What if one regular single-family house could bring in more rent than renting the whole thing to one tenant? Christian Nossum sits down with Shannon Nossum, who runs all of their rentals, to explain how they rent by the room: one house, one lease per bedroom, shared common space. They have done it near the University of Washington for about 20 years, and this is the episode where Shannon goes deep on how.

In this episode

• What renting by the room means, and why Shannon says several small leases feel safer to her than one big one
• Their own numbers: 47 bedrooms across six houses, and the Ravenna BRRRR (five bedrooms to 11, bought at $825,000, about $150,000 of rehab, refinanced at $1.55 million at about 7.5%, renting for $9,500 a month)
• What to look for in a house: unused square footage, access to each room, and the bedroom-to-bathroom ratio
• Why they never add on, and why the bedrooms stay unfurnished
• Is it really passive? Shannon's answer is "not fully"
• Partners, living in one of the bedrooms yourself, and other ways in without a lot of cash
• How it compares with PadSplit, and whether it works outside Seattle
• What Shannon put in the Rent by the Room course and who she made it for

Hosts: Christian Nossum and Shannon Nossum, The Awesome Nossum Group at Wilson Realty Exchange, Inc. Shannon runs the group's rentals and created the course.

The course: Rent by the Room, created by Shannon Nossum. We sell it. 9 self-paced video lessons, two 1-on-1 calls with Shannon (30 minutes, then 15 minutes), lifetime access, $297 one time. Refund: a full refund within 14 days of purchase on request by email to Shannon@AwesomeNossum.com; not available after the initial 30-minute call has taken place. Details: https://awesomenossum.com/r/ep-pod
Free checklist if you are not ready for the course: https://www.awesomenossum.com/checklist
Newsletter: https://awesomenossum.com/r/news

The numbers in this episode are the hosts' own results with their own houses, not a prediction or a promise of income, and they describe it as hands-on work, not passive. Landlord-tenant, fair housing, zoning, occupancy, and permit rules vary by city and state.

Chapters
0:00 One house, $9,500 a month
1:46 What renting by the room means
3:27 Why rooms earn more than the whole house
5:07 Why it fits this market
8:46 Managing 47 bedrooms in six houses
11:19 Case study: the Ravenna house
14:16 What to look for in a house
16:25 Furniture, utilities, and cleaning
18:47 Is it really passive income?
20:02 Where to start: get educated
22:54 Stacking strategies and PadSplit
24:27 Partners and low-cash ways in
27:46 Do you need real estate knowledge?
29:01 Does this work outside Seattle?
29:54 Why Shannon made the course
31:49 What’s in the course
34:02 Who it’s for
34:57 The one takeaway and wrap-up

Recorded 2026-11-02. Educational only; confirm current rules with your agent.

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Do Washington sellers have to tell you their house is haunted? In this Halloween rerelease of Episode 84, originally recorded in October 2022, Christian Nossum and former Awesome Nossum Group team members Les, Reed, Mel, and Nick explain what sellers don’t have to disclose. Then they share some of Seattle’s most haunted spots.

In this episode:

•Do you have to disclose a haunted house or a death in Washington State?

•How to research a home’s history before you buy

•The North Seattle house haunted by “Mr. Carter”

•Haunted Seattle spots: Merchants Cafe, Kells Irish Pub, University Heights Center, Hotel Sorrento, Pike Place Market, Hotel Andra, and the old Beacon Hill hospital

Les, Reed, Mel, and Nick have since moved on from the team, and we’re grateful for everything they brought to The Awesome Nossum Group. Some details are from 2022, so a few places may have changed.

Buying a home in Seattle and want it ghost-free? Book a free strategy session: https://awesomenossumgroup.com/schedule

Full show notes and transcript: https://awesomenossumgroup.com/podcast/84-haunted-in-seattle

The Awesome Nossum Group is a team within Wilson Realty Exchange, Inc. For general education only, not legal advice.

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What are the best books for real estate agents, investors, and mindset? Christian and Shannon Nossum share the 13 books that shaped their real estate, investing, and mindset journey, in roughly the order they read them. These are their picks and opinions, not a ranking.

In this episode of Awesome In Seattle:
- Mindset and money: Rich Dad Poor Dad, The 6 Types of Working Genius, Work Happy

- For agents and sales: How to Win Friends and Influence People, Sell It Like Serhant, 7L: The Seven Levels of Communication
- For real estate investors: Return on Real Estate, The House Flipping Framework, Raising Private Capital
- For running an investment business: 10X Is Easier Than 2X, Buy Back Your Time, Who Not How, Scaling Smart
- Reading tips, including pairing an audiobook with the print copy

Books mentioned:
Rich Dad Poor Dad (Robert T. Kiyosaki): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1612680194

The 6 Types of Working Genius (Patrick Lencioni): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1637743297

Work Happy: What Great Bosses Know (Jill Geisler): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1455547077

How to Win Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0671027034

Sell It Like Serhant (Ryan Serhant): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1538781131

7L: The Seven Levels of Communication (Michael J. Maher): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1942952473

Return on Real Estate (Leka Devatha): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1960178792

The House Flipping Framework (James Dainard): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1960178725

Raising Private Capital, revised edition (Matt Faircloth): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1960178083

10X Is Easier Than 2X (Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy): https://www.amazon.com/dp/140196995X

Buy Back Your Time (Dan Martell): https://www.amazon.com/dp/059342297X

Who Not How (Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1401960588

Scaling Smart (Rich Fettke and Kathy Fettke): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1960178164

The Confidence Code for Girls (Katty Kay and Claire Shipman): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062796984

The Richest Man in Babylon (George S. Clason): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0451205367

Raising money from investors can fall under securities rules, so talk with an attorney first.
Background from the SEC: https://www.sec.gov/resources-small-businesses/exempt-offerings

Full show notes, book links, and transcript: https://awesomenossumgroup.com/podcast/171-books-that-helped-shape-our-real-estate-investing-and-mindset-journey

More episodes for investors: https://awesomenossumgroup.com/podcast/playlist/investors

Hosts: Christian Nossum and Shannon Nossum (real estate investor) of The Awesome Nossum Group at Wilson Realty Exchange, Inc. Talk with us at AwesomeNossumGroup.com or AwesomeNossumGroup.com/schedule

Educational only, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Confirm current rules with your agent, attorney, or lender.