Turning Burnout Into (Real) Financial Freedom with 7 Rentals in Just 3 Years

Summary

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Real Estate Rookie Podcast: Turning Burnout Into (Real) Financial Freedom with 7 Rentals in Just 3 Years

Podcast: Real Estate Rookie (BiggerPockets)
Date: January 19, 2026
Hosts: Ashley Kehr & Tony J. Robinson
Guest: Casey Nguyen

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Episode Overview

This episode features Casey Nguyen, a former high-earning Bay Area real estate agent who stepped off the high-income hamster wheel to reinvent her life, prioritize family, and achieve true financial freedom. Through her candid story—marked by burnout, a pivotal miscarriage, a cross-country move, and creative income strategies (yes, including dog-sitting!)—Casey unpacks how chasing ever-more money doesn’t always equal fulfillment. Instead, she shares how downsizing, embracing portfolio income, and choosing happiness set her family up for a more purpose-driven and balanced life.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The “Success Trap”: Million-Dollar Income and Burnout ([00:38]–[04:23])

• Casey’s High Earnings:
  • Real estate agent in Silicon Valley, making $50,000–$170,000/month, with a family income exceeding $1M/year.
  • Quote ([01:28], Casey): "But I work, I work 24/7."
• What Set Her Apart:
  • Mindset and surrounding herself with successful peers, hiring a coach, and “masterminding.”
  • Quote ([01:56], Casey): "You can do whatever you want to do if you can actually think about it first in your mind."
• Realization of Unsustainability:
  • COVID lockdown crystallized the relentless grind and lack of work/life balance.
  • Despite the wealth, they had “no time to spend it.”
  • Nostalgia for earlier, simpler happiness with $4,000 in the bank.

2. Money & Happiness: Hard Truths ([04:23]–[06:30])

• “Money can’t buy happiness. You just have a lot of responsibility and a new set of problems.” ([03:48], Casey)
• “I went from 9-to-5 to 24/7.” ([04:23], Casey)
• Hosts relate with familiar sayings: “Money won’t buy me happiness, but I’ll cry in my Ferrari.” ([04:12], Tony)

3. Burnout, Loss, and Life-Altering Change ([06:30]–[09:46])

• Miscarriage as Turning Point:
  • Casey shares the pain and loneliness of experiencing miscarriage while feeling responsible for everyone but herself.
  • Catalyzed the decision to move out of the Bay Area.
  • Vulnerability from both Casey and Tony about the impact of miscarriage and using it as a life reassessment.
  • Quote ([06:55], Casey): "What is the point of doing all of these... but I can't even take care of myself?"
• Choosing Lexington, Kentucky:
  • Husband’s hometown; a leap of faith as Casey had never visited before moving.
  • Noting the beauty, community, and opportunities absent in her previous “California bubble.”
  • Quote ([11:03], Casey): "When I said, I'm going to do something, I'm going to do something, does not matter."

4. The Emotional Reality of “Starting Over” ([12:31]–[13:36])

• Feelings of failure and fear in leaving behind friends, career prestige, and moving for lifestyle over status.
• "I cry every single day prior to the move…” ([12:32], Casey)

5. Creative Survival Strategy: Dog-Sitting as Cash Flow ([16:51]–[24:11])

• During cash flow gaps, Casey leveraged “Rover” to dog-sit, making $6,000 in one month, $53,000 in a year (in California).
  • “You should buy a house and dog sit!” ([18:36], Casey)
  • Dog-sitting often outperformed her actual rental property cash flow.
• Business Details:
  • Majority of overhead covered by the app; owners bring their own supplies.
  • Insurance is provided by Rover.
  • “I have to go on a podcast and tell people to dog sit.” ([18:45], Casey)
  • High rebooking/loyalty rates among customers.
• Pivoting income via creativity, not just more doors or higher rents.

6. Real Estate Portfolio & the Big Cash-Out ([25:35]–[28:00])

• Downsizing & Sale:
  • Sold Bay Area home after 2 years for a $460,000 net profit—tax-free—by timing the market.
  • Quote ([25:42], Casey): “We net $460,000 from the sale.”
  • Hosts highlight the leverage possible in high-cost markets.
• Portfolio Composition:
  • Properties in Austin (long-term & room-by-room), North Carolina (Raleigh), a fourplex and single-unit in Ohio, Kentucky primary, and a new Red River Gorge Airbnb.
  • Rental income covers mortgage and living expenses; profits from CA sale fund more investments.

