159. We Spent Nearly as Much Renovating It as We Paid For It - The Full Financial Breakdown of Our Maine Airbnb with Mike Watts

159. We Spent Nearly as Much Renovating It as We Paid For It - The Full Financial Breakdown of Our Maine Airbnb with Mike Watts

From Plenty with Kate Northrup by Kate Northrup, Author, Entrepreneur, and Speaker

May 19, 2026 · 1h 2m

About this episode

In this episode, Mike Watts discusses the financial breakdown of their Maine Airbnb renovation and the lessons learned about wealth and investment.

What if an investment could be both financially irrational… and deeply worth it? In this episode, Mike Watts returns to Plenty for part two of our behind-the-scenes Airbnb series, where we pull back the curtain on the actual numbers behind our Maine short-term rental project. And yes — technically, we’re currently underwater on it. But this conversation isn’t just about profit margins or renovation budgets. It’s about the bigger picture of building freedom-based wealth, creating long-term assets, and making financial decisions that align with your values, your family, and the life you actually want to live. Mike shares exactly what we paid for the property, how much we spent on renovations, what surprised us most during the process, and the lessons we’ve already learned that we’ll absolutely apply differently next time. This episode is part real estate breakdown, part wealth philosophy, and part honest conversation about what it actually looks like to build something long-term — even when the math doesn’t immediately “make sense.” Whether you’re curious about investing in real estate, building multiple income streams, or simply thinking differently about money and freedom, this…

People in this episode

Host: Kate Northrup

Guest: Mike Watts

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Places: Maine

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