Building A Life Worth Retiring To with Amberly Grant | 118

WEBVTT
00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:05.599
Building a life worth retiring to with Amberly Grant this week on the Extreme Personal Finance Show.
00:00:11.679 --> 00:00:15.279
All right, welcome to this week's episode of The Extreme Personal Finance Show.
00:00:15.439 --> 00:00:22.160
Before we get to our guest, I just want to remind everyone, please like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube.
00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:24.879
And please leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
00:00:24.960 --> 00:00:26.960
That really does help other people find us.
00:00:27.120 --> 00:00:28.480
And I got some great giveaways too.
00:00:28.559 --> 00:00:30.320
Go ahead and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:33.119
I have tons of books and other swag that I'm going to give away.
00:00:33.280 --> 00:00:39.840
If you leave a review on Apple's Podcast, I might uh I might pick your review and send you some free stuff.
00:00:40.079 --> 00:00:41.759
So let's go ahead and get into this week's guest.
00:00:41.840 --> 00:00:42.479
I'm really excited.
00:00:42.640 --> 00:00:53.119
My guest today, she's a real estate investor and financial educator who is really passionate about educating others on their pursuit to reach financial independence with an option to retire early.
00:00:53.280 --> 00:01:04.000
Amberly Grant is the creator of FinTalks, a weekly money and life community that also brings members together in person for things like cruises, castle getaways.
00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:05.040
That just sounds epic.
00:01:05.200 --> 00:01:15.280
She's now shifting her real estate focus from a short-term strategy to a long-term strategy to prioritize just peace of mind, time with her family, things like that.
00:01:15.359 --> 00:01:17.120
So I'm really excited to welcome to the show.
00:01:17.359 --> 00:01:18.799
Amber Lee, how are you doing?
00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:20.719
I am fantastic.
00:01:20.879 --> 00:01:21.920
Thank you for asking.
00:01:22.319 --> 00:01:22.640
Awesome.
00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:23.599
Well, welcome to the show.
00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:24.400
I'm glad you're here.
00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:26.079
I'm so excited to be here.
00:01:26.239 --> 00:01:33.439
I love since the cruise, I was like, oh, I can't wait till we actually get to have a proper conversation outside of my working hours.
00:01:33.760 --> 00:01:37.599
I was gonna say I was on the Alaska FinTalks cruise, which was it was amazing.
00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:46.319
And I think I've mentioned to so many other people too that you know I was new to cruising, but also I had never been on, I'd never traveled with like a group before.
00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:49.920
And there was there was a lot of people, there's like almost like 80 people on there, right?
00:01:50.319 --> 00:01:51.439
105, yep.
00:01:51.680 --> 00:01:51.920
What?
00:01:52.079 --> 00:01:52.640
Oh my god.
00:01:52.799 --> 00:02:03.280
So there was a hundred and five people, and I will tell you, like by the time that that trip ended, it was I just realized how fun it is.
00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:05.439
Like it, you know, there's always something to do.
00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:09.599
There was always people you could, hey, there's you know, yoga on the deck at this time.
00:02:09.680 --> 00:02:14.159
I'm gonna go for a walk here, I'm gonna grab a snack, I'm gonna play board games, I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do that.
00:02:14.400 --> 00:02:17.520
And uh, you know, and besides that, there's the excursions.
00:02:17.599 --> 00:02:21.759
I mean, I went zip lining with a bunch of five people, and it was just it was super fun.
00:02:21.919 --> 00:02:24.240
And so keep doing what you're doing, it's working.
00:02:24.479 --> 00:02:26.080
Yeah, community is my soul.
00:02:26.240 --> 00:02:27.919
So I'm glad that you felt that.
00:02:28.159 --> 00:02:29.039
Yeah, absolutely.
00:02:29.199 --> 00:02:33.199
Well, so let's talk a little bit about you starting FinTalks.
00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:40.960
So you started that like at a time when probably the worst month in modern history to start anything.
00:02:41.199 --> 00:02:48.319
So, what made you think at the beginning of COVID when things really started shutting down, that okay, the world needs this right now?
00:02:48.479 --> 00:02:53.039
And like if people that haven't heard of it, like what is FinTalks and why you why did you start it?
00:02:53.360 --> 00:02:55.520
Yeah, March of 2020, baby.
00:02:55.759 --> 00:03:00.000
Uh I started FinTalks for a few reasons.
00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:05.199
And actually, the reasons why it still exists today is to build community, especially around finances.
00:03:05.439 --> 00:03:10.800
One of the things that we think about when it comes to money in the general population is money is taboo.
00:03:10.879 --> 00:03:19.520
Um, it's one of those topics that you don't talk about with your friends, your family, even your workplace colleagues who probably make something similar to you do, similar to you.
00:03:19.680 --> 00:03:31.360
And and I just wanted to get it to a place where there are people where we can just talk openly about different money money concepts and build a community around that.
00:03:31.599 --> 00:03:34.879
Essentially, my life was falling apart in March of 2020.
00:03:35.039 --> 00:03:39.280
I had left uh my fiance at the time and we had bought a house together.
00:03:39.439 --> 00:03:40.639
I was buying him out.
00:03:40.879 --> 00:03:54.639
I gave my$80,000 to buy him out on like, I don't even know what it was, February 28th or like March 8th or something, right before COVID happened and all before the stock market dipped.
00:03:54.879 --> 00:03:58.719
And I was in a really down place.
00:03:58.879 --> 00:04:12.400
And something I've learned throughout my life is that whenever I am down, the one of the best things to do is to go and just help, like go out into the world and find a way to help others because it will really make my situation feel a lot better.
00:04:12.560 --> 00:04:14.159
And it makes me feel like I have purpose.
00:04:14.319 --> 00:04:19.759
And so I decided to start doing financial education online, especially if people were hurting financially.
00:04:19.839 --> 00:04:23.279
I wasn't sure what COVID was gonna actually turn out to be at that time.
00:04:23.360 --> 00:04:34.560
And so I started doing uh you know a daily talk on Facebook, and then it turned into a Tuesday conversation, and then that Tuesday conversation has now been going for what six and a half years now.
00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:35.360
Wow.
00:04:35.519 --> 00:04:36.639
That's remarkable.
00:04:36.879 --> 00:04:37.199
Yeah.
00:04:37.439 --> 00:04:38.399
I say good for you.
00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:39.120
That's awesome.
00:04:39.279 --> 00:04:44.240
And again, yeah, you know, building this community, what what shifted?
00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:58.879
Like, hey, I'm now like I'm just curious, how does one go from this money community where we're talking about money, trying to educate people, remove the taboo of like, oh, you can't talk about that, but now planning travel around it.
00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:01.519
I'm just how does one make that shift?
00:05:01.759 --> 00:05:03.759
Yes, I am a yes woman.
00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:07.360
And one day someone was like, Oh, we should get together in person.
00:05:07.519 --> 00:05:09.439
I believe it was like Alex Wong.
00:05:09.519 --> 00:05:11.360
Um, he's okay whenever I mention his name.
00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:13.680
And I was like, okay, let's do it.
00:05:13.839 --> 00:05:14.959
So we did an in-person event.
00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:20.399
We did it for three years in a row in Colorado, and we it was great, but a ton of work.
00:05:20.480 --> 00:05:27.040
And then I went to Campfire Rocky Mountain, and Eric Cooper actually was like, we should do this on a cruise ship.
00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:30.480
And I was sitting there at the table at lunch being like, that's a fantastic idea.
00:05:30.560 --> 00:05:32.800
And if Steven doesn't go for this, I'm taking it.
00:05:33.040 --> 00:05:36.000
And essentially, I had never been on a cruise before.
00:05:36.240 --> 00:05:46.720
So I enlisted a travel agent who actually was in the FI community community, started just passing it around word of mouth that I was going to do this cruise, very first cruise of my life.
00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:51.519
Thank you to Josh Overmeyer, who has taught me everything I need to know about being on a cruise ship.
00:05:51.680 --> 00:05:53.360
And I brought 65 people along.
00:05:53.600 --> 00:05:58.079
Essentially, from there, we did the next cruise, which was 120 people.
00:05:58.240 --> 00:06:01.759
And then I decided actually, you know, the best thing I can do here.
00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:03.199
First of all, I wasn't making any money.
