Episode #14 – Renée Huse – A Life of Intention, focus, and fire

“The cash flow from our real estate pays for that cabin. When we made that decision, we know we love our life out there, so when a hot water tank goes, or a tenant moves out that we didn’t want to move out…it’s fine. Because I know my hard work around real estate is paying for those 75 days a year I get be at the cabin, with my kids, breathing mountain air. And there’s nothing that makes us happier.” – Renée Huse

After moving to Calgary in the late 90’s to play basketball for the University of Calgary, Renée Huse spent ten years trading commodities through one of the wildest oil and gas runs that Alberta has seen. Through that experience Renée landed in the real estate world, got super clear on her strategy, became a Member of the Real Estate Investment Network and hasn’t looked back. Her real estate portfolio consists of single family homes in Calgary and suited properties in Edmonton. She’s a big voice for positive tenant/landlord relationships and manages her own properties impeccably.

Renée is an avid skier, happier biking than walking, a bookworm, an international travel junkie, a landlord to 26 dynamic families, the wife of the most amazing man she knows, supermom to 3 fantastic kids and most recently a mentor and mortgage advisor to new home purchasers.

In Renée’s words: “My real estate portfolio funds my life. To me, financial freedom means choice. Choices about where I live, what I do, what I eat, what I learn, who I spend time with and most importantly, who I AM. Really, it allows me to do the things that set me on fire, with the people I love. I am passionate about helping others manage their financial futures, so that they can make choices from abundance, and do more of what sets them on fire, with the people they love.”

Selected Links and People Mentioned from this episode:

Show Notes

  • [03:15] Background and bio for today’s REIN Member Series Guest: Renée Huse from Calgary, Alberta
  • [05:25] Hey Renée, what’s your elevator pitch?
  • [06:10] Patrick and Renée get rolling on her University of Calgary and basketball years.
  • [08:15] Post-university, Renée finds exceptional career opportunities in a booming city and a booming industry. Having killer spreadsheet skills did not hurt!
  • [09:40] Two traders in oil and gas, Renée meets her husband and together they create a healthy mattress fund.
  • [10:30] What was the philosophy and mindset Renée learned around money growing up?
  • [11:30] Renée explains the strategy she was using as a trader and the shift when she realized she could do the same thing in real estate investing.
  • [13:20] Dissatisfied with her current reality, Renée takes flight. Literally.
  • [15:50] The complementary relationship between Renée and her husband Mike that makes their real estate investing business work. One steady player, one crazy player!
  • [16:45] The where and how of Renée’s real estate investing business strategy.
  • [18:00] The dynamics and alignment that make for a successful connection between Renée and Mike and getting really clear on their “why”.
  • [19:50] In the context of her experience as a Real Estate Investment Advisor (REIA) Renée talks about the misalignment that can keep some couples stuck in non-action.
  • [21:45] Conscious conversations: Renée and her family make clear decisions around using their real estate business to feed the lifestyle that completely lights them up.
  • [23:35] Why personal and professional development has been so important for Renée as a real estate investor. Getting curious about behaviour and laser focused on goals.
  • [25:15] Insights from a trader’s world: how those experiences have influenced the way Renée operates in her investing world.
  • [26:40] How does focusing on the what’s occurring in the present and staying with “what is” keep things grounded for Renée?
  • [28:10] Renée highlights some of her observations from her time as a Real Estate Investment Advisor.
  • [30:35] Seeing her clients, the REIN community and tenants get lit up by what they’re passionate about also feeds Renée’s passion for coaching and being in contribution.
  • [33:05] Weaving the Golden Rule through all aspects of her property management philosophy and tenant interactions.
  • [35:40] Renée shares how she is attracting quality tenants and the simplicity of building a great reputation as a landlord.
  • [38:45] Renée’s crystal clear purchase strategy.
  • [40:00] Renée offers her experience and advice around managing your own properties, how essential systems and support are to your success and leveraging the vast knowledge in the REIN community.
  • [43:00] Renée’s Top 3!
  • 1) Ask questions – use all of the resources in a REIN room and listen to the stories.
  • 2) Avoid “shiny object syndrome”. Specialize in one strategy instead of attempting ten half-way.
  • 3) Be as coachable as you can, bring an open mind and an open heart.
  • [44:25] More on the self-development and training Renée and her family are doing on core values, life purpose and how she sees it as equally important to her actual buying of real estate.
  • [46:25] Renée shares her experience of doing this type of work and where the real work and curiosity lives within it.
  • [48:25] What views are Renée and her husband sharing with their kids around money in real estate? The gift of intentional involvement.
  • [50:20] Rapid fire! Skiing, Garth, Farley, pearly gates, administrative pitfalls and swear words!
  • [52:10] Gratitude.

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