The Training Wheels Project

When people ask how we got started in real estate investing, I always tell them about our Training Wheels Project.

This wasn’t some high-stakes investment. We weren’t flipping houses or buying up duplexes. At the time, we had entry-level salaries, no portfolio, and had only ever built our own home—a humble house hack.

The Training Wheels Project was the first property we built as a rental. No joint ventures, no big team, no experience—just the two of us figuring it out as we went.

The Project

We built a single-family home for around $290,000 all-in (including land)—not because that was the dream, but because the bank wouldn’t approve us if we tried to build a duplex right away. A duplex would’ve increased the appraised value, which pushed the loan amount just above our approval limit.

Which, in my opinion, is kind of silly—because with more rental income, a duplex should technically be a safer investment for the bank. But that’s how the numbers worked out, so we started with what we could: a single-family rental, rented it for $1,500/month, and focused on getting it done.

But we had a plan.

From day one, we designed the layout with a legal secondary unit in mind. And two years later, when the tenants gave notice, we jumped on the opportunity to convert it—just like we’d hoped.

That extra unit boosted the income significantly and turned the property into something way more powerful. It was the first time we really saw what Build to Rent could do.

Why am I sharing this?

Because you don’t need a 6-plex or a massive construction budget to get started. You need a starter project—something manageable that gets you in the game, builds your confidence, and gives you real experience to take into the next one.

Our Training Wheels Project taught us so much: how to deal with banks, permits, trades, unexpected problems—and most importantly, that we could actually do this.

It laid the foundation (literally and figuratively) for every build that came after.