00:06:03.360 --> 00:06:13.040
Like to be very transparent, I was making, I would do like a year's worth of work for these cruises, you know, respond to however many emails times like four for 120 people.
00:06:13.199 --> 00:06:17.279
And I was walking away with like a thousand, sixteen hundred dollars on my first cruise.
00:06:17.360 --> 00:06:19.519
Um, I bought myself a MacBook Pro.
00:06:20.160 --> 00:06:22.959
And then on the second one was like$2,000.
00:06:23.920 --> 00:06:27.439
So it was one of those things where this just isn't sustainable for me.
00:06:27.680 --> 00:06:30.160
So I decided to get travel advising.
00:06:30.240 --> 00:06:37.199
Um, it's not a license, but become a travel advisor and start essentially doing the cruises so I can get the commission on the back end.
00:06:37.279 --> 00:06:42.079
And that can actually pay, you know, I I wouldn't even say like, oh, crazy amounts.
00:06:42.160 --> 00:06:44.319
It pays enough for it make to make it worth it for me.
00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:47.360
In that, travel has always been my like love.
00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:57.759
So this is just a natural next step, I think, in my evolution of Amberly and started doing individual bookings for everyone who comes on the cruises and individual bookings for people in the FI community.
00:06:57.839 --> 00:06:59.279
Cause it turns out we love a deal.
00:06:59.439 --> 00:07:02.319
And as a travel advisor, I can find those deals.
00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:12.639
So now I do the individual bookings for everyone and is a big responsibility, I'll just say, like, you know, being responsible for people's travel and payments and making sure everything gets done on time.
00:07:12.720 --> 00:07:18.000
And so it's it's like a really fun and perfect addition to my current skill sets.
00:07:18.079 --> 00:07:19.519
And so I decided to go with it.
00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:21.439
That that's awesome.
00:07:21.680 --> 00:07:23.519
I think like you're like, yeah.
00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:24.560
I'm a yes woman.
00:07:24.639 --> 00:07:26.160
I'll just yeah, I can do that.
00:07:26.399 --> 00:07:26.720
Yeah.
00:07:27.519 --> 00:07:27.839
Literally.
00:07:28.079 --> 00:07:28.160
Yeah.
00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:31.279
Just if I feel like the best things in life come just by saying yes.
00:07:31.600 --> 00:07:32.720
And so that's what I found.
00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:33.600
Yeah.
00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:43.759
Well, and and the cool thing too is that, you know, what some what holds some people back, you know, other people are like, you can just do things.
00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:50.240
Like you learn along the way, you just start doing things, and you're proof that yeah, you can just do that, you know.
00:07:50.800 --> 00:07:52.959
And like you said, you know, we're always looking for a deal.
00:07:53.040 --> 00:07:54.639
So that was gonna be my question, right?
00:07:54.879 --> 00:08:01.120
So like in the Fi community, like we some people are almost religious about travel hacking, right?
00:08:01.279 --> 00:08:01.600
Yes.
00:08:02.000 --> 00:08:06.079
And so I was just wondering, like, how does that land with you?
00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:15.600
And like if I'm thinking of as an advisor, like the the people booking it wouldn't necessarily pay more like you're paying a travel agent, right?
00:08:15.759 --> 00:08:17.120
Explain that a little bit.
00:08:17.920 --> 00:08:21.360
Yeah, so there's different types of travel that someone can book for you.
00:08:21.600 --> 00:08:32.639
When it comes to cruising hotels, which I don't really do much, those two are categories where you as a traveler do not pay more to use a travel advisor.
00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:35.759
So a cruise line wants you to come on the cruise.
00:08:35.840 --> 00:08:42.960
And whether you booked through them directly or through me, they pay that it's the same amount for you.
00:08:43.279 --> 00:08:48.320
Just let's just say prevailing rates, meaning the rate you're gonna go see on royalcaribbean.com or you come talk to me.
00:08:48.480 --> 00:08:59.440
The thing that I have that Royal Caribbean that you're not gonna see on their website is gonna be group deals that I have secured as a travel advisor, knowing like, okay, my people like to travel in January.
00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:02.240
I'm gonna take a little bit of space on the ship, get a really good deal.
00:09:02.399 --> 00:09:07.600
Basically, I'm gonna get a pricing from a year ago that you can now use today when pricing has gone up.
00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:09.279
I get that deal, I got that.
00:09:09.440 --> 00:09:12.480
The other thing is, is I normally have some onboard credit to give you.
00:09:12.639 --> 00:09:23.039
So if you're gonna start booking with me, I can give you some onboard credit, which you can use towards your gratuities, you can use towards alcohol if you like to drink, you can use it towards your Wi-Fi package, excursions like zip lining, et cetera.
00:09:23.200 --> 00:09:26.320
So those are the things that I can get provide you as a travel advisor.
00:09:26.639 --> 00:09:27.840
And I watch it.
00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:34.080
Meaning, if the amount goes down, so say I don't get you a deal at all, it's prevailing rates, it just is what it is.
00:09:34.399 --> 00:09:35.679
I can watch it for you.
00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:40.639
So it's not your full-time job, though I know five people love to watch and like find their deals, right?
00:09:40.799 --> 00:09:41.360
I can watch that.
00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:45.440
And as it comes down, I just automatically reprice it for you so that you don't even have to think about it.
00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:48.720
And then, you know, you get a cheaper trip afterwards.
00:09:48.879 --> 00:09:54.480
Um, and lastly, which I think a lot of us are quite good at traveling, I can give tips and tricks, right?
00:09:54.559 --> 00:10:00.960
What's the best hotel, like a high hotel that you're gonna transfer your chase points to near a cruise, you know, port.
00:10:01.200 --> 00:10:02.159
So things like that.
00:10:02.399 --> 00:10:04.559
That's why, you know, why you would engage someone like me.
00:10:04.639 --> 00:10:08.559
And I highly recommend people just to reach out, especially we can do some price comparisons.
00:10:08.639 --> 00:10:10.480
I have no problem if you don't book with me.
00:10:10.639 --> 00:10:14.559
It's like this is like my third side hustle in a way, right?
00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:16.320
Like you can do what you want.
00:10:16.639 --> 00:10:19.200
If I can get you a deal, fantastic, and we can have a win-win.
00:10:19.279 --> 00:10:19.600
I love it.
00:10:19.679 --> 00:10:22.879
If not, go do it and and book it wherever you want to book it.
00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:23.600
Awesome.
00:10:23.840 --> 00:10:24.720
Well, that's really good to know.
00:10:25.039 --> 00:10:34.480
And I think that's again, that's important to know because I always think about well, if someone's gonna be working as an advisor, like you'd be paying like a premium on what you would book.
00:10:34.720 --> 00:10:34.879
Right.
00:10:35.279 --> 00:10:37.759
Or I was like, Oh, I'm gonna do it myself because I don't want to pay anybody.
00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:45.120
But if you're getting comped on the back end, then for as the traveler, there's no additional cost, then yeah, use Amberly, right?
00:10:45.200 --> 00:10:47.679
That's that's I think more people need to know that.
00:10:47.919 --> 00:10:48.559
Yeah, totally.
00:10:48.639 --> 00:11:02.879
And I actually have hired someone, so now you're gonna support two people through this, and so it doesn't cost you more, but I have someone just because I am trying to loose, like lighten my load in life, and so therefore one of the ways to do that is to have someone assist me with this.
00:11:02.960 --> 00:11:11.200
So I have a gal Katie who is um you know always in the background of the travel business, making sure that everything's going smoothly.
00:11:11.919 --> 00:11:12.720
Awesome, awesome.
00:11:12.879 --> 00:11:15.120
Yeah, I'm I'm very new to travel hacking.
00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:29.440
I've never like I've just recently got you know the chase card and the points, and and for the first time ever, I transferred Chase Points to Virgin, and then Virgin booked my Delta flight, and I was able to get to London for like 250 bucks.
00:11:29.600 --> 00:11:31.360
It was and so I'm learning.
00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:34.639
Yes, so there's definitely uh ways to do it.
00:11:34.720 --> 00:11:45.360
And but that's the thing, talking to someone like you, knowing that like I should transfer my chase points to Hyatt to get a better hotel deal when I'm waiting to get on a cruise, exactly, right?
00:11:45.440 --> 00:11:46.480
That's yeah, that's awesome.
