The Clock and the Dream
The clock ticks. The office lights hum. Another Monday, another meeting, another email chain that stretches into eternity. You glance at the calendar and do the math—20, maybe 30 more years of this?
But what if you didn’t have to wait?
What if, instead of counting down the years until retirement, you built a system that paid you to walk away early?
For thousands of people, rental properties have become the key to financial freedom—not at 65, but at 45, 40, or even 35. The question isn’t if it’s possible. The question is: Are you willing to follow the plan?
The Path to Early Retirement with Rentals
Meet Jason.
At 30, he made a decision: He wasn’t going to work until he was old. He didn’t want to rely on a 401(k) or Social Security. He wanted to own his time.
He didn’t start rich. He started with a plan—one that took him from renting a tiny apartment to retiring at 41, living off rental income.
Here’s how he did it—and how you can, too.
Step 1: Define Your “Freedom Number” (Know Your Target Income)
Jason’s first step wasn’t buying a property—it was understanding his goal.
He asked himself:
• How much do I need each month to cover my living expenses?
• What does financial freedom actually look like for me?
For Jason, the number was $6,000 per month. That covered his mortgage, food, travel, and hobbies.
Once he knew his “Freedom Number,” he could reverse-engineer his plan.
➡ Your Action Step: Calculate your monthly expenses and determine how much passive income you need to retire.
Step 2: Buy Your First Rental Property (Start Small, Start Smart)
Jason didn’t start with a 20-unit apartment complex. He started with a small duplex.
• He lived in one unit and rented out the other.
• The rent covered his mortgage, meaning he was living for free.
• He saved up faster for his next investment.
This strategy is called house hacking, and it’s one of the fastest ways to start building wealth while reducing expenses.
➡ Your Action Step: Look for a duplex, triplex, or small rental where you can live in one unit and rent out the rest.
Step 3: Scale Up Using the BRRRR Method (Grow Without Running Out of Money)
Once Jason had equity in his first property, he used a strategy called BRRRR to buy more rentals:
1. Buy a property at a discount
2. Renovate it to increase its value
3. Rent it out to create cash flow
4. Refinance to pull out his initial investment
5. Repeat the process with the next property
By doing this, Jason kept recycling his money, allowing him to buy more properties without saving for another down payment.
➡ Your Action Step: Learn about BRRRR investing and look for undervalued properties with rental potential.
Step 4: Transition from Active Investor to Passive Owner (Hire a Property Manager)
By his fifth property, Jason realized he didn’t want to spend his time managing tenants, handling maintenance, or chasing rent payments.
So, he hired a property manager.
For a small percentage of rent (typically 8-12%), they handled everything—making his income truly passive.
➡ Your Action Step: Once you have multiple rentals, hire a property manager to free yourself from daily operations.
Step 5: Achieve Your Freedom Number & Exit the Rat Race
After acquiring 10 rental units, Jason’s properties generated $7,200 per month—more than his Freedom Number of $6,000.
At 41, he quit his job.
• No boss.
• No schedule.
• No more trading time for money.
Now, his time is his own. And his assets work harder than he ever did.
➡ Your Action Step: Track your passive income and set a date for your early retirement goal.
Your Road to Freedom
Jason’s story isn’t special—he just followed the plan.
Now, it’s time to ask yourself:
• What’s my Freedom Number?
• What’s stopping me from buying my first rental?
• Am I willing to commit to this path?
The beauty of real estate is that time is on your side. The sooner you start, the sooner your money starts working for you.
The First Step Toward Your Early Retirement
Most people will wait decades for retirement. But you don’t have to.
The path is clear:
✅ Define your Freedom Number
✅ Buy your first rental (even if it’s just house hacking)
✅ Scale up using smart strategies like BRRRR
✅ Transition into passive ownership
✅ Exit the rat race—on your terms
The only thing left. Taking the first step.
Because the best time to start was yesterday. The second-best time? Today.
Author: Obsidian A Freeman
