The Open House Podcast: Where Women Talk Real Estate

Meet Mandy! The latest addition to our amazing Realtor team. 🥰 

Mandy set out to expand her portfolio and buy a second primary residence this year, but she soon learned that she had been priced out of the Austin market. Soo many of us can relate! By expanding her search, she was able to remove that barrier to entry AND move closer to family. Now, she's enjoying all the benefits of the sweet and hip city that is Bastrop as well as the proximity to Austin proper. Discover how she will house hack her other place and DIY this fixer-upper home through today's episode.

Get in Touch

Comments, suggestions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]

Want to hear more from Open House? Follow us on Instagram and check out our website!

Please stay tuned for more episodes every Tuesday, and subscribe so you don’t miss them! You can find us on Spotify, Stitcher and Apple Podcasts.

Related Resources 

1. Connect With a Realtor (talk to Mandy!)
2. Quiz: Are You Ready to Buy a House?
3. Blog: "Transforming a Home Into a $40K Yearly Airbnb Money Maker"
4. Blog: "What to Expect When Renovating"
5. Blog: "How I Renovated My East Austin Home in 20 Days"
6. Blog: "Buying a Fixer-Upper Beach House With My Sister"
7. Reel: "This Friend Group Bought 20 Properties in 6 Years"
8. Reel: "Monthly Homeowner Meetups" - HUGE perk of being our client!
9. Work with Mandy's partner/contractor! Follow & DM @house2home_ATX

Our agent team takes the mic: Alan, Mandy, Jenn, and Syd! We hold team meetings on Tuesday to discuss real estate market trends, client wins, and creative homeownership possibilities. Today, you're listening in! 🙂

Get in Touch

Comments, suggestions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]

Want to hear more from Open House? Follow us on Instagram and check out our website!

Please stay tuned for more episodes every Tuesday, and subscribe so you don’t miss them! You can find us on Spotify, Stitcher and Apple Podcasts.

Related Resources 

1. Connect With a Realtor
2. Meet Our Team
3. TikTok: Ladybugs, Part 1
4. TikTok: Ladybugs, Part 2
5. Blog: "Buying a House? Two People You Need ASAP"
6. Blog: "Should You House Hack a House or Condo"
7. Follow Alan on Instagram
8. Follow Mandy on Instagram
9. Follow Jenn on Instagram
10. Follow Sydney on Instagram
11. Buying a House With Friends Mini-Course

A judgement-free space for women to pose questions, discuss real estate, and ultimately become better money-minded people. Kristina and Steph searched for an organization with these qualities, but came up empty handed. Soon after, the Open House Women Investor Group was born! We host meetups regularly at our East Austin office. But, our Facebook Group is also active - accessible wherever you live + members are actively looking to invest outside of TX too. Today, we answer Qs submitted by recent event attendees.

If you're already a member, THANK YOU! Y'all make it run so smoothly - it's a true joy. For those considering joining - it's free, fun, and we want you there! 🙂

Get in Touch

Comments, suggestions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]

Want to hear more from Open House? Follow us on Instagram and check out our website!

Please stay tuned for more episodes every Tuesday, and subscribe so you don’t miss them! You can find us on Spotify, Stitcher and Apple Podcasts.

Related Resources 

1. Connect With a Realtor
2. Join: Open House Women Investor Group
3. Airbnb: Kristina's FL Beach House
4. Blog: "9 Women in Real Estate You Need to Follow"
5. Mini-Course: Buying a House With Friends

You own a lovely home, but it’s missing something - square footage, location, lot size, or aesthetics. Instead of selling your house to move into another, why not grow your equity, net worth, and overall comfortability by unlocking a second home? We’ll uncover two solutions to achieve this on today’s episode - by either 1) purchasing more property in the city you currently live in or 2) elsewhere at a vacation destination. Which is better for low cash down or minimized risk? Let’s find out…

Get in Touch

Comments, suggestions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]

Want to hear more from Open House? Follow us on Instagram and check out our website!

Please stay tuned for more episodes every Tuesday, and subscribe so you don’t miss them! You can find us on Spotify, Stitcher and Apple Podcasts.

Related Resources 

1. Connect With a Realtor
2. Blog: "What’s a Sneaky Duplex? How to Generate Income From a Private Room in Your Home"
3. Blog: "How to Find Quality Roommate & Tenants"
4. Buying a House With Friends Mini-Course
5. Reel: What's a HELOC?
6. Join: Women Investor Group

Eliminate your largest expense: rent and/or your mortgage! Alright, we know it's not that simple - and it can be a little scary, too. Steph and Kristina share how to house hack in a number of ways, what the earnings/savings look like when doing so, and benefits you haven't considered yet (lasting friendships made through ~Airbnb~). Plus, the big reveal: What are they currently paying to live in their respective dream spaces in Austin, TX.

Get in Touch

Comments, suggestions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]

Want to hear more from Open House? Follow us on Instagram and check out our website!

Please stay tuned for more episodes every Tuesday, and subscribe so you don’t miss them! You can find us on Spotify, Stitcher and Apple Podcasts.