00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:48.399
And it's a power community, right?
00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:49.679
Yes, exactly.
00:11:49.840 --> 00:11:51.360
And I will say I don't do flights.
00:11:51.440 --> 00:11:55.200
One of the reasons, one, like flying is not what it used to be, right?
00:11:55.279 --> 00:11:56.720
I don't want to deal with a 2 a.m.
00:11:56.879 --> 00:12:00.720
phone call from someone whose flight got delayed and the only person they can talk to is me.
00:12:00.879 --> 00:12:01.759
Heck no.
00:12:02.159 --> 00:12:03.679
But we all hack those.
00:12:03.759 --> 00:12:07.200
So like the best thing you can do on flights is just accumulate some points and hack them.
00:12:07.279 --> 00:12:09.440
So yeah, it's not not necessary.
00:12:09.759 --> 00:12:16.879
Oh, flight, I couldn't believe like I would not even imagine the cutthroat crazy flight having to deal with that.
00:12:17.039 --> 00:12:19.440
Oh my god, no, thank you.
00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:20.240
Right.
00:12:20.399 --> 00:12:24.960
Well, and now the crazy part too, now that spirit went out, like I read an article the other day.
00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:36.559
Now that spirit went down, like I didn't realize how much the the economy airlines, like the budget airlines, kept overall flight costs down a little bit, right?
00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:40.639
Depending on where you're flying, but to keep competition in line.
00:12:40.879 --> 00:12:44.240
But now when there's no budget airline, costs tend to rise.
00:12:44.320 --> 00:12:50.720
And they were like, oh, a flight typically now is like 16% higher now that Spirit's not around.
00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:53.200
Which I was like, oh wow, that's crazy.
00:12:53.360 --> 00:12:55.279
But yeah, I hate that.
00:12:55.440 --> 00:12:56.159
Yeah, yeah.
00:12:56.399 --> 00:13:00.159
Because I have to still book my tickets to the January cruise that I'm doing.
00:13:00.399 --> 00:13:06.320
Shout out, we're doing two cruises, Icon of the Seas, uh January 16th, and then a celebrity one.
00:13:06.559 --> 00:13:09.679
And I haven't booked those tickets for my family of four.
00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:17.600
And then I also we have an Italy house, so we're doing like the Scotland Castle adventure that we did before, but in Italy this time, and I have not booked those tickets either.
00:13:17.679 --> 00:13:19.919
And family of four to Europe, can't wait.
00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:21.840
So brutal.
00:13:22.000 --> 00:13:23.360
I know that's brutal.
00:13:23.679 --> 00:13:25.840
Yeah, um, yeah, I was just looking at flights too.
00:13:25.919 --> 00:13:26.879
I gotta get flights.
00:13:27.039 --> 00:13:32.960
I mean, it's it's local stuff, but I need to get to Vegas because Metallica at the sphere in January.
00:13:33.279 --> 00:13:34.480
Yeah, okay.
00:13:35.279 --> 00:13:43.200
But like, so let me let me, I guess, you know, you mentioned too this like co-working place, like this castle.
00:13:43.279 --> 00:13:45.200
Like I was talking with Keith Nugent.
00:13:45.279 --> 00:13:48.399
Keith, very uh he's just a member of the community, super cool dude.
00:13:48.559 --> 00:13:50.720
I know that he's gonna be there, so we're kind of talking about it.
00:13:50.879 --> 00:13:53.519
I like how you say it's like co-working or no-working.
00:13:53.600 --> 00:13:54.559
It's such a great phrase.
00:13:54.639 --> 00:13:55.360
I just love it.
00:13:55.600 --> 00:14:03.120
So, like, when did you decide, okay, I'm gonna start doing like these two-week like co-working play?
00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:07.759
I mean, who doesn't want to go work in a castle or just hang out near near a castle?
00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:10.240
When did you decide, hey, this is a good idea?
00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:22.559
I was on a podcast, I think it was either during the podcast recording or beforehand with Miles High Fi and actually talking to Carl because he he had the same idea of doing something like getting a castle somewhere.
00:14:22.639 --> 00:14:24.720
And I was like, oh my God, I have the same idea.
00:14:24.879 --> 00:14:26.799
And the problem is I'm a yes woman.
00:14:27.039 --> 00:14:30.960
I don't know how it came across, but I was like, yes, I'm gonna do this.
00:14:31.200 --> 00:14:34.000
And I ended up finding a place.
00:14:34.080 --> 00:14:37.600
Um, actually, a gal Katie found the place for me in Scotland.
00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:45.039
I put a deposit down and I was like, all right, guys, come join and for a co-working, no-working event in Scotland for two weeks in August.
00:14:45.279 --> 00:14:46.799
We had 10 bedrooms.
00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:47.840
It was amazing.
00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:53.279
This massive house, I had catering for like three nights a week so that we could just sit down and have a gate, like a dinner together.
00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:54.480
The town was walkable.
00:14:54.559 --> 00:14:55.600
There's an awesome thrift shop.
00:14:55.679 --> 00:14:58.960
I'm pretty sure we all walked away with heavier baggage than we intended.
00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:10.240
Yeah, there's like we did whiskey taste, sorry, not whiskey, scotch tastings, uh sheep herding classes, we saw castles, we went race car driving, like we did everything.
00:15:10.399 --> 00:15:11.279
It was great.
00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:12.879
It was a super fun time.
00:15:12.960 --> 00:15:14.799
Uh, some people I think did archery.
00:15:14.960 --> 00:15:16.960
It was like the best two weeks ever.
00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:19.279
So we're doing it in Italy again next year.
00:15:19.519 --> 00:15:20.320
That's awesome.
00:15:20.480 --> 00:15:21.600
And for those of you, you know what?
00:15:21.679 --> 00:15:25.360
And what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna make sure that I put links to all this stuff in the show notes.
00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:34.639
So if you're driving or at the gym or whatever, um, and if you're interested in any of this travel or uh cruises, we'll go go ahead and hit the links below.
00:15:34.799 --> 00:15:36.799
So that I think I think that's pretty awesome.
00:15:36.879 --> 00:15:38.720
And I think that you have one too.
00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:40.559
I know that people are really excited.
00:15:40.720 --> 00:15:55.440
I guess I'm kind of curious because we are budget friendly, we are frugal people, but you do have a cruise coming up that may be a little bit more on the higher end, more of a luxury type experience.
00:15:55.759 --> 00:15:55.919
Yeah.
00:15:56.399 --> 00:16:00.879
What I guess and and it's it's selling very well.
00:16:01.440 --> 00:16:02.000
Very well.
00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:08.480
So talk to me a little bit about this one that's coming up that seems maybe a little bit more pricier than some of the other ones.
00:16:08.799 --> 00:16:09.120
Yeah.
00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:16.240
Recently someone asked me what was something that I thought and turns out not to be true.
00:16:16.799 --> 00:16:26.240
And that my answer was that a bunch of frugal people, I thought they would not jump at the chance for a$30,000 cruise.
00:16:26.399 --> 00:16:28.720
And it turns out I was totally wrong.
00:16:29.039 --> 00:16:32.639
Antarctica is$16,500 per person.
00:16:32.799 --> 00:16:35.039
We only have like seven rooms left at that price.
00:16:35.120 --> 00:16:37.360
Um, and if you need a roomie, we can find you one.
00:16:37.600 --> 00:16:42.159
But it's it's a pricey cruise, and we're going to Antarctica.
00:16:42.320 --> 00:16:47.759
So, like, I don't know if you can put a price tag on that,$16,000, five,$16,500 per person.
00:16:47.840 --> 00:16:53.440
But it's actually something that has not in any way stopped this entire FI community from joining.
00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:54.799
We have 55 people going right now.
00:16:54.879 --> 00:16:55.679
I think 57.
00:16:55.759 --> 00:16:56.879
We just had two more people sign up.
00:16:57.519 --> 00:16:58.559
Yeah, 57 people.
00:16:59.120 --> 00:17:00.879
Um, the entire ship, yeah.
00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:02.320
The entire ship is 200 people.
00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:04.240
We have over 25% of the ship.
00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:04.559
Yes.
00:17:04.720 --> 00:17:07.039
And I just got my pricing extended to by another month.
00:17:07.119 --> 00:17:08.799
It actually ended in one day.
