Interviews · Speaking · Press
Conversations about real estate, reselling, financial independence, and the gloriously unpolished road between them.
Where it all started · 1994
Long before the rentals, the reselling, and The Frugal Gay, The Plain Dealer caught 12-year-old Tom building a snowman with his 6-year-old sister Katie, brother Mike, and their friend David Williams.
Not exactly Business Insider—but technically, it was the first press.
Featured speaking appearance
Tom joined the One Rental at a Time community as a speaker, sharing the real version of building wealth: buying rentals, growing a portfolio, leaving a W-2 at 39, and using reselling income to create more options.
Open the video →The house made television
The home was used to film scenes for People Magazine Investigates: Surviving a Serial Killer—“Surviving the Cook Brothers,” Season 1, Episode 6. The episode aired June 9, 2024 and is available on Max.
View the episode details →
Major press · 4 featuresFeatured press
Not one mention. Four Business Insider features covering the portfolio, the lessons, the renovation Tom swears he will never repeat, and creative ways first-time buyers can get in the door.
The long-game story: 18 years of fixer-uppers, conservative growth, and building enough cash flow to leave a 9-to-5.
The inspections, leverage, rent checks, and tenant boundaries Tom wishes he had understood at the beginning.
The $100,000 win that required 11 dumpsters, an $80,000 renovation, and more emotional labor than the spreadsheet showed.
Tom shares how house hacking and buying a fixer-upper can help first-time buyers get creative, lower their costs, and finally get a foot in the door.
Quoted in TIME
TIME’s NextAdvisor included Tom in its explanation of Barista FIRE: leaving the conventional full-time track while keeping flexible income and building life around what matters.
The archive
TIME / NextAdvisor
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Listen or read ↗Queer Money — Episode 303
Listen or read ↗Real Estate Podcast Show
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