A self-paced video course
Buy your first rental property, one room at a time.
Rent by the Room is the method we use on our own properties: buy a house with more bedrooms than you need, rent the rooms individually, and let that income do the heavy lifting on the mortgage. This course walks you from the first search to the first tenants.
- Self-paced video modules you can finish in a weekend or a month
- The templates and calculators we actually use
- Two phone calls with Shannon: a 30-minute 1:1 and a 15-minute follow-up
$297 one-time. Lifetime access. No subscription.
By purchasing, you agree to the Terms of Use. See also our Privacy Policy.
Course preview video
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The problem
Why a first investment property feels out of reach
Most people who want to invest in real estate never buy anything. Not because they aren't smart or disciplined — because the standard path has three walls built into it.
The math on a normal rental often doesn't work
In an expensive market like Seattle, renting a whole house to one household frequently brings in less than the mortgage, taxes, and insurance cost. So you run the numbers, they come out negative, and you stop.
Nobody shows you the whole process
Financing, searching, offering, inspecting, closing, finding tenants, writing agreements — each piece has a thousand forum threads and no one puts them in order. It's easy to spend two years reading and zero years owning.
The down payment feels impossible
When you picture an investment property you picture a 20–25% down payment. For a lot of first-timers that's a number they'll never save to — and it's often not the number they actually need.
The method
Rent by the Room, in plain language
You buy a house with more bedrooms than a typical family wants — four, five, six. You live in one of them (or not), and you rent the others to individual tenants, each on their own agreement.
Because you're collecting several room rents instead of one whole-house rent, the total income is usually higher than a single lease on the same house. That difference is what can make a first property pencil in a market where ordinary rentals don't.
And if you live there, you're buying a primary residence, which means you may qualify for owner-occupied financing with a far lower down payment than an investor loan requires.
That's the whole idea. The course is about doing it carefully: the right house, the right numbers, a fair and consistent tenant process, and a setup that keeps the home peaceful for everyone living in it.
Results vary. Every property, lender, and market is different, and nothing here is a promise of income or appreciation.
What you’ll learn
Eight modules, first search to first tenants
Watch in order or jump to the step you’re on. Each module is a handful of short lessons.
Module 1: The Rent by the Room model
How it works, who it works for, and running your first numbers.
- Why room-by-room income changes the math on a first property
- Owner-occupied vs. fully rented: picking your version
- Your first pass with the deal calculator
Module 2: Getting financed
What lenders look for and how to prepare before you shop.
- Owner-occupied loans vs. investor loans, in plain terms
- Down payment options and what they mean for your monthly number
- Questions to ask a lender (and what their answers tell you)
Module 3: Finding the right house
What to look for, what to walk away from, and how to search efficiently.
- Bedroom count, bathrooms, layout, and parking: the features that matter
- Location: jobs, transit, and who actually rents rooms
- Red flags that look fine in photos
- Running the calculator on real listings
Module 4: Making the offer and closing
From offer strategy to keys in hand.
- Structuring a competitive offer without overpaying
- The inspection: what matters for a rent-by-the-room house
- What happens between mutual acceptance and closing day
Module 5: Setting up the property
Turning a house into a home that works for several people.
- Room-ready prep and the shared spaces
- Furnished or unfurnished: deciding what you provide
- House rules, safety basics, and keys
Module 6: Finding and screening tenants
Listing the rooms and running a fair, consistent process.
- Writing a room listing that attracts the right inquiries
- Showings and a screening process you apply the same way every time
- Room rental agreements: what to include and why
Module 7: Running it month to month
The routine that keeps the house calm and the books clean.
- Rent collection, deposits, and record-keeping
- Turnover: when a tenant leaves and the next one arrives
- Maintenance, communication, and keeping the peace
Module 8: What's next
Moving out, repeating the process, and growing from here.
- When (and whether) to move out and keep the whole house rented
- Doing it again: what changes the second time
- When it's time to bring in help
What’s included
Everything you need to go from reading to owning
Self-paced video modules
Eight modules, broken into short lessons you can watch in any order and come back to as you go. Lifetime access, including updates.
Templates and calculators
The working documents behind each step — so you're filling in numbers, not building spreadsheets from scratch.