00:17:08.880 --> 00:17:13.440
And I used me coming on this podcast to get better pricing for yeah, for longer.
00:17:13.599 --> 00:17:15.519
Cause I was like, guys, this podcast is gonna come out.
00:17:15.599 --> 00:17:16.400
I need more time.
00:17:16.559 --> 00:17:17.680
They're like, but it's selling so well.
00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:19.599
And I'm like, it's selling well because I'm selling it.
00:17:19.759 --> 00:17:20.559
Keep my pricing.
00:17:20.720 --> 00:17:24.720
So essentially, Antarctica, we're going down to Santiago, Chile.
00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:26.880
Um, we stay at the Mandarin Oriental.
00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:29.839
They have a private charter to the port of Porto Williams.
00:17:30.160 --> 00:17:35.839
We hop on a cruise ship that's only 200 people, and we cross the Drake Passage.
00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:41.759
I will bring you some dramamine as well as ear patches because I want you to have the best time ever.
00:17:41.920 --> 00:17:50.160
And we go, we spend seven days, two excursions per day in Antarctica, and we come on back up and then they fly you right to Santiago Airport.
00:17:50.240 --> 00:17:57.759
And a lot of us are gonna stick around afterwards to go to wine country, uh, rent some houses and hang out down in uh South America.
00:17:57.920 --> 00:17:58.960
I will say this too.
00:17:59.119 --> 00:18:16.799
My pricing is amazing and it includes a butler, which like I don't even know what to do with that information, other than the fact that like if you're like going to explore Antarctica in an excursion and you like baths, they will have a bath waiting for you when you return back onto the ship.
00:18:16.960 --> 00:18:20.480
So if you want to live your best life for 12 days, join us.
00:18:20.640 --> 00:18:20.880
Yeah.
00:18:21.200 --> 00:18:21.359
Yeah.
00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:33.839
Our for our friend Kevin, I remember one time I I I was I was kind of razzing him because he lives so bougie one time because he had a butler on one of his silver seas cruises or something, and and I said, Yeah, you know, living the bougie life.
00:18:33.920 --> 00:18:43.680
And he's like, Yeah, it felt kind of weird at first, but then once you could just have your butler automatically have fresh fruit for you every morning, it got kind of nice, right?
00:18:43.920 --> 00:18:45.920
Yeah, lifestyle inflation's a thing, right?
00:18:46.160 --> 00:18:46.559
That's right.
00:18:47.359 --> 00:18:48.319
That is so awesome.
00:18:48.559 --> 00:18:49.359
Well, good too.
00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:50.640
I'm glad things are going well.
00:18:50.799 --> 00:18:58.880
I look forward to another, another adventure with with FinTalks at some point because again, I had such a blast on the Alaska cruise.
00:18:59.119 --> 00:18:59.680
Super cool.
00:18:59.839 --> 00:19:10.559
I guess I want to shift a little bit from from travel into real estate because when you and I met, I remember you and I talked a lot about because you were like rehabbing short-term rentals.
00:19:10.640 --> 00:19:12.799
You were, I mean, that was that was your thing.
00:19:13.039 --> 00:19:20.799
And so now you've kind of made a decision to kind of shift away from the short-term rentals into like medium-term or long-term.
00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:29.119
I want to walk, like, walk me through, I guess, the mental math or I guess the changes of why you're kind of changing strategy.
00:19:29.200 --> 00:19:30.400
Like, talk me through that.
00:19:30.720 --> 00:19:36.640
Yeah, I think there's a few prongs for why I decided to move into a more long-term strategy.
00:19:36.960 --> 00:19:40.720
One, I noticed that the short-term market in Denver is not as lucrative as it used to be.
00:19:40.880 --> 00:19:41.839
It was quite saturated.
00:19:42.160 --> 00:19:46.319
My units weren't anything, you know, I didn't have cool neon signs on the walls.
00:19:46.400 --> 00:19:50.160
And I felt like those are the only types of properties that are probably doing really well.
00:19:50.480 --> 00:19:52.559
I was still well occupied.
00:19:52.640 --> 00:20:04.799
It's just I noticed that the the price per night as well as some of the vacancies was just a little bit higher than like price per night was lower and vacancies were a little bit higher.
00:20:04.960 --> 00:20:06.000
I was still making money.
00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:08.880
I also noticed that, you know, maybe this is controversial to say.
00:20:08.960 --> 00:20:09.200
I don't know.
00:20:09.279 --> 00:20:10.799
I'm gonna say it anyways because it's just who I am.
00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:12.799
Um we ruffle feathers here, Amberly.
00:20:12.880 --> 00:20:13.440
Let's do it.
00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:15.359
I found the guests changed.
00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:23.519
Who was coming to rent units were more comparing them to hotel stays than hey, I literally live upstairs.
00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:27.519
This is an incredible unit, beautiful, clean.
00:20:27.759 --> 00:20:32.160
It just was it just felt different, more of a transaction than it was before.
00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:37.440
And maybe I'm just kidding myself to thinking it wasn't a transaction, and that's just because I was a person receiving the money.
00:20:37.599 --> 00:20:40.559
Although, again, people I'm I'm offering a great place for people to stay.
00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:42.240
Um, it just felt a bit different.
00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:47.039
And Airbnb support was real crap, if I can be honest.
00:20:47.200 --> 00:20:51.279
And I just felt like it became so much more of a commodity versus like an experience.
00:20:51.519 --> 00:20:58.880
And so that was part of it too, where I just felt like I had a couple bad experiences with guests that I hadn't that I'd had in the past, of course, but like once a year.
00:20:58.960 --> 00:21:00.640
And I had it like three times in a row.
00:21:00.799 --> 00:21:05.279
And so, you know, I probably shouldn't throw the baby out with a bathwater, but I was like, fuck this shit, I'm out.
00:21:05.440 --> 00:21:19.680
And the other thing was I had a I had an actual baby and having two kids, a full-time job, multiple rentals, fin talks, starting a travel business, I really had to decide what needs to go and where do I want to stop putting my time.
00:21:19.839 --> 00:21:22.880
And because this was becoming less lucrative, I did walk away.
00:21:22.960 --> 00:21:29.119
I mean, I think probably between like a thousand and 15 months, 1,500 per month just to change these up.
00:21:29.279 --> 00:21:36.319
I decided that no longer focusing on the rentals and just letting them, you know, just do their thing was better.
00:21:36.559 --> 00:21:43.200
And it has been so much better for my mindset, not having to check the app every day, wonder what people are saying, what's going on.
00:21:43.279 --> 00:21:47.759
I'm just I'm also just tired of the the the review based society stuff for a bit.
00:21:48.319 --> 00:21:49.200
I'm over it right now.
00:21:49.519 --> 00:21:51.279
So I feel like there's like those three things.
00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:53.599
Airbnb itself just kind of sucked.
00:21:54.079 --> 00:21:56.000
Guests were different, and that's fine.
00:21:56.160 --> 00:21:59.839
Things change, but also an eye changed, so maybe it was me, not the guests.
00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:03.519
And then also like my life just couldn't hold it anymore.
00:22:03.759 --> 00:22:05.359
And the management company didn't make sense.
00:22:05.680 --> 00:22:05.920
Sure.
00:22:06.079 --> 00:22:08.640
Well, I mean, that's you know, uh, we evolve, right?
00:22:08.720 --> 00:22:14.640
And and your real estate business evolved into something different, and that's gonna be more long term.
00:22:14.799 --> 00:22:24.079
I mean, I know that like when when I would go to real estate meetups or uh other events and stuff, I know early on it seemed like I was the only one doing long term.
00:22:24.400 --> 00:22:30.640
It's like every everyone, everyone had to ride the the short term short-term rental bandwagon.
00:22:30.720 --> 00:22:32.799
Like it was like it was all the rage.
00:22:33.759 --> 00:22:38.559
But it was I think it was very hard, at least here in Minnesota.
00:22:38.640 --> 00:22:54.079
Like you you had to have yeah, we have over eleven thousand lakes here or whatever, but uh but we have like you have to be on a lake and this lake home has to be fucking amazing, and you really have to have things all year round.
00:22:54.240 --> 00:23:02.319
So in the winter, yeah, you gotta have skiing and this and that, snowmobiling and all the things, and I mean you got to have all the things of year round, otherwise it just sits.
