INVEST2FI
Craig Curelop aka The FI Guy
Real estate is undoubtedly one of the most profitable and thriving industries out there - especially if you are looking to achieve financial independence! It offers a wide variety of ways to invest actively and passively. If you are new to real estate investing and FI, and seek the proper guidance from experts, you are in the right place. Welcome to Invest2FI, hosted by Craig Curelop. In this series, we talk with real-life house hackers, real estate (and other!) investors and real people on a mission to become financially independent. Not everybody enjoys working a 9-5 job. No one wants to be stuck in analysis-paralysis feeling unsure how to finally jump into real estate. We teach you how to exit the rat race and work on living the life you want. This is the show for beginners and learners who want to achieve financial freedom through real estate. Whether you want to increase your savings, optimize your expenses, or build a prospering income source, we have helpful solutions. We talk all the tips and tricks for making your very first purchase. We discuss how you can build your skills on this initial transaction to close better deals in the future. This is also a show for techie types who are passionate about crunching numbers and the digital side of operating business and investments. If you are drawn to financial independence, we'll enlighten you with grounded, practical strategies for achieving real estate success. Each of our guests offers creative and practical strategies to begin a real estate investing career. They break down every single investing tactic you can emulate yourself. Receive essential lessons from their experiences as they open up about their real estate journey. They reflect on the moments when they got lucky or proved their intelligence and offer their fair share of “horror” stories too. Guests embrace their vulnerabilities and speak about challenges and failures, explaining how to overcome or avoid them. There is no better host for this podcast that Craig Curelop. His is a living testaments of what you should aspire to be in this industry. Achieving financial independence in his twenties, he take pride in his first-hand experiences through every facet of real estate. Craig specializes in a unique style of real estate investing called house hacking. He literally wrote the book on it: The House Hacking Strategy. This method purchases multi-unit properties and rents them out by portion. Craig is also the lead broker of The FI Team. If you are stuck in an unfulfilling corporate job, let this show bring you far more rewarding opportunities. Craig is your guide to making a major career shift and becoming part of the exciting world of real estate. Do not feel discouraged by the towering paperwork and complex principles. Equip yourself with the right knowledge and strategies, and you are good to go! Whether you are starting an active or passive venture, the key in real estate is proper training and a constant desire for growth. Invest2FI fortifies your confidence and provides you with a smooth, clear path to success. Listen to the podcast today!
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 21, 2021 • 1h 2min
Episode 43 - OG House Hacker Diversifies With Syndication With Travis Watts
Travis Watts was in love with the concept of passive income and knew there were great opportunities in real estate so, when the market crashed, he just went for it! Starting with a househack, he tried a variety of different strategies. But in 2016, he decided to transition to real estate syndication, and he has been investing and earning passively ever since.In this episode, Travis shares his easy—but not simple—formula for the success that he enjoys today. He also breaks down some of the different deals he did, the challenges that he had to face, and the action steps that he took.
Jul 14, 2021 • 49min
Episode 42 - First House Hack With Commercial RE Guy Matt Nora
Matt Nora is all about taking action. After working in accounting for 2 years and realizing that it didn’t make him happy, he moved out to Denver. Determined to make it as a broker, he slept on a mattress in an unfinished basement for about a year. After getting his first property, he immediately househacked it—during the pandemic!Matt looks back on how he got into real estate and met Craig. He breaks down the steps that he took to close his first deal and rent the rooms out. He also shares a horror story about an aggressive tenant.Sometimes, you can make money in odd situations. Stay tuned until the end because Zeona and Craig offer advice on running Airbnbs and doing house hacks.
Jul 7, 2021 • 49min
Episode 41 - Riding The Roller Coaster And Mastering The Long Game With Dave Panozzo
When the waves get rough, what matters is how you surf.Former car salesman Dave Panozzo and his wife Kim got bitten by the real estate bug in the late ‘90s. They started doing flips and rentals, but then the financial crisis of 2008 hit. He started a construction company, they managed to recoup their losses and saw great success. Now, Dave is a full-time CEO of The Panozzo Team Real Estate Group.In this episode, Dave walks us through the highs and lows of his journey to FI, presenting the risks and rewards of investing in real estate. He offers advice on scaling a business by investing in a team and proper coaching. He also shares his long-term plans.
