One house hack, what’s next??

[Keaton Vols]

I’m 27 y/o and confused what to do next. I have a house hack 4 plex that I bought two years ago. I’ve been looking for my next property while saving some liquid and paying off debt. I’m unsure of what to do next, if I bought another property I would have to house hack that one too so I can keep down payments down. I’m not sure whether I get another one, invest in the stock market, up my 401k, borrow from my 401k for said property, just save all the money I can for another down payment and wait a few years for my next one…? I’m just looking at getting some advice as what do next with my age, income (200,000), and my position, with wanting to be financially free well before retirement age. I greatly appreciate any feedback

[Min Zhang]

Sounds like you’ve put yourself in a solid position already, Keaton! With your income and discipline around saving/debt, you’ve got options. Some people double down on real estate since house hacking lets you stretch your down payments, while others balance by building up retirement accounts or taking advantage of an employer match. Borrowing from a 401k can work but comes with risks if things don’t go as planned.

At the end of the day it probably comes down to whether you’d rather maximize flexibility (saving/investing in more liquid assets) or accelerate your freedom through leverage and more rentals. Happy to keep the conversation going!