ARTICLES on SIDE HUSTLES
A side hustle as a low-risk, fast-start way to test a business idea while still keeping your main job. It’s not about overthinking, building a perfect website, or waiting until “someday.”
It’s about validating your idea with real customers and real dollars, fast.
You don’t need funding. You don’t need perfection. You just need to start.
Why Side Hustles Are Important ?
Validation: Don’t quit your job until your side hustle makes money. You need proof, proof that people are willing to pay for what you’re offering. A side hustle lets you test that without risking your livelihood.
Learn Fast: A side hustle is a safe space to experiment. You can tweak your offer, message, or pricing based on real feedback.
Meet People, Build Skills: You’ll connect with customers, collaborators, and potential cofounders. And you’ll gain critical entrepreneurial skills: selling, pitching, building fast, and adapting, all without needing to be perfect.
Extra Income: Even a few hundred dollars a month can change your life. It creates breathing room, boosts savings, or funds your next big thing.
Momentum Creates Opportunity: Momentum beats perfection. A side hustle builds that momentum. One customer leads to two, two leads to ten. Action drives results.
Should You Keep It or Go Full-Time?
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Stay part-time until you’ve made real money (ideally several times) and have paying customers who want more.
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Only go full-time when your side hustle income consistently replaces or exceeds your job income or if you’ve proven the demand and are ready to scale.
Tactics to Create Your Own Side Hustle
Side hustles framework:
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Ask yourself: What have people asked me to help with?
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Start with: What’s one problem I can solve this week?
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Use cold emails, texts, or DMs to offer your help or product.
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Get your first paying customer fast, even if it’s messy.
ARTICLES on REAL ESTATE
Real Estate Market Is Slowing Down Due to Rising Inflation: Learn To Find Opportunities
by Bridge Hennessey
May 01, 2025
No one in real estate thinks inflation will subside and that there will be much happening sales wise.
Here's why and what you can do about it. Time is definitely on your side.
1️⃣ Higher Inflation = Buying Power Crunch
When inflation rises, everything costs more, from groceries to building materials. This erodes buyer purchasing power, especially for first-time home buyers and fixed-income retirees. Developers may also pause projects if material/labor costs spike, tightening supply.
Buyers feel squeezed, and entry-level housing becomes even more competitive.
2️⃣ Slower Economic Growth = Buyer Hesitation + Job Concerns
A cooling economy often brings employment worries and reduced consumer confidence. People become hesitant to commit to big purchases like homes. However, slower growth can ease housing price increases because demand cools.
Demand may stabilize, helping prevent runaway price spikes.
3️⃣ Mortgage Rate Drop = Renewed Buyer Activity
Rates could fall to 6.2% by year’s end and 6% in 2026. Lower rates improve affordability, bringing sidelined buyers back into the market and making refinancing attractive again.
Expect a wave of pent-up demand if rates drop as forecasted—especially among first-time buyers and boomers planning relocations.
Investor Angle:
Volatility = Opportunity. Investors should watch for distressed sellers during slow growth and be ready to pounce when rates drop and activity surges. Multi-family & rentals remain smart plays amid inflation. Speak to everyone you know about looking to buy real estate, they can be your eyes and ears.
As of May 1, 2025, here's an overview of current mortgage rates:
United States
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30-Year Fixed Mortgage: 6.79%
This rate has decreased by 11 basis points over the past week. -
15-Year Fixed Mortgage: 6.13%
Also showing a decline, down 13 basis points from the previous week. -
5/1 Adjustable-Rate Mortgage (ARM): 6.11%
Reflecting a stable trend in adjustable rates.
Canada
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5-Year Fixed Mortgage: 3.79%
This rate remains steady, offering competitive terms for borrowers. -
5-Year Variable Mortgage: 3.94%
Slightly higher than fixed rates, reflecting market variability. -
Bank of Canada (BoC) Policy Rate
In a market marked by high inflation, slower growth, and fluctuating mortgage rates, opportunity is absolutely still there, it just requires sharper strategy. Here’s how buyers, boomers, and especially investors can find and seize opportunities right now:
1. Watch for Motivated Sellers
Economic anxiety leads some owners to sell quickly, especially those who:
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Overleveraged and borrowed heavily during the boom.
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Need to relocate for work or personal reasons i.e. divorce.
Are investors exiting underperforming rentals: Investors often buy properties expecting to earn: Consistent rental income (cash flow), Property appreciation (value growth over time)
But sometimes a rental underperforms, meaning:
High vacancies: The property sits empty too often, so no income is coming in, Low rental yields: The rent collected isn’t enough to cover the mortgage, taxes, insurance, and upkeep, Expensive maintenance: The building is older or problematic, eating up profit in repairs, Market shift: The neighborhood may have declined, or new developments create too much competition, pushing rents down.
Tip: Focus on listings that have lingered 30+ days or have seen price cuts. That’s your cue to negotiate!
2. Target New Construction Deals
Builders holding unsold inventory often offer:
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Cash incentives.
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Free upgrades.
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Interest rate buydowns.
Tip: First-time buyers and downsizers can often get better terms on new builds than existing homes right now.
3. Look Beyond Single-Family Homes
Multi-family, duplexes, and townhouses are more resilient in shaky markets because:
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They provide rental income that offsets rising costs.
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Demand for affordable rentals stays strong as homeownership becomes harder.
Tip: Investors should watch for small multi-family deals, they're often overlooked by big institutional buyers but can be goldmines.
4. Shift to Emerging Markets
Big cities may still be overpriced, but secondary markets (smaller cities/suburbs with growing job bases) are where value lies. Think: good infrastructure, reasonable taxes, and quality of life.
Tip: Research cities benefiting from remote work trends or new industrial growth.
5. Keep Capital Liquid & Stay Ready
If rates do fall to 6% as forecasted, pent-up demand will flood back. Those with cash (or pre-approvals) will act fast, being prepared now = winning later.
Tip: Keep your financing lined up and monitor the market weekly.
Uncertain markets reward buyers and investors who are prepared, patient, and proactive. As I often say, real estate is a long game, and volatility = opportunity for the strategic.