A $100K "exotic plant" side hustle to over $2 million in real estate? The truth is that you can use virtually any side hustle to help kickstart your real estate journey—whether you need capital to invest or want the extra business experience before diving in. While today’s guest may have taken a more unconventional approach to investing in real estate, he now has a portfolio of eight units cash flowing $4,500 each month!

Welcome back to another episode of the Real Estate Rookie podcast! In 2021, when millions of Americans lost their jobs, corporate underwriter Paul Lee came to the realization that relying on his W2 as his only source of income was a risky bet. At a time when mandates were requiring more people to work from home, Paul started flipping exotic house plants for a HUGE profit—netting well over $100,000 in two years! Despite his success, Paul recognized the volatility of the business he had built and turned his attention to a more historically stable side hustle—real estate.

If you’re looking to use a side hustle as your gateway into real estate, you’ll want to hear Paul, Ashley, and Tony share about the importance of having multiple income streams. They also cover several important real estate topics—from house hacking and self-managing properties to exceptions that could make you ineligible for FHA loans. Finally, they discuss private mortgage insurance and how to remove it when it’s hurting your cash flow!