Living Off Rentals

Joining us in this episode of Living Off Rentals is a Naval Academy graduate, retired Navy pilot, and lifelong entrepreneur who quietly built real estate wealth while serving 20 years in the military.

Stu Grazier's journey started long before real estate podcasts were mainstream. From flipping raw land and house hacking in San Diego before the term even existed, to private lending during deployments, he shares how he built wealth by taking action, learning through failure, and staying disciplined while others partied away their paychecks.

This episode is packed with real-world perspective and hard-won wisdom. Listen and enjoy the show!

Key Takeaways:

[00:00] Introducing Stu Grazier and his background

[03:05] How a 14-month deployment to Iraq sparked Stu's deep dive into real estate investing

[06:42] How living below his means during deployments accelerated his investing journey

[07:54] Managing a full-time job and real estate at the same time

[09:05] Strategies, tactics, and niches in real estate that don't require a lot of time and effort

[10:34] How his financial goals evolved from "making money" to time freedom and family presence

[13:02] The personal motivation behind building passive income as a present father

[14:14] Why Stu stayed in the military and how to know when it's time to leave

[18:47] The failure that led to launching a turnkey business

[21:44] What a turnkey investment is supposed to look like

[25:40] The hidden stress and risks of scaling a real estate business too fast

[29:41] Growing through referral word-of-mouth marketing

[30:31] Why COVID forced a hard pivot away from flipping

[33:03] Evaluating deals today: relationships come before numbers

[35:48] Why values alignment matters more than contracts

[38:48] Why the Military Investor Network was built around trust and relationships

[40:20] Creating community by connecting high-integrity people

[43:59] Time-blocking, routines, and rebuilding daily structure post-military

[47:50] Why focused, shorter workdays often produce better results

[48:54] Outro

Guest Links:

Website: https://www.militaryinvestornetwork.com/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/stuartgrazier

Join Stu's monthly Free Community Call: https://www.militaryinvestornetwork.com/contact-us/

Show Links:

Living Off Rentals YouTube Channel – youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentals

Living Off Rentals YouTube Podcast Channel - youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentalsPodcast

Living Off Rentals Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals Website – https://www.livingoffrentals.com/

Living Off Rentals Instagram – instagram.com/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals TikTok – tiktok.com/@livingoffrentals

What happens when a former cancer researcher and college professor applies a data-driven mindset to short-term rentals?

Joining us in this episode of Living Off Rentals is someone who spent 12 years teaching college biology and advising future doctors and pre-med students. Today, he's a short-term rental investor focused on building cash flow and flexibility through data-driven decisions.

Drew Ivey shares his journey from academia into real estate investing, and how one well-researched short-term rental deal reshaped his financial future. He breaks down how data, patience, and intentional design helped him land a high-performing duplex in a secondary market, navigate major setbacks, and still come out ahead.

Listen and enjoy the show!

Key Takeaways:

[00:00] Introducing Drew Ivey and his background

[02:31] Going into the real estate direction

[03:33] Getting a taste of freedom during COVID

[06:49] How a scientific mindset translated perfectly into market research

[08:32] Education alone doesn't guarantee success in real estate

[10:29] Why Drew shifted away from Tennessee and Texas after running the numbers

[16:05] Recognizing a deal instantly once you truly understand a market

[18:08] Why a stacked duplex stood out as a rare value-add opportunity

[22:38] Renovation setbacks that turned a $28K rehab into a $92K project

[27:10] Competing in overlooked markets with intentional design and communication

[27:54] Over-communicating with guests to drive better reviews

[31:50] How Drew's vision and idea in real estate evolved over time

[35:55] Making a friend vs networking

[39:44] Finding off-market deals through relationships

[41:20] Why mistakes are part of the process, not the end of it

[43:42] Find the "why" that is worthy and sustainable through ups and downs

[47:03] Outro

Show Links:

Living Off Rentals YouTube Channel – youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentals

Living Off Rentals YouTube Podcast Channel - youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentalsPodcast

Living Off Rentals Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals Website – https://www.livingoffrentals.com/

Living Off Rentals Instagram – instagram.com/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals TikTok – tiktok.com/@livingoffrentals

In this episode of Living Off Rentals, host Kirby Atwell sits down with Stephen Arnaud, an engineer, W-2 employee, and father of three, who's intentionally building his path out of the 9-to-5 through short-term rentals.

Stephen shares why, even though he enjoys his career, the demands of a W-2 job started to conflict with family life and long-term freedom. Like many high-performing professionals, he realized that traditional investing alone wasn't going to give him the flexibility he wanted anytime soon. That realization led him to short-term rentals.

If you are still working a 9-to-5 but thinking seriously about building income outside of it and a pathway to financial independence, this episode offers a realistic roadmap. Listen and enjoy!

