This investor built a multimillion-dollar real estate portfolio with low-money-down loans and little cash-to-close. Thanks to his smart “rinse and repeat” strategy, he’s quickly scaled from zero to 13 rental units in just four years, all while collecting thousands of dollars of cash flow a month. He would have never been able to get to this place if he hadn’t followed a strategy many investors are too scared to try.
Mike Johnson knew the best way to take bigger career risks was to have a backup plan. The ultimate passive income plan? Rental properties. But he didn’t want to put 20% to 25% down on each property he bought, so he started where many investors do—house hacking. Four years later, he’s continued his repeatable house hacking strategy, purchasing a new property every year, living in one unit, and renting out the others.
This has allowed Mike to build a portfolio worth $3.4 million in just four years while buying in B+ or A-class neighborhoods and taking home a healthy amount of cash flow. But he has dealt with his fair share of headaches—squatters, non-paying tenants, and a lot of purple paint. Mike still says investing has been a massive win for him, and you can repeat his same strategy!
In This Episode We Cover:
How to start investing in real estate with little money using the house hacking strategy
Why your primary residence IS an investment (and a phenomenal one at that)
The biggest mistake Mike made that led to him buying a property with a squatter in the unit
The new 5% down multifamily loan you can use to buy bigger, better, more expensive properties
The cash flow AND appreciation market Mike is bullish on (and keeps investing in)
When to self-manage vs. hire property management for your rentals
And So Much More!
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Maximize Your Real Estate Investing with a Self-Directed IRA from Equity Trust
Save $100 on Real Estate’s Biggest Event of the Year, BPCon2025
Grab the Book “The House Hacking Strategy”
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Download the “Should I Buy Points” Resource
Connect with Mike
Connect with Dave
(00:00) Intro
(01:28) Investing to KEEP Working?
(03:32) First Deal with $19K Down!
(09:12) 3.5% Down 4 Unit!
(13:27) Worst Tenant Ever
(18:51) 3 More Units and Hiring Management
(23:32) $1.5M Property for $38K Down!
(23:41) SOCIAL - 38k cash for a $1.5m property
(28:14) Your Primary is the BEST Investment
Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1099
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