7. Automation & Career Redesign ([28:56]–[30:17])

• Casey’s husband keeps a remote tech job; Casey maintains her California real estate business remotely with a team, focusing on listings, not buyers.
• Uncertain about reigniting her agent career in Kentucky; currently prioritizes family and investing.
• “It’s a really easy job to make good income, but I just don’t have the drive to do that anymore.” ([29:57], Casey)

8. The “Trust & Leap” Approach: Red River Gorge Deal ([34:31]–[38:49])

• Bought an Airbnb property largely on a neighbor’s recommendation, minimal due diligence.
  • “We did no research... simply because we trusted [the] neighbor.” ([35:10], Casey)
• Two-bedroom, two-bath condo bought for $350,000; expects $50–$60k in annual revenue.
• Learning the importance of factoring in renovation/furnishing costs: “We didn’t account any of that.” ([37:22], Casey)

9. Redefining Freedom and Success ([39:24]–[40:36])

• Initial goal: “not work anymore,” live on a beach in Southeast Asia.
• Evolved after having a son: Seeking purpose, meaningful work, quality time with family.
• Quote ([39:46], Casey): “Having my son is really giving me a new purpose... My ideal of success is to just get to spend time with my family, go on vacation, [and do] meaningful work.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Mindset Over Market:
  “You can do whatever you want to do if you can actually think about it first in your mind.” (Casey, [01:56])
• On Burnout:
  “I was working a lot... to make sure everybody happy, everybody healthy and taken care of, but I can't even take care of myself.” (Casey, [07:39])
• On Leaving California:
  “To me and my husband, it's like we're failing.” (Casey, [13:14])
• Dog-Sitting Realization:
  “I'm like, dog sitting, you should buy a house and dog sit... I have to go on a podcast and tell people to dog sit.” (Casey, [18:44])
• On Tax-Free Gains:
  “We net $460,000 from the sale.” (Casey, [25:42])
• Success Redefined:
  “If you want to make money, live a healthy lifestyle, be happy, and you can see your family every day. That's very difficult.” (Casey, [24:34])

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Important Timestamps

• [00:38]–[01:56]: Casey shares her path to million-dollar annual earnings and what set her apart.
• [06:50]–[08:41]: The impact of miscarriage and decision to move.
• [13:53]–[14:29]: Making the decision to sell their Bay Area home.
• [17:18]–[18:54]: Dog-sitting as a surprising cash flow strategy; breaking down the numbers.
• [25:39]–[26:02]: Revealing the $460,000 tax-free home sale profit.
• [28:00]: Current real estate portfolio overview.
• [34:31]–[36:42]: Entering the Red River Gorge short-term rental market.
• [39:46]–[40:36]: What freedom and success mean to Casey now.

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The Takeaway

Casey’s journey demonstrates that “success” without intentional living can lead to emptiness and burnout. Through hardship and courage to pivot, she built a portfolio and life with space for family, fulfillment, and freedom. The episode offers:

• Diverse strategies for earning modest, lifestyle-supporting income via real estate and creative side hustles
• Candid discussion of the emotional costs of high income
• Encouragement for listeners to avoid building a life that isn’t truly their own

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Where to Connect with Casey:
Find her on Instagram: @casey.z.nguyen (though she notes she’s not very active)

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Useful For:
Anyone weighing the costs of chasing more deals, wanting to learn how to build a sustainable, family-focused investing path, or looking for creative “bridge” income ideas while scaling.

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Transcript

[A]

Our guest today built herself up to seven figures in annual income. But one night in her living room, she broke down crying, realizing success had trapped her. Instead of freeing her from six figure commissions to dog sitting for survival, today's guest took some fearless swings that completely changed her family's life. And today we might find out that chasing more money isn't always the answer. This is the Real Estate Rookie Podcast. I'm Ashley Kerr.

[B]

And I'm Tony J. Robinson. And with that, let's give a big warm welcome to Casey. Casey, thanks so much for joining us today.

[C]

Thanks for having me.

[A]

Now, Casey, you and your husband were making over $1 million a year. I think everyone's first question is how?

[C]

Well, I, I am still, but I was. We were living in the Bay Area, Silicon Valley, to be exact. We're very close to Apple, Google and all. And my husband is an engineer, myself, a real estate agent. And as you know, in the Bay Area, in San Jose, a home could easily cost 1.5 to $2 million. And I was one of the top producer. So I probably bring in the minimum would be 50,000 and the max. I believe I made $170,000 a month. Yeah.

