Do we have a treat or what for you today! We were lucky enough to be able to interview one of our biggest and first inspirations within the real estate and FIRE realm. Her name is Zeona McIntyre and she is absolutely remarkable. At the ripe age of 28, she was completely financially independent. She paid off $50k in student loans and built her own business from the ground up. Currently, she spends her time traveling the world and creating her own schedule.

Before I give too much away, let’s dive into this interview!

P.S. Keep an eye out for the secret Zeona let’s us in on 🙂

13 Questions with Zeona McIntyre

#1. Please tell us a brief summary about yourself

My “tagline” is: From College Student to Financially Independent in 2 years with Airbnb!

I am most known in the FIRE & Real Estate Investing communities for retiring early and quickly by house hacking with Airbnb. I started when I was 26 and broke, and in two short years I was able to build a cash flow to consider myself frugally Financially Independent.

By 30, I decided to “come out of retirement” and build a Vacation Rental management company and educational biz (blog). One day soon I forsee selling or hiring out the work that I do to “retire” again. I really love the simple life. 😉 

I have been an avid traveler most of my life and have visited 47 countries and counting. I utilize credit card hacks for points, miles, and perks (see: lounges), and house/pet sit to live like a local.  

#2. How did you find FIRE?

In 2011 I discovered the Mr. Money Mustache blog and was hooked. Before that, I had gotten into Suze Orman and used some of her ideas from her books to begin investing in a Roth IRA and using snowball payments to pay down my student loans, but the MMM concept of retiring at 30 really spoke to my values around freedom. 

#3. When did you reach FIRE and what was the biggest instrument in helping you reach FIRE?

I reached FIRE at 28, by house hacking with Airbnb. When I first starting reading the Mr. Money Mustache blog, I was 26, in Massage School, working at a retail shop, and 50K in student loan debt. I didn’t know how the heck I could possibly retire by 30 but I thought it sounded like an excellent goal so I adopted it as my own.

I noticed that I was living on about 2000-2500/mo. so I also thought his retirement number or goal of 600K in index funds (which equals a safe withdrawal rate of 2000-2500/mo if you use the 4% rule) and a paid off house felt like one I could copy. I didn’t get bogged down in the details of how I was going to make this goal a reality, I just started using the practices he recommended while holding the vision that I would achieve my goal.

Airbnb was presented to me around the same time and I thought it would be just a side hustle to help me towards my FI goal, who knew it would turn into my main gig! I still don’t have 600K in index funds, but I considered myself FI when I was cash flowing 2000-2500/mo from my airbnb’ed properties. 

#4. What inspired you to first start on Airbnb?  

My best friend from High School was living in New York and he told me about it. He was burnt out and unhappy in his job and just wanted to travel to clear his head.

The only problem was he was shackled down by an expensive lease. He decided to try Airbnb and it allowed him to not only cover his rent, he was able to extend his 3 months of travel to an entire year! At the end of the year he told me he had made $50,000 off an apartment he did not own. I was finally listening. 

#5. Your airbnb business has grown exponentially over the years, what do you feel is the main reason for this growth? 

2 things. I think it was setting a goal and allowing success to come into my life. I think a lot of times we stand in our own way because of fear or self worth issues. I had those road blocks and still have these come up for me on occassion and yet I work on myself a lot. 

Another reason for my success is that I think people are attracted to my message because it’s relatable, transparent, and easy to replicate. There are parts of this “job” that I adore and also some that suck and I’ll be the first one to not sugar coat it. 

#6. What does your airbnb business look like now and where do you foresee it going in the future?

I now own 6 properties (all airbnbs) and manage about another 20 (this fluctuates) from Seattle to Spain. Although it is much easier to manage all in one town, people frequently find me from podcasts I’ve been on and they can be listening from anywhere in the world. If the home and client are a good fit, we will take them on for management. 

I have this secret (until now) goal to re-retire at 35 (only 1.5 years away) because I hold those two years of retirement — with of lots of free time and flexibility — in such high regard. I am not sure if that means I will build up my management company to sell or just train a protegee to take over the majority of tasks so I can mostly step away.

Either way I have been working towards both options and know the direction will become clear in time. There are a lot of things that I love about the work and I honestly have some fear about fully giving up the income even though I am Financially Independent. “Retirement” to me does not mean cease all work. It means only doing what I love regardless if it makes money. In my current management position, there are some stressful “have-tos” that I may be ready to let go of. I think the next phase would still include educating via live talks and my blog because the consulting and face to face mentoring is by far my favorite part!

My life partner and I are planning out 3 new homes purchases in the near future to set up his retirement, and in my extensive research to be up to date on what I am teaching him, I’ve realized there are some clever ways I can optimize my properties and simplify my life even more. I am considering rolling the equity (selling) some of the starter homes to purchase nicer rentals that will have better quality tenants and have just a few homes but all paid off. I am all about keeping it simple and I think most people can retire with 3 paid off homes, it doesn’t have to be super complex.  

Airbnb is more work than long term rentals and although it has been an incredibly profitable hustle, I aim to use the airbnb model it to quickly pay down loans and then eventually coast with long term leases. 

#7. What do you say to anyone who is skeptical about airbnb because of regulations? 

