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Share From Buying Houses While Being a Civil Engineer To ➡️ Retiring Early Through Buying Apartments with Lane Kawaoka 🤯✨
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From Buying Houses While Being a Civil Engineer To ➡️ Retiring Early Through Buying Apartments with Lane Kawaoka 🤯✨
📌 Intro Summary
Lane Kawaoka locked in his first Seattle rental in 2009 while working full-time as a civil engineer. By 2015 he’d assembled 11 professionally managed single-family homes. Yet each year brought the potential risk of having at least one eviction or a major mishap—flooded basement, fallen tree, you name it—that could wipe out months of profit. Realizing that more houses meant more exposure, he pivoted to large multifamily syndications for scalable growth. 🏠➡️🏢
🔍 Things Discussed
Early Influence & Real-Estate Spark ⚡
• Lane put 20 % down on a Seattle house and rented it while traveling for work.
• He expanded to Atlanta and Indianapolis for stronger returns due to cheaper prices than Seattle.
• He built an 11-home portfolio that proved rentals work—until risk outweighed reward.
Engineering Skills Applied 🏗️🎓
• He used project-management discipline for budgets, timelines, and reserves.
• He leveraged a W-2 salary and credibility for easier loans and a six-figure safety net.
• He executed a 1031 exchange to roll house equity into apartment deals.
How to Scale Your Business While Working Full-Time 🚀📈
• He closed six-plus apartment syndications before resigning.
• He took less demanding jobs to gain flexibility for more time to work on his real-estate business.
• He left the W-2 around 2018-19 once cash flow was secure.
⚖️ How Lane Balanced Life, Family, W-2 & Real Estate
• Early-morning underwriting before work, mid-day calls, weekend site visits—12–15-hour days.
• He used property managers and VAs to shield his family time.
• He underwrote large cash reserves into each business plan to keep surprise expenses from wrecking household finances.
🔑 Lane’s Current Business Focus Is: Strategic Growth in This Market (2025)
• He underwrites conservatively in today’s higher-interest-rate environment.
• He leads SimplePassiveCashflow.com and Ohana Mastermind to guide busy professionals into great real-estate opportunities.
• He is focusing on evaluating mobile-home parks, self-storage facilities, and buying hotels for diversification.
⭐ Key Takeaways & Advice for Busy Professionals That Want to Buy Real Estate 💰
Leverage Your Paycheck 🏦 – Stable income wins with lenders and cushions reserves.
Start Small, Learn Fast 🛠️ – One well-run house beats any seminar.
Recycle Equity 🔄 – Use 1031 exchanges to leap from houses to apartments.
Quit Your Job Last, Not First ⏳ – Ensure reliable cash flow before handing in your notice.
Click On This Link For Our Free E-Book "An Introduction Into Apartment Syndication: https://moonlightcre.com/ebook_download/
Website: Moonlightcre.com
Click On The Link Below To Schedule A Call With Eric:https://calendly.com/moonlightequitiesgroup/scheduled-conversation
Click On The Link Below For More Information About Eric Lindsey:
https://linktr.ee/ericlindsey
View all episodes
By Eric Lindsey
5
11 ratings
📌 Intro Summary
Lane Kawaoka locked in his first Seattle rental in 2009 while working full-time as a civil engineer. By 2015 he’d assembled 11 professionally managed single-family homes. Yet each year brought the potential risk of having at least one eviction or a major mishap—flooded basement, fallen tree, you name it—that could wipe out months of profit. Realizing that more houses meant more exposure, he pivoted to large multifamily syndications for scalable growth. 🏠➡️🏢
🔍 Things Discussed
Early Influence & Real-Estate Spark ⚡
• Lane put 20 % down on a Seattle house and rented it while traveling for work.
• He expanded to Atlanta and Indianapolis for stronger returns due to cheaper prices than Seattle.
• He built an 11-home portfolio that proved rentals work—until risk outweighed reward.
Engineering Skills Applied 🏗️🎓
• He used project-management discipline for budgets, timelines, and reserves.
• He leveraged a W-2 salary and credibility for easier loans and a six-figure safety net.
• He executed a 1031 exchange to roll house equity into apartment deals.
How to Scale Your Business While Working Full-Time 🚀📈
• He closed six-plus apartment syndications before resigning.
• He took less demanding jobs to gain flexibility for more time to work on his real-estate business.
• He left the W-2 around 2018-19 once cash flow was secure.
⚖️ How Lane Balanced Life, Family, W-2 & Real Estate
• Early-morning underwriting before work, mid-day calls, weekend site visits—12–15-hour days.
• He used property managers and VAs to shield his family time.
• He underwrote large cash reserves into each business plan to keep surprise expenses from wrecking household finances.
🔑 Lane’s Current Business Focus Is: Strategic Growth in This Market (2025)
• He underwrites conservatively in today’s higher-interest-rate environment.
• He leads SimplePassiveCashflow.com and Ohana Mastermind to guide busy professionals into great real-estate opportunities.
• He is focusing on evaluating mobile-home parks, self-storage facilities, and buying hotels for diversification.
⭐ Key Takeaways & Advice for Busy Professionals That Want to Buy Real Estate 💰
Leverage Your Paycheck 🏦 – Stable income wins with lenders and cushions reserves.
Start Small, Learn Fast 🛠️ – One well-run house beats any seminar.
Recycle Equity 🔄 – Use 1031 exchanges to leap from houses to apartments.
Quit Your Job Last, Not First ⏳ – Ensure reliable cash flow before handing in your notice.
Click On This Link For Our Free E-Book "An Introduction Into Apartment Syndication: https://moonlightcre.com/ebook_download/
Website: Moonlightcre.com
Click On The Link Below To Schedule A Call With Eric:https://calendly.com/moonlightequitiesgroup/scheduled-conversation
Click On The Link Below For More Information About Eric Lindsey:
https://linktr.ee/ericlindsey