In a past not so long ago, my wife and I were in San Antonio, Texas, looking for what we thought would be our forever home. My realtor called me up and told me that he couldn’t show our condo in San Diego, because the power was out. Mind you, this was at least the third time we had this discussion, and he had the power company come out at least twice and I assumed the power was on. It was not. The year was 2020 and Covid had brought the world to a grinding halt and we became accidental landlords.
From the Marine Corps to My First Mortgage
My professional career began as a Marine Corps officer in San Diego, CA. The Marine Corps reinforced, and further developed, the principles that my parents had instilled in me: hard work, honesty, courage, adaptability, and perseverance. It was as I, Andrew (Andy) Shulkosky, was departing military service that I truly began my real estate investing career.
The first property I ever bought was a 1 bed 1 bath 777 square foot condo, in downtown San Diego. I was no stranger to moving and having to fix up a house for sale; however, I had never put my money where my mouth was. I was entering into one of the most turbulent periods of my life — transitioning out of the military and was telling the person giving me the money, “I got this.”
Betting on Texas
My wife (Thais), our dog (Hazel), and I landed in San Antonio, Texas. I was now working as a Government Contractor while we looked at planting roots in San Antonio. Neither of our families lived in Texas and we knew no one. What could go wrong?
Not surprisingly, a lot went wrong. We couldn’t sell our condo in San Diego, our “forever” home continued to climb in price, and we were adjusting to a totally new environment. The full cost of that stretch is in Becoming an Incidental Landlord During Covid. Luckily, the “forever” home never worked out which allowed us to do something Thais loved, house hack. We ended up buying a duplex in San Antonio where we lived on one side and turned the other into a short-term rental. I wrote up how that purchase came together in My Duplex Investment: From Accidental to Intentional. Managing the short-term rental was exactly what my wife had been looking for her whole life. To say my wife was skeptical would be an understatement.
The Moment It Clicked
The whole thing really clicked for her as I was ripping up the carpet on our side of the duplex so I could install vinyl plank flooring. In a panic, she asked me how we were going to pay for it. I held my hands up as if I were speaking directly to God and said, “With this.” Confused, she asked me, “With what?” When she realized that the duplex was funding these improvements to our home, she nodded with a slight smile and said, “Wow, that’s pretty cool.” In my best Ross Geller voice I retorted, “I know.” She had bought into the idea.
Thais was able to see the fruits of our labor (and money) come to life and begin to work for us. It was no longer an “Andy” thing, it was an us thing. Skepticism turned into genuine interest. When driving through a nice community or area, she no longer necessarily thinks about it in terms of, “I could live here.” She will ask questions like, “Do you think we could buy an investment here?”
Good Initiative, Bad Judgment
Our duplex is what put me on my current path. We got to watch the property be built from the ground up. I was infatuated by the process. So much so that I wanted to obtain my MBA with a focus in Real Estate Finance and Development from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Upon graduation, real estate would become a career shift.
The acquisition of my franchise was the right industry movement. The real estate cycle fascinated me, and the franchise allowed me to test out a smaller slice of that pie through home improvements. This career move was what I thought would be the foundation for building a real estate empire. My goal was to learn, grow, and thrive. Having no real construction/real estate experience myself, I thought this would be a great opportunity to buy a “business in a box.” As my leadership in the military would have said, “Good initiative, bad judgment.” The experience further added tools to my kit which I will utilize to continue to be successful; however, I was catching a ride in the wrong vehicle.
Why I Started Brick & Yield
Over the course of my life, I have found that I have gained a lot of experience that is not only worth sharing, but others have found valuable. Brick & Yield will cover my journey through acquisition, renovation, disposition, and management of real estate. This blog is my attempt at sharing that information.
My current philosophy on real estate is cash flow is king. I lay out why in Cash Flow vs. Appreciation: What Owning Both Taught Me. With real estate, and investing in general, every path should serve a purpose and if it doesn’t, find another path. What I mean by that is no investment is a “one size fits all.” Do what is most comfortable for you while building the appropriate financial mechanisms to achieve your goals. Ensuring I can cover my debt and put money aside for future opportunities is extremely important to me right now. Brick & Yield isn’t a “get-rich scheme.” The information won’t allow you to become a millionaire off one deal while doing nothing.
Come Build With Me
I share what works, what fails, and what each experience teaches me. Our duplex story picks up with the purchase that made us more intentional investors. Read it next, and tell me in the comments how you got started.
Disclosure & Disclaimer
This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. See our full Affiliate Disclosure.
I’m sharing my own experience as a real estate investor, not professional financial or investment advice — always do your own research before making decisions with your money.
