Real Estate Rookie She Bought 3 Properties in 3 Years: Now She’s Refinancing (Here’s Why)
Apr 1, 2026
Danielle Daly, a real estate investor and BiggerPockets advertising sales team member, rapidly grew to three rentals using house-hacking and co-living. She explains why she refinanced now, breaks down costs and timing, and outlines her step-by-step refinance process. Danielle also shares why she’s pivoting away from co-living, how she self-manages with specific tools, and lessons on cash reserves and strategy shifts.
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Bought Three Properties In Three Years
- Danielle bought three properties in three years and converted her first two from house-hacks into full rentals.
- She currently lives in the third property and is renting it to her brother as the easiest house hack example she mentions.
Maintain Per Property Reserves
- Keep meaningful cash reserves for each property to cover surprises like HVAC or flooding.
- Danielle recommends about $10,000 per property and $15,000 if you want more safety, totaling ~ $30K for her three properties.
Reserves Vary By Strategy And Structure
- Reserve targets depend on portfolio size and property type; Ashley keeps a baseline $30K to $50K overall and uses a large line of credit as backup.
- Tony separates reserves by property and targets 3–6 months depending on size and partnership structure.