Jun 30, 2021 • 52min
Episode 40 - Rocking The FI Game With The One & Only Mindy Jensen
People who start getting into real estate usually do so after learning about FI. It was the other way around for Mindy Jensen. She first heard about FI from her husband, Carl, but she had been doing live-in flips before she even met him. Now, she’s a community manager on BiggerPockets and the co-host of the BiggerPockets Money podcast.In the previous episode, Carl revealed how he and his wife worked together to achieve FI. Tune in this week for Mindy’s side of the story—cute anecdotes about her husband and their kids, the trajectory of her career, and some insightful tips on real estate and personal finance.
Jun 23, 2021 • 53min
Episode 39 - For Real FI At 43 Through Live & Flip With Carl Jensen
FIRE may be more difficult for some, but it is doable if you’re willing to put in the time and leverage your strengths. If you’re still hesitant about starting, Carl Jensen is an example that neither age nor family obligations are an excuse. He’s a recovering engineer who was already married (to Mindy from BiggerPockets!) with 2 kids when he first learned about FI.Carl shares how he was able to reach his net worth goal in 5 years—which he has quadrupled since then. He then talks about his fix-and-flips and his passive income streams (“spouse FI” anyone?). Finally, he explains why dumpsters(!) are a sign of progress.
Jun 16, 2021 • 50min
Episode 38 - The Legend Himself JohnEFinance Talks FI & RE
Joining Craig and Zeona on the show today is JohnEFinance from TikTok! He has a degree in finance but only got high on FI after listening to a couple of podcasts, BiggerPockets included. Just a year after graduating, he was able to save enough money to close his first property.John explains how he pulled off his first house hack during the pandemic. He discusses financing strategies, the advantages of being a homeowner, and other tips for first-time home buyers. Tune in until the end because John also reveals how he became viral on TikTok.
Jun 9, 2021 • 1h
Episode 37 - Not Your Typical Technical School Trajectory With Jacob Lapp
We cannot stress this enough: Money is made over time in real estate—so get started today! Take it from our guest, Jacob Lapp. He started a house painting business, got his real estate license, and through house hacks, he’s achieved financial independence—and he’s only 24!In this episode, Jacob looks back on his transition from vocational school to real estate investing. He also talks about his properties, how he found them, what renovations he made, and the mistakes that he learned from as a landlord.From lowering the purchase price through different methods to dealing with difficult tenants, tune in for some really helpful tips especially if you’re just starting out.
Jun 2, 2021 • 49min
Episode 36 - Making The Move, A House Hacking Success With Bradley Dosch
When you know what you want, sometimes you just have to go for it. This is what Bradley Dosch did when he first learned about FI in 2019. He educated himself about real estate investing while traveling, he bought a house and got right into househacking!This week, Brad dives into how he found his first property, the renovations he did, and how the pandemic affected his rentals. He also highlights the importance of setting expectations upfront and building rapport with people by being transparent.First-time homebuyers should listen in because he dishes out great tips from financing your property to screening potential tenants.
May 26, 2021 • 1h 4min
Episode 35 - A Lender’s Wisdom And The Journey To FI With Nicole Rueth
It’s never too late to start getting into real estate! Nicole Rueth first learned how to capitalize on real estate as a means to achieve FI when she was 41. Now, she has 24 investment properties under her belt, and she and her team are operating in 22 states—with plans to reach even more by next summer!In this phenomenal episode, Nicole gives us an overview of her diverse portfolio and her goals before she retires at the age of 62, presenting the advantages of staying focused and working your way backwards. She also talks about her family and how the change in administration may affect the real estate market.So tune in this week to learn wealth building and home financing strategies from one of Denver’s premier lenders!
May 19, 2021 • 49min
Episode 34 - Back To Basics For First Time House Hackers With Erin Knabe
Erin is a tech startup nerd, CrossFit enthusiast, and first-time real estate investor in Denver, Colorado. Erin’s appetite for entrepreneurship led her to join a fast-paced tech startup where she leads customer success and is learning first-hand how to build a business from the ground up. Her first real estate investment has already shown her the power of house hacking and a clear path to financial freedom. She plans to continue building her real estate investment portfolio with house hacking and leverage this freedom to take even bigger and more exciting risks in her career from joining another early startup or starting her own business one day.Last week, Jordan Smith mentioned how involved his partner is in his real estate ventures so today we are psyched to have his girlfriend, Erin Knabe, with us on the show! Erin currently works for a software startup AND does house hacking on the side. She may be 26 but she’s well on her way to FI! In this episode, she reveals how and why she started getting into real estate investing. She also talks about her move from DC to Denver and gives a breakdown of her first deal—a 5-bedroom, 3-bath house. Listen until the end because she dishes out some great advice especially for first-time house hackers.
