That's the whole idea behind house hacking, and it's the reason I own real estate today.

In early 2022, my wife and I bought a 2-family in Manchester. We lived in one unit and rented the other for $2,000 a month, heat and hot water included.

So here's the math I'd run on any house hack:

Start with the full monthly payment (principal, interest, taxes, insurance)

Subtract the rent from the other unit

Add back any utilities you're covering for the tenant

What's left is your real cost of housing

For us, that was about $700 a month. In one of the nicest neighborhoods in the city.

Now, here's the part that actually built the portfolio. We kept living like our housing cost more. We banked roughly $2,000 a month, and after a year that was about $24K. That became the down payment on our next house hack, the one we live in now.

Full transparency: we bought at 3 to 4% rates. At today's rates, the same building produces a different number, so run it with a current quote before you get attached to mine.

But the principle holds at any rate. Your housing payment is usually your biggest monthly expense. Get it as close to zero as you can, and save the difference on purpose.

What's your real housing cost right now, after everything?

#HouseHacking #FirstTimeInvestor #NHRealEstate