The Ship Has Sailed!

And NP to Real Estate Investor Part 2

We just wrapped up our inaugural CE at Sea voyage! I am battling Mal de Debarquement Syndrome but that is not new anytime I cruise. This time the long car ride to Tampa and back did me in. It should resolve in just a few more days but in the meantime I feel like I’m still on the boat while in my office chair. It’s like a free buzz I did NOT sign up for.

I am grateful for having the opportunity to coach NPs and share concepts “outside of the box.” This week on the cruise there were a lot of “a-ha!” moments and that keeps me doing what I do. So with that said, we will be hosting another CE at Sea October 2026 but this time on the beautiful Independence of the Seas from Royal Caribbean. We will sail from New Jersey, overnight in Bermuda, and come back on this five night cruise. The best part is I keep my groups small-no more than ten people! I will be booking a max of ten attendees for this trip, so far. The first three to sign up receive their CE FREE.

Join us for Part 2 of “Sailing with Nurse Stacey.”

Meanwhile, let me tell you more about my real estate investing journey and why it may be something you want to consider. In February 2024, I contacted my favorite realtor while I was staying warm in Mexico. I let her know I was ready to buy a house in the states for a “soft landing space” when the kids and I are in the country. She and my mother went to look at a few homes and on Day 1 we found one that was perfect. Now I realize this was a big risk but please note that real estate investors buy, without seeing first, all the time and often from out of the state. It is important to have people in your corner that you can trust. My original thought was to buy a piece of real estate to offset taxes because I was nervous about the tax implications of the business I had just sold. So as you can see, this purchase was dual purpose. It then crossed my mind to try to list it on Airbnb when I am not around or even just rent a room to nurses. I closed on the first of the month and had it all furnished and ready to go within a couple weeks. I left for a 5 month trip to Asia and hoped for the best.

Well, it worked. In fact, the house has been full most of the time since I listed it. I genuinely did not expect that.

Pictured: an image from my second rental home.

A few months later I saw a house in the same neighborhood for sale.

Something told me “this one!” and I was the first to put an offer on it.

I had it on AirBnB within a couple weeks and also had it mostly full in no time. This seems completely unrealistic but -just like in private practice- if you know who you are truly marketing to, it works. I serve specific demographics and have an edge on competitors.

The downside? Working in hospitality is stressful. This can be passive if you let it but we currently manage our own homes except outsourcing most of the housekeeping. In September of this year I closed on the lake house that I am currently living in. I have wanted one for years and this was a deal I could not pass up. We will be traveling in 2026 so hope to rent it out at some point but likely as a midterm rental and not AirBnB. Now my newest venture will hopefully close this week-but this time the house will be a long term rental. That’s four houses in 20 months!

I am wrapping up real estate agent training and will be using this in my future ventures. It is a stark contrast from my 20+ years in nursing but so far I find it interesting and helpful.

What I am getting at with all of this is that the importance income diversification cannot be overstated. It is really important to not put all of your financial eggs in one basket. You may remember that I also use other tactics to live affordably and engage in “mini retirements” often and live life now at age 40 instead of age 60+. Real estate provides excellent leverage, long term investment, and tax savings. Given the tax burden on private practice providers and contractors, it is wise to know how to reduce that burden legally. Why not with something that also pays you back over time?

I do not recommend that people accidentally start investing in real estate like I did. I encourage you to be intentional in what you do, have a great real estate agent, and understand real estate investing basics. Coach Carson and Bigger Pockets have excellent podcasts and books to get you started. I encourage you to check these and others and then get started. Remember “one more year” syndrome (one more year generally never comes) will get you in trouble and there’s never a perfect time to try something new whether it be private practice, real estate, or trying something that interests but scares you. Stay tuned as we will be starting a podcast soon.