00:23:02.640 --> 00:23:07.759
So yeah, it it doesn't make sense from what I saw, it just didn't make sense here either.
00:23:08.079 --> 00:23:19.599
Yeah, well, and I'll tell you just because people like numbers, so I'll just share just a couple of things because I think at my height, I was making like 6,500 in my pocket from two, well, technically my four doors long term and short term.
00:23:19.680 --> 00:23:25.440
So I was making a ton of money, which I then just funneled into the stock market because I had just put a huge bet on real estate.
00:23:25.599 --> 00:23:31.839
And so I do feel like for me, even walking away from over time, I think it turned and it ended up becoming like 4,500.
00:23:31.920 --> 00:23:36.000
I think everyone knows like 2022 was like the best year for Airbnb you could have ever had.
00:23:36.160 --> 00:23:37.519
2023 started going down.
00:23:37.599 --> 00:23:41.279
2024 is when I actually stopped, I think end of year, maybe 2025, actually.
00:23:41.440 --> 00:23:43.440
Yeah, 2025 I stopped.
00:23:43.680 --> 00:23:47.680
And I think by that time I was making like maybe 4,000 in my pocket.
00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:49.519
So it gone down like 2500.
00:23:49.599 --> 00:23:53.279
And then me going to long term, I think another thousand to 1500 a month.
00:23:53.359 --> 00:23:59.440
So I, you know, I'm at like still really good for a couple doors, but not the way that it used to be.
00:23:59.599 --> 00:24:03.920
And I did really well because I funneled it all in the stock market and it's been doing fantastic since 2020.
00:24:04.000 --> 00:24:05.759
So like win-win, I think.
00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:06.880
It was a win, yeah.
00:24:06.960 --> 00:24:07.279
Yeah.
00:24:08.160 --> 00:24:12.400
Do you think where you were, like in Denver, um, do you think it was competition?
00:24:12.480 --> 00:24:15.279
Do you think like more and more people were offering Airbnb?
00:24:15.440 --> 00:24:22.640
So it was hard to find good good tenants, good people that would stay for a weekend, a week, or whatever.
00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:23.359
Yeah.
00:24:23.599 --> 00:24:28.400
So since it's short term, I I really did focus on like three to four nights total with people.
00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:29.759
Two to four nights, let's say.
00:24:29.839 --> 00:24:31.599
I would never do a one night unless it was necessary.
00:24:31.759 --> 00:24:37.200
We if anyone who's in short-term rentals knows why, because you're getting locals and they're throwing a party or prostitution.
00:24:37.359 --> 00:24:39.759
So both things I kind of want to stay away from.
00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:41.039
And yeah, you know what?
00:24:41.119 --> 00:24:42.559
It was, it was quite saturated.
00:24:42.640 --> 00:24:47.200
I think just everyone putting a thing, uh, you know, putting their their houses on.
00:24:47.440 --> 00:24:50.799
There is a licensing system in Colorado and in Denver specifically.
00:24:50.960 --> 00:24:53.839
And I know some people were not abiding by the rules of that license.
00:24:53.920 --> 00:24:54.240
I was.
00:24:54.400 --> 00:24:55.599
And I'll say this last thing too.
00:24:55.680 --> 00:24:57.440
I had a cleaner who was amazing and she left.
00:24:57.599 --> 00:25:02.480
Like she left Colorado, and she was just my go-to gal for like any, she would do anything.
00:25:02.559 --> 00:25:05.359
She's like one of those people, she's like hair in the drain, no problem, Amberly.
00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:08.319
Like, oh, someone literally had a fight in your unit and there's blood everywhere.
00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:08.960
I got it.
00:25:09.119 --> 00:25:11.119
Like, she is just a yes woman.
00:25:11.200 --> 00:25:16.160
And I think losing her too was kind of one of those blows that I had another gal, she just didn't show up a couple of times.
00:25:16.319 --> 00:25:21.200
So it was just again, it was like all this friction that I just realized I didn't need all that friction in my life.
00:25:21.359 --> 00:25:24.880
And so competition, yes, and saturation of the market.
00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:31.279
I am part of a couple of the communities, and a lot of people got rid of their short-term rentals just like I did, and and honestly couldn't keep their properties.
00:25:31.519 --> 00:25:34.960
So I know a lot of people's properties went up for sale in 2024 and 2025.
00:25:35.440 --> 00:25:38.400
Yeah, I think it's everything, just the market shifted.
00:25:38.640 --> 00:25:38.960
Okay.
00:25:39.279 --> 00:25:39.519
Yeah.
00:25:39.759 --> 00:25:47.599
Yeah, I know that I uh I had visited a friend in Cape Coral, Florida, right on the right on the canal there that was that goes up to the sea.
00:25:47.759 --> 00:25:50.079
It was uh just a beautiful, beautiful house.
00:25:50.480 --> 00:25:52.000
And during the winter, right?
00:25:52.079 --> 00:25:54.240
So it was like zero in snow here in Minnesota.
00:25:54.319 --> 00:25:55.920
I went down there, I'm like hanging in the pool.
00:25:56.000 --> 00:25:57.440
It was just it was fantastic.
00:25:57.680 --> 00:26:01.680
And his neighbor, their house was was short-term rental.
00:26:01.759 --> 00:26:02.319
Yeah, yeah.
00:26:02.400 --> 00:26:03.519
And it was up for sale.
00:26:03.759 --> 00:26:06.640
And I I looked at it and it was like freaking amazing.
00:26:06.720 --> 00:26:10.319
And I started researching, and I talked to my agent.
00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:15.200
I talked to Lauren Almond, which she has a bunch of short-term rentals in Florida.
00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:32.240
But three point like like competition-wise, I couldn't believe I I had my agent pull up a map and it was like like two years prior, let's say the let's say the city of Cape Coral, there was like uh like let's say 120 short-term rentals.
00:26:32.480 --> 00:26:36.559
And then two years later, when I was looking at it, there was 800 short term rentals.
00:26:36.880 --> 00:26:36.960
Yeah.
00:26:37.440 --> 00:26:38.000
What the heck?
00:26:38.079 --> 00:26:40.079
Yeah, I mean, there was no way, you know.
00:26:40.160 --> 00:26:46.240
So the the vacancy rate, it wouldn't even, I wouldn't even pay the monthly nut when I if I financed it, right?
00:26:46.480 --> 00:26:46.720
Yeah.
00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:48.640
Um but yeah, that that's crazy.
00:26:48.799 --> 00:26:58.720
So so your shift to to like midterm, long-term rental, I guess for those that may not be familiar, explain a little bit about like what midterm rental is.
00:26:59.039 --> 00:26:59.680
Yeah.
00:27:00.400 --> 00:27:02.880
Midterm rental is an in-between world.
00:27:03.039 --> 00:27:10.400
So cities, most cities and legislation around cities consider a short-term rental 30 days or below, 29 days or below.
00:27:10.480 --> 00:27:11.599
And so that's what it is.
00:27:11.759 --> 00:27:17.680
They also have tenancy laws that normally come into effect on the 30th day of a rental.
00:27:17.839 --> 00:27:23.920
And a midterm rental would be between normally 30 days, like three full months.
00:27:24.079 --> 00:27:25.759
So that's normally what a midterm is.
00:27:25.920 --> 00:27:29.039
It's normally for working professionals who are trying out an area who work remotely.
00:27:29.200 --> 00:27:31.039
Nurse rentals used to be a big thing during COVID.
00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:32.079
It is no longer a thing.
00:27:32.240 --> 00:27:35.839
Nurses aren't getting the prices that they used to get for uh doing travel nursing.
00:27:35.920 --> 00:27:38.319
So the industry's kind of died right now.
00:27:38.480 --> 00:27:40.880
It can also be people moving to an area who are looking to buy a home.
00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:43.119
And so they're just coming in for a very small amount of time.
00:27:43.200 --> 00:27:52.160
They want a furnished apartment with, you know, fast Wi-Fi and all the amenities that they have in if they were to set up their own home and they can pay a premium for it.
00:27:52.319 --> 00:28:13.519
So if my unit would say rent for like$1,400 just in a long-term situation, so 30 days plus normally a year or six months to a year or or longer, you know, you could probably put like a just because it's a$1,400, two to four hundred dollar premium on that because it is a furnished, you know, and then of course with utilities, so um, you know, you'll charge more for it.
