"I really should be wearing gloves.."

This was the thought that was going through my mind while I was scrubbing black mold out of a cabinet using a sponge and comet cleaner (worked surprisingly well BTW). It's definitely not what most people spend their Wednesday night doing, but I had finally gotten some time to work on the projects that needed to be done. 

My wife (Erin) and I have recently gotten our start in the real estate world. I've been learning from the Bigger Pockets Podcast and a good friend/mentor @Joe Prillaman for about the past year. With very (and I mean VERY) little money to make our first moves, we decided to turn our house into our first rental property. While it's true that you can buy property with no (and low) money down, it's not wise to do it with absolutely 0 cash reserves. We decided to follow the Set For Life approach (thanks @Scott Trench). We took the resources we had, turned our home into a rental, and headed to Asheville, NC. 

Here, we're using our cash flow along with a frugal lifestyle to build up a one year runway. At the end of that runway, we'll buy either a duplex or triplex, house hack for a year, then move out and do it again. This way we live mortgage free, and accumulate multifamily rentals along the way.

The mold story comes in at the point we're at now. We're currently renting a unit in a triplex that was built in the 1930s. The owner is older, hates real estate, and needs help maintaining the place. I offer my (basic) services in exchange for money being taken off our rent. The most recent endeavors have included washing windows, exploring basements, and cleaning moldy cabinets. It's not glamorous, but we're dead set on financial freedom, and I believe in working hard now so our money works hard for us later. We have a burning desire to be financially free; to not be dependent on wage paying work, and to use our money to glorify God. These are the first steps, and I can't wait to see what the rest of the journey has in store.