Key Takeaways:

[00:00] Introducing Stephen Arnaud and his background

[02:21] Getting into the real estate through short-term rental

[06:33] The moment he realized short-term rentals could replace earned income

[09:45] How Stephen picked his market

[11:59] Deciding on the properties that he purchased

[13:43] Details on Stephen's first two STR properties and why he targeted larger homes

[16:25] Financing with conventional loans as a W-2 investor

[17:18] Using IRA funds strategically for down payments and furnishings

[18:12] Stephen's perspective on retirement accounts vs. building income today

[21:08] Building a reliable cleaning and support team

[23:36] The biggest challenge on the flip side: Neighbors

[25:30] Screening guests and avoiding party issues

[28:15] Balancing a W-2 job with managing STRs during the early stages

[31:38] How virtual assistants can outperform owner-operators with the right systems

[34:24] Stephen's advice for people wanting to exit their 9-5 and get into short-term rentals

[37:55] A real mistake with scheduling cleaners and how communication saved the situation

[39:52] Outro

Guest Links:

Website: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1389202306719070032

Show Links:

Living Off Rentals YouTube Channel – youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentals

Living Off Rentals YouTube Podcast Channel - youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentalsPodcast

Living Off Rentals Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals Website – https://www.livingoffrentals.com/

Living Off Rentals Instagram – instagram.com/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals TikTok – tiktok.com/@livingoffrentals

Joining us for today's episode of Living Off Rentals is someone who specializes in historic preservation projects that many investors overlook, but can be transformed into high-performing rental assets.

Kevin Kreger is Kirby Atwell's longtime friend and a construction expert. He is the founder of On Point Construction and Fiddle Leaf Development. He breaks down how he transitioned into design-build work and eventually into restoring historic downtown buildings with serious cash-flow potential.

Listen as they dive deep into why historic properties aren't as intimidating as they seem, how to uncover hidden square footage, and why cities are often willing to offer grants and incentives to make these projects pencil. This episode will completely change how you see opportunity. Enjoy the show!

Key Takeaways:

[00:00] Introducing Kevin Kreger and his background

[03:22] From high school football to entrepreneurship

[05:18] Starting On Point Construction in 2016 and how it evolved from management into full design-build work

[08:55] How early exposure to historic homes sparked Kevin's interest in preservation

[10:17] How to make a historic property profitable?

[13:14] Ways to identify grants, incentives, and funding that a city is offering

[15:30] How reimbursement-based grants and TIF-style programs work

[18:32] Why walking downtown and looking up is one of the best deal-finding strategies

[20:07] Managing higher construction costs in older buildings

[23:34] A real-world breakdown of Kevin's Frankfurt redevelopment project

[25:52] Combining retail tenants with short-term rentals for stability and upside

[28:10] Real numbers: acquisition costs, rehab budgets, and performance

[34:00] Connect with Kevin Kreger

Guest Links:

Website: https://www.fiddleleafdevelopment.com/

Show Links:

Living Off Rentals YouTube Channel – youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentals

Living Off Rentals YouTube Podcast Channel - youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentalsPodcast

Living Off Rentals Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals Website – https://www.livingoffrentals.com/

Living Off Rentals Instagram – instagram.com/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals TikTok – tiktok.com/@livingoffrentals

Joining us on this episode of Living Off Rentals is someone who teaches people how to build income streams on their own terms.

Joey Mure is the co-founder of Wealth Without Wall Street, a platform dedicated to helping people rethink traditional money advice and create passive income that gives people more control over their lives.

Once a high-earning corporate professional who felt constantly pulled away from his family, Joey now generates over $50,000 a month in passive income and guides others through the system for building passive income streams that helped him reclaim his time.

Listen as he shares how he went from missing precious time with his five daughters to taking back his calendar through passive income. He opens up about the faith-driven philosophy behind his work, why "active income is not freedom," and how most people unknowingly follow Wall Street's script instead of building income streams that free their time.

Enjoy the show!

Key Takeaways:

[00:00] Introducing Joey Mure and his background

[02:31] Why financial freedom has to start with spiritual freedom

[03:36] The moment Joey realized high active income wasn't true freedom

[06:33] Passive income begins with knowing your "freedom number."