00:28:14.319 --> 00:28:14.720
Got it.
00:28:14.880 --> 00:28:15.119
Got it.
00:28:15.200 --> 00:28:23.519
I know that I also I know I know other people that are doing midterm rentals, and some of that sweet spot can be displaced people.
00:28:23.839 --> 00:28:28.880
Their house maybe is flooded or a fire or something happens.
00:28:29.039 --> 00:28:37.440
The insurance company actually will pay for them to be relocated for three months while their house gets rebuilt or or uh serviced.
00:28:37.680 --> 00:28:41.039
So that's another market too that I know people use.
00:28:41.440 --> 00:28:45.599
Yeah, I've done the insurance rental for my primary residence while we were living in Mexico City.
00:28:45.759 --> 00:28:46.240
Yeah.
00:28:46.559 --> 00:28:48.400
And it was banging.
00:28:48.799 --> 00:28:51.440
Yeah, I was gonna say, how'd that best money ever.
00:28:51.680 --> 00:28:52.240
Fantastic.
00:28:52.319 --> 00:28:54.960
Yeah, we got to meet the family beforehand and we have kids, right?
00:28:55.039 --> 00:29:01.119
So we've got a family-friendly unit, and an insurance company reached out to me saying that they were curious about my unit, what would it cost?
00:29:01.359 --> 00:29:08.400
Essentially, you know, what I can put it on the market, like furnished on the market, maybe$3,600,$34 per month.
00:29:08.480 --> 00:29:09.599
And I was getting six grand.
00:29:09.920 --> 00:29:11.440
So yeah.
00:29:11.759 --> 00:29:13.119
While living in Mexico City.
00:29:13.200 --> 00:29:14.480
So I was very happy with that.
00:29:14.559 --> 00:29:21.519
Um, with a th a three-month-old, but um, our life wasn't as as beautiful, it wasn't as vision boardy as you might might think it is.
00:29:21.680 --> 00:29:28.559
But um, yeah, we took our three and a half month old to Mexico City with our uh two-year-old and rented out our house and hung out for a while.
00:29:28.799 --> 00:29:29.119
Wow.
00:29:29.519 --> 00:29:32.880
Still, do you still have this desire?
00:29:33.039 --> 00:29:34.480
Like, do you travel?
00:29:35.119 --> 00:29:37.279
Like, I know it seems like I don't know.
00:29:37.440 --> 00:29:44.720
I mean, with a family, like do you have roots now, like, or do you want to like just like stay six months here, six months there?
00:29:44.799 --> 00:29:45.440
Like, what's your plan?
00:29:45.680 --> 00:29:47.279
What's your long-term vision here?
00:29:47.599 --> 00:29:51.519
Okay, well, what I what I want and what I'm allowed to do are two different things.
00:29:51.680 --> 00:29:53.839
Um, we got my husband in here for this conversation.
00:29:54.319 --> 00:30:00.319
So I had so a lot of people like to travel, and I have a I've had a travel bug since I was very young.
00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:04.960
I left Canada at 19 and have traveled the world since then forever.
00:30:05.279 --> 00:30:07.119
And it's just something inside me.
00:30:07.279 --> 00:30:12.799
My husband will joke, if I haven't been somewhere new in like three or four months, I like start to like shake.
00:30:14.240 --> 00:30:14.480
Yeah.
00:30:14.640 --> 00:30:22.240
So the answer is we do try and spend as much of the school year as possible in Longmont, which is where we live in our primary residence.
00:30:22.400 --> 00:30:29.839
It's also easier being here because we have a house, you know, with proper bedrooms, a backyard, and a community, which we love.
00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:34.559
We also have a preschool that is absolutely incredible for our very rambunctious four-year-old.
00:30:34.960 --> 00:30:37.440
So being here is really important to us.
00:30:37.599 --> 00:30:44.319
And we do spend, like we spent the entirety of August in Vancouver, in a one-bedroom apartment, uh, Vancouver, Canada.
00:30:44.480 --> 00:30:50.960
So we do like to get out and about as much as possible to show our kids the world because stability is important for them, of course.
00:30:51.200 --> 00:31:00.880
And I believe that meeting friends and family and different cultures and language is an extremely important part of a young person's upbringing.
00:31:01.039 --> 00:31:02.880
And that's what I want to expose them to.
00:31:03.039 --> 00:31:06.480
In the future, we do anticipate being in Longmont for the next couple of years.
00:31:06.640 --> 00:31:08.880
We're working through a green card for my husband.
00:31:09.119 --> 00:31:11.200
And so we have to stay in the US.
00:31:11.359 --> 00:31:17.759
But I do anticipate that our family at some point, probably for like a two-year period, will spend it abroad.
00:31:18.000 --> 00:31:32.160
And that'll be like six months in one place and and do like the world schooling thing where their kids are getting taught, but just not in a traditional sense, and then come back and hop back into the sure, I guess, like a normal life, whatever normal is for us, because it never is actually all that normal.
00:31:32.319 --> 00:31:34.319
Most people don't spend a month in Vancouver.
00:31:34.720 --> 00:31:35.039
Wow.
00:31:35.200 --> 00:31:36.240
That's that's remarkable.
00:31:36.480 --> 00:31:37.599
I mean, I think it's great.
00:31:37.759 --> 00:31:39.440
I definitely could never do that.
00:31:39.599 --> 00:31:40.400
That's just Yeah.
00:31:40.559 --> 00:31:41.200
Tell me why.
00:31:41.279 --> 00:31:42.640
Why, why man?
00:31:42.799 --> 00:31:46.000
I just I have I am such a homebody and I have roots.
00:31:46.160 --> 00:31:48.559
Like I mean, I I am learning now.
00:31:48.720 --> 00:31:58.400
Like I've always been like uh I don't know, an anxious travel traveler, and I would go to a place to do a thing, but then it's like I want to be back home in my in my own bed.
00:31:58.559 --> 00:31:58.960
I don't know.
00:31:59.039 --> 00:32:01.920
Yeah, I'm learning how to start to expand.
00:32:02.000 --> 00:32:13.200
Like again, going on the the Alaska cruise was one of those times where I'm like, okay, my stomach is in a knot, but I'm gonna do this anyway, and I'm so happy I did.
00:32:13.440 --> 00:32:15.759
So I'm I'm getting better, getting out there.
00:32:15.839 --> 00:32:21.920
I know I I have I have a new girlfriend, and if it was up to her, she would like live on a cruise ship, basically.
00:32:22.160 --> 00:32:25.440
So her goal is four cruises in 2027.
00:32:25.599 --> 00:32:27.920
We'll see if we'll see if I'm on all of them.
00:32:28.000 --> 00:32:29.039
I don't know yet.
00:32:29.359 --> 00:32:29.680
Yeah.
00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:30.799
But yeah, I don't know.
00:32:30.960 --> 00:32:32.079
It's just I have roots.
00:32:32.240 --> 00:32:37.119
I just like the the the feeling of not like permanence.
00:32:37.200 --> 00:32:38.640
I don't know what the I don't know what the word is.
00:32:38.799 --> 00:32:42.240
Just I, you know, I like having a home base to always go to.
00:32:42.319 --> 00:32:43.759
That's just in my brain.
00:32:44.160 --> 00:32:47.599
Yeah, I think that's come that's completely acceptable and appropriate.
00:32:47.759 --> 00:32:48.960
First of all, we are all different.
00:32:49.119 --> 00:32:55.359
We can admire someone's journey like mine, where we travel with my my two kids, but not replicate it.
00:32:55.680 --> 00:32:59.039
Or take parts of it and put it into our own life.
00:32:59.279 --> 00:33:09.200
And I actually admire someone like you who might be more home-based and roots-based, because I'm going to assume that you have a really good diet because you can, you're at home and you're cooking, right?
00:33:09.519 --> 00:33:10.400
You get to go to the gym.
00:33:10.480 --> 00:33:16.880
That's the big thing with us is you know, every time we travel the week beforehand, the week after, the week during the travel, like we aren't going to the gym.
00:33:16.960 --> 00:33:20.720
So we, if we're doing a month in Vancouver the week beforehand, nothing's happening, right?
00:33:20.880 --> 00:33:23.279
The week after we're getting settled, then we do it for two weeks.
