A
ndre Nader sold his Austin rental property due to the stress outweighing its financial benefits. He and his wife moved to San Francisco in 2014 for a job at Facebook and initially planned to return to Texas. However, they found renting more cost-effective than owning in the pricey city.

    Nader has been pursuing Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) since his twenties and focuses on index fund investing. He and his wife have always lived below their means, allowing them to invest half of their combined income. When they moved to San Francisco, renting made sense from a budget perspective: it was cheaper than buying.

    Nader notes that in cities like San Francisco, the math can change with property value appreciation. However, he's never been confident he'd stay long enough to make buying worth it. His investment strategy revolves around low-cost index funds, which have helped him build a seven-figure net worth.

    After experiencing the stress of managing his Austin rental from afar, Nader prefers the hands-off approach of index fund investing. He believes owning real estate requires too much mental exercise and has chosen to focus on "super boring" index funds instead.