importance of viewing tenants as future buyers and strategies for building trust and credibility with investors in a challenging housing market.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Repositioning Distressed Hotels In NYC
- Mahesh started in NYC buying and repositioning distressed Times Square hotels for tourists.
- He learned to see one asset and visualize different revenue outcomes by changing its use.
Change Rent Cadence To Increase Returns
- Mahesh emphasizes increasing cash flow by changing how a space is rented rather than the land itself.
- Turning monthly tenants into daily-paying customers raised revenue per room for his hotel portfolio.
Pivoting Back Into Real Estate Around Crises
- After tech exits and observing cycles, Mahesh returned to real estate during the 2008 downturn and later built experience across asset classes.
- He executed a single-family rental plan starting Feb 22, 2020, believing housing demand is durable.