[A]

Wow, that's incredible.

[C]

But I work, I work 24 7.

[B]

Yeah, well, that's what I was going to ask Casey. I mean, because there's a lot of folks in our audience who either are currently agents, but maybe even more so who are thinking about maybe transitioning to be an agent as they get into the world of real estate investing. What do you think it was, aside from being in a market that's maybe more expensive? Because there are plenty of agents in the Bay Area who are not making nearly as much as you. What do you think you did differently that allowed you to really achieve that level of financial success?

[C]

I honestly think it's my set. Your mind is really powerful. You can do whatever you want to do if you can actually think about it first in your mind. So before I started real estate, it was difficult. The first year I made nothing, zero. And so I told my husband something got to change. I hire a coach and I start to getting to the room with people that was doing better than me, masterminding. And that's how I get to the production that I was doing before.

[A]

So you've done everything that most rookies are chasing. You've got the income, you've got the homes, travel. What signs did you miss that told you this actually wasn't sustainable?

[C]

I think I was working 247 and I remember Covid Time because we were living in a condo. It was a starter home. It's. It's like a thousand square foot. And we have a designer come to kind of redesign a condo so that it make it livable during COVID So she turned our living room into our office. So my husband's desk and my desk was facing one another. And I remember it was 10:30pm at night. I was fully closed. He was actually in the meeting. I actually just got out of the meeting and I looked at him and I said, this is terrible. This is not the life I want to live. We have a lot of money and we don't even have time to spend it. And it's funny because my husband and I have been together for 13 years. When we first got together, we had $4,000 in the bank combined. And we were so happy. And we were traveling to Hawaii, we were traveling to Vietnam. So it's pretty interesting that the more money you have, it doesn't really bring you more happiness. You just have a lot of responsibility and a new sets of problems. I would say I was just going.

[A]

To look up what's that one song? It's by a country singer, Bird. Money can't buy you happiness, but it can buy you a boat.

[B]

I haven't heard that one before.

[A]

Of course you haven't.

[B]

There's the other saying. It's like, money won't buy me happiness, but it's okay, I'll cry in my Ferrari. I've heard that one. But for you, Casey, I mean, would you say that you were burned out completely?

[C]

Yeah, 100%. And I think I didn't have a direction because I was working nine to five. And obviously, you know, everything on social media or people always say, you know, quit, unite to five, so that you can be an entrepreneur and have your own schedule. But then I went from 9 to 5 to 24,7.

[A]

So when you had this like, realization of like, I don't want to do this, I'm not happy, we have enough money, what were the first steps that you took? Did you like, take action the next day to change your life? Or what did that progression kind of.

[C]

Look like where you made this shift pretty much immediately? So I'm the type of person that when I set my mind onto something, I would do it right away. And. And I really don't care what you say or if you tell me that I'm going to fail. I just really listened to my gut. So I wanted to invest in real estate with all these extra money that we have because I honestly don't know anything about stock. And my husband invests our money in stock, but the return he showed me to return every year, and it's really sad.

[B]

I just want to add to that too, Casey, like, because a lot of people talk about the stock market, like it averages whatever 8 to 12% over the last, like, 50 years, but. And again, someone go validate this, because I haven't done my homework on this, but it's something that was just interesting. But he was like, even though the average stock market return is between 8 and 12%, it's never actually hit that number in a single year. It's either crazy, crushing it, or really, really bad. And those extreme just kind of average out to that 8 to 12%. So even when folks talk about investing in the stock market, it's not the steady kind of upward climb. It really is kind of jagged up and down that you've got to really zoom out over the long term to see those returns average out 100%.

[C]

And I think I'm just really impatient because you hear. You hear about compound interest. So you have to leave it for like 20, 30, I don't know, until you did, to see the return. And I'm just not like, I got to see it now.

[B]

Now, during your, during your journey. Casey, I know you unfortunately experience a miscarriage, and you mentioned that as really a turning point for. For you, especially with all these other feelings you were having about being burned out. How did that loss change really would matter to you about work and about wealth?

[C]

I'm sorry, I'm just a little emotional.

[B]

No, it's okay. Take your time.