00:33:23.440 --> 00:33:26.240
Then it's like the next two weeks are just a a wash.
00:33:26.400 --> 00:33:34.559
And though we eat well everywhere we go, because uh my husband's an amazing cook and so you know, it's just something we prioritize.
00:33:35.279 --> 00:33:40.880
You know, we don't get that day-to-day consistency that someone you might like you might have.
00:33:41.119 --> 00:33:43.680
Um, so there are trade-offs to both lifestyles.
00:33:43.839 --> 00:33:52.319
And for you, I think travel is a little bit like a muscle, meaning if you haven't flexed it in a while, yeah, it is gonna be anxiety producing.
00:33:52.400 --> 00:33:56.160
It is gonna be the unknown is scary and unknown.
00:33:57.039 --> 00:34:06.799
So taking small trips that are known can be a lot better than maybe jumping into going to Thailand, right?
00:34:06.880 --> 00:34:08.079
And then you get that muscle.
00:34:08.239 --> 00:34:12.960
So, like cruising is a great example of that because cruises are very easy.
00:34:13.280 --> 00:34:13.599
Yeah.
00:34:14.239 --> 00:34:15.679
And so, like you know, yeah.
00:34:15.760 --> 00:34:23.760
Well, I was gonna say, thank you for that because I'm trying to so she Chris, my girlfriend, she actually which is funny, we're Chris and Chris.
00:34:23.840 --> 00:34:28.400
It's oh yeah, it causes uh hilarity when we're in a group together.
00:34:28.559 --> 00:34:33.760
But anyway, you know, she will like she'll show me a cruise and it's like 21 days or something.
00:34:33.840 --> 00:34:39.199
And I'm like, oh yeah, whoa, whoa, can we start with like seven, like five, maybe seven?
00:34:39.280 --> 00:34:41.760
Like let's let's like start and then work our way up.
00:34:41.920 --> 00:34:44.400
But anyway, I I'm getting there.
00:34:44.559 --> 00:34:45.360
No, it's all good.
00:34:45.519 --> 00:34:49.920
No, but I appreciate you, I appreciate you like understanding where I'm coming from.
00:34:50.000 --> 00:34:51.360
So thank you for sure.
00:34:51.920 --> 00:35:00.960
I know we kind of like merge kind of some real estate stuff and and travel stuff together, yeah, but it it it definitely blends your life and your family life.
00:35:01.039 --> 00:35:02.719
And I think it I think it's great.
00:35:03.039 --> 00:35:03.679
Super cool.
00:35:04.239 --> 00:35:12.079
Yeah, and that's something I just recently uh realized a lot of people don't like renting out their primary homes and things.
00:35:12.239 --> 00:35:17.440
And so that's one of the barriers to travel for people is like you have to have your mortgage back home and that.
00:35:17.599 --> 00:35:33.599
And I would encourage people very do all of your research, but you know, if you're gonna go out for a month or you want to go out, you know, see if renting your home furnished makes sense for you and your family and the laws of your county because you do not, you know, you don't want to get in trouble.
00:35:33.920 --> 00:35:34.159
Yeah.
00:35:34.480 --> 00:35:44.639
And and there are times too where, again, I don't know how it's gonna work, but I I think I want to be somewhere where it's not 20 below zero in the winter.
00:35:44.800 --> 00:35:45.039
Yeah.
00:35:45.280 --> 00:35:49.360
So you know, I would have to spend, you know, a couple months somewhere warm.
00:35:49.440 --> 00:35:56.719
And yeah, maybe that's something I do is rent my primary while I'm Airbnb for a month somewhere in New Mexico or something.
00:35:56.800 --> 00:35:57.360
I don't know.
00:35:57.519 --> 00:35:58.639
Well Whoa.
00:36:00.320 --> 00:36:01.440
Are your palms sweating?
00:36:01.760 --> 00:36:04.239
That that is gonna be my uh that is gonna be, yeah.
00:36:04.400 --> 00:36:04.880
We'll get there.
00:36:05.280 --> 00:36:05.599
We'll get there.
00:36:05.840 --> 00:36:06.960
You you said it.
00:36:07.360 --> 00:36:08.800
So doesn't matter of time.
00:36:09.039 --> 00:36:09.440
That's right.
00:36:09.519 --> 00:36:10.000
That's right.
00:36:10.159 --> 00:36:19.280
So if so your your real estate journey, I'm just curious too, because you did, you know, short-term rentals and then now you're doing long-term rentals um with long-term leases in place.
00:36:19.440 --> 00:36:24.000
Like if someone's just starting out on their real estate journey, how do you how do you kind of guide them?
00:36:24.159 --> 00:36:27.599
Like what advice would you give them that they're like, okay, I want to do this.
00:36:28.159 --> 00:36:30.000
Where do you where do you point them?
00:36:30.960 --> 00:36:34.000
I think first of all is financing.
00:36:34.159 --> 00:36:42.239
The first thing I tell anyone, if you have not purchased a property or like if this is your very first pro you haven't even purchased a primary residence, is financing.
00:36:42.400 --> 00:36:43.280
Go to a bank.
00:36:43.360 --> 00:36:46.000
It doesn't matter which bank and see what you can afford.
00:36:46.159 --> 00:36:52.639
Because I think a lot of people have a dream to do something, but they don't actually know the steps or are taking the steps to do it.
00:36:52.800 --> 00:37:02.880
And I think a financial, like a broker or the lending arm of Chase Bank will humble you very quickly on what you can and can't afford.
00:37:03.039 --> 00:37:06.960
So therefore, you know if you can invest in your area or invest in outside of your area.
00:37:07.119 --> 00:37:11.360
I think that the house hack is the best way to go for your very first property.
00:37:11.519 --> 00:37:16.159
So especially if you're a younger person, even if you're older in your 30s, having other people live with you.
00:37:16.239 --> 00:37:19.119
So you buy a primary residence, you get a very good loan for that.
00:37:19.280 --> 00:37:21.840
Interest rates right now are quite 6.5.
00:37:21.920 --> 00:37:28.239
I'm not gonna say if they're high or low, because traditionally this is actually fine and normal, but you know, get that.
00:37:28.400 --> 00:37:35.840
You learn how to fix a house, you learn how to find the right people, you learn how to vet the people, and you can get rid of them quite quickly if you did the wrong thing there.
00:37:36.000 --> 00:37:43.679
And that's the second thing I would say is that when you are vetting people, that is the most important time of your entire real estate journey because people make or break your business.
00:37:43.840 --> 00:37:50.719
So, meaning you're doing background checks, credit checks, you're calling references, know what you legally can and can't ask to those references.
00:37:50.960 --> 00:37:54.800
And and I'm gonna say this, and again, whatever, vibe check, right?
00:37:54.960 --> 00:37:57.360
Is this person someone that I would want to rent to?
00:37:57.599 --> 00:38:03.199
And never, ever, ever, and I say this and I have done it once, and it's actually worked out very well.
00:38:03.360 --> 00:38:05.440
You don't do favors for people, right?
00:38:05.519 --> 00:38:07.519
People give you sob stories about their situation.
00:38:07.679 --> 00:38:07.760
Right.
00:38:07.920 --> 00:38:11.280
And it's, and I I feel for you, how else can I support you?
00:38:11.360 --> 00:38:12.880
But you cannot rent my property.
00:38:13.039 --> 00:38:15.679
Recently I did have a gal who had a lower credit score.
00:38:15.840 --> 00:38:20.960
She did tell me that like her credit gotten stolen or whatever, but I don't know if it got stolen or she just was bad with it.
00:38:21.119 --> 00:38:23.840
Nothing on her credit said that she was ever late with rents.
00:38:24.159 --> 00:38:27.760
And so I was like, okay, Denver has basically takes two months to get someone out.
00:38:27.920 --> 00:38:31.599
Am I willing to eat$4,000 to rent to this gal?
00:38:31.760 --> 00:38:35.599
Cause I have really good vibe, like vibe, and everything else worked like checked out for her.
00:38:35.679 --> 00:38:36.480
And I was like, you know what?
00:38:36.559 --> 00:38:38.639
I told her I was like, I'm gonna give you a chance, let's see this.
00:38:38.800 --> 00:38:44.400
And she's lived with me for two, like, you know, in one of my properties for two years now, just going on her second year.
