#98. Andy Bui—The Engineer Who Went All-In on Co-Living When Rates Hit 2%
In this episode Rob Chevez sits down with Andy Bui, an engineer turned real estate investor who built a successful co-living portfolio in Northern Virginia. Andy shares how a desire to create passive income for his family led him to discover an overlooked housing niche, validate demand through years of research, and scale a room-by-room rental business in one of the country's most expensive markets. The conversation covers risk management, market research, co-living investing, and the mindset shifts that helped Andy go from employee to entrepreneur.
Andy Bui is a real estate investor and co-living operator who has built a portfolio around solving a specific housing need in the Washington, D.C. metro market. After growing up around real estate through his father’s mortgage career, Andy’s investing journey began when he realized that his family’s lifestyle depended entirely on his 9-to-5 income — sparking his pursuit of passive income and long-term financial security.
Andy specializes in the room-by-room rental and co-living model, serving working professionals who need flexible, furnished housing for a few months at a time without the cost of hotels or short-term rentals. After years of studying local demand, testing the model, and scaling intentionally, Andy and his team now manage approximately 150 residents across their platform.
Through his investing and property management work, Andy helps show that there is a way to make money in every market when you understand the local demand, the numbers, and the people you serve. His approach blends data, operations, and relationship-building to create housing that works for both residents and investors.
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