Is it your dream to quit your W2 job and pursue real estate investing full-time?

Unfortunately, the transition from working for someone else to becoming your own boss doesn’t happen overnight. As you’re about to learn from today’s guest, there are several factors you MUST consider before handing in your two-week notice!

Welcome back to the Real Estate Rookie podcast! Today, we’re chatting with Matt Marcelissen, an HR consultant by day and investor by night. In only a few years, Matt has built a real estate portfolio of four properties and eleven doors. Now, he finds himself at a crossroads. Should he quit his corporate job to focus on real estate? On one hand, Matt’s six-figure salary provides a sense of financial security and allows him to save money for more real estate. On the other hand, Matt commits most of his time and energy to his W2 job during the day—leaving him too mentally and physically exhausted to work on his real estate business.

In this episode, Ashley and Tony offer some invaluable advice to not only Matt but also any rookie investor who might be considering a full-time career in real estate. Whether it’s sticking with your W2 job, dialing back to part-time, or creating multiple streams of income, there are all kinds of ways to make real estate work for you. Stay tuned to find the BEST option for you! Welcome to the Real Estate Rookie podcast, episode 347. My name is Ashley Kehr and I’m here with my co-host Tony J. Robinson. And welcome to the Real Estate Rookie Podcast where every week, twice a week, we bring you the inspiration, motivation, and stories you need to hear to kickstart your investing journey.

And today we’ve got an amazing guest, Matt Marcelissen. Matt is a funny guy, great at telling the stories. And you’ll hear the ups, the downs, the ins, the outs, the lefts, the rights of his journey building out his portfolio. And we talk a little bit about the end of whether or not Matt should quit his day job and do this real estate thing full time. We actually found Matt and met him in the Real Estate Rookie Facebook group. So if you are not a member, please join.

So if you also want to be a guest on the show and you want to captivate our audience with your real estate stories, successes and failures, you can apply at biggerpockets.com/guest. And last thing, if you guys are a part of the Rookie audience and you haven’t yet left us an honest rating review on Apple Podcasts, please do. Again, the more reviews we get, the more folks you’re able to reach. Whether it’s sticking with your W2 job, dialing back to part-time, or creating multiple streams of income, there are all kinds of ways to make real estate work for you.

And before we get into the show, just a little side note when we are recording this, this is Halloween, so I do make a couple references to Halloween in the story, even though this is December that this is airing, but I just wanted to make that little note for you guys. Well Matthew, so we found you in the Real Estate Rookie Facebook group. I’m going to share your posts with everyone right now if that’s okay. Matthew:For sure. Ashley:Okay.

So Matthew, tell us a little bit about why you decided to put this post in the Real Estate Rookie Facebook group. Matthew:Oh, man. So I had been toying with this idea for quite a while and it was actually on my to-do list for two whole weeks, which is a very long time for something to stay on my to-do list. And it was to reach out to the BP family and see if anyone has been in a similar position, which I know that other people have. I know I’ll get into the backstory in a little bit, but during the second half of this year, I really felt myself being really stretched thin. So I was converting an LTR to an STR. No one really talks about the boxes on the podcast and the mess that I creates and how long it takes to really set one up, make the post on Airbnb and get the tenants in there. I was doing property management for my fourplex and my other triplex. I have a long-term far away STR in central Texas. And with my day job, while trying to run this budding real estate profile, I just found myself without time. So I would work during the day, very intensive.

During the weekends I couldn’t hang out with any friends setting up the STRs, working in my business to where I’m constantly exhausted. Ran out of friend time. I actually had to start integrating my social time with the gym and running. So I’m like, “Hey friend, if you want to see me, let’s go for a walk together instead of let’s go out and grab some drinks.” So I felt that that actually sounds like a healthy friendship relationship though, going for a run instead of going for drinks. Matthew:No, and I actually love it and my friends love it. And it’s a really great time, but I just feel that I need help, I’m at this crux and that’s why I reached out. Ashley:Well, we’re definitely glad that you did because I think this is something very important to talk about as to when is the time