Episode 398: House Hacking Your Way to Lasting Wealth with Paul de Luca

Paul de Luca of The Axon Group joins us to provide great insights on leveraging house hacking to grow a portfolio and how to succeed as an investor-friendly real estate agent! Paul jumps right into the nitty gritty of his first couple house hack deals! He gives tips on getting off the ground as a new real estate agent and the 101 on Chicago non-conforming units. Paul shares how he handled various troublesome tenants and provides his take on emerging neighborhoods where he's investing! Throughout the episode, Paul demonstrates how focus and taking action have been keys to his investing success! If you enjoy today's episode, please leave us a review and share with someone who may also find value in this content! ============= Connect with Mark and Tom: StraightUpChicagoInvestor.com Email the Show: [email protected] Properties for Sale on the North Side?  We want to buy them. Email: [email protected] Have a vacancy? We can place your next tenant and give you back 30-40 hours of your time. Learn more: GCRealtyInc.com/tenant-placement Has Property Mgmt become an opportunity cost for you? Let us lower your risk and give you your time back to grow. Learn more: GCRealtyinc.com ============= Guest: Paul de Luca, eXp Realty - The Axon Group Link: Paul's Instagram Link: Paul's BiggerPockets Link: SUCI Ep 354 - Jake Fugman & Mike Scanlon Link: 5 Types of Wealth (Book Recommendation) Link: On The Market (Podcast Recommendation) Link: Adam Gurney (Attorney Referral) Guest Questions 03:25 Housing Provider Tip - Consider the ROI on central HVAC! 05:08 Intro to our guest, Paul de Luca! 10:52 Reflecting on Paul's first house hack. 13:45 Getting into house hack #2! 21:20 Getting started as a new real estate agent. 25:32 Valuing non-conforming units. 31:33 Handling problem tenants. 36:18 Neighborhood guide for investors! 42:35 Paul's 5 year outlook! 48:48 What is your competitive advantage? 49:23 One piece of advice for new investors. 49:50 What do you do for fun? 50:00 Good book, podcast, or self development activity that you would recommend?  50:31 Local Network Recommendation?  50:55 How can the listeners learn more about you and provide value to you? ----------------- Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Straight Up Chicago Investor 2025.