How I’ve Never Paid My Full Mortgage (And How You Might Not Have To Either)

I’ve owned 3 homes… and I’ve never paid a full mortgage payment.

No, I don’t come from generational wealth.
And no, I didn’t buy these properties in cash.

In my early twenties, I picked up a copy of Rich Dad Poor Dad.

Quick disclaimer… in the same way I’ve never paid a full mortgage payment, I’ve also never finished a full personal development book. I read until I get the nugget I need, and then I move on.

The nugget from this one stuck:

Your assets should make you money.

Like most people, my largest asset has always been my home.
So I decided to make it work for me.

Let’s rewind a bit.

It’s 2012. I’ve been working for two years in a high-paying career. I’m living with my best friends, having the time of my life… but starting to outgrow the roommate phase.

I begin looking at one-bedroom rentals and quickly realize… they’re expensive.

Then it hits me:

What if I could own for less than I rent?

So I buy a 2-bedroom condo with 3% down.

Could I afford the full mortgage? Yes.
Did I want to? Absolutely not.

So I got a roommate.

That decision changed everything.

Over the next two years, I had a couple different roommates. One of them became like family.

During that time, I met my now husband, and we decided to buy a home together. We sold the condo and did a concurrent close on our next property.

And yes… the roommate came with us.

Again, we could afford the full mortgage.
But why would we, if we didn’t have to?

We had space. We liked having people around. And we liked what it allowed us to do financially.

Then we leveled it up.

When our long-term roommate moved on, we shifted to short-term renters. Traveling professionals. Students. People who needed a place for a few months.

It worked beautifully.

If someone wasn’t a fit… they weren’t around long.

And bonus: built-in dog sitters.

Then came Airbnb.

We started renting out a room on weekends.

Some people were… interesting.
But most were great.

We made real connections, had fun experiences, and created a consistent stream of income… just by using space we already had.

At this point, something bigger was happening.

All of that extra income gave us options.

We could:
– Travel
– Save
– Invest back into our home
– Live with more freedom

But eventually, we craved more privacy.

Giving up the income? Not appealing.

So we got creative.

Enter: my favorite house hack.

We had a tandem garage and alley access.
So we converted part of the garage into a private 4th bedroom with an en suite and separate entrance.

Now we had an Airbnb space that didn’t require us to share our home.

This was a game changer, especially as we started having kids. I’m all for creative income… but also very much a mama bear.

Then came the next move.

We knew we wanted more land.

But I had one non-negotiable:

If we were upgrading our lifestyle, we were not downgrading financially.

We had to buy a property with income potential.

Today, we live on 80 acres.

And yes, people assume family money.

One delivery driver literally asked if our parents bought it for us.

I get it.

But the truth is… this was strategy.

We made intentional decisions over and over again.

We did things most people wouldn’t do.

We shared our homes.
We sacrificed privacy (for a season).
We thought long-term.

And now?

We don’t pay our mortgage.

We have three rentals on the property. 

When just two are occupied, they cover our mortgage, taxes, and most of our insurance.

And when we think about our next move?

We’d keep this property… and let it help fund the next one, too.

This wasn’t luck

It was:
– Grit
– Creativity
– Long-term thinking
– And a willingness to do things differently

If you’ve ever wondered how to make your home work for you instead of just costing you…

Let’s talk.

I love helping people find opportunities where others don’t even think to look.