Episode #1282 Baselane: Automate your real estate finances with banking and AI-powered bookkeeping. Claim your $100 bonus! https://www.baselane.com/lp/bigger-pockets/?utm_source=bigger_pockets&utm_campaign=bigger_pockets&utm_medium=YT-M Want to *retire with rentals* so you can *buy back your time and travel the world?* Despite a successful 35-year engineering career, today’s guest was still financially dependent on her nine-to-five—until *she pivoted to real estate investing.* In just four years, she has *bought four rental properties and left her W-2 job* for good. When Sandy Lee’s 50th birthday arrived, she realized *she wasn’t quite where she wanted to be in life.* At a crossroads in her career and still needing at least another five years at her current job before retirement, *Sandy was ready for a drastic change (and a new challenge!).* Now, with four short-term rentals and a highly profitable real estate business, *Sandy has officially retired and designed her dream lifestyle,* where she gets to travel throughout the year while spending only a few hours per week on her real estate portfolio. Whether you’re *starting in your 20s or 50s,* it’s never too early or too late to invest in real estate, and Sandy is living proof! Episode Show Notes: https://lnk.to/biggerpocketsYT Join BiggerPockets for FREE 👇 https://www.biggerpockets.com/signup?utm_source=owned_media 🎉Join us at the BiggerPockets Conference October 2-4 in Orlando. Buy tickets: https://biggerpockets.com/bpcon2026 Buy the Book, _Smarter Short-Term Rentals_ : https://store.biggerpockets.com/products/smarter-short-term-rentals?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Sign Up for the BiggerPockets Real Estate Newsletter: https://www.biggerpockets.com/email-subscribe?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area: http://biggerpockets.com/agentmatch Investing in Short-Term Rentals: A Beginner’s Guide & How to Get Started: https://www.biggerpockets.com/guides/the-ultimate-guide-to-short-term-rental-properties?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Connect with Sandy: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/sandral102?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Connect with Ashley and Tony: Ashley: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/ashkehr?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Tony: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/tonyr75?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none 00:00 Intro 01:41 Trading Her W2 for Rentals! 07:46 Sponsor: Baselane! 08:41 Buying the Ski Condo 13:59 "$5,000/Month Cash Flow! " 18:55 Scaling & Building Her Brand 28:24 Improving Occupancy & Revenue 32:54 Crucial Skills & Systems 39:51 What I’d Do Differently Today! 43:41 Connect with Sandy!