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Podcast recaps2 min read

House Hacking in Cincinnati: Lessons From a Four-Time House Hacker

Episode 21 of the Cincy REI Show features Chris Morgan, a four-time house hacker, agent, and residential lender who built his portfolio while holding a W-2 job and starting a family.

Cincy REI Show Episode 21 card with hosts Slocomb Reed and Ian Cruz and guest Chris Morgan.

Chris walks through the decade at Menards that became his investor network, what the east side of Hamilton costs in turnover, and how Butler Metro Housing Authority compares to CMHA in 2026.

What the episode covers

  • Hours and results: 250 to 300 hours spent on real estate last year that produced $70,000, after years of groundwork building the team that made those hours possible.
  • A Northside duplex: listed 200-plus days because of the bar behind it, bought in 2019, with the bar shutting down a week after closing.
  • Adding a bedroom: a 900 square foot one-bedroom on Pleasant Avenue framed out into a second bedroom, taking rent from $900 to $1,300.
  • East side Hamilton: one-year leases turning over every three to six months no matter how tight the screening.
  • Butler Metro in practice: the same inspector on repeat visits, a point system that raises allowable rent for amenities, and $2,200 on a three-bedroom that was going to list at $1,700.
  • CMHA in 2026: a different inspector every visit, four and five inspections on one property, and an affordability calculation that can cap a $1,600 zip code standard at $900.
  • What 100-year-old buildings cost: a cast iron stack replaced twice in one year at $3,000 each, plaster that spiderwebbed after roof work, and knob and tube wiring your insurer may flag.
  • House hack advice for first-timers: pick the slightly uncomfortable situation so you move after year one, and hold reserves, since a $2,000 water heater is the number one reason his clients fail.

Terms used in the episode

  • House hack: living in one unit of a small multifamily property, or in one room of a house, while renting out the rest.
  • Butler Metro and CMHA: Butler Metro Housing Authority and the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority, the public housing authorities whose inspectors visit voucher-supported rentals.

Listen

Stream Episode 21 on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. For another route to building a portfolio in Cincinnati, read Bret Halsey's four-family playbook.

Originally published in the Cincy Cash Flow Report on September 10, 2026.

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