Related Resources 

1. Connect With a Realtor
2. Buy a House Outside of Austin, TX
3. Need to Rent a New Place? We Can Help!
4. How to Buy a House in Austin Workshop
5. Blog: What’s a Sneaky Duplex? How to Generate Income From a Private Room in Your Home
6. Blog: Teacher Turned Real Estate Investor Via House Hacking (Sneaky Duplex Reveal)!
7. Blog: How to Build a Tiny House: From Costs to Construction
8. Blog: Transforming A Home into a $40K Yearly Airbnb Money Maker
9. Product: The Tiny House Guide
10. Product: How to Buy a House in Austin eBook

One property - two income opportunities + your mortgage is paid for! That's the awesome realization our client Lynn Calloway came to shortly after she bought her first home in 2019. Now, she’s optimized every inch of her house with a Sneaky Duplex and ADU. Listen along as she shares what it's like to rent out an in-home studio space as a parent and founder of her small business: Ollie & Otto.

Get in Touch

Comments, suggestions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]

Want to hear more from Open House? Follow us on Instagram and check out our website!

Please stay tuned for more episodes every Tuesday, and subscribe so you don’t miss them! You can find us on Spotify, Stitcher and Apple Podcasts.

Related Resources 

1. Connect With a Realtor
2. Lynn’s Airbnbs here & here
3. Lynn's Instagram
4. Lynn's biz: Ollie & Otto / good dirt
5. "What’s a Sneaky Duplex? How to Generate Income From a Private Room in Your Home" Blog Post
6. The Tiny House Guide
7. How to Build a Tiny House: From Costs to Construction

Unlike an “Investment property” you only need 10% money-down to buy a “second home!” But, you’ll have to meet some other requirements to do so…

Kristina and Steph explain the many benefits of this creative homeownership option as well as who it might work best for (you, basking in an East Coast sunset?!). Dream big, even if you’re on a budget! Press play to learn how.

Get in Touch

Comments, suggestions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]

Want to hear more from Open House? Follow us on Instagram and check out our website!

Please stay tuned for more episodes every Tuesday, and subscribe so you don’t miss them! You can find us on Spotify, Stitcher and Apple Podcasts.

Related Resources 

1. Buying a House With Friends Mini-Course
2. Connect With a Realtor
3. "5 Tips For Providing a Quality Airbnb Experience" TikTok
4. “How Long Did it Take You to See a Return on Your Investment” Reply TikTok
5. “How Were You Able to Save That Money Up?! Sounds Impossible…” Reply TikTok
6. "Beach House Before/After" TikTok
7. “Me + 5 Friends Bought a 24-Acre TX Ranch to Transform it Into an Airbnb” TikTok
8. Kristina's Beach House Airbnb Listing
9. Steph/Alan's Ranch House Airbnb Listing
10. OH Team's Getaway House Airbnb Listing
11. Women Investor Facebook Group

Psst. Ready to create a sneaky space??  As in, use an existing exterior door (or add one) to a bedroom in your home to make it a separate space for short- or long-term rental.

Kristina shares how she'll put this House Hacking strategy to use in her new build home to supplement as much as $3,000 a month on the mortgage. Learn how location plays into home prices + Airbnb ROI! And, we'll take a look back at the Sneaky Duplex that started it all - Steph's East Austin fixer-upper turned money-making studio apartment. 

Get in Touch

Comments, suggestions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]

Want to hear more from Open House? Follow us on Instagram and check out our website!

Please stay tuned for more episodes every Tuesday, and subscribe so you don’t miss them! You can find us on Spotify, Stitcher and Apple Podcasts.

Related Resources 

1. What's a Sneaky Duplex? How to Generate Income From a Private Room in Your Home
2. Teacher Turned Real Estate Investor Via House Hacking (Sneaky Duplex Reveal)!
3. Steph's Sneaky Duplex Reel, Tour
4. Steph's Sneaky Duplex Reel, Numbers

Let's explore Steph's latest investment adventure: purchasing and rolling a pre-built tiny home onto her property. Why did she decide to go this route instead of building another ADU? How much does this type of project cost + what's the ROI look like? Wheel answer these questions and more during today's episode. ;)

Get in Touch

Comments, suggestions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]

Want to hear more from Open House? Follow us on Instagram and check out our website!

Please stay tuned for more episodes every Tuesday, and subscribe so you don’t miss them! You can find us on Spotify, Stitcher and Apple Podcasts.

Related Resources 

1. This $89K Pre-Built Tiny Home Covers My Entire Mortgage - Blog Post, Additional Details Included!
2. $50K Tiny House From FB Marketplace
3. $50K Tiny House Airbnb Listing
4. $89K Tiny House Airbnb Listing
5. Creative Living Solutions
6. Connect with a realtor

Kristina and Steph return for Season 4! What’s changed since they took a break? A business coach was hired. Building plans were made and scrapped. One gal traveled to Italy - and the other, to Paris.

Throughout all of this, they’ve remained flexible - facing the ups and downs of this real estate market. Which, and we’re not exaggerating here, changes every damn day in Austin, TX. Take a page from our book and learn the why behind buying - for now - rather than re-purposing your land for new construction.

Get in Touch

Comments, suggestions or feedback? Email us at [email protected]

Want to hear more from Open House? Follow us on Instagram and check out our website!

Please stay tuned for more episodes every Tuesday, and subscribe so you don’t miss them! You can find us on Spotify, Stitcher and Apple Podcasts.

Related Resources 

1. Steph's HELOC Explained - Reel
2. Quiz: Are You Ready to Buy a House?
3. Connect with a realtor