Regulations are a real concern and it is very important to do your research before buying in any area. The most widely accepted way to do airbnb per regulations is to house hack your own home. Cities are trying to prevent investors from buying up properties to turn into little, unsupervised hotels. If you intend to host people in your spare bedroom(s), basement, in law suite; that is usually allowed and can frequently pay your mortgage or more. 

Co-hosting or managing a property for someone else is also a way around the regulations. If they require that it is owner occupied part of the year, you can find an unlimited amount of clients who rent their home part-time to travel for work or pleasure and make a percentage off rentals while they are away. 

#8. What is your advice for those just starting out on their journey in Airbnb or FIRE? 

For both it is: “just get started!” I think a lot of people sit on the sidelines waiting for the best time to buy or invest, trying to time the market or wanting to study up and know everything before getting involved. The reality is life is not a spectator sport, you need to get in the game. Yes you will make some mistakes but if you learn from them and continue to improve your processes along the way, you will succeed. 

With most investments, time is one of the most valuable factors, whether it is in compounding interest or appreciation. Even if you start small, it is great to just start. Open a vanguard index fund Roth IRA and start saving for retirement and put your home up on airbnb whether it is the spare room or your whole place for your next weekend away. You’ll learn as you go and can research as questions arise. 

#9. What was the hardest obstacle to overcome on your way to financial freedom? 

Myself. Money is a psychologically entangled concept. I grew up in a fairly financially unstable family and knew I wanted something different for myself. Even though I have done well, there are times when fear and scarcity get to me. I have done a lot of work around these subjects and feel more empowered and lighter than ever before, and yet I know it is a lifelong relationship and journey. 

#10. Are there any common misconceptions about real estate investing you think should be debunked? 

Yes. For some reason Real Estate is very flashy. I’m not sure if it is from all the flipping shows or just the egos of the people who gravitate towards this industry, but when I am at RE conferences or meetups, I notice there is a lot of bragging. Ew. The misconception here is that you need a lot of properties or to be doing a lot of deals to be worthy or valuable. (not true)

The investors I respect the most are the ones that straddle the FIRE world and have a better concept of enough. Coach Carson, Mr. Money Mustache, Mr. 1500 days, etc. I also really love the Real Wealth Network, Kathy Fetke has a very down to earth podcast, and they teach about getting 10 properties and working to snowball pay them off in 10 years for retirement. I still think people can do it with 3-5 properties, but I like that what they are teaching is attainable and relatable. 

#11. If you could go back and do anything differently, what would you change and why?

I don’t think I would change a thing because I love my story and am grateful for where it has taken me. Like I mentioned earlier, I have the idea of selling a few of my entry level homes to roll that equity into a nicer product and recently had questioned if those homes were a mistake (since my initial idea was to buy and hold — or never sell).

I don’t think I would be where I am this quickly if just bought the A/B+ grade properties right out of the gate because they don’t cash flow enough. These older, cheaper homes were stepping stones. The reason I am thinking of selling them is just to simplify. Less properties, with easy tenants, closer to home. Both of my parents have passed away so the concept of mortality is very real for me. I frequently think of what I might be leaving my partner or passing down to my younger sister. I would like to make it easy to manage and understand. I have a pretty complex set up now because I am scrappy and young. =)

#12. Are there any books or tools that helped you reach financial freedom quicker?

My favorite FI books are: The Simple Path to Wealth & Choose FI. The Choose FI book just came out and even though I teach about personal finance, I learned a few tidbits and took actionable steps towards a more profitable future! I think it is important to keep learning and optimizing. Both books are easy to read and understand. I really appreciate that in finance books. Investing can already be an intimidating subject for a lot of people. Both books have done a great job of making it approachable and actionable. 

#13. Hardest question yet – what has been your favorite city/country you have traveled to so far? 

I adore Cape Town, South Africa. The 13 national languages, the stunning mountains, the colorful buildings, the beautiful people and the eclectic music. So much richness. I am so fascinated with Africa and want to spend a ton more time on that continent. 

Key Takeaways

Wow! Just when you think someone can’t get anymore inspiring. She dropped some serious knowledge bombs during this interview. Let’s review some:

• Set a goal and allow success come into your life.
• Be Real. Don’t sugar coat things. People relate to you more when you are honest.
• “Retirement” doesn’t mean you have to stop working. It means only doing what you love regardless if it makes money.
• Build up your business to a point where you can step away or sell it, you never know what you’ll want.
• JUST GET STARTED! “Too many people sit on the sidelines waiting for the best time to buy or invest, trying to time the market or wanting to study up and know everything before getting involved. The reality is life is not a spectator sport, you need to get in the game. Yes you will make some mistakes but if you learn from them and continue to improve your processes along the way, you will succeed.”
• Time is incredibly valuable with almost every investment, the sooner you start the sooner you benefit. Whether it is in compounding interest or appreciation. Even if you start small, it is great to just start.
• Don’t brag and know what enough is for you. “The investors I respect the most are the ones that straddle the FIRE world and have a better concept of enough“. This is a key reason why we do respect Zeona so much – she isn’t greedy and values her time more than money.
• Simple is always better. Older, cheaper homes can help generate cash flow to start but don’t be afraid to upgrade to less troublesome properties that will in turn give you easier tenants.

You can find out more about Zeona here on her website or check out her recent travels here on her instagram.

Other ways to connect with Zeona:

• Twitter
• Facebook
• LinkedIn

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• 11 Life Lessons Our Dog Has Taught Us
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