Buy box: 3–4 bed, 2 bath
Rachel's core buy box is 3 or 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom homes in good school districts within the greater Austin area — a formula she deviated from at her peril.
Snapshot · BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast
3 Kids, Full-Time Job, $2M Portfolio: This Single Mom Did It in 6 Years!
Explore episode
Jun 29, 2026
Where this was said
Rachel's Day Job: Property Tax Consulting and Why She Kept It
At 8:58 · chapter starts 8:50
Texas has some of the highest property tax rates in the country, and Rachel built a career around fighting them. As a property tax consultant, she represents property owners — primarily commercial — before county appraisal districts, arguing for lower assessed values and therefore lower tax bills. She applies the same expertise to her own portfolio. But beyond the income and expertise, Henry and Rachel make a critical point: maintaining W-2 employment while executing a live-in flip strategy isn't just helpful — it's functionally necessary. Conventional lenders require documented income to underwrite loans, and without a steady job, accessing the owner-occupied financing that powers the entire strategy becomes nearly impossible. Keeping the day job is part of the strategy, not a compromise of it.
Her Buy Box: The Exact Criteria That Built a $4M Portfolio
Rachel's buy box is surgically specific: 3 or 4-bedroom, 2-bath homes in good school districts within a 2-hour radius of Austin, targeting the $1,500–$2,500/month rental range. She found this price point consistently attracts reliable tenants — and when she drifted from it, she paid dearly.
Target rental range: $1,500–$2,500/month
Rachel's buy box targets properties that can rent for $1,500 to $2,500 per month, a range she believes attracts high-quality, reliable tenants.
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