[C]

So my son is actually almost one and a half downstairs playing with my mom. And so I was working a lot. We were trying to have a baby. And I think it was just stress. So I lost a baby. And I'm the type of agent where I do everything for my clients. I go out of my way to take care of my clients and my friends. So when I had a miscarriage, it would just. It was just really lonely because I could just. I was just pretty much just alone. And I was thinking, I don't know, what is the point of doing all of these? To make sure everybody happy, everybody healthy and taken care of, but I can't even take care of myself. And so that really the turning point for me to change a lifestyle and actually move out of the Bay Area. And I'm so glad that we did. So now we live in Lexington, Kentucky. And, you know, I know, Tony, you live in Los Angeles area. And people in California just live in their little bubble. I used to be, you know, live in my little bubble that we have the best weather, best food, diversity, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And everywhere else in the world or everywhere else in the US Are just bad, bad weather. But Lexington, Kentucky is very beautiful. The people are so nice, and we're very, very happy.

[A]

I appreciate you sharing that with us because I think it is so important for someone who's listening to understand that, like, you don't have to wait till you get to that point, till that devastation, like, you have the choice to, to change your life now before something devastating happens to you like that or your turning point. And I, I appreciate you being vulnerable and sharing that on the podcast because that is something very, very hard and difficult to, to speak about and to share. So I really appreciate that and hopes that somebody listening and, you know, it could be any kind of event or something that could happen to them, but when you're working so hard and you're filled with all that stress and you're taking care of everyone else besides yourself, like, if you're that person right now listening, like, don't get to that breaking point. Start today making those changes in your life to, to really be, you know, healthy, happy, and, and build the life that you actually want, not what you're building for everyone else.

[B]

I couldn't agree more. And to Ash's point, Casey, thank you for being vulnerable about that moment in your life. My wife and I experienced a miscarriage before our first daughter was born. So we know how difficult of an experience that can be. But I think to use that moment as a wake up call for you to kind of reassess your life and point you in the direction and put you on the trajectory that allow not only your financial goals to be fulfilled, but also the, the rest of your life. Right. Like, finding that balance to be fulfilled is important. You talked about moving from California to Kentucky. How did that decision to kind of pack everything up, leave the Bay Area, how did that change? I guess, really everything for you. Like, were you, were you fearful leaving California? Like, why, why Kentucky? Like, of all the places to go, like, I get so many questions. Yeah. So I guess first, like, why Kentucky? Why did you decide to go there first?

[C]

So my husband was from Kentucky, so he grew up in Kentucky, Central Kentucky, and he went to UK University of Kentucky, and he told me a little bit about the city. So I never visit Lexington, Kentucky prior to moving here. So it's like a total shock.

[A]

Oh, wow.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah. To show you, when I said, I'm going to do something, I'm going to do something, does not matter. So, a couple of things about University of Kentucky. They have two sport teams, so they have a football and a basketball, so people would travel and they have students all over the world, so people would travel here to see, you know, the team play. So I was thinking, oh, it's going to be great for Airbnb. It comes as a surprise for me that they have so many hospitals here in downtown Lexington. So it's really good for midterm rental as well. And then there's an area about an hour from us called the Red River Gorge, and it's where people go for kayak, rock climbing. And we actually just bought an Airbnb there and setting it up.

[B]

When I think about packing up my life and moving clear across the country, there's probably a few things that are, like, running through my mind. Like, was there any moment of hesitation for you or was there anything that you were fearful of doing this? And the reason why I asked Casey is because a. We've. We've interviewed quite a few folks who have done something similar where they, they said, hey, I'm going to move because I want a better quality of life. I'm going to move because I want to be able to save more money. I'm moving because of. There's this goal I want to achieve. And each of them kind of had their own hesitations or fears around that. So I'm curious for you specifically, was there anything that you were afraid of taking this leap and packing up and moving across the country?

[C]

Everything. We cry. I cry every single day. Prior to the move, I mean, prior to selling our home in California, after we sold it, we actually, you know, sold it for a really good price. So I was pretty happy. But moving away from California, leaving my friends and, you know, the career that I have there, to me and to my husband, it's like we're failing. And to my husband especially, he moved away from Kentucky to go to California so that he can get this fancy job. And now moving back, he feel like he was failing in California. So that was a mindset going into this whole process. But I know that the direction that we're going, we're going to burn all of our savings. We're probably going to have to work. I probably to have to work 24 7, never going to get to see my son. And that is. That wasn't the life that I want to live.

[A]

So at what point did you make the Decision to downsize and actually sell your home. When did those steps kind of begin to take shape as to we're going to. Did you list the house first? Did you find a house in Lexington?

