Blending her educator’s heart with an investor’s mindset, Erica Billé—a former high school math teacher and volleyball coach at Hays High School—is enthusiastically working to instill in clients the notion that real estate isn’t just about buying a home: it’s a path to financial independence.
Erica loved teaching, but she began to wonder how she could accrue wealth beyond her paycheck…and ultimately set herself up for early retirement. After attending a real estate conference, she funded her first investment property via a cash-out refinance on her house. Over time, she repeated the strategy and decided to pursue this new passion full-time. She carried her love of math and education into her role as a mortgage broker so she could empower others to find success and security in the world of real estate. She founded Nest Mortgaging in 2022.
According to Erica, one of the most powerful reasons to consider real estate investing is that you don’t just make money in one way—you can make it in five:
- Cash Flow – Monthly income. Unlike a retirement account, cash flow pays you now.
- Mortgage Pay-down – Your renters are paying down your loan balance over time.
- Appreciation – Property values tend to increase long term.
- Equity Capture – Buying below market value or adding improvements builds instant equity.
- Tax Advantages – Investment properties offer significant tax benefits in the form of write-offs (always consult a CPA).
“When you invest in real estate, you make money in up markets and down markets,” Erica explains. “People always need a place to live.”
For those of us who may be intrigued by the possibilities but too daunted to dive in, she emphasizes that you don’t have to go it alone—or be a financial genius—to get started. There are all sorts of groups (with memberships) and potential mentors out there, including people like Erica. “Educate yourself but don’t over-analyze,” she says. And when it comes to being a landlord, her best advice is to screen your tenants carefully to prevent any disasters.
As a mortgage broker, she runs detailed cash-flow analyses for clients, helping them to understand the mortgage, projected rent, taxes, insurance, vacancy risks, and repair costs before moving forward on any given deal. “If it makes sense, we do it. If it doesn’t, we don’t.”
In addition to the recent trend (given the market) of home buyers keeping their current home as a rental/investment, Erica encourages families to think creatively about real estate. For example: college housing. Instead of paying rent for four years, some parents cosign with their college student to purchase a home near campus. With roommates covering much of the mortgage, the property can become a long-term rental or be sold later. “That’s how you start investing early,” she says. “You’re not throwing rent money away—you’re building equity.”
Erica believes nearly everyone should aspire to homeownership at some point—once fully informed about the process. Many buyers assume 20% down is a must and that mortgage insurance is a deal-breaker, but Erica encourages clients to actually run the numbers before ruling it out. “People get caught up in the interest rate or mortgage insurance,” she says. “What’s the interest rate on rent? One hundred percent. What really matters is: What monthly payment are you comfortable with? And does the investment make sense?”
At the core of Erica’s work is her passion for financial literacy—something she wishes were taught in schools. She’s doing her best to teach it, both to her own children, and interested Hays County residents. “The beauty of real estate investing is that you can do it as a full-time thing or on the side to get extra income, save on taxes, and grow your net worth,” says Erica. It’s about building your nest—one smart move at a time.
“You’re not throwing rent money away—you’re building equity.”