I Replaced My $80K Salary with 2 Real Estate Deals Per Year

BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast · Apr 6, 2026 · 30m

Five years ago, Martin Castro-Silva was working at a bank, earning $80,000 per year. Not a bad gig, but one thing was eating at him—he was missing the moments with his two kids, three and one years old at the time.

It wasn’t until Martin picked up a pattern that everything changed—all his wealthy clients at the bank were in real estate, and one was willing to show him the ropes. So, using the limited savings he (and his mom!) had, he took a chance with zero investing experience. He knocked his first deal out of the park and replaced HALF of his salary while working on the side. This had to be…