[C]

Yeah. So like I would say around January of 2024. That's when we decide, okay, we're going to sell our home. As a real estate agent, I'm very aware of the market and then when I pick our home, the area is an up and coming area. So the price have increased so much in two years. We were very lucky. We bought the home when the market was down. And that is the beautiful thing about the Bay Area. The market just go up and down. If you time it right, you can cash out for a lot of money. So yeah, we have to take a.

[A]

Quick ad break, but when we come back, we're going to talk about dog sitting. To actually be in survival mode during that season in your life and how it actually ended up outperforming one of your rental properties. I want to dig into that next because that's a hack most listeners have never even considered. We'll be right back.

[D]

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[E]

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[A]

D.Com bppod okay, so you mentioned this creative strategy that kept your family afloat when everything slowed down. So let's talk about how you turn dog sitting, something most people overlook, into a legitimate income stream. So walk us back to that first listing. What made you even decide to try dog sitting and how much did you actually make that first month?

[C]

So we had a little dog. He's 10 right now. So when he was little, we wanted him to have companion, but we didn't want to have more dogs. So we thought, oh, we're just going to do dog sitting. So we have friends. So we listed our home or apartment at the side at the time on an app called Rover. And that's how you get it. Kind of like Airbnb for dog. Pretty much you could do boarding or like, you know, daycare. And so we started about 10 years ago. In the beginning, we didn't make a lot in 2024 when my mom came to live with us and I thought, we're going to take more dogs and someday we have six to seven dogs. But they all be tiny little dogs. We have a very big home, very big backyard. So everything was very easy. And the mows that we make from dog sitting was $6,000 in one month. And in that year, we actually make about $53,000. Like I like, I'm laughing because I listen to you guys podcast every week when I go to the gym. And I remember in one of the episodes, Tony was answering a question of this couple. They wanted to house hack, but they was worried about the roommate situation. They didn't have a good experience. And I'm like, dog sitting, you should buy a house and dog sit. And so I keep hearing the same question. And I'm like, I have to go on a podcast and tell people to dog sit.

[A]

What a way to generate income off of your property.

[B]

Yeah, I don't know if we've ever interviewed someone on the podcast who's made that much money from. From dog sitting, I guess. One, One clarifying question, Casey, Was this. Was this at your home in Kentucky or was this still back in the Bay Area?

[C]

So both. So in the Bay Area, we did that for, you know, all the homes that we were living in, all the apartments.

[B]

But the 6K that.

[C]

That was in Kentucky, the 6000 was in California because the race was higher there in Kentucky. We just started. We moved in November last year. And then I opened the calendar right away, and I think the most make. It's probably like fifteen hundred dollars a month.

[B]

So maybe a higher demand and a higher cost of living area to be able to kind of hit those figures. But for all those folks who are living in a place like California, New York, name the high cost of living place. Sounds like dog sitting could. Could potentially be a. Be a good way to. To generate some extra income, I guess. Were you. Were you surprised? I mean, because 50. 50 grand a year, that's more than most rentals are going to make. Were you surprised by that amount at all, Kasey? Or was that.

[C]

Yeah, it's so funny because back in California, every month I would do our accounting and I text my husband, I was like, guess how much we make this month from dog sitting? And he would be like, $2,000. Am I like, no. $5,500.

[A]

So, okay, so, like, let's just give the overall business picture of this. So the Rover website, like, do you need to. My mind always goes to insurance. Like, Daryl will pitch me all these business ideas, and I'll be like, well, there's a lot of liability. You'll need to get insurance, which is going to be expenses, because this could happen. That could happen. So, like, is that like Airbnb, where you get insurance through the app, or is that something you had to get on your own? Do you need to, like, add coverage onto your homeowner's policy? Are you providing the food, things like that, or people bring their own? Like, what. What are your actual business expenses that are coming out of your pocket each month for this?

[B]

So.

[C]

So, so it's. Let's say when you send your. It's very similar to with daycare, when you send your. You know, Ashley, I know you. You have two sons.

[A]

I have a goat. Oh, my goat. I thought you were talking about daycare. I have a goat. My goat doesn't go to daycare. Grandma comes here to take care.

[C]

When you send them to daycare. You pack their food, you pack their clothes or whatever. Same thing with the dogs. So Rover actually cover all the insurance so you don't have to get extra insurance. All you need to do is, you know, it's very easy actually. And I'm a little bit scared to bore my dog because I don't know if they screen everybody. They said they do. So you have to send in your ID and they do do a background check on you. I never have any accident with any of my dog. Knock on wood. The dog parents would bring all the supplies, like, you know, beds, food, anything.

