Like many homeowners, Chicagoan Sebastien Beauboeuf pays a monthly mortgage. But unlike many, he covers that cost by renting out units in several multi-unit properties — a strategy known as “house hacking.” “You could really offset your living expenses,” he says of the concept, which he first learned about through real estate podcasts. “So, to me, just that realization was kind of a no-brainer.”
Beauboeuf, who works full time as a chemical engineer, moved to Chicago from Miami 15 years ago and bought his first home in the city in 2020. Back then, both he and his wife lived frugally and saved aggressively. His wife, who was a mortgage lender at the time, played a key role in helping them build their real estate portfolio. “I think at that point, we were maybe saving 60% of our total income,” he says.
The couple now owns two properties in Chicago — one four-unit and one three-unit building, the latter purchased in 2021 — as well as two single-family homes in Columbus, Ohio, that operate as Airbnbs. The Chicago properties bring in around $10,600 per month, while combined mortgage-related expenses total between $6,000 and $7,000 per month. They handle maintenance by using the leftover rental income as a reserve fund rather than treating it as personal spending money.
Although the financial benefits of house hacking are clear, being a live-in landlord comes with trade-offs, including reduced privacy and the potential for conflict with tenants living only a wall away. But Beauboeuf says their experience has been far less dramatic than the horror stories you hear about online, and that carefully vetting tenants has made a big difference.
For now, living in a smaller multi-unit building with their two children is not their ideal forever setup. Beauboeuf’s ultimate goal is to escape the limits of a nine-to-five lifestyle and build enough wealth through real estate to create more freedom in the future. Saving and investing now, he says, is a way to delay gratification for a better life later. “I think house hacking is 100% worth it.”
The Wider Trend
Live-in landlords — homeowners or renters who rent out rooms in their own homes — make up 39% of the supply in the U.S. roommate market, according to December 2025 data from SpareRoom, an online rental listings platform.
New York-based certified financial planner Thomas Ravert says house hacking can be a very practical way for younger buyers to break into homeownership, especially when affordability is tight. But it is important to remember that you are not just a homeowner — you are also a landlord. “That means dealing with vacancies, repairs, tenant turnover, rent collection, and sometimes conflicts with people living just a wall away from you,” he says. The biggest risk is overestimating the income while underestimating the friction. “The bad version is stretching to buy a property that only works on paper,” he adds.
Key Takeaways
House hacking can be a practical path into homeownership.
Buying a multi-unit property, living in one unit and renting out the others can offset the mortgage cost while also building equity. “If the buyer is financially organized, understands landlord responsibilities, and leaves room for surprises, it can be an excellent stepping stone,” Ravert says.
Being a landlord comes with operational and financial risks.
Once you house hack, you are not just buying a home — you are also becoming a landlord, with all the work and responsibility that comes with that. “Young buyers should not underwrite these deals as if every unit will always be occupied and nothing will ever break,” Ravert says. “They need reserves, realistic maintenance budgets, and enough income to carry the property when things do not go according to plan.”
A real estate portfolio can provide stability, not instant retirement.
While their properties generate enough income to cover their mortgage expenses, Beauboeuf is clear that they are not yet living off the cash flow. It’s a long-term process.
Editing by Yasmeen Serhan and Lisa Shumaker; Visual Production by Morgan Coates
The strategy helping young buyers afford homes
