Winning the Rat Race

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  • The Beginning (Kind of)

    Hello, my name is Brian and I have started this blog to chronicle my journey to winning the rat race. I’ve decided that I would like to make a concerted effort to amass income-producing assets to provide security and freedom for my family. This blog is one of the ways I will use to hold…

    Brian Asaro

    July 30, 2022
    Uncategorized
  • Back From The Dead

    I’m back from the dead. Construction on the ADU project completed in July. Two and a half years from beginning to “end”. We learned a lot. We learned that contractors have to be babysat. At least the one we had did. He never wrote anything down, or checked on the work of his employees, or…

    Brian Asaro

    October 29, 2025
    investing, real estate, Uncategorized, wealth building
    bigger pockets, BPCON, construction, diy, financial freedom, home, home-improvement, investor, life, mistakes, multifamily, rat race, real estate, rentals, retired
  • Still Going

    I am over this construction project. An honest, hard-working, high-quality general contractor must be worth his or her weight in gold. Ours is an idiot. Quality assurance is non-existent. He doesn’t check the quality of the work his sub-contractors complete. The dummy took a plug out of a cleanout in order to plug another for…

    Brian Asaro

    May 14, 2025
    investing, real estate, wealth building
    bigger pockets, financial freedom, HELOC, idiot, investor, mistakes, multifamily, rat race, real estate, rentals, retired
  • The Waiting Game

    The garage conversion is still sitting with no work done. We think the contractor is stalling because he doesn’t get his last payment until the final inspection. In order to get a final inspection, the upgrading of the water meter needs to be finished and signed-off. He could be working in the meantime, but I…

    Brian Asaro

    February 19, 2025
    investing, real estate, Uncategorized, wealth building
    bigger pockets, contractor, financial freedom, HELOC, investor, mistakes, multifamily, rat race, real estate, rentals, retired, stalling
  • Construction Projects Are Not Fun

    We have been delayed for a few months now. There was a construction change for the roof on the garage conversion. The architect had drawn up a “California Roof” for the second room which used to be a laundry room with a flat roof. When I looked at the plans, I didn’t realize that the…

    Brian Asaro

    February 12, 2025
    Uncategorized
    architecture, home-improvement, news, roofing, sustainability
  • It’s Been A Minute

    I have been seriously slacking in keeping this blog updated with the construction progress. It has been slow-going so I guess I haven’t felt motivated to write anything. Terrible excuse. There is a discrepancy with the permit for the garage conversion. It was originally flagged as “commercial” because of the laundry room. Work cannot continue…

    Brian Asaro

    August 7, 2024
    investing, real estate, Uncategorized, wealth building
    ADU, bigger pockets, financial freedom, HELOC, investor, mistakes, multifamily, new constructino, rat race, real estate, rentals, retired
  • Framing Continued…

    The trusses have been constructed. The GC walked the job and informed me the attic would not be tall enough to accommodate the central HVAC systems. Mini-splits it is. The plans show minis, anyway. I’m OK with it. I am going over there today to show the empty unit. I will take some pics for…

    Brian Asaro

    May 15, 2024
    investing, real estate, Uncategorized, wealth building
    ADU, bigger pockets, construction, developer, financial freedom, HELOC, investor, mistakes, multifamily, networking, rat race, real estate, REIA, rentals, retired, wealth, wealth building, women in real estate
  • Framing

    Framing has begun and it goes quickly! There’s an actual building in the backyard which is exciting. A tenant has not been found for the empty unit, yet. That is a causing a bit of stress but, at the moment, there is no gas or water service to the unit because we have to wait…

    Brian Asaro

    May 8, 2024
    investing, real estate, Uncategorized, wealth building
    ADU, bigger pockets, construction loan, financial freedom, garage conversion, HELOC, investor, landlord, mistakes, multifamily, rat race, real estate, rentals, retired, value add
  • Concrete Poured

    The concrete has been poured! I did not get a chance to visit the site to get pictures of the rebar job. It is fun and educational to watch something being built from the ground up. I used to work for my Dad around twenty-four years ago. I did not have the interest in the…

    Brian Asaro

    April 30, 2024
    investing, real estate, Uncategorized, wealth building
    ADU, apartments, bigger pockets, blog, bonus depreciation, BRRRR, buidling plans, build wealth, business, cashflow, construction, financial freedom, garage conversion, home-improvement, increase wealth, inspector, invest, landlord, mistakes, multifamily, new construction, pass inspection, plumbing, property management, rat race, real estate, retired, underground
  • Time For Rebar

    It sure is going to be tight back there. The additional room for the garage conversion is pretty tiny but it will work, nonetheless. I don’t know what the task is called to bury all of the plumbing, but that has been finished. It looks really nice. The next step is to construct the rebar…

    Brian Asaro

    April 22, 2024
    investing, real estate, Uncategorized, wealth building
    ADU, bigger pockets, build wealth, construction, discretionary, financial freedom, garage conversion, invest, investor, mistakes, multifamily, property management, rat race, real estate, refinance, rentals, retired, wealth
  • Underground Complete

    My Dad finished plumbing the underground and it passed inspection. It looks great! I think he’s enjoying himself. He’s very proud of how he can cleverly plumb. I just got the invoice from the MEP engineer for the change to the laundry room. Because it’s now going to be a rentable room, the engineering had…

    Brian Asaro

    April 16, 2024
    investing, real estate, Uncategorized, wealth building
    ADU, bigger pockets, cashflow, financial freedom, garage conversion, inspector, investor, mistakes, multifamily, pass inspection, plumbing, rat race, real estate, rentals, retired, underground
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