[A]

That's so like my son, he wants a puppy for Christmas. And I'm like thinking this is like the perfect opportunity. Let's sign up for this. We're going to bring in the dogs, you take care of them, you show me responsibility and you can get a, you can get a puppy and then.

[B]

You can use that money to pay for the do. Gosh, it's like a, it's like a.

[A]

My God. I've been looking at prices of dogs.

[C]

My God.

[A]

The last time I bought a dog when I was like 18, I brought it home to my parents house and they, my dad was ready to murder me, but it was like $200 maybe for my dog. And I was like, I need $2,000 at least to buy a dog. Oh my God.

[B]

Casey, what comes to mind for me, right, because you know, we invest a lot in the short term rental space and I think about dealing with the guests. And for you, I guess it would be like the, the dogs, pet owners or. Yeah, the dogs too, right? I guess both of those, right. You've got both sides. Have you found it difficult to manage the, the actual owners? Because like you said, this is almost more like a daycare where they're, they're dropping off someone that they, that they love. Have you found it difficult to, to interact and deal with the, the pet owners?

[C]

For me, no. So with Rover, they have a, you know, process before you accept any dog. You can do a meet and greet. So the parents would bring the dog to my home to meet with me and I would see if that dog is nice. Is it potty trained? You know, is it, is it good with environment? And now I have a son, it has to be good with my babies too. And then it's also an opportunity for me to kind of, you know, interact with that owner. If they seem just difficult, I wouldn't accept the dog at all just because I know down the road is going to be more problem. But most of 90% of them, they're really easy going. They just want somebody love their dogs. And I'm genuinely love dog. My dream is to have a, you know, facility where I can help homeless dogs. But yeah, do you get a lot.

[B]

Of repeat guests or repeat customers in this space?

[C]

Yeah, my rebooking rates, I would say very high. So when, when a dog parents stay, leave the dogs with me, they don't go anywhere else.

[A]

How did this pivot actually change your mindset, moving, you know, almost all the way across the country? How did this change your mindset about what financial creativity looks like?

[C]

So I think there's a lot of ways to make money. And if you just want to make money. I'm an immigrant, I came from Vietnam. And I think this country is pretty amazing. If you want to make Money, there's like 101 ways that you can do it. But if you want to make money, live a healthy lifestyle, be happy, and you can see your family every day. That's very difficult. So moving to Kentucky, I know for sure my goal is my number one priority is to take care of my son. And the real estate portfolio that we have is really help paying for our mortgage, a little bit of our living expenses and now is. And selling our home in California really help us with that, you know, money to look for opportunities to invest in either Airbnb midterm rental or maybe like multiple units like duplex fourplex to get more income.

[A]

How much was the amount that you ended up profiting off of the sale of your house in California?

[C]

Are you ready?

[A]

Holding on to my seat.

[C]

So we bought it in September 2022 and we sold it in September, September 2024. And you have to stay and get two years. You have to stay in the home for two years for your primary resident so that you don't have to pay capital gain. We net $460,000 from the sale.

[A]

Two years and tax free.

[B]

That is amazing.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And you know that so much on the podcast we talk about like, you know, not investing or, you know, moving. Like we just did a question on Rookie reply about moving to like a lower cost of living area and getting a house hack there or whatever. But like, there's also opportunity in like the more expensive markets too, because you are oftentimes going to have a lot more equity buildup just because you're, you're buying at a larger amount.

[C]

100%.

[A]

That's awesome. Congratulations.

[C]

Thank you.

[B]

Casey, one, one follow up question for me because you mentioned this as you were answering the last question. But you said you immigrated here from Vietnam. How old were you when you, when you immigrated?

[C]

17.

[B]

17. Wow. So you, you were most of your young life, you, you spent living in Vietnam and came, came here right before you. You were a legal adult and you were able to build yourself up to making over a million dollars in annual income. And I just think that there's, it's such an inspiring story. Like we interviewed Sebastian Rodriguez on episode 626 and I can't remember what country he immigrated from, but, like, when he came here, he literally knew no one there Was like, at one point he like, slept in his car and he was able to build up a really big amount of cash flow from his real estate business from just hustling. And the reason why I highlight that is because there are so many people who are listening right now who started off in such an easier position and still haven't taken the action that there's literally no excuse when there are folks like you, Kasey, who have come over here, built a life, built that income and built the business. And it's just about taking action. So I just want to give you credit because it's an amazing story and even more so given the fact you didn't even come to America until you were almost 18 years old.

