ABRAHAM LINCOLN: AMERICA’S EARLIEST “HOUSE HACKER?”
When discussing presidents and real estate, Abraham Lincoln is not usually the first name that comes to mind. Yet Lincoln’s homeownership story contains elements that modern investors might find surprisingly familiar. In 1844, Lincoln purchased a modest home in Springfield, Illinois, for $1,500. It would become the only home he ever owned. Lincoln, his wife Mary Todd Lincoln, and their children lived there for approximately 17 years while he built his legal practice and launched his political career. Over time, Lincoln expanded the property significantly, including the addition of a full second floor. While evidence remains limited, some historians have speculated that Lincoln occasionally rented rooms within the home. If true,
it would resemble what we now refer to as “house hacking.” This is the practice of living in a property while generating income from other portions of it. However, it is important to note that the Lincoln home was first and foremost a family residence. Any room for rent would have been more similar to a boarding-house arrangement than a structured investment strategy. While Lincoln was certainly not a real estate investor in modern terms, his ownership, improvement, and possible partial rental use of his family home makes him one of the earliest known presidents associated with real estate-based income.
SOME HISTORIANS HAVE SPECULATED THAT LINCOLN OCCASIONALLY RENTED ROOMS WITHIN THE HOME.
For $60k , you can own this house, just around the corner from the Lincoln house.
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