[09:07] Knowledge does not equal financial freedom

[12:34] Income streams vs. wealth building

[14:45] The Passive Income Operating System

[19:04] How to start trusting yourself instead of outsourcing everything to Wall Street

[20:05] Investor DNA

[23:40] Active vs. passive: What passive income really looks like in the real world

[27:00] Common passive income streams students are succeeding with today

[31:54] Market trends Joey is watching

[35:23] How much money do people really need to get started

[36:43] The "REDNECK M.O.T.E.R." framework

[38:43] Connect with Joey Mure

[39:39] Outro

Guest Links:

Website: https://www.wealthwithoutwallstreet.com/

Show Links:

Living Off Rentals YouTube Channel – youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentals

Living Off Rentals YouTube Podcast Channel - youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentalsPodcast

Living Off Rentals Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals Website – https://www.livingoffrentals.com/

Living Off Rentals Instagram – instagram.com/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals TikTok – tiktok.com/@livingoffrentals

Joining us on this episode of Living Off Rentals is a Navy veteran and mom of three who went from a high-pressure military career to building a real estate business that allowed her family to take back their time.

Karin Ventresca is a Naval Academy graduate, former nuclear engineer, HR professional, and now a full-time real estate investor and short-term rental operator. After years of long commutes, daycare drop-offs, and COVID-era burnout, she and her husband built a short-term rental portfolio that gave them the freedom to reshape how they spend their days.

Listen as she shares how they made the shift from demanding military roles and corporate careers to creating a business that supports the life they want to live. She also opens up about the mindset shifts, goal-setting, and action steps that ultimately allowed her to quit her HR job and be fully present with her kids, without sacrificing financial stability.

Enjoy the show!

Key Takeaways:

[00:00] Introducing Karin Ventresca and her background

[03:21] Growing up in Alaska and why she chose the Naval Academy

[05:25] Becoming a nuclear engineer and the unconventional path to HR

[09:28] Another twist in career progression: From HR to real estate investing

[09:50] COVID, burnout, and the moment she and Andrew realized they needed a way out

[14:02] Their first big move: building a family cabin in West Virginia and turning it into an STR

[19:01] How they furnished an entire STR with creativity, thrifting, and smart systems

[22:10] The power of deadlines in STR setup and how it saved them thousands

[26:28] 2025 goal: reclaiming their family's time

[30:02] The mindset behind intentional living and goal setting

[34:26] Their newest move: a house hack with 7 acres, a furnished ADU, and a vision for a guest-friendly garden

[39:49] Goals must be written

[40:31] How a strong network reduces fear

[44:04] Connect with Karin Ventresca

[44:55] Outro

Guest Links:

Website: https://riversidehavenwv.com/

Show Links:

Living Off Rentals YouTube Channel – youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentals

Living Off Rentals YouTube Podcast Channel - youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentalsPodcast

Living Off Rentals Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals Website – https://www.livingoffrentals.com/

Living Off Rentals Instagram – instagram.com/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals TikTok – tiktok.com/@livingoffrentals

What does it take to go from dropping out of school in ninth grade to owning more than 150 rental units and retiring in your 40s?

Matt Hawkins, also known as the Lumberjack Landlord, is a self-taught investor who now manages over 50 buildings and 400 tenants with just one employee — all from his phone. He joins us on this episode of Living Off Rentals to unpack his incredible journey from humble beginnings to financial freedom.

Listen as he shares how early mistakes, creative deal-making (like buying a city-owned police station), and consistent systems helped him build a real estate empire that now provides freedom, flexibility, and purpose. Enjoy the show!

Chapters:

[00:00] Introducing Matt Hawkins and his background

[01:45] From dropping out of high school to becoming a real estate investor

[05:40] Investing in the stock market and losing everything

[07:41] How his first real estate deals evolved over time

[08:44] Use house hacking as the ultimate foundation for financial freedom

[13:49] Retire early by designing a business that funds your ideal life

[18:21] Scale a rental portfolio efficiently using systems and one key employee

[20:52] Think like an asset manager, not just a landlord

[24:34] Win competitive deals using the "reverse offer strategy"

[28:00] Why great deals matter more than more deals

[29:03] Connect with Matt Hawkins

[30:51] Outro

Guest Links:

Website: https://www.lumberjacklandlord.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lumberjack_landlord/?hl=en

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LumberjackLandlord

Show Links:

Living Off Rentals YouTube Channel – youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentals

Living Off Rentals YouTube Podcast Channel - youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentalsPodcast

Living Off Rentals Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals Website – https://www.livingoffrentals.com/

Living Off Rentals Instagram – instagram.com/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals TikTok – tiktok.com/@livingoffrentals

Joining us on this episode of Living Off Rentals is someone who has spent more than four decades helping people build wealth through simple, long-term rental investing.

Adiel Gorel is an investor, educator, and the author of Remote Control Retirement Riches. He has helped thousands of people buy brand-new rental homes in strong U.S. markets, using the 30-year fixed loan as the foundation for building lasting wealth.

Listen as he shares how he went from an engineer in 1980s Silicon Valley to a global real estate investor, why he believes that the 30-year fixed loan is the greatest financial gift available to Americans, and how ordinary people can create generational wealth by holding rentals long term.