[A]

So I want to go over like your portfolio that you've built. So what rentals, what properties do you have right now in your current portfolio?

[C]

So we have two in Austin's, one of them, one, it's a long term rental. The other one were rented by the room. We have two in North Carolina, Raleigh area. We have a four unit in Palmer Heights, Ohio and one unit in the building next door. Is a very interesting situation. We bought all five. And then we have our primary home and our Airbnb in the Red River Gorge.

[A]

So now you and congratulations on building that impressive portfolio. And you had slightly mentioned that a lot of the income from these properties was like covering your current mortgage and other expenses for you. How has work shifted for you and your husband? Are you still selling real estate in Kentucky? Are you just managing your properties? What has your, both of your careers kind of shifted since you've made this move?

[C]

Yeah, so my husband, we're very lucky. My husband got to still work at the same company in the Bay Area. He has to go to California once a month. I'm still selling in California. I have a team there. I do have listing on the market, so it's very easy. I just signed a listing. Do the negotiation. My team will clean stage and do everything else.

[A]

Wow. So, like, all the showings and everything for you to not even have to be there.

[C]

Yeah, all the showing. I can pay agents, you know, per show to show, but usually I only work with listing because with buyers, you have to be there. You have to build a connection. It's really hard to do that over the phone. I find that a little bit difficult. When I moved to Lexington, Kentucky, and then I just got my license here in Lexington, Kentucky. I don't know if I want to sell real estate again. I mean, it's a really easy job to make good income, but I just don't have the drive to do that anymore. I don't know.

[A]

And you have the team already built too. Like, if you wanted it to be the same model, you'd have to go and build a team from scratch here too, right?

[C]

Yeah. So I'm still thinking about. I do have the license, but I really want to focus in real estate investing for now.

[A]

Well, that's awesome. Congratulations on, like, outsourcing what seems like 90% of your job to, you know, having other team members do it. That's of kind. Great.

[B]

Okay, so we got to bring you back for, like, two separate episodes. One just to do, like a deep dive into dog sitting. And then the second one is like, how do you automate your real estate agent business so you can do it from halfway across the country? Because both of those are incredible stories.

[D]

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[A]

Don't chew on that, Max.

[D]

Cooper loves that chew too.

[A]

Oh, now he's into Cooper's food. Wow, he is loving it.

[G]

What do you feed Cooper?

[E]

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[G]

Looks like we're switching to Blue Blue.

[A]

Buffalo foods are made with the superior ingredients your dog needs to thrive.

[C]

Can your dog food say that?

[G]

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[A]

Okay, so you said earlier that all of this, the burnout, the reset, even the dog setting set you up for a much bigger move leaving California entirely. When we come back, I want to unpack what it took to sell the Bay Area home, pocket nearly half that million dollars tax free and then start fresh in Kentucky. We'll be right back. Before the break, you teased the big leap of moving to Kentucky, making that 460,000 dol gain off of your house in the Bay Area. But let's go into that move into Kentucky, and you actually saw an opportunity in one of these markets, the Red River Gorge, to buy your investment property. So tell us about this market.

[C]

So this market is pretty interesting. It's an area where people go to, you know, do all the outdoorsy. And it's funny because I'm not an outdoorsy. You can pay me money to sleep on the floor, I'll pay you money so I can go inside. But it's so we actually had a neighbor. So we move into our neighborhood and our across the street neighbor, my husband came home one day and he was like, I met the neighbor. Guess what he does. I said, I don't know. He does Airbnb. And my mind just like, let's go.

[A]

Over right now and talk to him.

[C]

Exactly. Like everything happens for a reason. And so we chat with the guy and it's really funny. We did no research and Tony, this is probably going to scare you. We did zero research before we buy this property in Red River Gorge simply because we trusted neighbor. He said, it's doing really good, the number is great. And we said, okay, we found a property, bought it, now we're getting it ready. So it just, yeah, everything just happened.

[B]

I'm glad it worked out for you guys. And I definitely want to get into a little bit about that, that property because I know it was, it was a cool project for you guys. But yeah, I think it does make me a little bit nervous because I definitely don't want people to follow in your footsteps because there, there maybe is a chance that the neighbor maybe gives some bad advice. But I guess when you, what did he share with you that made you guys feel so confident? I think that's really what I want to know.

