It’s not every day you find out your landlord is a 24-year-old dating an eight-time Super Bowl winner.

But that’s exactly what happened to several stunned tenants in Boston after learning their properties were owned by none other than Jordon Hudson, the girlfriend of former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

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“How does she have her real estate? Isn’t she 24?” one tenant asked the New York Post, after discovering the cheerleader-turned-landlord owned the four-bed Dorchester home they were renting with others for $4,900 a month.

An $8 million domain

Hudson acquired three multi-family properties in late 2023, according to mortgage records reviewed by Realtor.com. Her real estate portfolio now includes a $2.2 million townhouse in Dorchester, a $2.3 million property nearby, a $3 million building in Boston’s Roxbury Crossing neighborhood and a $610,000 Cape Cod cottage in Harwich — about 80 miles southeast of the city.

That’s quite the empire — especially at a time when soaring costs have priced many young Americans out of the housing market entirely.

Dominic Fantoni, a student who splits $9,100 in monthly rent for one of Hudson’s apartments, was baffled by the discovery: “I’m 21 and we are all struggling to pay rent. I wonder how she came into all that.”

Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan ‘works every single time’ to kill debt, get rich in America — and that ‘anyone’ can do it

Getting a piece of the action

While Hudson’s rapid rise as a landlord is unattainable for most, the good news is you don’t need millions to get started generating passive income in real estate. You don’t even need to buy a property outright.

One popular option is investing in real estate investment trusts, or REITs. These are companies that own and operate income-producing properties — like apartment complexes, shopping centers and office buildings.

Think of a REIT as a giant landlord: It collects rent, manages the properties and passes at least 90% of its taxable income back to investors in the form of dividends.

Because many REITs are publicly traded, investing in them is as easy as buying a stock. You can purchase shares through a brokerage account and trade them throughout the day — making REITs one of the most liquid ways to invest in real estate.

There’s also no large upfront cost. Unlike buying a house, which usually requires tens or hundreds of thousands for a down payment, you can invest in a REIT with as much money as you are willing to spend.

Real estate crowdfunding platforms offer another accessible option. These platforms allow everyday investors to own fractional shares of rental properties or commercial real estate portfolios — earning a portion of the rental income and benefiting from potential appreciation over time.

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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.