- Deal analysis calculator
- Room rental agreement template
- Tenant screening checklist
- House rules template
- Move-in / move-out checklist
- Monthly operating tracker
Two phone calls with Shannon
An initial 1:1 call of 30 minutes to walk through your situation — your budget, your market, the house you're looking at — and a 15-minute follow-up you can schedule any time after, within 12 months of your purchase. The calls are educational and general guidance only.
Everything above for $297, one time.
Videos, templates, calculators, and both phone calls.
By purchasing, you agree to the Terms of Use. See also our Privacy Policy.
Instructor photo
Meet your instructor
Shannon Nossum
Shannon Nossum created and teaches this course. Shannon and her husband Christian own and operate rent-by-the-room properties in the Seattle area, and everything in the course comes from running them — the house hunting, the financing, the screening, the 2 a.m. plumbing texts, all of it.
The first property is the hardest one. This course is the step-by-step version of what Shannon would hand to a friend who wanted to start.
Featured in
- BiggerPockets Real Estate Rookie
Christian and Shannon Nossum joined hosts Ashley Kehr and Tony J Robinson on BiggerPockets Real Estate Rookie.
- The Awesome In Seattle Podcast
We host a podcast together about Seattle — real estate, neighborhoods, and conversations with people we find interesting.
Appearances are listed for context. No show or outlet is affiliated with this course or endorses it.
From students
What people who’ve done it say
This course is for you if…
- You want to buy your first investment property and you'd rather do it carefully than quickly.
- You've looked at ordinary rentals and the numbers didn't work.
- You're open to living in the property for a while, or to managing a few tenants yourself.
- You want a process you can follow, not a motivational speech.
It's probably not for you if…
- You're looking for passive income with no involvement. A rent-by-the-room house is a small, real business.
- You already own several rentals and want advanced tax or syndication strategy.
- You need a guarantee. Real estate doesn't come with one, and neither does this course.
Questions
Common questions
How does access work?
After you check out, you'll get a welcome email with the links to your course videos and materials, plus instructions for booking your calls. The videos are unlisted YouTube videos, available through the links we send you and on the course access page. The course is self-paced with lifetime access, so you can start today or next month and revisit any lesson whenever you want.
What's the refund policy?
Our refund policy is: a full refund within 14 days of purchase, on request by email. Refunds aren't available after the initial 30-minute 1:1 call has taken place. To request a refund, email Shannon@AwesomeNossum.com from the address you used at checkout.
How do the phone calls work?
The course includes two phone calls with Shannon: 30-minute initial 1:1 call, and a 15-minute follow-up call you can schedule any time after the initial call, within 12 months of your purchase date. You schedule both through the booking link in your welcome email. Most people get the most out of the first call after finishing the modules and running the calculator on a real listing or two. The calls are educational and general guidance only, not advice on a specific transaction.
Can I book more calls?
Additional phone consultations may be offered separately for a fee. They aren't included in the course price; if offered, they'll be priced and described at the time of purchase.
Is this financial, legal, or tax advice?
No. This is educational content based on our own experience. It isn't legal, tax, financial, or real estate advice, and landlord-tenant laws vary by city and state — check your local rules and talk to a qualified professional before you act on anything.
I'm not in Seattle. Does this still apply?
The method applies anywhere people rent rooms, and the calculators work with your local numbers. Examples use Seattle-area figures because that's where our properties are. Local laws differ, so the agreements and screening lessons stress adapting to your jurisdiction.
Do I need to be pre-approved or have a down payment saved first?
No. The financing module is designed to be watched before you talk to a lender, so you know what to ask and what the options are. Plenty of people start the course well before they're ready to buy.
What exactly do I get for $297?
The full set of video modules, every template and calculator, and two phone calls with Shannon (a 30-minute initial call and a 15-minute follow-up). It's a single payment with no subscription or upsell.
I have a question before buying.
Email Shannon@AwesomeNossum.com and you'll get a real answer, not an autoresponder.
Buy your first rental, one room at a time.
Rent by the Room: Buy Your First House Hack: self-paced video modules, every template and calculator, and two phone calls with Shannon — $297, one time.
By purchasing, you agree to the Terms of Use. See also our Privacy Policy.
This course is educational content only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice. Landlord-tenant, fair housing, zoning, and occupancy laws vary by city and state — consult a qualified professional and your local rules before acting on anything you learn. Results vary; nothing on this page is a guarantee of income, appreciation, or any specific outcome.
$297 one-timeIncludes two calls