[C]

Just numbers, you know, how much. The potential of how much it going to make. And then I think two things about Lexington. The get Red River Gorge and UK is like, it's very popular here. Everybody that you talk to, they would talk about UK and they would talk about Red River Gorge. So it's kind of like a destination where the local goes already really popular. The second thing is we actually visited, we went there for the weekend. It was pouring rain, so we didn't do anything. Literally just stay in our Airbnb. But When I was there, I really do see a lot of potential, and I think for the next five to 10 years, it's going to grow so big.

[B]

Kasey, the. The property that you actually end up purchasing, tell us a little bit about that. How, how big was it? What was your purchase price? Did you have a sense of what the revenue might be before you bought it? And if so, did those numbers match up? Just walk us through the idea a little bit.

[C]

I am not a number person. You're asking the wrong person. Did I look at the revenue? No, I, I didn't do any numbers at all. The property is a two bedroom, two bath condo sitting on a one acreage lot. And it's surrounded by tree. It's really, really beautiful. So somebody bought it, remodel it, and if you ever go to the Red River Gorge, you'll see they remodel everything black and they pick. I'm sorry, but the ugliest appliances, the ugliest color. I don't know why everybody has the same thing. And so this property was newly renovated and it needs a lot of work. So I see the potential. We bought it, we kind of fixed it. This morning I listened to a podcast and Tony, you literally nailed it in the head. You said you have to account for the remodel. And what is that furnishing cost? $30 per square foot. And I did the calculation. I'm like, oh my God, he's so right. And we didn't account any of that. So, yeah, so we're getting hot tub, cold plunge, sauna, and kind of make the property nicer for the audience.

[B]

It is, it is something that we see a lot where folks get maybe enamored with the property and like, the amount of revenue that it can do. But then they only focus on the acquisition costs, which is your down payment, closing costs, and they forget about like, hey, we've actually got to put stuff into it. And we, we definitely, definitely don't want to, want to skip there. You, you said that you think this, this area is going to grow a bit over the next five years. What are you specifically saying, Casey, that leads you to believe that?

[C]

So the Property itself is 350,000 that we bought. We put down 20% and it's going to bring in around 50 to $60,000 a year in revenue. So what I see is the area is still a little bit underdeveloped. A lot of people are buying and building these newer, more desirable Airbnbs, and then they put in a lot of shopping in the area. So It's. It's had the potential to grow like Ganberg.

[A]

Okay, Kasey, before we started recording, one of the things you had said that has stuck with me. Don't be afraid to change. And you've really gone through an incredible, incredible amount of change yourself. So what does freedom mean to you now that you have completely shifted and pivoted your life? And. And how do you define success today?

[C]

So when I first started investing in real estate, my goal, to be honest with you, is to not work anymore. Just move to, I don't know, Southeast Asia, be on the beach and just, you know, hang out every day. That's no longer the goal because I think if you live a life with no purpose, it's just really boring. Having my son is really giving me a new purpose as up to spending a lot of time with the family. Take him, travel the world. So my ideal of success is to just get to spend time with my family, go on vacation, doing. Working in a really meaningful field. That would give you a sense of purpose.

[A]

Well, Casey, thank you so much for sharing your story today with us and your lessons learned. And also congratulations on the portfolio and also being brave enough, having that courage to completely pivot in your life and what you're working for. So where can people reach out to you and find out more information?

[C]

You can follow me on Instagram. I don't really go on there anymore, but it's. That's Casey Z. Nguyen.

[A]

Thank you guys so much for listening today. I'm Ashley, He's Tony, and we'll see you guys on the next episode of Real Estate Ricky.

[B]

Hey, Rickies, if you're watching this, we want you to apply to be a guest on the Real Estate Ricky podcast. That's right. Ashley and I are looking for amazing stories just like yours to be a part of our real estate rookie podcast. Now, look, you don't need to be an expert. You don't need to have done thousands of deals. Even if you've done one deal, your story could help inspire the next listener.

[A]

As a rookie investor. Especially if you just got your first deal. It is all fresh in your minds and you are the best person to tell your story. Give your experience on how you got it done to help someone else get their first deal.

[B]

So head over to biggerpockets.com guest if you want to be a part of our show again. That's Biggerpockets, and we'd love to have you on.

[G]

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