Scaling real estate in Southern California - an engineer's perspective (full interview)

Summary

Jimmy, an electrical engineer who stumbled into real estate due to long commutes, shares his journey from buying a house for personal use to operating long-term and mid-term rentals in Southern California. He details how he house-hacked his first purchase by renting out rooms to friends, the advantages of owning properties close to home for easier management, and his shift toward a live-in flip strategy for subsequent investments. He uses Furnished Finder and Airbnb to list his properties, and prefers Furnished Finder due to better background checks. He prefers the stability of his engineering job and is not ready to go full-time into STRs.