00:38:44.639 --> 00:38:47.360
And she is amazing, like the best.
00:38:47.599 --> 00:38:49.840
So it worked out, but everything else was in place.
00:38:49.920 --> 00:38:54.639
And my guy was like, eh, I think she, I think she's either telling the truth or whatever happened is is over now.
00:38:54.800 --> 00:38:58.320
So yeah, I just don't do favors for people in that way.
00:38:58.480 --> 00:39:02.960
And if you do do favors for your tenants, which I do all the time, me and my tenants are very close.
00:39:03.119 --> 00:39:09.280
Again, I like to try and have a win-win-win situation for every part of my business is put it in writing, just write everything down.
00:39:09.440 --> 00:39:21.360
Email, hey, hey guys, you know, I did give you that half, you know, half month off for free for whatever it is, just want to put it in writing, and so you can always point back to it in the future if anything ever goes sour or weird.
00:39:21.679 --> 00:39:22.159
That's right.
00:39:22.559 --> 00:39:22.880
Yeah.
00:39:23.360 --> 00:39:33.519
A little a little tip that I'd like to give to people too is like when you're meeting someone and you're you know, you know, doing a walkthrough, showing them property, right?
00:39:33.599 --> 00:39:35.280
You're you're gonna screen a tenant.
00:39:35.840 --> 00:39:37.039
Take a look at their car.
00:39:37.440 --> 00:39:42.400
I I learned this really early on of how they maintain the inside of their car.
00:39:42.559 --> 00:39:50.400
And if it looks like they live in their car, like there's like I mean, trash, garbage, back seats full.
00:39:50.960 --> 00:39:53.920
That's typically kind of the way they're gonna treat your place.
00:39:54.079 --> 00:39:57.519
That's what I've learned, and uh, it's worked pretty well for me.
00:39:57.840 --> 00:40:01.280
Yeah, that's there's a saying called how you do anything is how you do everything.
00:40:01.440 --> 00:40:08.239
And whether or not you believe it to be true, I do think that how we show up in most parts of our life kind of tracks, right?
00:40:08.400 --> 00:40:13.599
And you know, I've never I know that's the thing with contractors too, like take a look at a contractor's track um before hiring them.
00:40:13.840 --> 00:40:14.559
I've never done that.
00:40:14.639 --> 00:40:15.679
Everything I've done is remote.
00:40:15.840 --> 00:40:21.280
I actually just met one of my tenants who's been living there for two years, literally last week for the very first time.
00:40:21.519 --> 00:40:23.280
I don't meet any of my tenants in person.
00:40:23.360 --> 00:40:23.920
I don't care.
00:40:24.079 --> 00:40:28.960
I have no interest in it and I'm not gonna waste my time running around from property to property to like show it.
00:40:29.119 --> 00:40:31.760
My current tenants will show properties and I pay them to do it.
00:40:32.000 --> 00:40:42.559
And so just being efficient with your time and just making sure that your processes are weeding out the people to the very first message that you get sent from them is really important.
00:40:42.719 --> 00:40:45.840
And to that point, I make everyone call me before they do a walkthrough.
00:40:45.920 --> 00:40:50.960
I'm not gonna set up walkthroughs, especially if my tenants are doing that or I'm doing them and waste my time for people who don't show up.
00:40:51.119 --> 00:40:55.199
So I make everyone have a 50-minute phone call with me before I even schedule anything with them.
00:40:55.280 --> 00:40:57.599
And I will tell you, I get nervous sometime.
00:40:57.679 --> 00:40:59.679
I'm like, man, maybe this process is terrible.
00:40:59.760 --> 00:41:09.360
I shouldn't be doing this because I'm weeding out people and my properties have never had a vacancy, except for this one month for this very first time right now in six years.
00:41:09.599 --> 00:41:15.840
And the people who've I've ever everyone who lives there has had a conversation with me for 15 minutes and they're the best tenants ever.
00:41:16.000 --> 00:41:19.199
So put processes in place to weed people out and don't get desperate.
00:41:19.519 --> 00:41:20.079
Sure.
00:41:20.320 --> 00:41:23.679
Yeah, man, I'd love to have you back on just to talk strictly real estate.
00:41:23.760 --> 00:41:25.119
We're gonna do this at some point.
00:41:25.199 --> 00:41:25.360
Yeah.
00:41:25.519 --> 00:41:33.519
I know that I uh when I was managing my own properties, I would just do open houses because I didn't want to schedule like showings every time.
00:41:33.760 --> 00:41:42.400
And you know, you'd get four or five different tenants and they're walking around seeing each other and they're like, well, I want competition.
00:41:42.960 --> 00:41:44.159
I want this place, right?
00:41:44.239 --> 00:41:44.480
Uh-huh.
00:41:44.639 --> 00:41:45.760
Um no, that's awesome.
00:41:45.920 --> 00:41:51.440
Well, as we wrap up, I want people to know where they can learn more about you, more about FinTox.
00:41:51.679 --> 00:41:54.320
Again, the travel and and and stuff that you have coming up.
00:41:54.559 --> 00:41:57.440
Let people know where they can find anything about you and FinTox.
00:41:57.840 --> 00:42:01.119
Yeah, so AmberlyGrant.com has everything that you need to know.
00:42:01.360 --> 00:42:06.159
Instagram, I'm starting to, I abandoned my Instagram like four years ago after having my first kid.
00:42:06.239 --> 00:42:11.280
But I do now, I'm starting to do stories on there just so that people can see what upcoming events are happening.
00:42:11.519 --> 00:42:18.320
So I've got a January Icon of the Seas, which is an incredible, cool ship, January 16th out of Florida, 2027.
00:42:18.480 --> 00:42:23.199
Hey, Chris, if you're looking for a 2027 cruise, there's not a lot of people on it.
00:42:23.440 --> 00:42:24.320
Much more intimate.
00:42:24.480 --> 00:42:27.760
And then we've got a celebrity beyond, which is an amazing ship as well.
00:42:27.920 --> 00:42:31.760
I've we really like upbranded this year uh or for 2027.
00:42:31.920 --> 00:42:33.440
And uh both of them are going to like St.
00:42:33.519 --> 00:42:34.159
Martin's, St.
00:42:34.320 --> 00:42:36.000
Thomas, like some really cool islands.
00:42:36.079 --> 00:42:38.000
And then you'll find that on AmberlyGrant.com.
00:42:38.079 --> 00:42:46.159
I have an Italy trip coming up in 2027 in August, just to note that there's only like three spaces, three rooms left for the entire two weeks.
00:42:46.320 --> 00:42:47.440
It's gonna be epic.
00:42:47.519 --> 00:42:48.960
So feel free to join.
00:42:49.119 --> 00:42:53.199
I will have like a call with you just to make sure that you're a good vibe for the house.
00:42:53.360 --> 00:42:57.599
You know, honestly, everyone's good if someone can vouch for you or whatever.
00:42:57.760 --> 00:43:00.960
But I just want to make sure that we have a very cohesive environment for everyone.
00:43:01.119 --> 00:43:03.519
And then uh we have Antarctica 2028.
00:43:03.679 --> 00:43:05.119
Pricing is until mid-October.
00:43:05.199 --> 00:43:08.639
I don't know when this is coming out, but I highly recommend if you want to get in on it.
00:43:08.719 --> 00:43:10.000
It's like the best pricing ever.
00:43:10.159 --> 00:43:10.880
And to join us.
00:43:10.960 --> 00:43:14.639
So AmberlyGrant.com has everything or Amberly Grant on Instagram.
00:43:15.039 --> 00:43:15.760
Awesome.
00:43:16.000 --> 00:43:16.719
Well, wonderful.
00:43:16.880 --> 00:43:18.400
Thank you so much, Amberly.
00:43:18.639 --> 00:43:19.920
Super fun having you on the show today.
00:43:20.000 --> 00:43:21.119
I really do appreciate it.
00:43:21.280 --> 00:43:27.119
And I want to thank everyone else for listening, following along where wherever you get your podcasts and on YouTube.
00:43:27.280 --> 00:43:29.440
Um, please like and subscribe wherever you find it.
00:43:29.519 --> 00:43:34.000
And then we'll have links to all of Amberly's stuff in the show notes.
00:43:34.079 --> 00:43:38.000
And we will see you next time on the Extreme Personal Finance show.