He also explains the key criteria he uses to choose markets, why now is still a great time to buy, and how inflation becomes your greatest ally when you invest the right way.

Enjoy the show!

Key Takeaways:

[00:00] Introducing Adiel Gorel and his background

[01:56] How he transitioned from Silicon Valley to real estate

[05:49] The unwritten rule back in the 1980s

[09:20] How owning 22 rental homes changed his life and inspired his company

[14:35] The evolution from older properties to brand new homes under warranty

[17:39] Adiel's four criteria for choosing where to buy rental homes

[19:50] The power of the 30-year fixed loan

[23:19] Real examples of investors who retired early using this strategy

[27:24] Why waiting for the perfect time is the biggest mistake investors make

[34:34] How ICG helps investors simplify buying and managing out-of-state rentals

[39:22] Markets and metrics to determine a great deal

[42:01] What types of homes Adiel recommends and what to avoid

[45:29] Connect with Adiel Gorel and grab his book

[46:31] Outro

Guest Links:

Website: https://adielgorel.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adielgorel/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AdielGorel

Show Links:

Living Off Rentals YouTube Channel – youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentals

Living Off Rentals YouTube Podcast Channel - youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentalsPodcast

Living Off Rentals Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals Website – https://www.livingoffrentals.com/

Living Off Rentals Instagram – instagram.com/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals TikTok – tiktok.com/@livingoffrentals

Joining us on this episode of Living Off Rentals is someone who turned a simple idea—renting out spare rooms—into a thriving real estate empire.

Sam Wegert is the founder of Scale Your Co-Living Real Estate and leads the largest co-living mastermind in the world. He and his wife reached financial freedom by their early 20s and have since built a 2,500-door portfolio that blends strong cash flow with affordable housing.

Listen as he shares how he went from running a martial arts school at 16 to discovering the co-living model by accident, why shared housing can outperform traditional rentals, and what systems make it work sustainably at scale.

Enjoy the show!

Key Takeaways:

[00:00] Introducing Sam Wegert and his background

[02:27] Getting into real estate from the martial arts business

[03:50] Creating a second financial engine in your life

[07:10] How Sam discovered co-living by accident

[09:48] Why co-living outperforms Airbnb and traditional rentals

[13:43] Key differences between Sam's model and PadSplit

[14:40] Typical co-living members and lease lengths

[18:00] Handling tenant conflicts and maintaining harmony in shared homes

[20:17] Using membership agreements instead of traditional leases

[22:58] What rent pricing looks like in the co-living model

[27:18] Turning square footage into rentable rooms

[33:55] Can you resell co-living homes?

[36:32] The invoice authorization strategy

[39:34] Sam's advice for first-time real estate investors

[42:46] Connect with Sam Wegert

[43:08] Outro

Guest Links:

Website: https://scaleyourrealestate.com/

Show Links:

Living Off Rentals YouTube Channel – youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentals

Living Off Rentals YouTube Podcast Channel - youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentalsPodcast

Living Off Rentals Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals Website – https://www.livingoffrentals.com/

Living Off Rentals Instagram – instagram.com/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals TikTok – tiktok.com/@livingoffrentals

Joining us on this milestone 300th episode of Living Off Rentals is... me!

I can hardly believe it's been five years and 300 episodes since launching this show back in January 2020. What started as a way to document my own journey—transitioning from Army officer to full-time real estate investor—has turned into something much bigger.

In this episode, I look back on what's changed since those early days of flipping houses, what I've learned from hundreds of conversations with other investors, and the lessons that have shaped how I live and invest today.

Enjoy the show!

Key Takeaways:

[03:00] The surprising journey from episode 1 to 300

[04:53] Reality of running a podcast

[06:19] Lesson #1: Recognizing your stage in real estate investing

[11:13] Lesson #2: Simplicity always wins in real estate

[15:37] Lesson #3: Your deals will always deliver the lowest return you're willing to accept

[20:25] Lesson #4: Build cash flow before chasing net worth

[25:03] Lesson #5: Keep an active income stream while building your portfolio

[28:33] Lesson #6: Buy based on fundamentals, not speculation

[34:20] Lesson #7: Why quality trumps quantity

[38:12] Lesson #8: Think in decades, not years, in real estate investing

[41:34] Lesson #9: Invest in strategies that produce outsized returns

[44:11] Lesson #10: Choosing the right spouse as the most important investing decision

Show Links:

Living Off Rentals YouTube Channel – youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentals

Living Off Rentals YouTube Podcast Channel - youtube.com/c/LivingOffRentalsPodcast

Living Off Rentals Facebook Group – facebook.com/groups/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals Website – https://www.livingoffrentals.com/

Living Off Rentals Instagram – instagram.com/livingoffrentals

Living Off Rentals TikTok – tiktok.com/@livingoffrentals