I bought 2 Airbnb tiny houses and put them in my yard. It started as an easy way to make extra cash — now it’s my primary source of income.

• Ansel Troy is an Airbnb host and the owner of two tiny homes in Oakland, California.
• Troy bought the homes for about $35,000 each, and Airbnb is now Troy’s primary source of income.
• “I’m what you call a house hacker,” Troy said. “I’m always thinking of ways to utilize my property.”

I became an Airbnb host after I bought a tiny house and parked it on the side of my home in Oakland, California. Before the tiny house, I had converted my garage into a studio. I had a long-term tenant there already, and getting the tiny house was my attempt to make a little extra income on Airbnb.

Courtesy of Ansel Troy© Courtesy of Ansel Troy

I’m what you would call a house hacker. I’m always thinking about creative ways to utilize my property.

 have a small house, but the layout gives me options

I chose to do short-term rentals because I could make more money using Airbnb than I could by renting to another long-term tenant, and I didn’t know if people would be interested in staying in a tiny house for longer periods of time.

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