21 Years Old, 3 Properties, and a Plan to Never Work a Job: Sebastian Neave’s Story

Most people talk about investing in real estate “someday.” Sebastian Neave is 21 years old and already closing on his third property.

He’s a college baseball player from Aiken, South Carolina who grew up watching his parents — his dad is a professional polo player — build a life on their own terms. No boss. No clock to punch. Just freedom.

That’s what he’s building too. And he’s not waiting until after graduation to start.

Why Real Estate Over Everything Else

Sebastian grew up in a house where his parents never had to ask anyone for time off. They made their own schedule. They decided when to travel. They answered to themselves.

“I wanted to mirror that in my life,” Sebastian said. “And I love tangible things. Real estate is one of the most proven ways to build wealth.”

He also had an eye toward the future. With AI threatening financial systems and digital assets, he wanted something he could physically touch. A piece of property doesn’t disappear when a server goes down.

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Finding the Right Market (After a Painful Detour)

Sebastian’s first instinct was San Antonio, Texas. He went under contract, got to inspection, and discovered what every San Antonio investor eventually learns: the soil is almost pure clay. Foundation issues on every single property, $10,000 minimum to fix. He pulled out. Kept looking. Same problem everywhere in that market.

He pivoted to Little Rock. Looked at Birmingham. Then finally circled back to what had been right in front of him the whole time — Augusta, Georgia. Thirty minutes from where he lives.

What Augusta has that most markets don’t:

• Fort Gordon (military demand for housing)
• Three universities
• A massive medical center
• A growing Cybersecurity Center
• And of course: the Masters Tournament

“It’s a growing market,” Sebastian said. “And it’s the place where I managed to find my first duplex.”

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The First Duplex: $171K, One Tenant Covering the Whole Mortgage

Sebastian found the property on Zillow — a duplex listed just over $200K. One unit occupied, one needing rehab. He watched it, waited, and when the price dropped to $189K, he made his move.

He offered $156K. They countered at $175K. He came back at $165K. Final offer from the seller: $171K. Deal done.

The numbers:

• Purchase price: $171,000
• PITI (mortgage + taxes + insurance): $980/month
• Top unit rent: $1,050/month (below market — room to grow)
• Bottom unit: currently being rehabbed, will rent for $850/month

Right now, the existing tenant is covering the entire mortgage while Sebastian completes the renovation. Once the second unit is leased, that $850 is essentially pure cash flow.

The Short-Term/Mid-Term Play: $125K, Fully Furnished, 93% Occupancy

Sebastian closed on a single-family property that the previous owner had been running as an Airbnb. The seller was a realtor in Atlanta who wanted to 1031 exchange into a different market. He was motivated to sell.

The property came fully furnished. New roof. New HVAC. New plumbing. New appliances.

The seller showed Sebastian his actual Airbnb numbers: over $30,000 in revenue the previous year on roughly $11,000 in expenses. Sebastian paid $125,000.

He was recording the podcast from inside that property — he’d just gotten the Wi-Fi set up.

The strategy Sebastian is running:

• Q1 (Masters season): Short-term, 3-night minimum stays, premium rates
• Rest of year: Mid-term, 1–6 month stays for traveling medical professionals and military

This is how the previous owner ran 93% occupancy. He wasn’t dependent on the Masters alone — that was the bonus on top of an already-working rental.

“Masters dependency would be if the property only works because of that one week,” Sebastian explained. “I calculated this without the Masters. It still works.”

Side note: if you’re buying a short-term rental from a seller with an established Airbnb listing and strong reviews, negotiate to have that listing transferred to you. The review history is an asset. Sebastian learned this on the call and was going to make that call the same day.

The Third Property: $112K Duplex Near Augusta National

Closing next month. A duplex in a neighborhood called Harrisburg — close to the medical district, adjacent to Augusta National.

Traditionally lower income, but money is flowing in. A local contractor Sebastian has come to trust has six properties in that same neighborhood. His advice: get in now while prices are still low.

The numbers:

• Purchase price: $112,000
• Each unit: 1 bed / 1 bath
• Projected rent: $850/unit × 2 = $1,700/month
• Projected cash flow: ~$500/month

At 21 years old, Sebastian will soon have three doors generating income every single month, with a fourth unit coming online after the rehab.

The Real Lesson Here

Sebastian got stuck on market selection for months. Not on property analysis — on which city to invest in. Classic analysis paralysis, just in a different place than most people expect.

His lesson: put in more offers. That’s the bottleneck for almost every new investor.

“First question we always ask every student who says they’re not getting deals,” Dustin said on the episode. “‘How many offers did you put in?’ Usually it’s three in a month. That’s probably why.”

It’s like batting. You can’t get a hit if you’re only stepping up to the plate three times a month.

Sebastian also made a point that most investors overlook: control what you can control. Sellers are unpredictable. Negotiations fall through. Deals die. That’s not in your control. What is in your control is running the numbers correctly, putting in enough offers, and staying in the game.

The Bigger Picture

Sebastian is playing Division I baseball at Queens University of Charlotte. He’s hoping to get drafted. And he knows that minor league salaries are around $10,000 a year.

So he’s building his portfolio now — while he’s in school, before the draft — so that if and when he gets to the minors, he has a financial engine running in the background while he’s grinding through pro ball.

That’s the whole point of passive income. Not just “quit your job.” But the freedom to pursue what matters to you — baseball, a business, time with your family — because the money doesn’t stop when you do.

Sebastian is already there at 21.

Sebastian is a student in the Income Building Mastery program at Master Passive Income. His coach is Jeremy Pusey. You can follow Sebastian on Instagram at @SebastianNeave. If you want to build a portfolio like his — with a coach guiding every step — visit masterpassiveincome.com.

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